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ghost_cat99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Moderate: Child abuse
brnineworms's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
4.0
How to Survive a Haunting by Jade Zhang – 4.0☆
I’m a sucker for red and teal. I think that limited palette does a good job of tying all the strange imagery together into something vaguely cohesive. A strong opener.
This One Goes Out to You by Molly Mendoza – 5.0☆
Oh wow! I was sceptical about Mendoza’s choice to go for a sound-based concept in a visual medium and in an anthology which celebrates visuals, but somehow this works. It shouldn’t but it really does. The artwork is gorgeous and mesmerising, making use of both fine attention to detail and gestural swirls of vibrant colour. Already I’m revisiting it, just to stare.
Turtleneck by Joy San – 3.0☆
This comic doesn’t match its promotional artwork at all. That was a minimalist graphic, compensating for its limited palette of only black, white, and red with a clever use of negative space. This is drawn with watercolours, for starters. I like the contrast of cool greys and warm pinks. I like the melding of cosy warmth and viscera. It’s not bad but it’s not what I was hoping for.
Bellies by Mar Julia – 4.0☆
Carefully detailed. Captures the eerily ethereal atmosphere while allowing the main character to be expressive and human. That orange-red colour is perfect; bold enough to convey gore but soft enough to complement the golden hues. My only complaint is that this comic seemed to be setting up something bigger than its nineteen pages could hope to explore. I’d love to see this world expanded on in a full-length graphic novel.
Hyssop by Olivia Stephens – 3.0☆
I’m not sure what to say about this one. The scribbly art style isn’t for me but it works well enough. I guess “outside” is a metaphor? I dunno.
Broadcasting by Grendel Menz – 5.0☆
Another stunning comic. I love the way the text distorts and the images overlap. The bright colours give the illustrations a sickly intensity that perfectly conveys the protagonist’s almost psychotic overwhelmedness. Fantastic.
Nina by Desolina Fletcher – 3.5☆
I like the concept but the execution was off; the story needed to slow down and linger. More intimacy, more detail in the drawings to encourage the reader to pause. I do really like the line “you used me cleverly and well.”
The Hue of Heaven by Ashanti Fortson – 4.0☆
Similar enough to Bellies to complement it well but distinct enough to stand on its own. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the designs of the clothing. I also like the way the angels’ wings carried a lot of detail without the artist fussing about making them overly realistic – they looked almost sculptural. Pretty.
Strawberry Kiwi by Shannon Wright and Kyree Saintilus – 3.5☆
I mean it looks good but I don’t have much else to say about it. It’s decent.
Slip Stitch by Tess Eneli Reid – 4.5☆
This is probably the story I was looking forward to the most and, yeah, it’s solid. Keeping it simple with the yellow/blue colour palette; “you see blue, something’s gone wrong” (you know where this is heading). Good stuff.
CONTENT WARNINGS: it’s a horror anthology so creepiness in general, surreality, dereality, hallucinations, body horror, gore, blood, vomit, self harm, death, murder, child abuse, religious trauma
annehalliwell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sucreslibrary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
some rlly gorgeous art and creepy stories!
faves: This One Goes Out To You, Turtleneck, Bellies, Strawberry Kiwi, Slip Stitch
faves: This One Goes Out To You, Turtleneck, Bellies, Strawberry Kiwi, Slip Stitch
thelostvoid's review
4.5
I really enjoyed the art style of all of these short little comics. Very fun and unique and absolutely horrifying and cool concepts as well. I will do my best to find more works by these artists because damn.
begglebites's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
kaneebli's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Toxic friendship
arfranklin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Shades of Fear is a gorgeous horror anthology packed full of incredible
talent. Honestly, whenever I get an anthology, I'm expecting to only enjoy about half the stories, so I was so pleasantly surprised by the shear amount of genuinely good, eerie, creepy, and terrifying comics, in such a diverse array of themes and styles, collected within this one volume. While I enjoyed the
whole collection, I especially loved the comics by Molly Mendoza, Joy San, Olivia Stephens, and Mar Julia. Cannot recommended this one enough— especially with spooky season fast approaching!
themoonkestrel's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
notthatlibrarian's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism and Mental illness
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