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Rachel Rising #2
Rachel Rising, Volume 2: Fear No Malus
Rachel and Jet are dead. So why are they still here, looking drop dead gorgeous? Zoe, a 10-year old serial killer, suggests the answer is Lilith, an ethereal woman who seeks to destroy the town that hung them for witchcraft over 300 years ago. But Zoe is full of surprises, including an indwelling demon named Malus with his own wicked plan reaching far beyond the city limits. The only thing standing in his way is... Rachel. Collects #7-12.
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2012
About the author
Terry Moore
857 books657 followersFollowing the examples of independent comic creators such as Dave Sim and Jeff Smith, he decided to publish Strangers in Paradise himself through his own Houston-based "Abstract Studios" imprint, and has frequently mentioned a desire to do a syndicated cartoon strip in the authors notes at the back of the Strangers in Paradise collection books. He has also mentioned his greatest career influence is Peanuts' Charles Schulz.[1] Some of Moore's strip work can additionally be found in his Paradise, Too! publications.
His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".
It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]
On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]
His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".
It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]
On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
March 1, 2016
Review of Vol. 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I find myself enjoying this series more issue by issue. Whenever I buy a volume, I finish it in less than an hour, and then find myself wondering if I should buy all of the volumes in one go. Luckily, my knowing that then I would have no more of this series to read stops me.
This series follows Rachel, after she digs her way out of a mass grave, as she encounters witches, and demons, and much like her, an undead Jet. It is also the story of a 10-year old serial killer of sorts, and a town with a dark past, and a woman bent on revenge, and a bunch of other unanswered questions. If this does not sound appealing to you, then I do not know what will.
Here we uncover much of the questions posed on the first volume, more questions were of course formed, but at least I was sated in my curiosity over the previous events. This, although a positive for me, seemed to be a negative for quite a few people. New questions I know have: Aside from what we’ve been told, what exactly is Rachel? What truly happened all those years ago? What is Malus’ plan? Why is he taking so long to complete his promise to Lilith? Is Jet Mary Scott? Why does Hannah(dead wife) do what she does? I do not know, but hopefully next volume will tell.
The art remains at par with the other issues, all black and white, and realistic human portrayals. Even if it does not contain the colour I usually adore in comic books and graphic novels, his art is quickly becoming a favourite.
I find myself enjoying this series more issue by issue. Whenever I buy a volume, I finish it in less than an hour, and then find myself wondering if I should buy all of the volumes in one go. Luckily, my knowing that then I would have no more of this series to read stops me.
This series follows Rachel, after she digs her way out of a mass grave, as she encounters witches, and demons, and much like her, an undead Jet. It is also the story of a 10-year old serial killer of sorts, and a town with a dark past, and a woman bent on revenge, and a bunch of other unanswered questions. If this does not sound appealing to you, then I do not know what will.
Here we uncover much of the questions posed on the first volume, more questions were of course formed, but at least I was sated in my curiosity over the previous events. This, although a positive for me, seemed to be a negative for quite a few people. New questions I know have: Aside from what we’ve been told, what exactly is Rachel? What truly happened all those years ago? What is Malus’ plan? Why is he taking so long to complete his promise to Lilith? Is Jet Mary Scott? Why does Hannah(dead wife) do what she does? I do not know, but hopefully next volume will tell.
The art remains at par with the other issues, all black and white, and realistic human portrayals. Even if it does not contain the colour I usually adore in comic books and graphic novels, his art is quickly becoming a favourite.
July 11, 2016
Collects issues 7-12 of the series and is getting wilder. It's a zombie comic, and it is well written, set in the town of Manson, which someone apparently wants revenge on for being killed there a long time ago. Another person seems to want to stop the revenge, and is raising the dead--4 girls in particular--to help do this. Which is why Rachel and her friend Jet seem to be undead. They and their friends want to figure out why they are undead.
If you just hear that much, you will either read it because you like zombie/horror, or not. The reason a general reader might want to read this is that the world is very engaging and real. The characters are funny and the dialogue is pretty sharp. For instance, when Rachel and Jet come alive again, they have to encounter people they know well who thought they were dead. This makes for somewhat amusing moments, such as the guy who had a lifelong crush on Jet who works in the morgue and is mourning her death, until . . . And then how are we gonna figure out how to get Jet to walk around with a broken neck? You'll need titanium pins for that, friend.. . .There's the creepy/crazy doctor who seems to know much of what is going on, somehow, but is also helping Rachel and Jet, a great character.
