The scariest monsters are never the ones in storybooks; they’re the ones living under your roof. Your Major Spoilers review of Buried Long Long Ago from Mad Cave Studios awaits!

BURIED LONG LONG AGO #1

Writer: Anthony Cleveland
Artist: Alex Corrmack
Letterer: Justin Birch
Editors: James B Burnett and Ryan Carroll
Publisher: Mad Cave Studio
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 16th, 2025

Previously in Buried Long Long Ago: Based on true events, from 1901-1908 Belle Gunness lured dozens of lonely men to her Indiana farm and savagely murdered them for their money. Because Belle managed to avoid capture and face trial, much of this story remains untold.

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOME

Buried Long Long Ago opens with the tale of an ogress living in a fantasy world. The ogress lures an unsuspecting adventurer into her lair. When the adventurer’s brother hears about this, he rushes to the woods to save him, but finds only bones. It’s then revealed that this is a story being told by a girl named Jess, to her two younger siblings. The three are on a train to Indiana, where they meet their mother. They get into a carriage, and along the way, the mother instructs them as to what they’re going to say when they meet their new stepfather at his farm. When they arrive, it’s clear that the stepfather is quite smitten with the children right away, and he seems happy that they’re there. After dinner, Jess hears something and goes downstairs and discovers that her mother has done something terrible, but also that there may be something else lurking around the house.

A MATTER OF SUBTLY AND TASTE

Buried Long Long Ago #1 starts on a good foot. There’s a nice cyclical pattern to this issue, with everything leading up to the murder, then a sort of dark mirror to it all on the back half. Also, the eldest daughter is instantly likeable and gets a lot of emotional depth in a short amount of time. Where things start to go awry are the characterizations of the mother and the stepfather. The stepfather is so overwhelmingly sweet and wholesome that when he is taken out, it’s almost humorous in a way. This is only enhanced by how overtly sinister they paint the mother character. Also, they make a choice to give her a thick Norwegian accent that they portray phonetically in her dialogue, which makes her feel even more cartoonish. This leads into my next gripe, and that’s how they’re handling the fact that this is supposed to be based on real-life events. There’s a bit of uncomfortableness that comes from seeing an actual serial killer and real victim portrayed so over the top. Additionally, once a supernatural element is introduced and the story deviates further from real events, it raises the question of whether using a real murderer was necessary, or merely for a shock effect.

GOING FULL HORROR

The art in Buried Long Long Ago #1 is filled with classic visual elements from horror movies and other types of artwork. This is most seen on the character of Belle, the mother, as she is often depicted with deep shadows on her face, making her look like the physical incarnation of being sinister. There’s also a great shot at the end that reveals an excellent piece of monster design.

BOTTOM LINE: A DECENT HORROR STORY WITH BAGGAGE

Buried Long Long Ago #1 is certainly a step above a typical supernatural-infused murderfest that a lot of horror comics tend to be. This is due to it having some strong plot composition with some characters that you very quickly care about. Unfortunately, this is then brought down with some over-the-top characterizations and a sense of unease that comes from how the creators are handling true-life events. It’s a good-looking book that embraces the horror elements wholeheartedly and with gusto. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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