When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee by Gus Moreno and Jakub Rebelka
BOOM! Studios (January 2026)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Gus Moreno is the author of This Thing Between Us. His stories have appeared in Aurealis, PseudoPod, Bluestem Magazine, LitroNy, the Burnt Tongues anthology, and a bunch of other places that are totally not defunct. Some of his favorite books are American Psycho, Battle Royale, and Under the Skin. Some of his favorite writers are Margaret Atwood, Lucia Berlin, and Amy Hempel. He likes denim jackets, professional wrestling, neighborhood pizza, and anything by The xx. He lives in the suburbs with his wife and dogs, but never think that he’s not from Chicago. His newest graphic novel is When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee, illustrated by Jakub Rebelka.
Father Barrera is a disgraced priest, haunted by his part in the tragic death of a child. As penance, he is exiled to the remote South American island town of Puerto Cristina to apprentice under the enigmatic Father Stygian, controversial exorcist. Exorcists are normally trained in the Vatican, but Stygian has his own way of handling demons…methods that predate even the Church. As Barrera seeks to unlock the mysteries of Stygian’s strange practices, he uncovers an island rife with evil and supernatural phenomena. What do these possessions mean, and how are they connected to a mysterious hospital patient, one who’s been in a coma for nearly half a century without aging a single day?
When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee is very much a buddy-cop mystery combined with exorcisms. Father Barrera, who accidentally drowns a baby in a baptism, is haunted by his guilt and shame. Father Stygian, who is secretive in his tasks, takes Barrera on as a disciple, but refuses to reveal all his secrets. The two of them fight demonic possessions together, and the plot moves forward like a procedural. Father Stygian, however, slowly shares his secrets, and each one is darker, pulling back the truth on the evil they’re facing, an evil that the Church may not be able to fight. The shaky comradery between the two creates a palpable tension, especially when dealing with possessed children.
Jakub Rebelka’s art only serves to make things darker and more mysterious. His muted palletes and use of textures invites readers into the shadows and secrets of this island. This is a darkly colored book, and even the internal scenes are gloomy. The painting style seems watered down, almost like the colors are trying to escape their lines. All of this creates an atmosphere that only serves to propel Moreno’s plot forward.
When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee is a really fun and haunting take on exorcism stories. The buddy-cop model of storytelling, complicated by one character’s secrets and deceptions, creates a unique addition to this horror subgenre. Jakub Rebelka’s illustrations only further serve to advance this tale through their watery, muted colors and textures. Anyone seeking a fun and thrilling religious horror story, with just enough gore thrown in to make the squeamish cringe, will want to read this book.
