Saturday Smalls (Black-Eyed Kids v1, Harrow County v1, Farmhand v1, Behind You)

December 21, 2019

This week’s mini review round-up includes four horror graphic novels!

Black-Eyed Kids, Volume 1 by Joe PruettTITLE: Black-Eyed Kids, Vol. 1
AUTHOR: Joe Pruett
GENRE: Horror
FORMAT: Graphic Novel
AGE RANGE: Adult
PAGES: 121pg
SOURCE: Library
When the lull of night falls over a sleeping midwestern town, an ancient, unimaginable horror creeps violently and purposely through the night. That’s when the children come out to play. Children with eyes of solid back, devoid of emotion and remorse, and only asking for one thing… to come inside. But there are some who will not go quietly in the night. Some who will fight back to save not only their own souls, but those of their children, as well. This is their story.

 

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Meh. I thought this had a lot of potential to be awesome, especially as someone who has been following the “black-eyed kids” urban legends a loooong time. It’s not something I really ever see depicted in media, so I was pretty excited to learn this graphic novel series existed, but sadly, it was really boring and the art was so dark that I could barely make out any details at all. I won’t be continuing the series. The only reason I’m giving it 2 stars is because I was intrigued by the subplot idea of these black-eyed kids having been around on the planet for a long time and having slowly plotted this world takeover sort of ordeal.

c o n t e n t – w a r n i n g s →

death, violence, animal death

d i v e r s i t y →

Harrow County, Vol. 1 by Cullen BunnTITLE: Harrow County, Vol. 1
AUTHOR: Cullen Bunn
GENRE: Horror
FORMAT: Graphic Novel
AGE RANGE: Adult
PAGES: 144pg
SOURCE: Library
Emmy always knew that the woods surrounding her home crawled with ghosts and monsters. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she learns that she is connected to these creatures–and to the land itself–in a way she never imagined.
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This was easily one of the best horror graphic novels I’ve read in a long time! One thing about Cullen Bunn’s work is that I always know I can count on it to be detailed and intriguing, and this was no exception. I’d definitely class this as horror, but I could easily see it going under dark fantasy, too, as it’s got this lovely sort of fairytale-esque vibe to it with the whole rebirth of a witch, spectral companions, eerie minotaur demons in the forest ordeal it has going on.

On top of the story being fantastic (and Emmy being such a lovable main character with her healing tendencies and love for animals — I always enjoy the “healer witch” trope and this one’s executed brilliantly), the artwork is so fascinating. It’s all watercolor and alternates between muted tones and bright colors depending on the characters/scenery depicted. My favorite aspect was easily the haints in the forest cemetery, which are this brilliant orange and red layered over a black background that makes them jump right off the page in this unsettling, fiery way. I really just can’t say enough good things about this volume and I’m already counting down the days until my library hold for volume 2 comes in!

c o n t e n t – w a r n i n g s →

violence, death, scary/gruesome images

d i v e r s i t y →

Bernice (Emmy’s best friend) is Black

Farmhand, Vol. 1 by Rob GuilloryTITLE: Farmhand, Vol. 1: Reap What Was Sown
AUTHOR: Rob Guillory
GENRE: Horror
FORMAT: Graphic Novel
AGE RANGE: Adult
PAGES: 211pg
SOURCE: Library
Jedidiah Jenkins is a farmer–but his cash crop isn’t corn or soy. Jed grows fast-healing, plug-and-play human organs. Lose a finger? Need a new liver? He’s got you covered. Unfortunately, strange produce isn’t the only thing Jed’s got buried. Deep in the soil of the Jenkins Family Farm, something dark has taken root, and it’s beginning to bloom.
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This was an absolutely fantastic first volume, and I can’t wait to continue this series. It’s a great mix of horror, dystopia, and humor, with a really fun art style — and, most of all, an extremely intriguing storyline that I can’t say I’ve read anything quite like in the past. The whole idea of this literal farm of body parts is creepy enough on its own, but you’ve got to know going into it that nothing is going to go the way it should, right…? Plus, the characters are just so much damn fun.

c o n t e n t – w a r n i n g s →

violence, gore, death

d i v e r s i t y →

all main characters are Black

Behind You by Brian ColdrickTITLE: Behind You: One-Shot Horror Stories
AUTHOR: Brian Coldrick
GENRE: Horror
FORMAT: Graphic Novel
AGE RANGE: Adult
PAGES: 152pg
SOURCE: Gift from Kaleena! ♥
A twisted figure crawling out of a tunnel. A giggling crowd of masked watchers. A reassembling corpse. What could be behind you, just waiting for you to turn around?
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So creepy, so fun, and I loved this so much. Each page you turn lends another one-liner, most of them feeling like the middle or ending of a story that the accompanying illustration fleshes out further. It’s a brilliant method for horror story-telling, because our imaginations will always be one of the most terrifying sources of nightmares. It doesn’t hurt at all that the illustrations themselves range from morbidly humorous to ominous to downright chilling (there’s one in particular that literally did make me look back over my shoulder, just like Joe Hill’s introduction promised I would). I also loved the little nod to the Locke & Key graphic novel series in one of them — if you’ve read them, I hope you catch it, too!

c o n t e n t – w a r n i n g s →

horror, gore, deceased children and animals

d i v e r s i t y →

destiny

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More about Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Just a horror aficionado/geek girl trying to juggle motherhood, reading, blogging, gaming, and everyday life.

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