The Cartoonist

by Sean Costello

Scott Bowman is now a respected psychiatrist living the good life, but sixteen years ago he and his friends accidentally committed a terrible crime. The group swore itself to secrecy and everyone's mouth was sealed out of guilt. None suspected that there had been another present to remember their crime. A creepy new addition to Scott's roster of patients at the local psychiatry ward proves to be more than a helpless, mad old man with a talent for drawing. Lurking behind the man's eerily realistic drawings is a soul driven by twisted passions and malignant anger, creating the nightmarish visions on paper. These soon draw the doctor into a dark world of freak accidents and horrifying deaths. In a final and deadly confrontation with an old hatred, Scott Bowman is driven to confront the most dangerous edges of sanity, where reality is indistinguishable from imagination.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Horror Thriller

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Sean Costello is the author of nine novels and numerous screenplays. His novel Here After has been optioned to film by David Hackl, director of Saw V. Depending on the whims of his muse, Costello's novels alternate between two distinct genres: Horror and Thriller. His horror novels have drawn comparisons to the works of Stephen King, and his thrillers to those of Elmore Leonard. In the real world he's an anesthesiologist, but, if asked, he'd tell you he'd much rather be writing.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional story by Sean Costello that comes pretty close to a 5 star read for me. The Cartoonist starts with a prologue, circa 1972, where three old pals, more than a little buzzed, are cruising around in Scott's old VW bug. All three are heading for medical school in the fall and they have been checking out the schools and, well, partying a bit to celebrate. Tragedy happens when they hit and kill a little girl on some backroad in Massachusetts (Scott swerved to avoid a little kitten and hit its owner instead). All three are a little drunk, with weed strewn around the car; they decide it's best just to split...

Flashforward 16 years and the story begins, with Scott the main protagonist. Scott, now a practicing psychiatrist in Ottawa, takes a group of interns through the 'chronic ward' at hospital he works at, where the senile and such eek out their existence. The students come across a guy deemed 'the Cartoonist'; old, drooling and incommunicado to the world, but he always has his sketch pad and draws amazing cartoons constantly. Who is this guy? No one knows. His cartoons are rather morbid, however, leading everyone to assume he drew for horror comics back in the day. The group looks through his 'portfolio' oohing and awing, but Scott is drawn to one frame, what looks like barrels strapped to something for some reason. Putting it out of his mind, the day goes on...

No more on the plot; Costello does a marvelous job building the creep and tension here as the story progresses. I thought it started a bit slow, with Costello introducing the characters and such, but this lays the foundations for what will come, and boy does it come! This starts off with the tragic prologue, builds the characters (especially Scott, his wife Krista and daughter Kath), and then goes for the jugular in Part II. Creepy AF! 4.5 stars, only rounding down for the slow start.

[Jack Tripper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's the 1991 Pan Books mass-market I have (248 pages). The cover shown up top, though featuring the same artwork, is actually the 1990 Pocket mass-market.

[Warren Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the proper way to write a horror thriller. Sean Costello takes the kind of supernatural revenge story you'd find in old EC Comics and brilliantly translates them to the medium of the novel, using likeable characters, spellbinding suspense, chilling atmosphere, and plenty of narrative twists.

Scott is what you might call a functional alcoholic. He's the kind of guy that is already thinking of beer o'clock shortly after lunch on a workday. Once he gets home, he has a hot wife ready to serve him his favorite brew in an ice cold mug. He also lives on prime lakefront property, has a respected job as a psychiatrist and is on the faculty of a Canadian medical school. So his drinking has never been a problem.

Or so he would have everyone believe. Scott has been harboring a terrible secret that has been eating at him for years. In his twenties, he was on a road trip with his buddies in a car full of marijuana and booze when he smashed into a little girl who ran into the road. They all fled the scene, worried this would destroy their careers forever. But now one of Scott's patients, a mute old man on the dementia ward who draws cartoon comics, seems to be sending him a warning that supernatural retribution has caught up with Scott.

At first I thought the pacing was a little slow, but it must not have been too bad, because I found myself racing through the first half in one sitting. There's a section in the second act that is a bit too infuriating. The message of this novel could have been, "If you plan on driving on podunk roads at night, keep your seatbelt buckled, keep your eyes on the road, don't speed, and don't drive a European car. If you can't do that, keep your ADHD ass at home." Not only does everyone in the book ignore all of this good advice, but Scott's wife turns out to be an even shittier driver sober than he was drunk, which gets so ridiculous that it grates on your nerves. So, it's not a perfect novel, but it sure is entertaining.

Costello is actually a physician himself, so his novels tend to combine elements of grounded medical thrillers with his love of horror. This is one of his best, and a classic of the late paperbacks from hell era.

SCORE: 4 cartoonists out of 5

[Adam Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cartoonist is my fourth read by Sean Costello and, after three previous atempts to get five stars out of me and just barely failing each time, The Cartoonist snatches them and runs away luaghing hysterically at its own brilliance. The book is not all that long, but the amount of emotional depth in this book is stunning and really shines in a genre of fiction that is so easily led in the wrong direction by naked girls and violence. It also presents us with one of those cases of slowly going insane but the one who does so is a psychologist! That is amazing to me! The book is centered around a tragedy in Scott's past which is no where near forgotten by him or the others in the car that day. Apparently though, someone else remembers and isn't happy about it and the way that revenge is carried out is almost totally unique to me. If any of you have completed King's The Dark Tower series, you may remember the power a simple pencil in not so simple hands can have. The same is true in this novel which came out long before that. The creepiness is laid on just as thickly as the emotion and I have always thought that they go very well together in a horror novel. It is almost like a flame to dry wood which creats a warm fire in the glow of which we would all like to read a good book. Anyway, before I confuse myself, let me just say that The Cartoonist is one of those few books that I will claim to be perfect in every way. I recommend to all and hope you give it a try. Sean Costello's near invisibility in the world of horror is a horror in itself and I wish that it would change. I am confident that it would if more people knew of him and his work.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a much better written book than the cover might suggest. Not that the cover isn’t appealing, but it might give the impression of a cheesier 80’s horror novel, and Costello’s writing actually elevates it past the average fare. Sure, some typical horror tropes are scattered throughout the book, along with some EC Comics type imagery, but the authors realistic grounding of his characters and their reactions, behaviour and emotional responses all ring very true. I enjoyed that the novel was set in my native Canada for a change, and his descriptions of the landscapes were quite convincing as well. This would have made a good 80’s horror movie with a bit more mood and atmosphere than the usual flicks of the day. I have a couple more by the author on my shelves, so I’ll look forward to them.

[Carlos González · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Entretenida historia. Lo leí buscando una experiencia similar a la que ofrecían los libros de "Pesadillas" de R.L. Stine, pero en una versión para adultos. La trama es bastante predecible, y en ocasiones tenía que forzarme a seguir leyendo. En cualquier caso hay que tener en cuenta que hace treinta años algunos temas que se tratan aquí no estaban tan trillados, y seguramente impactaría más entonces. Como dice John Cusack en la peli 1408 (¡peliculón!), en la escala de sustos, del uno al diez, le doy cinco calaveras.

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cartoonist is an extremely well written and described story about a psychiatrist who has a hidden secret from his past resurface years later. A patient of his is a gifted artist whose drawings are premonitions of ghastly events that are to come true.

This slowly builds its uneasyness, and when the reveal comes in the final chapters, its tension is off the charts. A brillant bleak ending and an author, I now need to track down more of his work.

It's good to read a vintage horror book by an author who is actually skilled at writing as it's often not the case.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if a tragic accident that happened sixteen years ago,that you and your two buddies swore to secrecy comes back to haunt you? Comes back in the form of an old senile patient, that doesn't speak, and the staff calls him the Cartoonist. What if his pencil drawings tell of things that are going to happen? What if you find out the Cartoonist is behind the eye for an eye happenings? Would that just about drive you mad? Like our good doctor, Scott Bowman is about to find out. What you need to do, is read this little gem that was written back in 1990.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was eagerly looking forward to read this book and wasn't disappointed. Classic 80s horror of a revengeful cartoonist who draws the forthcoming accidents and deaths of persons dealing with him. The character of the cartoonist is really eerie, doesn't say a word, a very old man in a nursery home, sitting in a wheelchair. But his pencil is constantly drawings and the drawings mean death. An absolute pageturner and clear recommendation!

[Mtm66]

3.5

[Katie T · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars … Great concept, a fair bit of unnecessary detail, which is probably called storytelling, but when it comes to vintage horror let’s just get to it, shall we??

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror and psychological horror collide in this brilliant classic novel from Sean Costello, who took many years off from his writing career and is now back with a new one. The books started the way many genre movies and books start off, a group of friends, do something bad and do not take any responsibility for it and years later their sins come back for bloody vengeance.

Scott Bowman has been having bad dreams about the event, and one day, during rounds, he meets a quirky and senile old man that draws non stop. Nick named the Cartoonist he seems nothing more than a curious old man who can draw, until it is revealed that his drawings are precognitive. Stranger yet, Scott and his family are playing a major role in these drawings.

Fast paced, and well drawn characters help keep the reader on the edge of their seat. The story unfolds like a mystery, like the layers of an onion more and more is revealed until the inevitable conclusion. The writing is crisp and incisive and the dialogue realistic. Cartoonist has it all.

[Mikepottz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott and two mates will be on a road trip before college and under the influence of alcohol, Scott will mow down a young girl, crushing the life from her in the middle of nowhere. The boys will leave the poor girl like discarded garbage and flee. Years later Scott will have the perfect wife, child, and be a practising psychiatrist and during his day to day job will come into contact with a mysterious man devoid of speech or cognitive ability that is able to draw spectacular drawings that display future happenings into Scott's life. Scott will be nearly drowned and paranoia will blanket him like a dark cloud. Scott will lose everything and come face to face with that hit and run incident years before. Terror, dread, horror, chilling, evil, heart wrenching, sad this is a must read page turning event that would make a perfect movie.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Costello is a master at describing the macabre. I hope he never stops. Burwash is a creepy place.

[Mommacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I sat reading THE CARTOONIST, I was thinking to myself that it was a really enjoyable, well written book that could easily be turned into a Tales From the Crypt full length movie. It was an easy four star rating.

Then I got to Part 3. That was the final part of the book and what a finish it was. Wild horses couldn't drag me away from my kindle! Sean Costello rocked the ending and kicked my ass with an ending that I never saw coming.

You can't ask for more in a horror novel. I've read a couple other of Sean's books and they were both great. I plan to go on a shopping spree add add to my ever overloaded tbr pile. I highly recommend both this book and author.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great!

[Annerie RooibosReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where do I begin...

The writing was amazing, the plot was absolutely gripping and I, mostly, couldn't put the book down. This story was absolutely horrifying/terrifying. I had to read a children's book in between just to be able to sleep... Amazing psychology/paranormal novel!

[Michelle Bacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I would class this as a horror novel because never once was I frightened when I read this. For the duration of this book I questioned how it could be titled "The Cartoonist" when I didn't find out much about him til the end of the book. It did all tie together in the end, but it felt rushed. It's a fairly quick read with some blood and gore and a few swear words in there. I would not recommend this book to someone under the age of 16.
I don't like to summarize the stories in my reviews because if you are interested in reading the book, you don't want to read about it in a review. That is my own opinion. I will say this story is about a psychiatrist and his family who become haunted by drawings created by "The Cartoonist".

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scott Bowman and two friends, ready for med school, are involved in a fatal accident and swear each other to secrecy. Years later, Scott has managed to bury his memories of the event (apart from when it’s necessary for the writer to remind us) and start a family with the impossibly beautiful and frisky Krista. Now a psychiatrist, he receives a new patient, an old man whom the nurses call ‘the cartoonist’, who he draws horror tinged comics panels which might, or might not, be foretlling the future. Whilst this is not a bad idea, in and of itself, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Even though the timescale of the book is about a week, it’s very slow - so much so that by the time I got to a major character dying, I’d pretty much forgotten about the accident at the opening. Whilst it’s clear from the outset that The Cartoonist is the baddie, he must be one of the most benign bogeymen in horror fiction history, his knackered body a husk in a wheelchair. When it’s clear what he does, it’s no real revelation (Scott clicks about 100 pages after the reader has) and what we are interested in - ie, how does he do it and how did he know who Scott and his friends were - the writer skips past it, whilst the rushed ending ups the action and therefore puts it at odds with the rest of the book. Combine this with a lead character - monied, bland and husband to a very hot wife - who is difficult to empathise with and all the female characters having very similar names, this quickly becomes more complicated than it should. This isn’t helped by some technical glitches, such as character POV sometimes changing from line to line, sloppy line constructions and, in one memorable case, an internal thought process from a character we never see again. With no real scares, a bland hero and an ineffectual villain, this would be hard to recommend.

[Kelsi - Slime and Slashers · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.

There are some great elements in The Cartoonist: a unique and fun premise, fleshed-out and believable characters, some wonderfully-written sentences and descriptions, and an awesome ending.

