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appurusakura's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Animal death, and Body horror
fedefiction's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up for the stunning art.
This was a very creepy atmospheric read and I truly enjoyed.
Starting with my absolute favorite part: the art. The art style was perfectly suited to the feel of the story. The backgrounds were amazing and the creatures interesting to look at. While the expressions felt a bit stiff at parts, the character design was subtle and I appreciated it a lot.
The story is pretty straightforward. A wondering missionary saves a small village from a devil and finds himself dragged in a larger conflict with the forces of Satan. The plot twist is not obvious, but at the same time, I have to admit, I was not emotionally invested enough to truly be shaken. I could not strongly connect to any of the characters, but I still enjoyed their adventure.
There are two kind-of-romance arcs, and without spoiling, I could appreciate one (the one shown via flashbacks), but the other came out of left field and I had no idea how to react.
The biggest issue this graphic novels suffers from is the pacing. It’s very fast, but to the point we barely have time to get to know the characters. Reading this book felt like sitting on the side of a train track and trying to count how many windows are on a passing train. It went so fast.
Overall I would still recommend giving this graphic novel a read, if only for the stunning art.
This was a very creepy atmospheric read and I truly enjoyed.
Starting with my absolute favorite part: the art. The art style was perfectly suited to the feel of the story. The backgrounds were amazing and the creatures interesting to look at. While the expressions felt a bit stiff at parts, the character design was subtle and I appreciated it a lot.
The story is pretty straightforward. A wondering missionary saves a small village from a devil and finds himself dragged in a larger conflict with the forces of Satan. The plot twist is not obvious, but at the same time, I have to admit, I was not emotionally invested enough to truly be shaken. I could not strongly connect to any of the characters, but I still enjoyed their adventure.
There are two kind-of-romance arcs, and without spoiling, I could appreciate one (the one shown via flashbacks), but the other came out of left field and I had no idea how to react.
The biggest issue this graphic novels suffers from is the pacing. It’s very fast, but to the point we barely have time to get to know the characters. Reading this book felt like sitting on the side of a train track and trying to count how many windows are on a passing train. It went so fast.
Overall I would still recommend giving this graphic novel a read, if only for the stunning art.
cobwebshelves's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
"And do you know what's the funniest thing about most ghosts? They're dead, but they don't know it yet."
"Black Mass Rising" was certainly an interesting one for me as I'm not typically a graphic novel reader. Jodie Muir's art was undeniably stunning – certainly the strongest part of the story. The settings and details created a sense of eerieness and some of the panels I'd love to just have printed out and hung on the walls.
That said, the writing what somewhat of a letdown. At times, the story was really hard to follow, and while the final two chapters were picking up, the ending seemed very rushed and left a lot to be desired
Thanks to TKO Studios and Netgalley for the access.
"Black Mass Rising" was certainly an interesting one for me as I'm not typically a graphic novel reader. Jodie Muir's art was undeniably stunning – certainly the strongest part of the story. The settings and details created a sense of eerieness and some of the panels I'd love to just have printed out and hung on the walls.
That said, the writing what somewhat of a letdown. At times, the story was really hard to follow, and while the final two chapters were picking up, the ending seemed very rushed and left a lot to be desired
Thanks to TKO Studios and Netgalley for the access.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Murder, Grief, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Body horror
bibliophage_teamage's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cleolindbooks's review
2.5
There were some parts of this that I liked! The art was phenomenal and gave a really creepy vibe throughout the whole story. The main issue I had was it felt very confusing and rushed in some places. I had difficulty keeping the story straight and understanding everything going on. I just think they need to be a little bit more exposition and explanation in some parts. I enjoyed the characters and the overall plot but I do think it needed more to explain the lore and give some more information.
keikoreadsmanga's review
4.0
Hauntingly beautiful and poetic. It screams in sorrowful hushed voices the undeniable rise of evil.
My gratitude to TKO Studios and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I was actually a few days late, but this is still an arc so...
