What do you think?
Rate this book
Night of the Ghoul #1-6
Night of the Ghoul
A dazzling work of horror, intercutting between the present-day narrative and the story of a lost horror film.
The writer and artist behind Batman: The Black Mirror reunite to shed light on a celluloid artifact once thought forever missing, perhaps with good reason…
The writer and artist behind Batman: The Black Mirror reunite to shed light on a celluloid artifact once thought forever missing, perhaps with good reason…
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2022
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,733 books4,848 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
June 14, 2022
Forest Innman, a film archivist, and his son Orson drive out to a remote Californian rest home for the elderly on a quest to track down the elusive old-timey writer/director, TF Merrit. Forest is a fan of Merrit’s supposedly lost 1946 masterpiece, Night of the Ghoul, and hopes to find the final reel of the film from the man who might know where it is. But what Forest doesn’t realise is that the horror fiction in the movie is actually real - and the Ghoul is not far away…
Night of the Ghoul is two noteworthy things: the only Comixology Original I’ve read that wasn’t pure dross and Scott Snyder’s best comic in years. Neither is high praise given what they’re compared to, but this is still a pretty decent horror comic that definitely held me attention, even with the abundance of cliches dotted throughout the story.
SPOILERS for the rest of the review because my critiques mention a final act plot twist and other details. Ultimately I’m recommending it for horror fans even though Snyder doesn’t really stick the landing.
The story is a good balance between the present day Forest and Orson in the increasingly creepy rest home with Merrit and scenes from the titular black and white movie that opens in WW1 in 1917 and onwards through the ‘20s. I liked that he made an effort in giving Forest and Orson some substance so they’re not just horror movie stereotypes, there to run around screaming while the monsters are loose. Forest wants to prove to his son that he’s doing something with his life while you feel Orson’s frustration at his father and knowing what he does about his mother, Forest’s estranged wife.
Snyder builds up the suspense and intrigue slowly and effectively so that you know something’s not right in the rest home, ditto the events in the movie, and he keeps you guessing throughout. Crucially also, he keeps the monster out of sight, save for an occasional glimpse, for most of the story, which always makes for a tense and unnerving horror story.
What I wasn’t impressed with was the overreliance on horror staples, like when the lines of old folks lean out of their rooms behind Orson’s back before snapping back into their rooms as one, the old lady in the abandoned Italian village murmuring about the curse of the ghoul, the animals with red eyes, and the professor character who predictably and quite helpfully appears mid-story to dump info on the ghoul. Oh, and of course the handy coincidence that the father and son just so happen to make it to the rest home on the very important night they did. Maybe the intention is deliberately cheesy - the comic is called “Night of the Ghoul” after all - but that doesn’t make it good either.
I didn’t see the twist at the end coming but that’s because Snyder presents The Order of the Fly and The Legion of the Scarab as both absurdly sinister so the misdirect is easy (and not especially convincing either - The Legion of the Scarab still looks evil AF). And the ending itself is a silly horror movie cop-out. The final reel of the movie is stupid too - what, they kept filming Merrit’s burning rather than drop the camera and try to help him? It’s the comic book equivalent of those Lovecraft stories in diary form that end with the main character writing even as they’re being dragged away by nameless horrors - such a dumb conceit.
Francesco Francavilla’s art is really great - his style of thick blacks works really well within this genre and story, lending them a powerful shadowy atmosphere, and some of the body horror scenes were disturbing enough to be worthy of a Junji Ito book! I didn’t love the Ghoul itself though. The design reminded me of Bloom, the Batman villain from the tail end of Snyder’s Batman run when things got bad, with those fingers, not to mention those grotesque oversized teeth looking like Greg Capullo’s cover of Batman #27.
Night of the Ghoul is so contrived that it borders on farcical comedy but it’s also undeniably entertaining. I read it through in one sitting and that’s rare for me. Definitely the only title in Snyder’s growing Millarworld-esque range of Amazon comics that’s worth checking out, and a solid horror comic to boot. I also recommend Snyder’s best horror comic, Severed, if you haven’t read it yet.