However, I think this book could have packed an even bigger punch. At times, the horror could have been ramped up a tiny bit, and I also wish the actual character "the cartoonist" would have been featured in even more scenes in the story. There is also a section of the novel that spends a long time examining a character's grief. It is very well-done and realistic, but I think that could have been cut down a tiny bit to make the story a little more compact and fast-paced.

Despite the fact that this read isn't perfect, I still think it's worth reading!

[Cathy Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Sean Costello's books... this particular one was out of control.... in a GOOD way... I could hardly put it down and only did as eyes were killing me!! LOL... The characters and the way he makes them come alive on the page(s). I could feel every emotion that they went through.
Great book.. Thank you Sean!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not one to willingly read stories that will keep me up at night, which is why I'm glad my Grade 12 Creative Writing teacher assigned it to us. I enjoyed the book enough to make me think twice about dismissing a story for being scary just to be scary. The novel is well written and explores emotions I never want to experience in a way that feels real.

[Shareen Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! I could not turn the pages fast enough to keep up with the story. You are among the great horror writers. I loved the ending it was a fitting finish to the story----like having coffee after a delicious meal. I enjoy your books immensely. Everyone should read Sean Costello!

[Alexandre Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, creepy read, with a slower pace than you'd think for a horror paperback from de 80s. But very vivid and effective.

[Mika Lietzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales from the Crypt meets a medical thriller in this story of revenge best served cold. Back in the seventies, Scott Bowman and his friends accidentally ran over a little girl and then ran away. 16 years later Scott is a medical professional when an unknown geriatric patient nicknamed the Cartoonist appears at the hospital. The Cartoonist keeps drawing fast, detailed, professional quality cartoons despite being otherwise unresponsive. Cartoons that seem to foretell the future! And soon the cartoons are predicting dire things for Scott's family.

It's a horror story mostly set in Canada (Scott Bowman is probably a nod to Scotty Bowman, the legendary ice hockey coach), which explains why someone without insurance gets access to quality healthcare. The author is also a medical professional himself, which is probably why a lot of the story takes place inside hospitals. Maybe too much, turning an otherwise intriguing horror novel into something of a medical drama.

So much of the novel is spent on phones or waiting for the phone to ring that it becomes distracting. There's also a dark undercurrent to Scott's character, with his short asides about someone possibly being gay, being amused by prostitutes or just being generally uncaring about old people. Not to forget his hit-and-run accident, for which he and his friends were never held accountable, until now. It's a tale of revenge, you see, but that much is obvious after the prologue.

The cover, which is repeated in most older versions, is slightly misleading, since the basically catatonic Cartoonist is confined to a hospital as a patient for the whole novel. His drawings are described as something out of EC Comics, with ghouls and graves and full moons, so possibly something along the lines of Jack Davis. There's a supernatural element at play, but some of the choices the Cartoonist makes are baffling and nothing explains why he waited 16 years to get his vengeance. Neither is his background filled in any way other than to say that he was a deeply unpleasant man, leaving his special skill as a bit of a mystery. It's likely the author didn't know about the comics industry very much, since a style like the one described in the novel should've been very easy to recognize. I kept hoping for at least a know-it-all comic shop guy to show up, but no, we just get more and more of medical thrills.

The Cartoonist isn't bad, but it's not entirely succesful either. It's uneven, with some parts having great detail and style, while others feel drawn out and cumbersome, especially the scenes with Scott's family. Most horror comes from Scott's helplessness as the Cartoonist wreaks his revenge, but it's a very Canadian sort of horror, bordering on despair.

[Gail Mchugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel gave me the jitters. I love Stephen King and this book is way up there with his strange writing. What a mind you have Mr. Costello. I really liked Scott and his family. I wonder if there could be a sequel or does Scott remain where he is for the rest of his days.

[paula b · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cartoonist

Very interesting story, and a little creepy. I enjoyed the story, was a little fascinated with the whole concept. It was very dramatic and sad. Wasn't my favorite from this author.

[Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

***1/2. The Cartoonist is a fast paced, simply told horror novel. It feels very much like an episode of The Twilight Zone. There are familiar elements (sins of the past, revenge, etc.), but Costello doesn’t allow you to dwell on their familiarity as he keeps the story moving.

[LuAnn Sulllivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary mystery

This story was so captivating. I enjoyed the illustration and mystery. I would recommend all of his books for reading.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable, tedious, flat characters...just did not care.