“In ‘Zombi Child’, White Tears Dampen Haitian History”

During the “Dixie Fried” story arc in Garth Ennis’ comic book series Preacher, Jesse Custer sits with a voodoo priest to untangle memories inherited from the unwanted guest taking up real estate in his soul. The set-up, to Custer’s disappointment, is mundane: There’s one giant python, true, but the priest is plain-clothed, and his only other implement is an old tape player. Custer had imagined a ritual as seen in Live and Let Die, complete with top hats and skeletal face paint. “Guess I was expectin’ you to do some’ve that shit, you know?” Custer opines. 

“Maybe I will, Jesse,” the priest says. Custer blinks. When he opens his eyes, the priest sits in a top hat with skeletal face paint, accompanied by floating disembodied hands drumming along with him. “Maybe I will.” 

That’s more or less Bertrand Bonello’s Zombi Child summed up in a dozen or so comic frames, except with a generous second helping of white privilege. It’s great. You can read my full review over at Paste Magazine.