Night of the Ghoul is two noteworthy things: the only Comixology Original I’ve read that wasn’t pure dross and Scott Snyder’s best comic in years. Neither is high praise given what they’re compared to, but this is still a pretty decent horror comic that definitely held me attention, even with the abundance of cliches dotted throughout the story.
SPOILERS for the rest of the review because my critiques mention a final act plot twist and other details. Ultimately I’m recommending it for horror fans even though Snyder doesn’t really stick the landing.
The story is a good balance between the present day Forest and Orson in the increasingly creepy rest home with Merrit and scenes from the titular black and white movie that opens in WW1 in 1917 and onwards through the ‘20s. I liked that he made an effort in giving Forest and Orson some substance so they’re not just horror movie stereotypes, there to run around screaming while the monsters are loose. Forest wants to prove to his son that he’s doing something with his life while you feel Orson’s frustration at his father and knowing what he does about his mother, Forest’s estranged wife.
Snyder builds up the suspense and intrigue slowly and effectively so that you know something’s not right in the rest home, ditto the events in the movie, and he keeps you guessing throughout. Crucially also, he keeps the monster out of sight, save for an occasional glimpse, for most of the story, which always makes for a tense and unnerving horror story.
What I wasn’t impressed with was the overreliance on horror staples, like when the lines of old folks lean out of their rooms behind Orson’s back before snapping back into their rooms as one, the old lady in the abandoned Italian village murmuring about the curse of the ghoul, the animals with red eyes, and the professor character who predictably and quite helpfully appears mid-story to dump info on the ghoul. Oh, and of course the handy coincidence that the father and son just so happen to make it to the rest home on the very important night they did. Maybe the intention is deliberately cheesy - the comic is called “Night of the Ghoul” after all - but that doesn’t make it good either.
I didn’t see the twist at the end coming but that’s because Snyder presents The Order of the Fly and The Legion of the Scarab as both absurdly sinister so the misdirect is easy (and not especially convincing either - The Legion of the Scarab still looks evil AF). And the ending itself is a silly horror movie cop-out. The final reel of the movie is stupid too - what, they kept filming Merrit’s burning rather than drop the camera and try to help him? It’s the comic book equivalent of those Lovecraft stories in diary form that end with the main character writing even as they’re being dragged away by nameless horrors - such a dumb conceit.
Francesco Francavilla’s art is really great - his style of thick blacks works really well within this genre and story, lending them a powerful shadowy atmosphere, and some of the body horror scenes were disturbing enough to be worthy of a Junji Ito book! I didn’t love the Ghoul itself though. The design reminded me of Bloom, the Batman villain from the tail end of Snyder’s Batman run when things got bad, with those fingers, not to mention those grotesque oversized teeth looking like Greg Capullo’s cover of Batman #27.
Night of the Ghoul is so contrived that it borders on farcical comedy but it’s also undeniably entertaining. I read it through in one sitting and that’s rare for me. Definitely the only title in Snyder’s growing Millarworld-esque range of Amazon comics that’s worth checking out, and a solid horror comic to boot. I also recommend Snyder’s best horror comic, Severed, if you haven’t read it yet.
September 30, 2022
…if a true monster came along, would we rally to fight it? Could we? Would we even recognize its face?
Solidly ghastly.
Solidly ghastly.
August 14, 2024
Night of the Ghoul collects issues 1-3 of the Dark Horse Comics series written by Scott Snyder with art by Francesco Francavilla. The series was originally released digitally as a Comixology exclusive.
Night of the Ghoul was supposed to be the next horror masterpiece, some saying better than Frankenstein and Dracula. The Ghoul was set to become the most legendary horror monster ever conceived. In the final days of production, a fire break outs in the studio, destroying much of the film and killing many cast and crew members.
Years later, Forest Inman and his son Orson have become obsessed with the legend of The Night of the Ghoul and even discover partial remains of the film. Forest tracks down who he believes is the famed director T. F. Merrit, who has changed his name and is currently wasting away in a nursing home. Forest decides to con his way into the home to have a discussion with his idol and learn all the secrets to Night of the Ghoul. But Forest is about to find out the Ghoul is very real, and is lurking just around the corner.