The action sort of takes off, rooted in events of 300 years ago, well, I'll risk a spoiler here and just say: Witch-burning. There's a fallen archangel involved, Malus (or "evil"), who seems to inhabit various individuals, including a little ten year old girl. Serial killer little girls, the stuff of fiction and film for decades! Yikes! Seems like the table is set for a few more volumes, but will I be as interested then as I am now, in the discovery/reveal stages? Who knows? But so far, it is entertaining.
If you just hear that much, you will either read it because you like zombie/horror, or not. The reason a general reader might want to read this is that the world is very engaging and real. The characters are funny and the dialogue is pretty sharp. For instance, when Rachel and Jet come alive again, they have to encounter people they know well who thought they were dead. This makes for somewhat amusing moments, such as the guy who had a lifelong crush on Jet who works in the morgue and is mourning her death, until . . . And then how are we gonna figure out how to get Jet to walk around with a broken neck? You'll need titanium pins for that, friend.. . .There's the creepy/crazy doctor who seems to know much of what is going on, somehow, but is also helping Rachel and Jet, a great character.
The action sort of takes off, rooted in events of 300 years ago, well, I'll risk a spoiler here and just say: Witch-burning. There's a fallen archangel involved, Malus (or "evil"), who seems to inhabit various individuals, including a little ten year old girl. Serial killer little girls, the stuff of fiction and film for decades! Yikes! Seems like the table is set for a few more volumes, but will I be as interested then as I am now, in the discovery/reveal stages? Who knows? But so far, it is entertaining.
December 30, 2019
Wow, Moore reveals all the mysteries in volume 2. Turns out this is more of a story than a zombie story. I like the humor Moore brings along with his dark and macabre story. He's so good at drawing facial expressions.
August 17, 2018
I was actually reading the omnibus, but I think I'm going to pack it in here at issue 12 from sheer boredom. The dialog is starting to get really campy (a demon says something like "If you don't shut up I swear to Sodom..." and a cop says "Either this is a coincidence...or we're in trouble!". It's hard to read when I'm rolling my eyes all the time).
Also, the story is getting super convoluted. Zombies, serial killers, demons, witches, and crazy people are all running around. I know that might sound cool, but it just adds up to a bloated mess.
The worst sin, however, is that after 12 issues I still don't care about any of these characters at all. A nuclear bomb could drop on this town (Which is called Manson, by the way. Can you feel my eyes rolling through the screen?) and I wouldn't care in the least.
Also, the story is getting super convoluted. Zombies, serial killers, demons, witches, and crazy people are all running around. I know that might sound cool, but it just adds up to a bloated mess.
The worst sin, however, is that after 12 issues I still don't care about any of these characters at all. A nuclear bomb could drop on this town (Which is called Manson, by the way. Can you feel my eyes rolling through the screen?) and I wouldn't care in the least.
June 19, 2014
Set in the small American town of Manson, Rachel has risen from the dead after mysteriously being killed. But there’s more – her best friend, Jet, recently “killed” is also back, and still more of the town’s residents who died violently in the first book have returned as well. Plus there’s a creepy pale woman stalking an 11 year old girl called Zoe who’s murdering people for some reason. What the hell is going on!?! Well, the second volume unexpectedly tells you everything!
I can’t remember another series that set up mysteries in the first volume and then uncovered ALL of them by the second! It’s surprising as most multi-volume titles like to tease out answers over time but with Rachel Rising, Terry Moore provides instant gratification - and yet I’m not sure that that was the best move.
The pacing is a little off here because of so many info dumps from the characters as they make lengthy speeches explaining who they really are and what they’re after. And while it is nice to know what’s going on, the mystery added extra spice to the mix – without it, the story loses a dimension and feels less exciting.
With the pretty supernatural female leads, Rachel, Lilith and Jet, the series is starting to feel a bit like Buffy, especially as the town, following the revelations of celestial doom and magic, is starting to resemble the Hellmouth, Sunnydale. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but the story seems less original as a result.
The strong character work, superb art and layouts still make the series worth reading but by showing too much of what’s happening, Moore’s nailed down readers’ expectations rather than allowing them to soar. But I did love that scene where the graves vomit out corpses into the sky to form a giant pentagram – never seen that before in a comic!