I'm not a Dracula fan and have never been interested to be one, but the cover was calling out to me when I first saw it while browsing through available books, and I just couldn't help myself but surrender to temptation. And I think, I might plan to read Dracula after consuming this gorgeous work of art.
My gratitude to TKO Studios and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I was actually a few days late, but this is still an arc so...
I'm not a Dracula fan and have never been interested to be one, but the cover was calling out to me when I first saw it while browsing through available books, and I just couldn't help myself but surrender to temptation. And I think, I might plan to read Dracula after consuming this gorgeous work of art.
vanmeers's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Black Mass Rising is described as a sequel and reimagining of Bram Stoker's Dracula and as I've just finished reading Dracula for the first time, I thought this would be a fun way to continue on from the book. I do think while it is most definitely a reimagining of Dracula, it would be a lie to call it a sequel. There is simply too much noncanonical storylines in this graphic novel compared to the novel.
That said, I did really enjoy this. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, the way the artist plays with light and darkness as a visual narrative works so well in a story that is exactly that: the (internal and external) fight between good and evil, light and dark. The art is not only beautiful, it's hauntingly beautiful with gory and bloody details - perfect for a vampire graphic novel. The story, and writing, in itself is also quite good. The story follows three characters, each with their own struggles, and you come to understand them while reading the graphic novel. The writer also seems to have been considerate of being authentic in describing the people and their culture, which brings more realism into the story and makes it worth reading.
I'm not sure if there'll be a continuation of the story and while I didn't like some aspects of the story (again, the noncanonical choices made) I still think it's worth reading and I would love to see where this story could be taken in the future!
(I received a review copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review)
That said, I did really enjoy this. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, the way the artist plays with light and darkness as a visual narrative works so well in a story that is exactly that: the (internal and external) fight between good and evil, light and dark. The art is not only beautiful, it's hauntingly beautiful with gory and bloody details - perfect for a vampire graphic novel. The story, and writing, in itself is also quite good. The story follows three characters, each with their own struggles, and you come to understand them while reading the graphic novel. The writer also seems to have been considerate of being authentic in describing the people and their culture, which brings more realism into the story and makes it worth reading.
I'm not sure if there'll be a continuation of the story and while I didn't like some aspects of the story (again, the noncanonical choices made) I still think it's worth reading and I would love to see where this story could be taken in the future!
(I received a review copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review)
andi's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
black mass rising is a comic i requested purely because it mentioned dracula. i was pleasantly surprised to see it took place in transylvania and that the characters were wearing traditional clothes. in the first chapter the kids in the comic were playing a game called "omul negru" that i used to play when i was a child myself, which was quite surprising to see. it's clear that the people involved with this comic did a lot of research and i truly appreciated they took the time to portray rural romania right.
the art style was absolutely gorgeous. i loved the paintery style the illustrations had. the gore especially stood out to me - it's so well drawn! the characters were beautifully crafted and the artist did such a good job at portraying different emotions.
the plot started out really interesting and then it fizzled out. the ending especially was abrupt and i truly hated the cliffhanger. the book features magic based on religion and a lot of religious symbolism, but they weren't explained very well. so, while the art style was extraordinary, the story itself lacked coherence, especially toward the end.
michelareads's review
2.0
I requested Black Mass Rising because I saw it mentioned Dracula and vampires. As a fan of both Dracula and the horror genre, I was very excited to read this graphic novel. The art of this graphic novel is incredible, not just the drawings but also the bright colors used create a great effect in contrast with the abundance of darkness. Unfortunately the story is not as good, as it failed to keep me interested until the end. The first half is pretty interesting, but then it becomes a bit confused and rushed, which is truly a pity. Although I didn't love Black Mass Rising, I don't think it's a bad book, simply not for me. I'm sure many will love it and appreciate its plot more than I did.
* I'd like to thank Theo Prasidis, TKO Presents and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
* I'd like to thank Theo Prasidis, TKO Presents and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.