Lovesick Vol. 1

Lovesick #1-7

by Luana Vecchio

“Nature has a kind of innocent cruelty, while man… Why can’t man’s cruelty be called innocent?”

In one of the most lurid corners of the dark web, subscribers pay a high price to be maimed, tortured, and killed by ruthless and irresistible dominatrix DOMINO. This is what they call love in the LOVESICK CLUB. But as Domino faces emerging threats and mounting pressure from a needy audience, what price will she have to pay for success in this literally cutthroat world? And what will she have to become to survive?

LUANA VECCHIO invites you into a digital underworld of blood and neon to explore the limits of consent, love, and idolatry in one of the most erotic and extreme stories in recent years!

Collects LOVESICK #1-7

Genres: Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Romance, Erotica

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what to make of this little gorefest (actually not that little, more bordering on endless). It's inherently nihilistic, as Vecchio tells us in her copious commentaries, so it's not that strange that it all feels a bit.. pointless? Plus, Vecchio says Domino, the main character, is a wholly unreliable narrator, which freed Vecchio of having to write the character with much, if any, coherence. Maybe so, but for me it removes any stakes - more nihilism, I guess?

In the end I just wish there was more actual story. I just found myself not caring about any of the characters or what was happening to them, and it all got a bit boring.

The art is pretty good, although regularly character's faces will slip into a manga-ish style that I found to be quite jarring (you know, next to all the floppy body parts and cannibalism).

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Phrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

*sigh*

WELP.

So when I started this omnibus, I was already like damn this is amazing. This art. The severity. Everything, just wow. I need to own this, like the physical book. Like it was crazy, then it got insane, then it went off the charts. I checked like twice to make sure I was reading this on the hoopla app cuz I was in shock this was allowed on there & was STILL THERE. There’s stuff in here I’ve never seen in comic form, never wanted to really, but like…they certainly did THAT.

So back to me having this in my cart. Yeah, getting closer to the end. I took it out of my cart. It was a great comic, don’t get me wrong. It broke boundaries that I don’t think any comic I’ve read ever has & I’ve read a LOT of horror comics. But yeah I think this one kinda broke my brain a little bit. My brain got overstimulated & said dis tew much sir. For a graphic novel about red rooms, ultra-violence, cannibalism, snuff films, & everything else depraved…it just made me get existential. 🫠 It made me think about broken, lonely, lost people in the world & how far they’ll go to find a “right path.” Knowing it’s only a temporary fix but it quells the nagging void for now…

🫥

Anyhoo, I’m going to go look at pictures of kittens for the next hour or so. Read the comic. Experience it. Just don’t tell anyone I told you to. Go read it on hoopla before the Karens or the TikTokers find it, & let’s pray they never do.

[London Heady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark, twisted journey into the mindscape of the incomplete. The thrown away, the tormented, the demonic. Lovesick is gorgeous to look at, but consistently wants to make you sick to your stomach. Not just at what you see, but also at yourself for being empathetic to its characters. Luana Vecchio has such a strong command for the nuance flowing through her characters, while also putting extremely edgy dialogue that is just a step away from being utterly obnoxious in every capacity. It's a really fun balance that adds just enough realism into its dark fantasy.

Issue to issue it's great. But that final issue really ties everything together thematically. All the puzzle pieces suddenly connect. Your stomach drops. Your brain seems to be rewired. And you finish the issue. And you sit. You sit with your thoughts. You think about your hopes and dreams. You think about all the people around you that are just as broken. The ones that society has discarded.

Incredible read.

[abi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what I've just read and at this point I'm too scared to ask.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps closer to a 3-star comic, but this was a shocking comic for me (which I enjoy seeing in-itself). I'm surprised Image published this to be honest.

The story stars Domino, an online dominatrix who runs a red room. She gets young men to willingly come on the show and get murdered by her. Afterwards the bodies are eating by the benefactors of the whole operation.

The story features a lot of modern vocabulary like "simps" "incels" etc. Apparently the story was inspired by Vecchio seeing young people on Twitter talking about their sexualized fantasies of being murdered. It's pretty wild stuff.

Vecchio somehow manages to make Domino a sympathetic character.

The art is really nice!

[Rachels_booknook_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most triggering, dark, nihilistic and gory comic you will read. As is stated by the creator, sometimes art is just entertainment and not some lesson or positive message. If you love the bleak, gratuitous torture vibes of the Hostel movies, you've found your comic.
I love horror but hate those kinds of stories, so this just made my brain want to go on a lengthy sabbatical.

[KillerBunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect 👌

[Chanel Chapters]

This is gushing with cannibal gore, snuff-fests & fishnet foot jobs.

2 stars (all for the illustration style)

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m usually not easily disturbed, but, holy shit, this book is terrifying and nihilistic. I’m not even sure how to accurately describe it. It’s like an erotic horror that attempts to explore the boundaries of consent. The story revolves around incel forums, red rooms, and individuals fixated on the idea of being killed or eaten.

