horror

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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: “Mad Dog Morgan” by Adam Lawson, Brian Christgau & Maxi Dall’o

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

Mitchell “Mad Dog” Morgan is an indie wrestler hoping to make it big, but ends up at rock bottom. Drowning his sorrows in alcohol, he ends up squatting in a creepy house across the street from Hilda, a paraplegic who’s wrestling dreams were shattered by her mother’s addiction and is aware of the entities in that house.

The idea of a down-on-his-luck drunken wrestler punching demons in a haunted house sounds like old-school Sam Raimi, and I am so on board. I love the art; it’s very good at the squelching, gross parts. While this is gory good fun, the story feels unfocused and doesn’t smoothly merge in a way that felt satisfying to me. I thought Hilda would play a bigger role given we spend so much time on her backstory. I wouldn’t mind a follow-up to flesh things out a bit more. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Horror Picture Book: A Bad Book” by Miyuki Miyabe & Hisanori Yoshida

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

A Book of Bad Things tempts a young girl to open its pages.

Out of the three, this one is the least scary. They all have fantastic art:

But this book leans more into “creepy cute” than scary. Also, I can’t really see these as more than a seasonal coffee table set rather than something I’d return to and read over and over. They all would make for gorgeous displays or collectables. 3 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: “The Twilight Zone: Stories from the Fifth Dimension” by Dan Watters, Morgan Beem, Tom Scioli, James Stokoe & Nate Powell

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

This anthology is a collection of 5 stories:

  • Blanks: Billionare Edward Kane is dying and uses his money to find a way to be immortal
  • World of Your Wildest Dreams: Arlo Chapel is an officer on a ship looking for alien life
  • The Relic: A warlord captures a village that worships a mysterious god
  • False Bottom: A family goes to a cabin for the weekend and find a mysterious pit
  • Silent Warning: A meteor lands in the ocean and acoustics expert Dr Emily Sorensen is called to investigate

These stories are ok. The weakest story is the second one, the last feels kinda dated – a bunch of men not listening to a woman scientist – but overall, this all has the tone of The Twilight Zone, even if it can be predictable. But, I just don’t feel that sinking feeling in my chest that I’d hoped for. You know, that sense of dread that follows you even after your done reading? That. 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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