Rachel Rising is still a good series even if Moore may have tipped his hand a bit too early, though with all the exposition out of the way, hopefully the series will regain its more streamlined style of storytelling.
I can’t remember another series that set up mysteries in the first volume and then uncovered ALL of them by the second! It’s surprising as most multi-volume titles like to tease out answers over time but with Rachel Rising, Terry Moore provides instant gratification - and yet I’m not sure that that was the best move.
The pacing is a little off here because of so many info dumps from the characters as they make lengthy speeches explaining who they really are and what they’re after. And while it is nice to know what’s going on, the mystery added extra spice to the mix – without it, the story loses a dimension and feels less exciting.
With the pretty supernatural female leads, Rachel, Lilith and Jet, the series is starting to feel a bit like Buffy, especially as the town, following the revelations of celestial doom and magic, is starting to resemble the Hellmouth, Sunnydale. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but the story seems less original as a result.
The strong character work, superb art and layouts still make the series worth reading but by showing too much of what’s happening, Moore’s nailed down readers’ expectations rather than allowing them to soar. But I did love that scene where the graves vomit out corpses into the sky to form a giant pentagram – never seen that before in a comic!
Rachel Rising is still a good series even if Moore may have tipped his hand a bit too early, though with all the exposition out of the way, hopefully the series will regain its more streamlined style of storytelling.
August 22, 2013
Yet another Indie week Buddyread with my amazing fellow Shallow Comics Readers!
Helluva way to open this tale - yes, suitably grim and horrific for this weird, but still a big bummer for so many people to be traumatized.
Absolutely fascinating characters. Always full of little surprises, just like new friends (of any merit) can usually be. Just pay enough attention to the nuances and they'll surprise you every time.
Creepy developments and lots of meat to gnaw on for the rest of the series. Reminds me a little of the über plot from Locke & Key, and a little of the strange doings in most seasons of Supernatural, and even a bit of Revival (though far far less tedious).
This book flew by - once I got the hang of the story, it didn't take nearly as much effort as the first round to get the rhythm. Like how you learn drums, and you don't know how to friggin hold the logs, and you keep denting the snare, and people look at you in fear, but eventually the whole kit is just a pile of flesh and steel and you're having a great time mashing it into one great-sounding mound of pain and "found object art". I'm at the stage just before, where I am still getting the sharp ends of the bent metal jammed in the logs.
Still like the story and art, still very much committed to seeing this through to the end. Onwards.
Plot details we learned this round:
Helluva way to open this tale - yes, suitably grim and horrific for this weird, but still a big bummer for so many people to be traumatized.
Absolutely fascinating characters. Always full of little surprises, just like new friends (of any merit) can usually be. Just pay enough attention to the nuances and they'll surprise you every time.
Creepy developments and lots of meat to gnaw on for the rest of the series. Reminds me a little of the über plot from Locke & Key, and a little of the strange doings in most seasons of Supernatural, and even a bit of Revival (though far far less tedious).
This book flew by - once I got the hang of the story, it didn't take nearly as much effort as the first round to get the rhythm. Like how you learn drums, and you don't know how to friggin hold the logs, and you keep denting the snare, and people look at you in fear, but eventually the whole kit is just a pile of flesh and steel and you're having a great time mashing it into one great-sounding mound of pain and "found object art". I'm at the stage just before, where I am still getting the sharp ends of the bent metal jammed in the logs.
Still like the story and art, still very much committed to seeing this through to the end. Onwards.
Plot details we learned this round:
February 12, 2017
Another great volume! I feel like this one kind of gave away too many answers at once, but I am still very curious to see where this story is going.
February 13, 2021
Now things are starting to be explained.
I have to admit, I liked it better when it was completely mysterious.
And I don't recall vol 1 having quite this much body horror?
But still, well done and interesting.
I have to admit, I liked it better when it was completely mysterious.
And I don't recall vol 1 having quite this much body horror?
But still, well done and interesting.
November 5, 2019
This definitely had a Locke & Key atmosphere at one point. God, I miss Locke & Key.
November 2, 2018
Moore's drawing is always exceptional and he set up a great mystery in Volume 1 around why a dead woman's body was left half-buried in the woods and why she came back to life. Volume 2 answers most of the mystery in order to reveal a conflict that I imagine the rest of the series will work to resolve. Sadly for me, the conflict isn't as intriguing as the mystery was, so I'm not going to rush into Volume 3.
