horror graphic novel

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Lenni Reviews: “Witching Hour” Vol. 1, by Paru Itagaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers.

Trapped in a marriage where they are only intimate to get pregnant, Megumi longs for a more fulfilling sex life. When a spirit manifests to satisfy her, her husband, Yuji, grows suspicious.

This is weird. At first I thought this would be kinda goofy, but it’s actually dark. Megumi is essentially cheating on her husband with a ghost; the consent is iffy, and while I understand this is just the first volume, it’s paced like it’s a one-shot. It’s rushed, and overall, this is a bit off-putting, and I don’t think it is in the way the author is intending. There’s gotta be a way for this premise to be done and work without giving me the ick. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Horror Picture Book: Looking at Me” by Soshichi Tonari & Junji Ito

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

A young boy sees faces in everything. When he tries to tell his parents, they take notice of him.

I mean… When you involve Junji Ito, you’re gonna get some creepy imagery. One thing I like about this is the slow escalation. The faces are subtle at first, but they get more prominent as the story goes on. It’s all pretty menacing except for this guy:

He made me laugh, so he’s alright. 3 out of 5

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Lenni Reviews: “Horror Picture Book: Is It There or Not” by Natsuhiko Kyogoku & Naoko Machida

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

A young boy moves in with his grandmother and starts seeing scary things in her old house.

The art is beautiful but it’s exactly what it says on the tin: a picture book. So other than how lovely it is and how amusingly unhelpful the grandmother is,

there isnt much to say about the plot or the characters. Its unsettling but not really scary. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Hunger” Bill Sienkiewicz Premiere Edition, by Nihaarika Negi, José Villarrubia & Joe Bocardo

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In Bombay, 1896, a plague ravages a concentration camp where medical experiments are inflicted on the prisoners, causing unforeseen mutations. William Wallace Hooper is sent to photograph the victims, one of whom is Izna, who hears a mysterious voice.

While this is beautiful, it’s a rough read. Given the time period, it’s filled with the typical racism. It isn’t subtle in the themes of exploring identity and the empowerment that comes with it, even after being altered so severely. Still, it’s worth a gander just for the art, even if I wish I had more length to explore the world and add more details. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Return to Sleepy Hollow” by Casey Gilly & Savanna Mayer

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After 15 years, Ichabod Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow after some gruesome deaths occur in the small town.

While I can appreciate the gothic style in the art, there are some places where the perspective is wonky and there’s too much texture. It works great for the otherworldly or gruesome elements but off-putting for the more mundane moments. Also, this is a continuation of the 1999 movie, not the original work. While I liked that movie, I had to adjust my perspective since I thought it was based on the original. My assumptions are not the books’ fault. It’s not bad if you’re looking for a gothic horror that continues a nostalgic classic. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 13, by Sui Ishida

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Yamato Mori is in the upper level of the Tower of Mourning to eliminate Zora. When Zora makes an offer to go with the Yamato Mori, Batista has other plans.

Batista going berserk lets us go into his past and what happened to him to put him in this position. It’s a fairly classic tragic backstory. As that takes up a good portion of this, the battle against him isn’t concluded yet. The reality and time warping powers are amazing to see. You can tell it took a LOT of talent to make it look so overwhelming and off-putting. Very good volume. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Bug Ego” Vol. 2, by ONE & Kiyoto Shitara

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Kokudo revealed universe-altering life hacks to Hitsujiya, who has been using them, but these two aren’t the only ones who are aware of these reality-warping tricks.

I don’t know if this is weirdly weird or weirdly brilliant. Other than how oddly wholesome Kokudo and Hitsujiya’s friendship is, I’m just along for the ride. Play around with a hack that helps you win a prize by tricking your brain into thinking a food you hate tastes good? Go for it. It’s so absurd, I’m just enjoying the journey. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dark Gathering” Vol. 18, by Kenichi Kondō

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After the battle with the god, there is a meeting of Japan’s strongest mediums as Yayoi reflects on when she first came into her powers after the accident that claimed her parents.

A good portion of this is back when Yayoi was learning about spirits while she’s in the hospital recovering from the accident. She gets to know another patient, Granny Sachiko, and wastes no time getting to know the rules and building her arsenal. The other mediums are concerned about the power vacuum left behind after Yayoi defeated Taisai. While I’m always down to expand this amazing universe, I have concerns about expanding the cast this much so quickly. This series hasn’t had any major missteps, so I should probably trust the process. I do love this insight into Yayoi. That was a great story and it hit so many emotional beats and had some amazing creature designs. 4.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 20, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

With clinical trials for the vaccine in the works, the crew heads to Okinawa to respond to an SOS from a base about to be overrun with zombies.

In Okinawa, they meet Yui; a survivor who uses her anxiety to “predict” outcomes. I love her, and she must be protected at all costs.

This volume also puts the zombie’s ability to overwhelm with sheer numbers back to the forefront so they’re a threat. The art really does some great work making them look horrible and scary. It’s clear this series isn’t about them; it’s about Akira and company tripping their way into completing all the things on their bucket list. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 12, by Sui Ishida

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Yamato Mori are still battling through the Tower of Mourning, and during the fight, Azuma loses complete control. Tokio faces Zora and must decide whether or not to take the mark.

Since killing Zora would kill anyone with her blood (this is not a spoiler for this volume; it was revealed in the last one), they were going to have to make a decision about carrying on with the battle and sacrificing them, or come up with something else. I won’t spoil what they come to, but I will say that it fits with Tokio’s character. I am so interested in what happens next. 4 out of 5.

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