I absolutely love the split story format in the book with scenes from the film spliced with the modern day story. Snyder and Francavilla create a really interesting concept and follow through with a great ending. With Francavilla’s art, the book even feels like a silver screen classic. With the right director and production design, Night of the Ghoul could make for an amazing film adaptation. This book should be on all horror fans’ radar.
Night of the Ghoul was supposed to be the next horror masterpiece, some saying better than Frankenstein and Dracula. The Ghoul was set to become the most legendary horror monster ever conceived. In the final days of production, a fire break outs in the studio, destroying much of the film and killing many cast and crew members.
Years later, Forest Inman and his son Orson have become obsessed with the legend of The Night of the Ghoul and even discover partial remains of the film. Forest tracks down who he believes is the famed director T. F. Merrit, who has changed his name and is currently wasting away in a nursing home. Forest decides to con his way into the home to have a discussion with his idol and learn all the secrets to Night of the Ghoul. But Forest is about to find out the Ghoul is very real, and is lurking just around the corner.
I absolutely love the split story format in the book with scenes from the film spliced with the modern day story. Snyder and Francavilla create a really interesting concept and follow through with a great ending. With Francavilla’s art, the book even feels like a silver screen classic. With the right director and production design, Night of the Ghoul could make for an amazing film adaptation. This book should be on all horror fans’ radar.
June 19, 2022
“Night of the Ghoul” is Scott Snyder in peak horror mode: gloomy locales, mysterious lore, stark, bordering-on-depraved visuals (provided here by Francesco Francavilla)…it’s what we’ve come to expect from Snyder’s scary-themed output, expect here, it’s all just a tad bit tighter and a tad bit more interesting than his usual fare. Not all of the # issues work as well as others – it’s probably fair to say that "Night of the Ghoul" starts stronger than it finishes – but as a quick horror taste from one of the medium’s masters, it still delivers, and delivers consistently.
October 9, 2024
Read that Rob Savage is directing an adaptation of this, then discovered the ebook was free to read on Kindle. It’s a solid graphic novel about a lost film. Didn’t really do what I want a lost film narrative to do – it’s too fixed to a single location, the film itself doesn’t seem interesting enough to warrant the reputation it has in-story – but a decent way to pass half an hour.
October 22, 2022
This was shockingly good. I'm not always the biggest fan of Snyder's work, but this was great. I remember the artist from Afterlife with Archie, so the art is great for horror.
This is old school monster horror with plenty of twists and turns. This would make a great movie, especially considering a "lost film" is at the heart of the plot.
Read this one if you're looking for something for Halloween.
This is old school monster horror with plenty of twists and turns. This would make a great movie, especially considering a "lost film" is at the heart of the plot.
Read this one if you're looking for something for Halloween.
June 30, 2024
O poveste horror, excelent desenată și bine condusă de Snyder. Un pasionat de filme horror, alături de fiul său caută un regizor dispărut și filmul său celebru presupus distrus într-un incendiu. Povestea din prezent e presărată cu imagini din filmul distrus, așa că cele două narațiuni, aparent diferite, se vor intersecta destul de repede. O povestea faină, la care sincer nu mă așteptam. Evident, avem locuri comune genului, avem secvențe cumva previzibile, dar tot e plăcut să citești o poveste bine strunită și, mai ales, bine desenată.
November 2, 2023
I've sat on me feeling for this one for a few days now and my heart wants to give this 4 stars but my head is telling me 3. This time I am going to listen to my head.
The beginning of this was great. That set up and build up was superb. I loved the use of the panels where intermittently you could see the creepy crawlies lurking in the background and the main characters became the secondary focal point.
I think with all types of books pacing can be a challenge but I find in comics it is harder to find that sweet spot than in novels especially when the comics are miniseries like this one. I'd rather have a comic run a little long in the tooth and have a well paced ending that feel cut short. Night of the Ghoul suffered for pacing as well which is what brought down my overall rating. Like I said, the build up was really nice, there were a lot of questions asked and a great overall very creepy vibe. I loved the long lost movie reels being used as an intriguing way to give information and a change of style to keep me interested in the story but the way we went from all that good to "oh, time to wrap it up quickly" in the last issue and a half was just jarring. I say this all the time with these one and done style miniseries but I think Night of the Ghoul would have been better served if we could have had 1-2 more issues to wrap it up.