But Moore's skills in creating rich characters and mood are great enough that I enjoy being in the moment with his stories even when I'm not pulled forward by the plot. I will eventually come back and read more.
But Moore's skills in creating rich characters and mood are great enough that I enjoy being in the moment with his stories even when I'm not pulled forward by the plot. I will eventually come back and read more.
January 5, 2017
4.5 stars. This volume was really helpful in answering most of the questions the first volume raised . And the art is just on point . On to the next oneeeee.
October 2, 2019
Excellent continuation of the series. There are a couple of twists that I was not expecting. I feel like the characters were better defined in the artwork than the first volume.
June 25, 2017
The art from Moore is fantastic as usual. I do feel a couple of the characters are a bit "same face-y", but I was never confused as to who was who.
The story is pretty great as well - the plot moved along at a good pace, and there's plenty of surprises to keep the suspense, making it a very quick read. I think probably the only criticism I have is that it seems like all the mysteries have already been solved, which suggests to me the following volumes are going to be different in tone.
The story is pretty great as well - the plot moved along at a good pace, and there's plenty of surprises to keep the suspense, making it a very quick read. I think probably the only criticism I have is that it seems like all the mysteries have already been solved, which suggests to me the following volumes are going to be different in tone.
August 4, 2016
Plot points:
Finally, some answers! I'm still confused as hell but it's a start.
We now know that the people of Manson went witch crazy in the 1700s, killing 3 witches and 96 innocent women and girls, just to be sure they got 'em all. They couldn't kill Lilith so they made her watch, then threw her down a well. Jerks. No wonder she's genocidal.
There are some problems with the abundance of young women characters being hard to tell apart. Especially since they keep dying and resurrecting with new identities. But Rachel Rising continues to be gorgeous and captivating and oddly humorous. I have reservations but I'm all in.
Finally, some answers! I'm still confused as hell but it's a start.
We now know that the people of Manson went witch crazy in the 1700s, killing 3 witches and 96 innocent women and girls, just to be sure they got 'em all. They couldn't kill Lilith so they made her watch, then threw her down a well. Jerks. No wonder she's genocidal.
There are some problems with the abundance of young women characters being hard to tell apart. Especially since they keep dying and resurrecting with new identities. But Rachel Rising continues to be gorgeous and captivating and oddly humorous. I have reservations but I'm all in.
October 21, 2014
Terry Moore might be the most versatile creator in American comics. He came to prominence with Strangers in Paradise,a TRN which added elements of crime fiction. Next came Echo, thought provoking science fiction where scientists actually asked themselves questions about faith. Now we have Rachel Rising where Moore takes on the horror genre.
And, he does a damn fine job of it. Unlike the two volumes of CLAMP's Gate 7, no place holder here. Moore moves the story along at a quick pace. Add in the fact that people are trade waiting the series has nearly forced it into cancellation, and I think with that in mind Moore is not going to drag the story out like he did in SIP.
Rachel is still dead, sort of, and no she's not a zombie. Jet, well her situation goes from bad to worse in the space of a single trade and shades of the movie Cabin in the Woods we get a few surprises along the way in terms of story development. Plus, we find out more about the kid and the mysterious blonde woman.
I'm avoiding spoilers here and I'll probably have volume three up in a day or two. Suffice to say my only real complaint to date is that that while a fine craftsman Moore's women all tend to look like other women he has drawn.
And, he does a damn fine job of it. Unlike the two volumes of CLAMP's Gate 7, no place holder here. Moore moves the story along at a quick pace. Add in the fact that people are trade waiting the series has nearly forced it into cancellation, and I think with that in mind Moore is not going to drag the story out like he did in SIP.
Rachel is still dead, sort of, and no she's not a zombie. Jet, well her situation goes from bad to worse in the space of a single trade and shades of the movie Cabin in the Woods we get a few surprises along the way in terms of story development. Plus, we find out more about the kid and the mysterious blonde woman.
I'm avoiding spoilers here and I'll probably have volume three up in a day or two. Suffice to say my only real complaint to date is that that while a fine craftsman Moore's women all tend to look like other women he has drawn.
January 30, 2016
This gets weird really quickly. There are some big developments that were set up in the first volume that pay off, but there is still a lot of the mystery to explore.
