Graphic Novel Review: Double Walker written by Michael W. Conrad and illustrated by Noah Bailey

Posted on June 6, 2023 at 9:53 am by Gene Ambaum

Double Walker written by Michael W. Conrad and illustrated by Noah Bailey. Dark Horse / Comixology Originals, 2022. 9781506730899. 137pp.

This story takes place near the Old Man of Storr, in a place where faeries are said to feast on the remains of the old man’s corpse (he lay down and became a mountain). It involves two tourists, Cully and his pregnant young wife Gemma, who don’t take the faerie stories seriously, but really should. After a hike during which Cully goes on ahead a bit, he returns to find Gemma unconscious, uttering nonsense. He rushes her to a hospital but she loses the baby. People in the town where they’re staying start getting killed in horrific ways. Cue more faerie stories, including stories of changelings. Enter two investigators who talk about this like it’s happened before, and who hope that whatever dark thing is happening town will work itself out without them getting too involved.

Worth noting: the bar in the story is The Mangled Stag, and there’s a fair amount of gore in the book. But Bailey’s illustrations, which look like they started as pencil or charcoal sketches, make even the worst murder scene worth looking at.

This book was originally released digitally on Comixology in 2021 by Mystery School Comics Group.