The beginning of this was great. That set up and build up was superb. I loved the use of the panels where intermittently you could see the creepy crawlies lurking in the background and the main characters became the secondary focal point.
I think with all types of books pacing can be a challenge but I find in comics it is harder to find that sweet spot than in novels especially when the comics are miniseries like this one. I'd rather have a comic run a little long in the tooth and have a well paced ending that feel cut short. Night of the Ghoul suffered for pacing as well which is what brought down my overall rating. Like I said, the build up was really nice, there were a lot of questions asked and a great overall very creepy vibe. I loved the long lost movie reels being used as an intriguing way to give information and a change of style to keep me interested in the story but the way we went from all that good to "oh, time to wrap it up quickly" in the last issue and a half was just jarring. I say this all the time with these one and done style miniseries but I think Night of the Ghoul would have been better served if we could have had 1-2 more issues to wrap it up.
May 4, 2024
While this one was a bit predictable almost from the start, the journey that this one took you on as a reader was both entertaining and dynamic, especially through the two separate stories being told in different ways (traditional comic story and movie within the comic story). This one felt like like it would’ve been an old horror movie in itself, which is what I believe it was trying to be and I really applaud it for capturing those sorts of vibes very well.
November 4, 2022
It’s rare for “horror” comics to be ”good” but somehow Night of the Ghoul pulled it off.
With a far mature audience in mind, this was incredibly entertaining and well worth the time. The story is fast paced, tense, and original. It’s also got some truly great moments that rival some of the best horror films and even though the “twist” ending wasn’t all that much of a shock, it still managed to be fun and bleak at the same time.
And that cover! Gorgeous!
With a far mature audience in mind, this was incredibly entertaining and well worth the time. The story is fast paced, tense, and original. It’s also got some truly great moments that rival some of the best horror films and even though the “twist” ending wasn’t all that much of a shock, it still managed to be fun and bleak at the same time.
And that cover! Gorgeous!
Read
April 20, 2022I've said elsewhere that all Snyder's recent horror stuff seems to be variations on the theme of Wytches, and that ideally he'd finish that rather than getting distracted by alternate takes. But within that moan, this is a pretty good variation on the theme. A film restorer's obsession with a great lost horror film, which of course is called Night Of The Ghoul*, has wrecked his marriage; now, with his ambivalent son in tow, he's succeeded in tracking down both what survives of the film itself, and its vanished director. Who of course tells him that it's all true, and that the fire which destroyed the film was no accident. None of this is particularly new, and in places it's a little too keen to obfuscate that; when our seeker tells the director his film "created a new classic creature", really? The ghoul was already a creature of folklore and nightmare, just as the vampire was, and if the version seen here differs from that of the old tales, well, so does the Hollywood vampire. As for the idea of one monster which inspired the legends of all the others...well, again, that seems at least strongly implicit. But for the most part the story does an excellent job of working in all manner of horridness without ever feeling like it's sacrificed consistency of theme or tone. Much of the praise for which must go to Francavilla, whose shadowed art knows exactly the unnerving things comics can do best, and then delights in running down the list: the image of the trusting victim just beginning to realise something might be awry, as a shadowy claw descends from above and silhouetted figures open doors behind, is perfectly done. I think I even detected a nod to the Ghoul card from the old horror set of Top Trumps, improbable as that reference seemed. There's a topical relevance, too, in the notion of secret societies working for and against the Ghoul. Or at least, there used to be; the opponents were all wiped out, leaving only the Order of the Fly, the ones who believe "its job is to show us that everything we do to make meaning out of our existence – art, music, civilisation – it's nothing. The only meaning comes from surviving together as a species, a tribe." No wonder they've been doing so well these past few years.
*I still find it bothersome that there is no term for a work of fiction which shares its name with the non-existent work at the centre of its plot. It's not like there aren't enough high-profile examples, not least the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
*I still find it bothersome that there is no term for a work of fiction which shares its name with the non-existent work at the centre of its plot. It's not like there aren't enough high-profile examples, not least the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
October 20, 2021
Hey, now this looks pretty good! The last few things I've read by Snyder have been a miss, but this looks like it's going to be a proper horror story. Looking forward to the next issue!
