Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Ian Bertram
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $3.99

House of Penance #5 sees the titular house still under construction according to the deranged plans of its owner, Sarah Winchester. When Sarah’s sister and her husband come calling, things go from bad to worse as they try to have her committed to a sanatorium.

Fortunately for Sarah, the outlaw Warren Peck is on hand to put a stop to such nonsense, not that Sarah is overflowing with gratitude. It seems the widow Winchester still has other things on her mind, such as atoning for the sins of her family who created the Winchester rifle; perhaps the most famous gun in the world.

When the spirits of all the people killed by a Winchester weapon come calling, Sarah has no choice but to seek redemption for herself and her family. In her quest for peace, Sarah has already lost her husband and daughter and, quite possibly her sanity. The eternal construction of the House of Penance is Sarah’s way of appeasing the vengeful spirits and, if she fails in her task, the souls of her entire family will be consigned to purgatory. As tension among the workers spill over into violence, the House of Penance makes its presence well and truly felt in what is possibly the weirdest, most intriguing and original title to hit the stands in years.

A tour de force by Peter J. Tomasi and Ian Bertram who, between them, have created as unsettling and unique an amalgam of guilt, the supernatural and the Wild West that you are ever likely to see.

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker