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hobbitfreddie's review
3.0
A flawed and a little too short comic but still very enjoyable. A nice little intro to horror comics.
Art: The art's pretty good. The style's good, very appropiate for a middle grades comic. Some great color and light work throughout the comic. Character design's pretty good, as in they're unique enough and you can tell what they're about.
The panels pass my checklist for looking good. Got action, character, and emotion not just talking heads. A little simple but not too simple or detailed.
The costume design is really weird though, minor nitpick but they change their costume designs every few pages to show passage of time, but they're like super basic, like jeans and a blank tee. Minor minor nitpick though.
Character: This is a weird one, I do think the cast all have defining traits to make them stand out and be memorable, but since the comic's so short- they don't get that much time to dev. Whit the mc of course gets dev. Even a side character or two. However, Press, was an intresting character but kinda got sidelined due to the length. They do try to sneak an arc in the background. Still I really did like the cast, it's just a nice little group, again good for a YA comic.
Story: I will remain as spoiler free as I can for this!
The plot is a photographer new kid "nuke" joins a "yearbook club" and investigates some paranormal things happening at the school. Simple story on paper, but I enjoyed it. I'm always trying to dip my toes into this genre. If there's a reader in this age range who wants to read into horror I think this would be a good rec.
The paranormal events are pretty well written for it's length, not too spooky, but the concept is a bit eerie.
Alright the length comes into play again. The transitions can be very abrupt or non existant. Making you think wait why is this going on. It's never too bad, but still happens enough to be brought up. And there are alot of plot elements that are never really solved, but I feel like if you had a little bit more clues you could figure them out.
Another thing this book actually feels like a YA book, for the most part, the kids act like middle schoolers, with no "how do you do fellow kids" from the writers. But I think that's the monkey's paw. THESE KIDS ARE WAY TOO ACCURATE TO ACTUAL MIDDLE SCHOOLERS. There is a homophobic joke and constant mentions to trigger warning...
school shooters. Probably tying into the theme of fear, as sadly yes this is something students might fear.
On the topic of fear I think it handles the theme pretty well (again it's short so you can't go too in depth). The background of Whit sets up for that theme well, with his parents especially. And especially the paranormal element. School's a pretty scary place too, without ghosts. I feel like they could have gone a bit further, but the way this theme wraps up is pretty good so I won't complain.
Anyway yeah I like this comic, despite it's flaws. Subjectively I'd give it a 7/10.
Art: The art's pretty good. The style's good, very appropiate for a middle grades comic. Some great color and light work throughout the comic. Character design's pretty good, as in they're unique enough and you can tell what they're about.
The panels pass my checklist for looking good. Got action, character, and emotion not just talking heads. A little simple but not too simple or detailed.
The costume design is really weird though, minor nitpick but they change their costume designs every few pages to show passage of time, but they're like super basic, like jeans and a blank tee. Minor minor nitpick though.
Character: This is a weird one, I do think the cast all have defining traits to make them stand out and be memorable, but since the comic's so short- they don't get that much time to dev. Whit the mc of course gets dev. Even a side character or two. However, Press, was an intresting character but kinda got sidelined due to the length. They do try to sneak an arc in the background. Still I really did like the cast, it's just a nice little group, again good for a YA comic.
Story: I will remain as spoiler free as I can for this!
The plot is a photographer new kid "nuke" joins a "yearbook club" and investigates some paranormal things happening at the school. Simple story on paper, but I enjoyed it. I'm always trying to dip my toes into this genre. If there's a reader in this age range who wants to read into horror I think this would be a good rec.
The paranormal events are pretty well written for it's length, not too spooky, but the concept is a bit eerie.
Alright the length comes into play again. The transitions can be very abrupt or non existant. Making you think wait why is this going on. It's never too bad, but still happens enough to be brought up. And there are alot of plot elements that are never really solved, but I feel like if you had a little bit more clues you could figure them out.
Another thing this book actually feels like a YA book, for the most part, the kids act like middle schoolers, with no "how do you do fellow kids" from the writers. But I think that's the monkey's paw. THESE KIDS ARE WAY TOO ACCURATE TO ACTUAL MIDDLE SCHOOLERS. There is a homophobic joke and constant mentions to trigger warning...
school shooters. Probably tying into the theme of fear, as sadly yes this is something students might fear.
On the topic of fear I think it handles the theme pretty well (again it's short so you can't go too in depth). The background of Whit sets up for that theme well, with his parents especially. And especially the paranormal element. School's a pretty scary place too, without ghosts. I feel like they could have gone a bit further, but the way this theme wraps up is pretty good so I won't complain.
Anyway yeah I like this comic, despite it's flaws. Subjectively I'd give it a 7/10.
mehsi's review
4.0
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I just love horror and I love it when the horror is in graphic novel form. So I just had to request this one!
I was quite interested in the Yearbook Club. I only know of the club thanks to YA novels and series. We never had something like that in high school. But it is something I do like reading about because it just seems so much fun to be part off. To make something for people and give them some fun memories. It was a bit of a shame that the Yearbook club in this graphic novel seemed to do not much. Mostly they seemed to just talk and have fun or try to get through the time they have.
But the peeps in there, well, except for some guy named Press, were fun. I especially loved the twins and I love how Whit just knew who was who which shocked the twins. I can imagine, haha. All this time everyone just confuses them for the other and then there is this new kid who just knows. The twins were just so silly, over the top, and fun, and I loved how accepting they were of Whit (especially if you look at Press’ his reactions).
Whit was an interesting kid and I loved that he is so much into photography and then especially the old-school variant of it. With a dark room, a Leica, and all that. I loved that he didn’t give up when he saw spooky things happening in his photographs, instead he went to find help and went to seek out the truth. I did like that while he was so brave, you could also see he was scared poopless. And I love that because really? Who wouldn’t be scared when you see dead people everywhere? And you have no clue if they are good or bad? I was really rooting for him to figure things out and get the school free of whatever was haunting it.
I just wasn’t a fan of Whit’s mom all the time. She was just too overprotective, and we do learn why, but still. Your kid isn’t a baby any more. Let him be a bit more free.
The haunting stuff was good, though maybe it could be explained just a bit more and not just feel like a random grab out of the thin air. I mean, I had no clue about the culprit, and I still wonder what happened to them truly.
The art was pretty good, I liked the style. The ghosts were delightfully frightening and scary!
I was frankly very shocked that the school did NOTHING. I mean, for many many years, decades even, each year a kid just disappears. Just ups and vanishes. And no one does a freaking thing? No one thinks to just demolish that creaky old building? I mean, it was already on the brink of falling apart when Duncan disappeared, but 30 years later it is even more a wreck. It just seemed very odd, as if people did know something but just didn’t care.
All in all, despite those two things mentioned above, I had fun reading this one! It was a fun and at times scary read.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I just love horror and I love it when the horror is in graphic novel form. So I just had to request this one!
I was quite interested in the Yearbook Club. I only know of the club thanks to YA novels and series. We never had something like that in high school. But it is something I do like reading about because it just seems so much fun to be part off. To make something for people and give them some fun memories. It was a bit of a shame that the Yearbook club in this graphic novel seemed to do not much. Mostly they seemed to just talk and have fun or try to get through the time they have.
But the peeps in there, well, except for some guy named Press, were fun. I especially loved the twins and I love how Whit just knew who was who which shocked the twins. I can imagine, haha. All this time everyone just confuses them for the other and then there is this new kid who just knows. The twins were just so silly, over the top, and fun, and I loved how accepting they were of Whit (especially if you look at Press’ his reactions).
Whit was an interesting kid and I loved that he is so much into photography and then especially the old-school variant of it. With a dark room, a Leica, and all that. I loved that he didn’t give up when he saw spooky things happening in his photographs, instead he went to find help and went to seek out the truth. I did like that while he was so brave, you could also see he was scared poopless. And I love that because really? Who wouldn’t be scared when you see dead people everywhere? And you have no clue if they are good or bad? I was really rooting for him to figure things out and get the school free of whatever was haunting it.
I just wasn’t a fan of Whit’s mom all the time. She was just too overprotective, and we do learn why, but still. Your kid isn’t a baby any more. Let him be a bit more free.
The haunting stuff was good, though maybe it could be explained just a bit more and not just feel like a random grab out of the thin air. I mean, I had no clue about the culprit, and I still wonder what happened to them truly.
The art was pretty good, I liked the style. The ghosts were delightfully frightening and scary!
I was frankly very shocked that the school did NOTHING. I mean, for many many years, decades even, each year a kid just disappears. Just ups and vanishes. And no one does a freaking thing? No one thinks to just demolish that creaky old building? I mean, it was already on the brink of falling apart when Duncan disappeared, but 30 years later it is even more a wreck. It just seemed very odd, as if people did know something but just didn’t care.
Spoiler
I also found it odd that only Duncan could be saved. I mean, he is from 30-ish years ago?? So that means between him and now are around 29 other kids that could potentially be saved. Then again, do you want to be saved? It seemed very painful for Duncan, but in the end he came out healthy and OK.All in all, despite those two things mentioned above, I had fun reading this one! It was a fun and at times scary read.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
dinnureads's review
4.0
I received a copy of this graphic novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It was quite interesting for most of it. There was a moment when it all went a bit utopic even for a fantasy comic and I was suspicious of a fouler play than it actually was but mostly I liked it. It was scary and intriguing, the art was quite good and main motive was important - a total anti-bullying measure!
