whimsydearest

After Yume takes her own life, she finds herself mysteriously resurrected and sets out to find answers while trying to piece together the shattered memories of her past. Zombie Makeout Club, Vol.1 by Peter Richardson presents a fun zombie splatterfest with bucketloads of body horror and chainsaw action. It’s punk and stylish (which is to be expected from the creator of an alt clothing brand) and hits the spot if you’re looking for something dark with a bit edge. Out of all the characters so far, Crow by far has got most interesting to me. He’s a mercenary and an ex-cop with emotional package who can control Frankensteinian crows, and I look forward to learning more about his backstory and motivations. Overall, I’ve got to say, this comic is a wild trip. The plot itself is a bit confusing and disorienting at the moment, but I’m presuming that is meant to mirror Yume's own confusion due to her amnesia and that reader’s will gradually piece the story alongside her as it progresses. W...

Anyone who’s ever met Walter knows that he’s a bit eccentric. However, when old acquaintances of his are invited to spend a summer getaway with him at his secluded lake house, the opportunity seems too good to pass up.  To their horror, they soon realize though that they can never leave the property and slowly they try to unravel the house’s secrets and the reason behind their imprisonment.  The Nice House on the Lake, Volume 1 by James Tynion IV (writer) and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (artist) is an eerie and captivating comic that takes classic domestic thriller tropes and gives them a delightfully bizarre horror sci-fi twist.  If you enjoy psychologically-driven stories like me, you’ll probably have a good time with this one. It feels like you’re watching a social experiment, and it’s fascinating to see how people with all sorts of personalities react to the claustrophobia and boredom of isolation.  To top off, the artwork is incredible and includes some wonderfully g...

In the post-apocalyptic future, a mechanic tries to seek medical help for his sick sister from beyond the Wall. However, the Wall is heavily guarded by robots and the way there is treacherous and filled with danger. The Wall by Antoine Charreyron (writer) and Mario Alberti (illustrator) presents one beautiful mess. I’m going to start things off and say the artwork is fantastic and reminds me almost of Moebius! Alberti really does an excellent job at establishing a sense of the world and bringing it to life. However, the story itself is underdeveloped. It quickly jumps between characters and scenes, which felt incredibly jarring and disorienting. It’s like important gaps were missing in the story, and honestly, I felt confused half the time. The writer does preface the story by saying The Wall was originally intended to be a film, and unfortunately, this comic does indeed feel more like a storyboard than a full-fledged comic. Either the medium didn’t translate over well or the story s...

Sara is accepted at an all-girls magical boarding school called The Rose where she meets a mysterious girl named Silje. The two of them quickly form a friendship that begins to blossom into something more. However, Sara comes to find that the school has its own dark secrets and harsh punishments for those who break its rules … Eros/Psyche by Maria Llovet is deliciously gothic and atmospheric sapphic dark academia mystery that left me with so many conflicting emotions. On one hand, it’s gorgeous to look at. There are so many cinematic, wordless panels that this comic begins to feel more like an arthouse film or an aesthetic mood piece than a substantive story. Along those same lines, I feel like there wasn’t sufficient build up for the shocking reveal towards the end, and after finishing its final pages, I still wish I had more answers. Overall, this is a beautiful disaster of a story that’s filled with queer yearning and angst and fierce sisterly bonds, and even despite its flaws, I l...

Following the death of her estranged mother, Kat returns to her hometown in Comfort Notch. However, beneath the town’s quaint, idyllic exterior, there may be a sinister force at work. Now Kat must uncover the mystery behind the town’s dark past before it’s too late. The Autumnal: The Complete Collection by Daniel Kraus (writer) and Chris Shehan (artist) is an eerie read that blends ecohorror with folk horror—portrayed through wonderfully atmospheric and, at times, grotesque artwork. Going into this series though, I think it’s important to note that this is slowburn. The majority of the story does not quite deliver the levels of body horror that the fantastic issue covers suggest. Instead this is a slowly creeping horror that builds up to a devastating and chilling end. At its heart, you’ll find a story about trauma and a mother’s anger and love. We see as Kat a struggling single mom trying to take care of and protect her daughter, and that’s what I think makes the story so compelling....

  Who said mecha’s dead? It’s un dead in a new punk haunted house mecha from Image Comics. Home Sick Pilots by Dan Watters (writer) and Caspar Wijngaard (illustrator) follows a high school punk band named Home Sick Pilots. One night, they watch a rival band and decide they can pull off an even sicker gig. The lead singer Ami gets a bright idea. What if they held a show in a notoriously creepy haunted house?  … Only what they find inside is more than they bargained for.  First off, I've really got to praise Wijngaard's coloring and artwork is work here. Overall, I can best describe the art style as atmospherically goth with a splash of neon punk. Just looking at the pages makes me feel like Nicolas Cage in Color out of Space , going, “The color, the color …" It's almost otherworldy and adds to the story feeling like a surreal nightmare.  The opening sequence alone is enough to hook you in. It’s absolutely haunting. We just see the house shifting and rearran...