June 16, 2023
Old-school, popcorn, horror fun from writer Scott Snyder (Batman new 52!, American Vampire) and artist Francis Francesco Francavilla (the Black Beetle, Afterlife With Archie).
A quick read that plays out as a horror/mystery with brilliant artwork showcasing a spooky atmosphere.
A quick read that plays out as a horror/mystery with brilliant artwork showcasing a spooky atmosphere.
February 17, 2023
Awesome start until it just turns into a remix of Scott Snyder’s own Wytches story… like, almost the exact same story.
Read
March 29, 2024 The story starts with a guy and his son visiting a patient in an old age home. The father is looking for a person who is supposedly the creator of the lost classic 'Night of the Ghoul'. It was supposed to be the greatest horror movie of the era but got destroyed in a fire accident. The story is about the aforesaid movie, why the movie was made and what happened during the filming of the movie.
The story cuts to flashbacks and back to current timeline to show things are happening as they keep discovering new things. The story moves at a good pace and it is only six issues. The ghoul is considered to be the parent of all monsters. This story creates a good lore for how other monsters were created by the ghouls and how a secret society was created to keep it a secret and those could be explored in future stories. For now the story is just about the ghouls and what happened to them.
This story also explores the father son dynamic about how a father feels insecure about himself for not accomplishing any thing in life. It also explores the father's unhealthy obsession over this particular movie which leads to him putting his child in danger and neglecting his wife.
The story is amazing it develops very well over the six issues and concludes with a satisfactory ending. The art work and the colours are what kept me glued to the panels on the screen. The inks are clear and beautiful. The design of the ghouls and other monsters are menacing. But the beauty of this series is in the colouring. The colour palette chosen for this series is very unique for a horror story. The flashbacks are told in a kind of sepia color while the current timeline is told with some vibrant colours which suprisingly works for this horror story. The detailing of the artwork is very well complimented by the colours.
I read this on my tablet on Kindle which makes the colours pop even more. It is available through Kindle Unlimited subscription as this is a Comixology Original. Overall this is a fun read. Hope they explore more aspects of the stories. Oh! Did I mention there are secret societies.
Let me know your thoughts and give me any kind of feedback in the comments and if you have read it share your thoughts as well.
The story cuts to flashbacks and back to current timeline to show things are happening as they keep discovering new things. The story moves at a good pace and it is only six issues. The ghoul is considered to be the parent of all monsters. This story creates a good lore for how other monsters were created by the ghouls and how a secret society was created to keep it a secret and those could be explored in future stories. For now the story is just about the ghouls and what happened to them.
This story also explores the father son dynamic about how a father feels insecure about himself for not accomplishing any thing in life. It also explores the father's unhealthy obsession over this particular movie which leads to him putting his child in danger and neglecting his wife.
The story is amazing it develops very well over the six issues and concludes with a satisfactory ending. The art work and the colours are what kept me glued to the panels on the screen. The inks are clear and beautiful. The design of the ghouls and other monsters are menacing. But the beauty of this series is in the colouring. The colour palette chosen for this series is very unique for a horror story. The flashbacks are told in a kind of sepia color while the current timeline is told with some vibrant colours which suprisingly works for this horror story. The detailing of the artwork is very well complimented by the colours.
I read this on my tablet on Kindle which makes the colours pop even more. It is available through Kindle Unlimited subscription as this is a Comixology Original. Overall this is a fun read. Hope they explore more aspects of the stories. Oh! Did I mention there are secret societies.
Let me know your thoughts and give me any kind of feedback in the comments and if you have read it share your thoughts as well.
November 16, 2024
Night of the Ghoul’s synopsis grabbed my attention from the off before I’d even decided to purchase it - and while not the most original narrative conceit, it was tantalising enough for my hand to click the “BUY” button as if it were possessed.