It was quite interesting for most of it. There was a moment when it all went a bit utopic even for a fantasy comic and I was suspicious of a fouler play than it actually was but mostly I liked it. It was scary and intriguing, the art was quite good and main motive was important - a total anti-bullying measure!
alongreader's review
First of all, huge thanks to Aftershock Comics; my review copy was damaged and they immediately arranged a different format that worked perfectly. I'm so glad they did, because I would have missed out on this fun. intriguing read.
I'm ashamed to say that I don't read a lot of comics. (Sorry - graphic novels!) I like the artform. I am in awe of how much work goes into them, and I know they're really useful to children who have trouble reading, but I've always been so intimidated by them - they all seem to have huge backstories and canons I don't know, and it's hard to judge exactly which ones are suitable. I love the rise of independent stories like this one; it doesn't need backstory, it may not be continued, it's just beautifully contained in one volume. This is exactly the kind of book we need more of.
The designs made it really clear who was who, which is another thing that I worry about with comics. I'm mildly faceblind and it's tough sometimes to tell people apart, but I had no trouble at all here. Even the ghosts, who by design are kind of samey-samey, have their own personalities and quirks. The story was really good and I loved that even by the end, although she was clearly trying, Whit's mother wasn't 'better'; things like that take a long time to get over, but it's fantastic that she'd started the process.
I really enjoyed this and I'm hoping I'll get to see more by this talented team. (And as if I needed any more reasons, this has definitely taught me to stay away from schools!)
I'm ashamed to say that I don't read a lot of comics. (Sorry - graphic novels!) I like the artform. I am in awe of how much work goes into them, and I know they're really useful to children who have trouble reading, but I've always been so intimidated by them - they all seem to have huge backstories and canons I don't know, and it's hard to judge exactly which ones are suitable. I love the rise of independent stories like this one; it doesn't need backstory, it may not be continued, it's just beautifully contained in one volume. This is exactly the kind of book we need more of.
The designs made it really clear who was who, which is another thing that I worry about with comics. I'm mildly faceblind and it's tough sometimes to tell people apart, but I had no trouble at all here. Even the ghosts, who by design are kind of samey-samey, have their own personalities and quirks. The story was really good and I loved that even by the end, although she was clearly trying, Whit's mother wasn't 'better'; things like that take a long time to get over, but it's fantastic that she'd started the process.
I really enjoyed this and I'm hoping I'll get to see more by this talented team. (And as if I needed any more reasons, this has definitely taught me to stay away from schools!)
ash_among_the_stars's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
1.75
The plot jumped around too much. There were to many time leaps eg "6 months later" without actually telling us what happened in-between. The story felt too packed with detail in too sort of a page count. Things didn't feel as fleshed out as they could have been. It was a great concept and the art was decent but as a whole poor execution.
chardeemacdennis's review
2.0
2.5 stars
It was just alright. It was lacking in story and character growth.
It was just alright. It was lacking in story and character growth.
gabbyreadswithtea's review
3.0
Rating: 2.5
Middle school! Group of outcasts! Missing students! Ghosts!
This was a quick read that didn’t require much brainpower. The story was simple but I feel like could have been fleshed out with an extra volume or two. It was okay but overall forgettable. We didn’t get as much time with the characters as I wish we had and the storyline didn’t have much explaining which I feel could have worked in its favour.
If you like classic ghost stories, maybe give this a try but don’t expect much.
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors for providing me an e-copy of this graphic novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Middle school! Group of outcasts! Missing students! Ghosts!
This was a quick read that didn’t require much brainpower. The story was simple but I feel like could have been fleshed out with an extra volume or two. It was okay but overall forgettable. We didn’t get as much time with the characters as I wish we had and the storyline didn’t have much explaining which I feel could have worked in its favour.
If you like classic ghost stories, maybe give this a try but don’t expect much.
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors for providing me an e-copy of this graphic novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
allysunsun's review
4.0
A quick fun read about a very deadly school! I will say I thought these kids were older than sixth grade as they looked and seemed like it.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!
strange_fish's review
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was a really fun middle grade read. I liked the characters and I loved some of the visual jokes put in by the artist. The one complaint I have would be that I felt it could have been longer or even a series just to set up the stakes and give the characters a bit more room to breath. But who knows that might still happen even if this did wrap itself up just fine as a standalone. Overall I enjoy this book enough to read it all in one sitting and will keep an eye out for more stuff from this team.