June 26, 2024
I am so intrigued by this whole story. The addition of Lilith and Malus is so good. Im really iffy about Earl. Something is giving me the heebies about him. The artwork is gorgeous and tells the story so well. I can’t wait to get the physical copies to add to my collection. I do wish it was in color but the black and white is beautiful still.
April 14, 2018
This is getting complicated... I have a feeling I'll have to go back to the beginning of the story when I'm done.
January 18, 2022
I’m a whore for vile witchy stories 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️ (also the cover at for this volume is actually phenomenal)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2021
Se van ampliando las tramas de modo que lo que parecía que podía ser algo sencillo no es lo que parece y todavia no hemos llegado ni a la parte central de la historia, muchas incognitas por ir despejando y personajes por descubrir
January 22, 2017
More intrigue more questions and more awesome.
World: The art is great, I love the black and white and how focused we are in the character expressions cause they really bring the characters and story alive. The world building is slow and subtle just like the last arc with slow reveals and questions wrapped with answers that this world intrigues me. The setting is great and the stakes are interesting and the history lesson made it more interesting. Good stuff.
Story: The tragedy of arc one is the immediate thing that is dealt with and it's handled in a wonderfully deft hand that balances tragedy with levity, it's a fine balance and it's done well because of the characters. The characters still drive this story and that make is a much more relatable read. The events that happen in this book is captivating and it's a fast read because it flows so well. Once again I can't say anything lest I give spoilers but man this story would be a wonderful tv series (mini series).
Characters: Rachel is strong and she builds more and more with each issue, but she's not the only one. The rest of the cast is interesting and their stories are all something that will draw readers in. The dialog is natural, the emotions resonate with the wonderful art, it's just great character storytelling.
A wonderful and captivating record arc that now has me hooked on the book.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is great, I love the black and white and how focused we are in the character expressions cause they really bring the characters and story alive. The world building is slow and subtle just like the last arc with slow reveals and questions wrapped with answers that this world intrigues me. The setting is great and the stakes are interesting and the history lesson made it more interesting. Good stuff.
Story: The tragedy of arc one is the immediate thing that is dealt with and it's handled in a wonderfully deft hand that balances tragedy with levity, it's a fine balance and it's done well because of the characters. The characters still drive this story and that make is a much more relatable read. The events that happen in this book is captivating and it's a fast read because it flows so well. Once again I can't say anything lest I give spoilers but man this story would be a wonderful tv series (mini series).
Characters: Rachel is strong and she builds more and more with each issue, but she's not the only one. The rest of the cast is interesting and their stories are all something that will draw readers in. The dialog is natural, the emotions resonate with the wonderful art, it's just great character storytelling.
A wonderful and captivating record arc that now has me hooked on the book.
Onward to the next book!
January 11, 2013
Going back to re-read this volume. This is a wonderful series, another step forward for Terry Moore. One if my favorite new series last year, and the same goes for this year. Here in this second volume, Moore introduces further complications that will ensure the continued intrigue in this story.
Update: I recently reread in preparation for my interview with Terry Moore: http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a...
Update: I recently reread in preparation for my interview with Terry Moore: http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a...
July 29, 2013
This volume answers a really *amazing* number of the questions of Rachel Rising. Stripped of mystery, the comic loses a lot of its mystique, but it also sets up an interesting confrontation, and I'm interested to see where it goes from there.
The last couples of pages are beautifully storytelling because they bookend both the start and the end of volume 1.
The last couples of pages are beautifully storytelling because they bookend both the start and the end of volume 1.
April 11, 2015
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
Read
August 23, 2018The story continues. It is now infused with Judeo-Christian mythology. I’m a sucker for J-C mythos, so this was another hit for me.
July 20, 2026
I didn't like this one the way I liked the first one. The trajectory of this is getting bad--now a little girl might have been Did this really need to go there? How many times is this stuff in "entertainment"? Who thinks to write this? Why's it always a guy writing it? Skeevy, pervy. And, no, just no.
The next volume supposedly has something with animals, which I didn't know before I started the first one. But I do always feel does-it-have-this? trepidation about that content because just about everything frigging has it. I'll take a look at the third volume and hope for the best, but if the overall story keeps going down these roads, I'm outta here for good lol. Whatever has happened and will happen with Rachel, I wish her the best--yikes!