It’s a quick read. Snyder’s script is pretty poor to be honest - it’s idea being far better than its - if you’ll pardon the pun - execution. However, it’s Francavilla’s art which does all the heavy lifting with regards creating any sense of real atmosphere and drama here. It’s bold and vibrant, using a purposefully restrained palette for much of its pagination, relying on heavy contrasts than nuance to great effect. This is exploited later in the story when other colours leap from its pages adding a whole other level to Snyder’s schlocky schtick.
Snyder’s script swiftly sags due to its slow and choppy pacing and a few oddly-placed frame jumps that point to bad editing. It’s certainly not going to win any awards for the way it wraps things-up, which is a shame because all along I was kinda hoping it would at least push back against those dusty conventions and surprise me - but nope. It’s very much a case of w.y.s.i.w.y.g: you may come for the Ghoul, but you’ll find yourself staying for the Art.
FOR FANS OF:
Creepshow
Tales from the Crypt
It’s a quick read. Snyder’s script is pretty poor to be honest - it’s idea being far better than its - if you’ll pardon the pun - execution. However, it’s Francavilla’s art which does all the heavy lifting with regards creating any sense of real atmosphere and drama here. It’s bold and vibrant, using a purposefully restrained palette for much of its pagination, relying on heavy contrasts than nuance to great effect. This is exploited later in the story when other colours leap from its pages adding a whole other level to Snyder’s schlocky schtick.
Snyder’s script swiftly sags due to its slow and choppy pacing and a few oddly-placed frame jumps that point to bad editing. It’s certainly not going to win any awards for the way it wraps things-up, which is a shame because all along I was kinda hoping it would at least push back against those dusty conventions and surprise me - but nope. It’s very much a case of w.y.s.i.w.y.g: you may come for the Ghoul, but you’ll find yourself staying for the Art.
FOR FANS OF:
Creepshow
Tales from the Crypt
February 16, 2024
Another Scott Snyder work where the artwork is truly more special than the storytelling, but unlike Clear, it's pretty easy to follow the spooky goings-on in Night of the Ghoul, even if they are rather derivative.
We open with a father and his pissy son arriving at far-flung old folk's home so that the father can interview the director of a long-lost horror film. Turns out the father has found a chunk of the film and wants to know where he can find the rest. Surprise, though: the director is all burned/scarred and has a gnarly story to tell about the Ghoul, who is the main character in the movie...and is also super real.
The setup suggests that someone finally seeing the ending of this one horror film will defeat the Ghoul once and for all... So, Night of the Ghoul somewhat peters out at the end, but the early promise is very strong, and again, the Francavilla artwork is stunning.
We open with a father and his pissy son arriving at far-flung old folk's home so that the father can interview the director of a long-lost horror film. Turns out the father has found a chunk of the film and wants to know where he can find the rest. Surprise, though: the director is all burned/scarred and has a gnarly story to tell about the Ghoul, who is the main character in the movie...and is also super real.
The setup suggests that someone finally seeing the ending of this one horror film will defeat the Ghoul once and for all... So, Night of the Ghoul somewhat peters out at the end, but the early promise is very strong, and again, the Francavilla artwork is stunning.
October 15, 2022
Creepy story that effectively uses a lot of familiar horror elements to tell an original tale of an ancient evil. Loved the use of film footage as flashbacks. Once again, Snyder displays his ability to tap into primal terror by way of compelling characters and Francavilla provides the pulpy atmosphere, so much so you can practically smell the rotting flesh off the digital screen. This is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
March 24, 2023
Overall enjoyable but the ending was predictable fairly early on
November 17, 2024
Un réalisateur un peu raté a trouvé les rush d'un mystérieux film d'horreur ancien qui semble étrangement réaliste... il part a la rencontre de son réalisateur pour en savoir plus.
Une idée de scénario originale, une approche graphique léchée et une ambiance horrifique parfaitement réussie.
Une idée de scénario originale, une approche graphique léchée et une ambiance horrifique parfaitement réussie.
February 22, 2023
Es muy bueno excepto por su final de mierda. Igualmente es un buen viaje.
December 27, 2022
Generic campy horror story for fans of Tales from the Crypt. Fun but not particularly original enough to be memorable.
January 7, 2023
Una narración terrorífica de tintes pulp (que incluye horrores antiquísimos, agrupaciones secretas y un traumático suceso) con un excelente desarrollo narrativo y un buen giro final. Para aficionados del horror clásico.
