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Graphic Novel Review: The Night Eaters, Volume 1: She Eats The Night by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

 

Cover art for The Night Eaters Book 1: She Eats The Night by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

 

The Night Eaters: Volume 1, She Eats the Night by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Abrams Comicarts, 2022

ISBN-13: 9781787739666

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ( Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com  )

 

The creative team behind the Monstress comic series have created another world for readers to visit in The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night, the first in a trilogy.

 

Chinese-American twins Milly and Billy are in their early 20s and own their own business. They struggle to keep their restaurant afloat while navigating COVID-19. They also struggle with personal relationships and life in general. Billy spends his free time locked away killing virtual monsters, while Milly comes to terms with dropping out of med school and pining for her ex-boyfriend, who she still visits. Their parents, emotionally distant mother Ipo and laid-back father Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Ipo and Keon, immigrants from Hong Kong, have supported their children throughout their lives, but the parents worry that their support has hindered rather than helped their children. 

 

To test their strength and fortitude, Ipo forces Billy and Milly to help her clean the house across the street, which was the scene of a grisly murder, and where dolls move on their own. Ipo has been hiding a deadly secret from them their entire lives. In the span of one night, everything is revealed to the twins, but they are left with more questions than answers.  

 

Liu’s storytelling is great. The family dynamic is well-written, with tension, love, and humor, and the four of them are just dealing with each other at the forefront of the story. Milly and Billy have a believable sibling relationship, with antagonistic details on display. We get glimpses of Ipo and Keon’s relationship told in a series of flashbacks. We gradually find out more about them as a couple, as well as who they really are as people. Ipo spends more time with her plants than she does with her children, something which infuriates Milly. Keon is at times insufferably relaxed about situations that would send others into a panic or downright anger. Yet, they work as a couple, and their children are stronger than they are given credit for, especially by Ipo.

 

Takeda’s artwork is something I have sought out since I started reading Monstress. Her comic panels are beautiful. There are a few illustrations that feel like they were rushed, but her skill is still evident. Liu and Takeda give us another beautifully haunting, and haunted, in The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night. The next volume will be released in 2023. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on March 4, 2023 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Lucky Devil Volume 1 by Cullen Bunn, art by Fran Galan, lettering by El Torres

Cover art for Lucky Devil volume 1 by Cullen Bunn

Lucky Devil Volume 1 by Cullen Bunn, art by Fran Galán, lettering by El Torres

Dark Horse Comics, 2022

ISBN-13: 9781506721996

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, Comixology   (  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Stanley has terrible luck. His three-year relationship is tainted by an affair his girlfriend is having. He’s a gofer for a corporate organization where his higher-ups constantly demean him. Then, he gets possessed by the demon Lord Zedirex the Tormenter. After Zed causes a particularly grisly massacre at a burger joint, Stanley goes for an exorcism, but it all goes horribly wrong. The demon lord is definitely shunted from Stanley’s body, but Stanley retains Zed’s powers. After Stanley takes his wrath out on everyone who wronged him, he uses his newly gained power to form a cult, joining forces with the existing International Church of Lucifer. However, Stanley’s message, that God and Satan are no longer important if humans can obtain power on their own, gets him the wrong kind of attention.



When Stanley gets a bit too comfortable with his new role, the legions of Hell take notice. Zed tries to warn Stanley that he is garnering too much attention. The hapless human needs the former demon lord’s help, but Stanley’s hubris might get in the way.

 

There is so much to like with Bunn’s Lucky Devil. The exorcism gone wrong, resulting in the displacement of demonic power, was an interesting plot point and drove the story along well. Stanley is a sympathetic character, even when he is relishing in the attention he gets from the power he wields. He never becomes insufferable, and he remains human, despite his demonic powers. Zed acted as the voice of reason for Stanley at times, something which I didn’t expect.

 

Lucky Devil is necessary for Cullen Bunn fans. Readers who are looking for a unique take on demonic possession or who like a bit of humor in their horror will enjoy this.

 

This volume collects issues #1-4.

 

Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on January 2, 2023 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Tales from Harrow County Volume 1: Death’s Choir by Cullen Bunn, art by Naomi Franquiz

Tales from Harrow County, Volume 1: Death’s Choir by Cullen Bunn, art by Naomi Franquiz

Dark Horse, 2020

ISBN-13: 97815067168

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Award-winning, Eisner-nominated Southern Gothic horror returns in Tales from Harrow County, Volume 1: Death’s Choir. The story focuses on Bernice Anderson as she has taken on the mantle of steward of the small community ten years after her best friend Emmy Crawford left Harrow County. World War II has taken young men from the community, leaving tragedy in its wake. Harrow County is left in a state of mourning when the news of the deaths of their family members arrive. A mourning woman, Mrs. Dearborn, has called upon the spirits, but in summoning the supernatural choir that beckons the spirits of those the war has taken, has also summoned a deadly banshee as well. Bernice and her partner Georgia must find a way to save Harrow County from certain doom. The town does face more than supernatural foes. With not only Bernice’s protective witchcraft, but also the same-sex relationship between Bernice and Georgia, the Reverend unleashes some passive-aggressive nonsense.

 

 

For readers familiar with Harrow County, there will be familiar haints and creatures. As a fan of Priscilla the goblin, I was overjoyed that there was more of her, but I was ill-prepared for the cliffhanger ending.

 

 

Artist Naomi Franquiz takes over from Tyler Crooks. While her style is similar to Crooks’, she seems to have a more vibrant color palette, but this does not detract from the story. Her lush landscapes and well-developed character designs and art lend Cullen’s story a familiar atmosphere.

 

 

Volume 1 collects Tales from Harrow County: Death’s Choir #1-#4. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on October 22, 2022 by , Reply
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