This series has also become too disturbing for me as a woman, what was done in --horrific. And, yes, this is a horror comic, but these are things that should have never happened in the real world and also happen to be stuff I personally have a lot of difficulty thinking about. I had no idea it would be in this story line. The description of the original book didn't indicate that; neither did the slice-of-life tone in it.
This is a lesson in: you shouldn't judge potential reading materials by their descriptions! Things can shift inside narratives to unexpected and unwanted places....
This volume dragged too, seemed too repititious and drawn out, compared to the first one, which had more energy and a consistent movement forward.
The first book was also quite humorous. And the technical drawing skills in this series are very good--no question. However, the content in it is stereotypically problematic: this second book started with the more perverse depictions of women. Did one woman really need to be wearing a
Oh well. I tried! And this failed for me, yeah.
The next volume supposedly has something with animals, which I didn't know before I started the first one. But I do always feel does-it-have-this? trepidation about that content because just about everything frigging has it. I'll take a look at the third volume and hope for the best, but if the overall story keeps going down these roads, I'm outta here for good lol. Whatever has happened and will happen with Rachel, I wish her the best--yikes!
This series has also become too disturbing for me as a woman, what was done in --horrific. And, yes, this is a horror comic, but these are things that should have never happened in the real world and also happen to be stuff I personally have a lot of difficulty thinking about. I had no idea it would be in this story line. The description of the original book didn't indicate that; neither did the slice-of-life tone in it.
This is a lesson in: you shouldn't judge potential reading materials by their descriptions! Things can shift inside narratives to unexpected and unwanted places....
This volume dragged too, seemed too repititious and drawn out, compared to the first one, which had more energy and a consistent movement forward.
The first book was also quite humorous. And the technical drawing skills in this series are very good--no question. However, the content in it is stereotypically problematic: this second book started with the more perverse depictions of women. Did one woman really need to be wearing a
Oh well. I tried! And this failed for me, yeah.
February 8, 2022
Rachel is strangled to death by a perverted serial killer and left to rot in a shallow grave. Not long after that, Rachel rises from her grave in nearly perfect condition. She meets up with her aunt who works as a coroner to discuss her miraculous defiance of death in hopes of catching the man who killed her, but things get even more complex. Rachel finds herself to be caught up in a twisted revenge plot that has been in the making for centuries, a plot that defies time, death and the limits of human existence.
Rachel Rising is a true hidden horror gem in the world of graphic novels. The plot is insanely original, reminiscent of the darker side of Neil Gaiman, China Meiville, Gerald Brom and other writers of morbidly beautiful tales of magical realism. The story starts off as a simple psychological thriller, but gradually ramps things up with elements of paranormal horror, Christian mythology and gruesome surrealism.
Though there are some truly horrifying and grotesque things that happen all throughout the story, it also manages to handle comedy and romance extremely well. I genuinely felt invested in all the friendships, romantic relationships and laughed out loud quite a few times. The comedy is morbid as hell and the romance feels earned. It doesn’t feel out of place with the dark fantasy and horror elements at all. The fine balance of all these qualities reminds me of Preacher a bit.
The art is stunning. The character expressions are some of the most highly detailed I’ve ever seen. I loved all the main characters. My favorites were the mortician Aunt Johnny and a little psychopath girl named Zoe who brutally murders people throughout the entire story while somehow remaining consistently charming, hilarious and empathetic.
Great series!
Rachel Rising is a true hidden horror gem in the world of graphic novels. The plot is insanely original, reminiscent of the darker side of Neil Gaiman, China Meiville, Gerald Brom and other writers of morbidly beautiful tales of magical realism. The story starts off as a simple psychological thriller, but gradually ramps things up with elements of paranormal horror, Christian mythology and gruesome surrealism.
Though there are some truly horrifying and grotesque things that happen all throughout the story, it also manages to handle comedy and romance extremely well. I genuinely felt invested in all the friendships, romantic relationships and laughed out loud quite a few times. The comedy is morbid as hell and the romance feels earned. It doesn’t feel out of place with the dark fantasy and horror elements at all. The fine balance of all these qualities reminds me of Preacher a bit.
The art is stunning. The character expressions are some of the most highly detailed I’ve ever seen. I loved all the main characters. My favorites were the mortician Aunt Johnny and a little psychopath girl named Zoe who brutally murders people throughout the entire story while somehow remaining consistently charming, hilarious and empathetic.
Great series!
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