Silver Sprocket comics is an independent comic company, and they absolutely do not shy away from controversial and bizarre topics. I love them for that. Coming May 2021, the graphic novel American Cult is a perfect addition to the graphic novel collections of those fascinated by cults. Edited by Robyn Chapman, this comic features the art of many extremely talented people, including Lara Antal, Brian “Box” Brown, Ryan Carey, Rosa Colón Guerra, Mike Dawson, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Mike Freiheit, Emi Gennis, Andrew Greenstone, Janet Harvey, Josh Kramer, Jesse, Lambert, Ellen Lindner, Lonnie Mann, Ben Passmore, Jim Rugg, Robert Sergel, Vreni Stollberger, Steve Teare, and J.T. Yost.
While many readers may be familiar with the Manson Family and Heaven’s Gate, they might not know about the Oneida cult; yes, Oneida plates and silverware. In her introduction, Robyn Chapman advises her goal was to treat these stories 50% with empathy and 50% with justice. In short, she wants to remind you that real people were caught up in these issues. American Cults succeeds in this goal. While it does act with caution and justice, the graphic novel does advise you that these were real people in search of meaning. There were some surprising additions to this that I had never heard of before, and was fascinated to learn about. Guess how Philadelphia was formed, folks!
Be advised the section on the Oneida cult is….well, pretty racy. This is definitely a comic for adults only.
American Cult is a fascinating read, and each time you go through it you’ll likely find something else that you may have missed the first round.
You may preorder your copy here: Silver Sprocket
Here’s a quick look at some of the pages inside:
