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drudeger's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
0ri's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ratcousin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
conjuredsoul00's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
blackbookstasista's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.25
mcdal's review against another edition
Definitely one of those works I’ll have to take time to contemplate as well as revisit before giving my full thoughts
magenta_menace's review
4.25
a postcolonial eldritch horror tale with gorgeous illustration and intertextual bite, with a really striking play on the traditional cosmic fare typical of the genre.
brandonadaniels's review
4.0
Where Black Stars Rise is a modern take on The King In Yellow and “Lovecraftian” tales of madness. It is a short story that packs a lot of punch and contains some big ideas. It provides a unique, more human, twist on the “we can never truly know the world” concept prevalent in much of Lovecraftian fiction.
Marie Enger’s artwork helps give the story an even more unique and contemporary punch. The story really plays to the artist’s strengths. Their work is clearly inspired by Mike Mignola, perhaps the comic artist most associated with the genre, but it’s also brighter, more saturated, and, at times, even more abstracted and dreamlike. They also hand lettered much of the book, and the graphic elements blend in and out of the art with a unique effect. The reader is forced to slow down and study the imagery, even in its simplicity, for hidden meaning.
I was just a little underwhelmed by the ending. Parts of the main character’s identity felt emphasized over others, and some of the ideas felt a little underbaked.
Marie Enger’s artwork helps give the story an even more unique and contemporary punch. The story really plays to the artist’s strengths. Their work is clearly inspired by Mike Mignola, perhaps the comic artist most associated with the genre, but it’s also brighter, more saturated, and, at times, even more abstracted and dreamlike. They also hand lettered much of the book, and the graphic elements blend in and out of the art with a unique effect. The reader is forced to slow down and study the imagery, even in its simplicity, for hidden meaning.
I was just a little underwhelmed by the ending. Parts of the main character’s identity felt emphasized over others, and some of the ideas felt a little underbaked.
reedthetinker's review
3.5
I didn’t fully understand this book (probably because I’m not used to graphic novels) but I loved the message, the need to let people be themselves, to not try to fix them, to let them (and the self) heal from the inside out. This was a powerful book about therapy and cultural norms.