November 21, 2023
Comic falls apart toward the end but the first few issues (and the creepy Francavilla art) are pretty good. Quick Halloween read- felt like a B (or C) movie
June 2, 2024
Fantastic lore. The best graphic novel I’ve read in ages, perhaps a touch rushed in conclusion but the art and atmosphere reminded me of watching CREEPSHOW the first time.
October 20, 2022
Classic horror
Dang, Scott Snyder and Frank Cavil nailed the horror genre in this one! Feels like you're reading a classic Universal Studios monster movie, or a b-movie from the 50's, like "The Blob" or "Forbidden Planet". Definitely recommend reading!
Dang, Scott Snyder and Frank Cavil nailed the horror genre in this one! Feels like you're reading a classic Universal Studios monster movie, or a b-movie from the 50's, like "The Blob" or "Forbidden Planet". Definitely recommend reading!
Read
April 25, 2022Phenomenal art. Like every Comixology Original, the ending felt rushed, as if they were planning a longer series and cut it short prematurely.
March 25, 2023
Ja mám rada Snyderove horory a tento nebol výnimka. Aj keď predvídateľný dej, fakt dobre a zaujímavo podaný a kresba, hlavne v pasážach s ghoulom boli fakt parádne.
December 28, 2023
In this tale of icky monsters and (as the title promises) dreadful ghouls, Scott Snyder and the masterful artist Francesco Francavilla cook up a yarn out of EC Comics but with an extra thread or two about an extremely aged film director kept inside of a hospital who is visited by a filmmaker-cum-fan who wants to interview him and talk to him specifically about a "lost" reel of a film that was part of an unfinished project. But this leads to a story of a conspiracy, of supernatural demons and the unknown, of things out of Lovecraft (or as I might suspect with these creators influences, Bottin and Carpenter), and the filmmaker's son is involved as well as a consortium of doctors who may not be what they seem (dot dot dot...)
I think the story gets a little bit away from Snyder in the latter part of this series, like he and Francavilla realized this or that needed to be filled in and so they had maybe one twist too many (and there is one in particular where even a seven year old reading this will go "yeah, of course that would happen with him, saw it a mile away"). But I'm not necessarily reading this for the most unique story or even for it to have something to "say" about the nature of good and evil or about the (sigh) "real" monsters in our midsts (especially since in this story there *are* real monsters, like giant 🕷 looking freaks who will eat you in two seconds).
I'm reading this for the thrills of a page turner, and for the dynamic artwork and on this end the creators don't disappoint. If it's not quite up to the level of the Black Mask, it still hits the mark and then some for ingenious and disgusting creatures, atmosphere, and there is a pretty good (though not great) sub plot showing us the story in the film that the filmmaker wants to see - and it made me almost wish to read an entire war-and-post-war comic series written and drawn by these guys rather than the "No, you MUST SEE THE FINAL REEL" theatrics from this decrepit director Mr. Patrick (though he never stops looking cool as a wretched old fuck)
I think the story gets a little bit away from Snyder in the latter part of this series, like he and Francavilla realized this or that needed to be filled in and so they had maybe one twist too many (and there is one in particular where even a seven year old reading this will go "yeah, of course that would happen with him, saw it a mile away"). But I'm not necessarily reading this for the most unique story or even for it to have something to "say" about the nature of good and evil or about the (sigh) "real" monsters in our midsts (especially since in this story there *are* real monsters, like giant 🕷 looking freaks who will eat you in two seconds).
I'm reading this for the thrills of a page turner, and for the dynamic artwork and on this end the creators don't disappoint. If it's not quite up to the level of the Black Mask, it still hits the mark and then some for ingenious and disgusting creatures, atmosphere, and there is a pretty good (though not great) sub plot showing us the story in the film that the filmmaker wants to see - and it made me almost wish to read an entire war-and-post-war comic series written and drawn by these guys rather than the "No, you MUST SEE THE FINAL REEL" theatrics from this decrepit director Mr. Patrick (though he never stops looking cool as a wretched old fuck)
November 6, 2024
3,5/5
Em vaig submergir en aquesta lectura atret per l'estètica pulp i la presència a la trama d'una pel·lícula maleïda. I certament hi he trobat ambdues coses: l'estètica creepy que impregna bona part del còmic m'ha encantat, amb aquest monstre, el ghoul, que pretén fer ombra a altres éssers clàssics com els vampirs, els homes llop, etc. La part del metratge maleït m'ha fascinat, sobretot com està incorporat dins del volum, amb uns tons sèpia que faciliten molt la transició, i el que explica m'ha atrapat des d'un primer moment, no pas com la història actual.
Perquè en el fons la història es basteix en dues històries, una que té lloc al present i una altra que va succeir en el passat, que tenen similituds i punts en comú. Personalment, com deia, he gaudit més de la narració pretèrita: els personatges i la història en si m'han captivat. Els personatges actuals, en canvi, m'han deixat més aviat fred, sobretot el nano aquest (se suposa que té 17 anys), que resulta massa irregular. Alguns girs de guió no m'han fluït gens i els he trobat impostats.
Si bé el guió no m'ha fet el pes, a la part visual sí que li dono l'aprovat, fins i tot un notable baix. Sobretot per aquesta criatura tan misteriosa, que quan s'acaba mostrant ho fa amb una contundència brutal. Els tons i la combinació dels mateixos en els relats present/passat també m'ha agradat força. Haig de reconèixer que soc un lector fatal en anglès, però aquest volum l'he trobat molt amè, molt fàcil, i no m'ha suposat cap maldecap.
És en definitiva, un volum 100% recomanable pels amants de les pel·lis de terror, que trobaran aquí dues de les seves passions combinades de forma prou efectiva. Un cop a dins agradarà més o menys, però crec que és fàcil trobar elements que agradin i que facin que la lectura global sigui satisfactòria. Que no té un gran guió, això ja ho sabem, però quantes obres literàries i audiovisuals el tenen, avui dia? Deixem-nos endur per l'esperit més visceral del ghoul i gaudim del terror, que en el fons és el que hem vingut a buscar.
Em vaig submergir en aquesta lectura atret per l'estètica pulp i la presència a la trama d'una pel·lícula maleïda. I certament hi he trobat ambdues coses: l'estètica creepy que impregna bona part del còmic m'ha encantat, amb aquest monstre, el ghoul, que pretén fer ombra a altres éssers clàssics com els vampirs, els homes llop, etc. La part del metratge maleït m'ha fascinat, sobretot com està incorporat dins del volum, amb uns tons sèpia que faciliten molt la transició, i el que explica m'ha atrapat des d'un primer moment, no pas com la història actual.
Perquè en el fons la història es basteix en dues històries, una que té lloc al present i una altra que va succeir en el passat, que tenen similituds i punts en comú. Personalment, com deia, he gaudit més de la narració pretèrita: els personatges i la història en si m'han captivat. Els personatges actuals, en canvi, m'han deixat més aviat fred, sobretot el nano aquest (se suposa que té 17 anys), que resulta massa irregular. Alguns girs de guió no m'han fluït gens i els he trobat impostats.
Si bé el guió no m'ha fet el pes, a la part visual sí que li dono l'aprovat, fins i tot un notable baix. Sobretot per aquesta criatura tan misteriosa, que quan s'acaba mostrant ho fa amb una contundència brutal. Els tons i la combinació dels mateixos en els relats present/passat també m'ha agradat força. Haig de reconèixer que soc un lector fatal en anglès, però aquest volum l'he trobat molt amè, molt fàcil, i no m'ha suposat cap maldecap.
És en definitiva, un volum 100% recomanable pels amants de les pel·lis de terror, que trobaran aquí dues de les seves passions combinades de forma prou efectiva. Un cop a dins agradarà més o menys, però crec que és fàcil trobar elements que agradin i que facin que la lectura global sigui satisfactòria. Que no té un gran guió, això ja ho sabem, però quantes obres literàries i audiovisuals el tenen, avui dia? Deixem-nos endur per l'esperit més visceral del ghoul i gaudim del terror, que en el fons és el que hem vingut a buscar.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews