Murky Depths #4

Murky Depths, for those who don’t yet know, is a strong up-and-coming speculative fiction magazine that blends killer art, dark short stories, and graphic strips into a combination comic book/fiction magazine that’s pure candy for both the mind and eyes.

Issue #4 starts with installment 3 of Luke Cooper’s “The Dark Gospel,” a chiaroscuro graphic strip about a little demon who sneaks Satan’s secret book out of Hell and lets it fall into the hands of the cold cop Daniel Goulding. Daniel has hooked up with the aptly named Halo Slipping, who isn’t quite as angelic as she first implies. This installment of “The Dark Gospel” centers on Halo as Goulding ends up having to save her, learning more about her in the process. Halo isn’t just the only angel eager to take Goulding on, she’s also the heir to a holy artifact that might just give Goulding a badly needed edge in facing down the Lord of Hell. “The Dark Gospel” is at times just a bit too much, piling dark atmosphere and implied gore on top of each other, allowing little room for the reader to catch a breath. But the mythos of angels, humanity, and demons is one that readers rarely tire of.

If “Memories of the Knacker’s Yard” by Ian Creasey (Apex Digest #10) and the Jack Ripper mythos bred, you’d have the next Murky Depths story, “Saint Darwin’s Spirituals” by D.K. Thompson. In a fictitious world where Darwin’s The Origin of Spirits followed The Origin of Species, and he invents goggles that let humans see these invisible spirits, a creature stalks the streets of London, killing prostitutes. Lucy is walking the streets not because she’s a prostitute, but because she’s looking for her lost husband, Thomas, who was trying to find the killer himself. Now she’s sure that the monster took Thomas, and she’s out to find it so she can at least save his spirit. This story (which inspired the cover to this issue) is packed with worldbuilding without slowing the plot. It’s historical and paranormal in an alternate past, a solid, interesting tale that focuses not on the intriguing premise, but on the plight of a woman looking for the man she loves.

“Miracle” by Michael A. Pignatella is a story employing deus ex machina, but that’s the point. One day during his chemo treatment for terminal pancreatic cancer, Elliot has a vision. One thing leads to another, and when the doctor says that the cancer isn’t responding, Elliot knows exactly what to do. He cashes out his life insurance policy and heads to Ecuador; there, a strange man is waiting for him at the airport. Soon, in a mysterious tiny town, Elliot meets a girl filled with the will of God, and Elliot himself is charged with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the man who bought out his life insurance intends to collect, and for that, Elliot must die. While unsurprising, this tale is a pleasant, satisfying read.

“Rex the Dog” is Mur Lafferty’s love letter to horror. The hilarious and sinister dark strip written in the style of the old first reader Dick and Jane books is practically poetic. If published on the Internet, it would be a viral must-read for horror fans.

Edward Morris’s “First Aid” is a non-traditional vampire tale. Its weakness is that not much really happens, and while the premise is interesting, there could have been more to this urban, disease based vampirism idea than the main character’s monstrous transformation.

“Flave’s Formula” by Jason Palmer is a hyped-up tale of one man’s quest to be the strongest man alive. As the reader follows the protagonist through his amped-up, chemically-induced bulk building, it’s easy to see the direction the story is headed. But Palmer does manage to add a bit of amusement to the end, leaving readers satisfied even if they aren’t marveled.

“The Man with the Hologram Face” by Louise Cypher is practically a futuristic episode of Intervention starring an alcoholic drug addict who, after a disfiguring accident, now wears a device that creates a perfect hologram of how his face used to look. But Peter is caught up in a classic cycle of depression and abuse. Less a plot-based story and more one entirely centered on the main character, this tale will work for those who sympathize or connect with the characters but will be a miss for those who don’t.

“Warped” by James Johnson is an excellent SF graphic strip with a horror twist, one of the best to come from Murky Depths so far. A rescue ship has come for lost military genius General Kia, but after entering his warship, the rescuers find a ship full of monsters with General Kia trapped in the only safe spot, waiting for his rescuers to arrive. Artistically, “Warped” is closer to traditional comics than many of the other graphic strips, a style which lends itself well to the solid tech visuals of this hard SF tale.

“Paternoster Blues” by Richard Barber is a familiar tale of haunting and obsession. It sets up Garry versus a rickety paternoster—a doorless elevator chain to Americans or others who may not have encountered them. Garry’s fear seems justified when he notices that the same car on the loop always has the same person inside, and others subconsciously avoid stepping onto that car. But Garry’s obsession with the paternoster is changing him, and only stepping on and taking a ride for himself can break the dysfunctional direction he’s headed in. “Paternoster Blues” is well written and offers variations on the familiar haunting tale, as well as capturing the tension that makes this storytelling style work.

C.S. MacCarth’s “Casting Sin” is cast in the same vein as Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” Hedea’s town has turned against her, using her age as the reason to make her the target in a classic scapegoat ritual. If she can survive a walk through the length of the town while the people, who have taken everything from her—from her loom to her home—pelt her with objects that symbolize and mystically transfer their sins to her, they’ll let her live as an exile. But if she falls beneath their vicious attack, they will kill her, exterminating their own sins along with her body. A human tale depicting the worst side of humanity, it captures both the horror of superstition and the possible truth in it.

Following the historical horror trend, Trent Jamieson tells of a “Day Boy,” a daytime servant of what is most likely a vampire, one of many who have invaded a small town. While the position comes with some protection and prestige, it also means hard work and the death of the boy’s family, because they must be servants of the master only, having no blood connections to the town. But when Troy finds his master dead, he decides not to run from the certain death that will come for him at nightfall when the others realize he’s failed his master. Instead, Troy decides to take revenge on the other masters and day boys, with surprising results. One of the most enjoyable and unique vampire tales printed in a while, this one is definitely worth reading.

“The Visitor” by R.D. Hall is the last graphic offering in this issue. It’s a piece of dark tension, pitting a boy waiting in his dark room against his approaching father. But the outcome is different from other tales with the same setup, making this more of a classic horror piece than a genre blend.

Last is a poetry offering, Sam Stone’s “Demon Lover.” Sexy and boasting, readers won’t have to wonder why the storyteller always gets his way.

This issue is dominated by horror but still delivers the slices of science fiction and fantasy, and, of course, dark art, that one expects from Murky Depths.