Submit to ‘Deprog’: A Racy, Queer-Centric Graphic Novel About Cults

Let’s get something important out of the way first: Deprog might just be one of the most bizarre graphic novels of the year.

At the center of the story is Tate Debs, a BDSM-loving lesbian who specializes in “deprogramming” cult survivors. One day, a beautiful femme named Vera enters Tate’s office (located in the back of a video store) and begs for assistance in getting her brother out of a cult that calls itself The Caring. It just so happens that Tate was born and raised inside the group, and barely survived it herself. Soon, Tate, Vera and video store guy Lester are on a mission to the desert to infiltrate the cult and track down its mysterious leader, Lorenz.

While that all probably sounds fairly straightforward, this is a story that spirals quickly. By the end of Chapter 1, Tate and Vera are going at it in a sex dungeon. By the end of Chapter 2, we’ve been introduced to mysterious twins handing out cult seltzer with a label that reads: “He who drinks bathwater of the universe cares for the unified self.” (A statement that, by the end of the graphic novel, actually makes sense.) By the end of the final fourth chapter, there’s been brainwashing, torture, jaw-dropping childhood secrets revealed and dyke-related quips aplenty.

Deprog was originally published as four separate comic books, the last of which came out in June. The series is the brainchild of four female collaborators led by writer and sexual subculture expert Tina Horn, who spent her formative years in the Bay Area. Lisa Sterle (best known for her Modern Witch Tarot deck) illustrated, Gab Contreras acted as colorist, and Greek artist DaNi was responsible for the cover art. Their work is gleefully and unabashedly sexy, but is careful to include realistic depictions of women’s bodies — pubic hair, round bellies and all.

All of which is to say that Deprog is a total trip — one that women, queer folk and fans of neo-noir will surely enjoy taking.

‘Deprog’ is released on Sept. 24, 2024, via Dead Sky Publishing.