The Devils Footprints

by Scott Allie, Paul Lee (Artist), Brian Horton (Artist)

When William Waite died, after a life steeped in black magic, his family thought that the terror was over. Two years later, all the people close to him begin to suffer from mysterious illnesses, including the loss of a baby. His youngest son, Brandon Waite, desperate to protect his family, begins to dig into his dead father's bag of tricks. But his desire to protect his loved ones forces him to cover up his own tentative steps into witchcraft, leading him to mix deception with demon conjuration, isolating himself in a terrible world where his soul hangs in the balance. The townspeople he grew up with have always known there's something wrong with the Waite family, and their worst fears are proven true in a fiery climax on town hill, with the devil returns to New England. Includes the four-issue mini-series in addition to previously unpublished stories.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Fantasy

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2003

About the author

Scott Allie is an American comics writer and editor, best known as an editor and executive at Dark Horse Comics from 1994 to 2017.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

I have a mixed opinion of this book. On the one hand, a few parts of the story were done well. The family dynamic and drama were depicted, when they were depicted, with skill, and the characterization of the older brother develops with good timing and care. In fact, though the older brother isn't the POV character, he certainly is the most interesting. He goes through a massive change through the book, and has far more at stake then the rest of the family.
But, the story lacks focus, and tries to do too much in too little a space. The complications and authority of the rich family on the hill bring nothing to the story, and in fact none of those characters effect any of the outcomes, so I wonder why so much time (including the opening of the book!) is spent on extraneous details. The dynamics of the town are also dwelt upon, when the main story would be served with a focus on the family.
It's a story that needed more space to be done the way it was plotted, or a thick red pen to be effective in the space it had.

[Ian Johnston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it years ago and found it again recently. I remember it didn't impress me, nor could I remember anything about it. That's not a great sign. I was going to purge it before I saw Alan Moore and Clive Barker's recommendation on the back cover. Having re-read it today, it's getting purged.

So there's bad stuff happening because dead dad. There's casual magic all the time, except when redneck townies and a drunk mom remind us there's probably a good Tennessee Williams play happening somewhere else. World building is "the Vietnam war is going on right now" and weird boy equals larger world where this makes sense. Our hero gets a book from the Wizard store and is generally ineffective. Dead dad shows up to cackle and be defeated because they only did 4 issues of the comic. Seriously, he had no reason to come by, and plenty of reason to stay away. The demon who wants his soul was right there, he pissed off his sons by stealing an unborn baby and putting them in danger. Also they know magic.

Mike Mignola could have pulled it off.

[Terry McFadden · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main story contains a few interesting elements but feels confused, disjointed, rushed. Occasionally the art includes some decent moody panels, but a lot of it looks like CG clip-art; for example, the scene in the bookseller's shop should feel spooky, but instead, too many panels lack moody details and it feels "off.". Also, I'm usually a huge fan of Dave Stewart's coloring but here he uses too many photoshop gradients.

The back-up stories do help fill in some details. I prefer Galen Showman's art to Paul Lee's in the main story. And I prefer Lee's work on the short story "The Call" to his illustrations for the main story, but still, the child Brandon's weird Lovecraftian experience should have been spookier!

[Ioana Dragomir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled a bit in the beginning to understand what was happening, but as the story progressed it actually got better.
Would recommend for a quick easy read.

[Ramona S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice art. I really enjoyed the drawings. The story was a bit confusing for me.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

D+

The Waite family are outcasts. After their father died in mysterious circumstances, brothers Brandon and Dexter's lives go in different directions. Dexter tries to move past his father's macabre eccentricities while Brandon dives headlong into the occult. With spooky things afoot, only their father's knowledge can save them now.

The story is too fast-paced. Scott Allie doesn't give it time to breathe or play out organically. As a result, the plot feels forced. Brian Horton's art doesn't help with plot flow, either. Several times I started reading the wrong text due to layout issues. Horton is also doing his best to ape Mike Mignola but falls short.

[Printable Tire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too confusing and fast-paced, although there was one nice creature design and some interesting rituals. I'm afraid this book might be the exception that proves the old "start in the middle of the action" rule. Too many conversations and back stories and characters flew right by me, and the ending was anti-climactic enough to make one assume there is/will be some sort of sequel involving these rather uninteresting, confusing characters. I think part of the problem might be with the dialogue, which was so realistic as to make it incomprehensible. Decent art, though it doesn't strike me as particularly late 60's. Some points for having a story take place in Providence.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short graphic novel has excellent character writing and plot building. Early on I hoped it might be a graphic equivalent of a great Hammer film like The Devil Rides Out. Unfortunately, the ending is just too quick and too easy. Also, this is one of those conflicted occult stories that one minute takes potshots at stoopid witch hunters, and the next minute it confirms the witch hunter's motivations by depicting occultists messing around with unimaginably dangerous supernatural forces.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this interesting enough to read and reccomend to other fans of supernatural horror comics, but it isn't great. The characters and plot are a bit vauge, leaving the ending unsatisfying. If this were made into more a series, to explore some of the other characters (particularly the women who get the backseat), I would probably have liked it more. However despite my grousing, it is an interesting and quick read.

[Woowott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art isn't bad. There is a pinch of humor. There is some interesting plot going on, and the authors know some stuff about the occult. But this story is unfocused, unclear, and not nearly as tight as it could be. I feel like some of the scenes are unnecessary; but things that I would deem necessary are passed over and only explained in dialogue. Fun concept, lackluster execution.

[Luis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es malo... es terriblemente malo... personajes sin carisma, historia plana y sin pies ni cabezas y nunca logre entender que propósito había. Me deje llevar por la recomendación de Alan Moore de la contraportada y me he llevado un mal rato leyéndolo

[Elin · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, this wasn't good. Messy, slow, wierd and the characters were all screaming dramaqueens.

[Matt Piechocinski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great premise but fell flat ... really disappointing considering the characters were pretty compelling.