FANTAGRAPHICS AT 50! If you’re not familiar with the wonder that is Katie Skelly, let me take you back to 2020. Yes, there was COVID. But there was also a wonderful mystery graphic novel called Maids; a perfect mix of sexy, gruesome and intriguing. Since then, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Skelly’s next project, and the day has finally come. Heaven, published by Fantagraphics, follows four young women as they investigate a mysterious, vanishing strip club…
“Out past the edge of town, there exists a strip club called Heaven that only some can find.” Some wonder if it’s merely a mirage; others say you can’t miss its neon lights. Either way, on our very first pages we’re greeted by a gruesome scene. Three high-heel-adorned legs stand amongst a flurry of cash. Below them lies a body, face down in a pool of blood. As three hooded figures shove a half-conscious man into a chair, he’s utterly bewildered. That’s when one of the women pounces.
Cut to a less gothic, more summery colour palette, and we meet our protagonist, Delores (or Dolly). She feels completely lost in herself. Her parents are getting divorced, her grades are slipping, and she’s desperate for something to shake up her life. Having just turned eighteen, she and her friends become fascinated by the rumours surrounding Heaven (the strip club, not the biblical concept…). Dolly is initially turned away thanks to an unfortunate case of brace face, but she’s determined not to let that stop her getting a job there.
At first, Heaven appears to be a fairly stereotypical strip club, filled with seedy men leering at women on stage. Refreshingly, though, the dancers are portrayed as having agency, genuine friendships and pride in what they do, rather than existing purely for the male gaze. As men begin disappearing after visiting the club, it quickly becomes clear that Heaven is far more than a coming-of-age story set against an unusual backdrop. Skelly slowly peels back the layers of the club’s mythology, blending horror, mystery and a healthy dose of camp.
Strip clubs aren’t a setting I’d usually gravitate towards, but Heaven never feels interested in sensationalising them. Instead, the club becomes a stage on which to explore female power and the strange rituals that bind people together. The focus remains firmly on the women themselves, and who they really are, making it feel less like a story about a strip club and more like one that simply happens to take place inside one.
Like Maids, Skelly is in no rush to reveal all of her secrets. The mystery unfolds gradually, inviting readers to piece together clues alongside Delores rather than rushing from one twist to the next. Visually, Heaven is absolutely stunning. Skelly’s unmistakable style sits somewhere between retro fashion illustration and underground comics, with expressive faces, bold silhouettes and confident linework. The limited colour palette does a huge amount of heavy lifting: warm pinks, reds and aquas evoke the hazy glamour of summer, while deep blacks and flashes of crimson constantly remind you that something sinister is lurking beneath the surface. The layouts feel effortlessly cinematic, with clean compositions that make conversations drip with tension.
Heaven isn’t just another horror comic, nor is it a straightforward mystery. It’s an intoxicating blend of both, wrapped in a stylish coming-of-age story that’s as interested in female camaraderie as it is in blood-soaked revenge. Katie Skelly continues to prove she’s one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary comics, creating worlds that are equal parts glamorous, unsettling and impossible to forget. If you loved Maids, Heaven is an easy recommendation.
Katie Skelly (W/A) • Fantagraphics, $19.99
Fantagraphics at 50 Month runs through August at Broken Frontier. You can see articles as they’re published in one tagged list here.
