Bone Parish follows a family that thrives in crime together. The Winters family managed to create a new designer hallucinogenic drug, one taking the streets of New Orleans by storm. This is no normal drug either. Paralleling the use of mummy and bone dust by our ancestors, this new drug incorporates the ashes of the deceased. Bodies are retrieved from cemeteries, and their clever alchemist in the lab, Brigitte, can make unique ‘strains’ depending on what the person was in life, to grant skills and knowledge. As demand grows, bigger crime families make moves to buy or take over the Ash operations. To top it all off, users are beginning to experience terrible side effects. The dead are trying to live again, through the people who’ve consumed them.

This was quite the unusual graphic novel. Despite following bodysnatchers making drugs from the deceased, I became really invested in the story. This mirrors (not so) ancient practises that used mummy powder as medicine. This was fascinating from an anthropologist’s point of view. This was just volume one, and I want more of the story! I want to know what parts, exactly, are being used. How are memories and essence of the dead showing through the drug users? I need to know!!

Here, enjoy this article!

The artwork is stunning, perfect for this gritty tale of life, death, and resurrection. I felt the characters were compelling too. I loved Grace, who was mostly decisive and strong, despite being addicted to the Ash. She uses it to interact with her deceased husband. Brigitte was pretty cool too. She’s the one who figured out how to make the drug, and manufactures the batches. Demand for very distinct traits and/or experiences has led her to give her resurrectionists lists of specific people to unearth. She seems reluctant and uncertain over these specialised requests, and with the increased demand. She won’t share the secret, so the Ash can’t be mass produced. She’s rightly concerned by the attention all the body-snatching is garnering. And things are starting to go wrong in all the worst ways. The Ash is causing users to go on rages, controlled by the visions of the dead.

Recommended for those who like gritty, dark graphic novels!

***Many thanks to Netgalley/ BOOM! Studios for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review.