The Exorcism at 1600 Penn
Hannah Rose May (writer), Vanesa Del Rey (artist), Jordie Bellaire (colors), Hassan Otsame-Elhaou (lettering)
Published by ID Entertainment / Penguin Random House
Publisher’s Summary:
IDW debuts a chilling new four-issue original supernatural horror series perfect for fans of the Nice House on the Lake and the Haunting of Hill House.
From the pen of rising comics writer Hannah Rose May (Rogues’ Gallery) and acclaimed artist Vanesa Del Rey (Scarlet Witch).
Kelly Doyle has just been elected the first woman president of the United States of America, and boiling political tension could spill over at any second. Having to balance being a mother to two teenagers and navigating the shifting media landscape, all while preventing World War III, has Kelly spread thin, but she could never predict that the nation’s hallowed halls would soon become a demonic battleground for good versus evil.
Review:
The Exorcism at 1600 Penn by Hannah Rose May and artist Vanesa Del Rey first hit the comic book shops in October 2024. A horror story perfectly timed for Halloween’s spooky season and the United States Presidential Election last November. Though it’s typical for publishers to edit other contributors on the team due to identifying which ones were the owners of the story or out of their lack of respect, this story would not be what it is without Jordie Bellaire and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, both with substantial credits and award nominations/wins in their own right.
Every presidency going as far back as I can remember, has had accusations of the Antichrist coming to power being predicted by Nostradamus. Nothing—not even good ol’ Nostradamus—comes close to what extremist media manipulators did to Hillary Clinton being a baby-eating Satanist and pedo-ring member1.
As a reader, when I saw a comic book cover featuring a female (white) president with a demon by her side, I immediately judged the book by its cover. I thought, “Here we go again. A woman couldn’t possibly earn her position without making a pact with the Devil.” I decided not to read the series until all four issues were available.
I was off the mark and made incorrect assumptions. This is a good thing. Happy to be wrong.
I’ll also admit that I had never heard of writer Hannah Rose May before, yet, I know the work of the rest of the team and I’m always impressed by what they produce. When I searched her name in Ecosia, I wondered if there were two people with the same name—happens to me all the time. Hannah Rose May is an actor from Dublin, Ireland. She’s written for Harley Quinn, Star Trek, and creator-owned Rogues’ Gallery. Same person with a variety of artistic talents. (You can be good at more than one thing!)
One of the many things I liked about the book design was that each issue began with the daily briefing for President Kelly Doyle. These memos had redacted information adding to the mysterious pastiche. What the president up to and what is the country facing in terms of danger?
The First Daughter (Mara) and First Son (Kevin) have opposing experiences at their new Catholic high school. Kevin wants to fit in to the point where he pulls a prank descrating the altar by placing a cross upside-down. The peer group tells him it’s a tradition. Kevin immediately feels the heavy weight of Catholic guilt. The sibling relationship wins out over Kevin’s need for an insensitive peer group of non-believers. Kevin is devout as his mother. Being a teenager in the White House takes a toll. Mara becomes addicted to scrolling every platform to see every comment about her mother. Mara, on the other hand, stays isolated and begins to show signs of a sickness.
Mara’s seizures and other symptoms happen to reflect a weaponized illness called Havana Syndrome. It’s known to exist, but not how veterans, in particular, acquire it. President Doyle’s staffers don’t want to admit that Havana may be present anywhere on US soil. They naturally want to spin Mara’s behavior and seizures on something easier to feed the public.
While Mara’s illness is revealed to be demonic possession, it can be seen as more. First of all, Kelly Doyle is the first female POTUS who faces predictable misogyny from the press and her own staff. Secondly, there’s an obvious play on puberty and how “crazed” and untrustworthy teenage girls are. They’re simply at the whims of things they can’t control and should never be allowed important roles unless they act like boys.
Kevin walking away from a shitty group that aren’t interested in being his friend only in used his station—is played through by actions of vulnerability—that he’s not tough enough to play with the cool kids. He is quite strong emotionally, as is his mother.
Dr. Eric Doyle is a former medical doctor now First Husband. He seeks logical answers in Mara’s illness. He’s not nearly the believer his wife and son are. He is also deeply in love with his family and would do anything for them. The moments shared between Eric and Kelly are reminiscent of the Obamas. They lean on each other and support each other. He does not feel inferior in any way to a wife who chose to be in politics and the public eye.
Another surprising act of feminism comes from none other than The Vatican. President Doyle puts in a call the Pope who sends a nuncio (an archbishop) to take care of their problem. The nuncio is a nun not a priest! Nuns and Catholic women still have a long way to go towards equality in the Church, but seeing this on the pages of a comic was an interesting non-Catholic reading experience.
As our real world mourns the loss of Pope Frances2, the most progressive pontiff we’ve seen despite the scandalous coverups—Catholics and others around the entire world have been shocked by his swift replacement during a short conclave in which an American was named as predecessor—Pope Leo.
Summary:
The horror elements play out predictably like in a movie and there are no surprises. The story’s deeper context is where non-horror, mundane choices: about politics, gender roles, contangions, war-mongering, and crossing the lines of Church and State—are where The Exorcism at 1600 Penn truly embraces modern takes on old subjects. A demon feeding off of what a teen reads on the internet and hears at school is quite a brilliant way to show how infectitious outside validation can be. But you don’t need to be in the White House to learn that lesson although some in there should definitely learn to stay offline IRL.
The story is perfectly paced. Each main character gets their time in order for readers to know a little bit about them. The coloring is superb! As always, magnificent work from Jordie Bellaire. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou used creative approaches to jagged word balloon tails, shifts in text size, disturbing sketch line scribbles for screams, and dripping typeface for the big bad demon.
Rating: 5 stars
Preview:
Off-topic Resources!
Pope Francis to Give Women a Role in Choosing Bishops Cindy Wooden – Catholic News Service
July 06, 2022
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.