“Lovesick” delves into sick, twisted love without trying to romanticize it. It comes with all the trigger warnings–cannibalism, voluntary death, voluntary kidnapping, and consensual violence. The world it portrays is one I’m thankful not to live in, but despite that, the story and characters sucked me in, like all great horror stories do.

It’s a good story, but also a nihilistic and bleak one. I understand both readers who love it and those who loathe it. It’s filthy, cruel, and extreme in every possible way. Do with it what you will.

Arc through Edelweiss

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most fucked-up book I’ve read. Graphically disgusting and psychologically disturbed. HOWEVER, there was something so fascinating about the world and about Domino in particular. Like a more disturbed, bloodier Harley Quinn.

This story depicts a part of the world I will never understand or empathize with but it brings up so many great questions about life, love, and vulnerability. Truly, is it murder if the victim is consenting? I don’t think there’s an easy answer, and I don’t even think this necessarily answers it but it does expand the depth and complexities of said question. What is the cost of a human life? How much more can you take before it breaks you?

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the weirdest experiences I've had reading a comic.

Basically a smut creator, murder with sex, control completely over people, incel invasion, and more. This is extremely hard R comic, and I give credit where credit is due, I never read something like this but besides the main character a lot of the other characters felt like filler and couldn't attach to anyone else. Art is very solid throughout.

A 3 out of 5.

[elli ⛧ yourspookymom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was insane, but I absolutely loved it. Super stunning art and a captivating storyline. I just wish each volume wasn’t interrupted by the authors inner thoughts. I enjoyed reading them at the beginning and the end but in the middle felt awkward and took you out of the story. That was my only criticism though, this was wild!

[Sana · Rating 3 out of 5]

'But even in the right prison, a monster can learn to survive.'

Having read just how fucked up Lovesick is, I saved it for Halloween and while it turned out to be sufficiently dark and twisted for a Halloween read, I just wasn't fully invested. I might have to reread at some point since I had to adjust my expectations when it went from being solely about Domino to a toxic love story of sorts.

Anyway, I appreciated reading Vecchio's thought process after every issue and the ugly depths of internet she had to wade through for research. Reading Lovesick is a bleak experience and then to think that people actually go through such paraphilias. The comic also tests the boundaries of concepts such as consent, love, and idolatry.

The art is probably my favorite part about Lovesick. It's phenomenal. The juxtaposition of neon colors with an inky touch is more than nice to look at and almost every page is splattered with blood and you know I love my reds. The use of color is actually pretty interesting in this. Plus, all the issue covers are stunning with the last one being my favorite.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hard no. There's a section from the creator where they talk about this comic not contributing anything to the world and I think they nailed it. Explicit, gory, graphic, depressing and pointless. Avoid.

[ik.ben.henri · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I was really grossed and creeped out by a horror story, because I actually didn't know anything about this comic and didn't know what to expect.

It's about violent eroticism on the internet: autassassinophilia, cannibalism, BDSM, torture, humiliation, rape, sadistic murders, webcam streams, redrooms, kidnapping, etc… etc…

Autassassinophilia is apparently the sexual arousal somebody feels when in a life-threatening situation. This book is about suicidal "simps" who give consent to be murdered by a dominatrix. Then they are eaten by cannibals; who are in their turn sexually aroused by it.

Somehow I felt this books searches and questions the limits of the human being. Where is the limit of an (art) performance? What does it mean to be a human? Where is the ethical limit to feel emotionally satisfied? Etc…

Between the chapters, the author gives some insight into her own opinion about the subject, but also why and how she got to the point of creating this weird comic.

[Daryn Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.
1 star for the art and 1 star because Luana Vecchio had the determination to bring this to life.

Unfortunately, this was a bit too 'I love you so much I'd rip my heart out and let you eat it' for me, y'know?

And while I'm not the type who wants to yuck someone's yum, I do think that this INTENSELY TRIGGERING subject matter could have been served up in a better way.
Because if you want to tell a story about sexual kinks, gore subcultures, cannibalism and a few other side dishes then hey; go nuts.

But I don't think the reader is supposed to be confused, bored, irritated or gradually nudged towards numbed disinterest with each turn of the page, are they?
Wouldn't it be better if they were surprised, educated and/or hopefully entertained about a glimpse into an underbelly of life never spoken about?

But hey; maybe I just wanted good storytelling cause that's my kink...

[Annalise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I completely forgot what this was about when I started reading it and was quickly reminded. The art style was one of my favorites I’ve read so far, but the story felt a little jagged to me at times.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: just about anything that can be triggering is in this comic

This comic follows Domino, a dark web dominatrix who kills men who want to die. The men are then eaten by cannibals. Domino wants to be eaten by Jack, a man who kidnapped her after reading her blog about how she wants to be kidnapped, killed, and eaten. She is aroused and excited by the thought of being killed, which I learned is called autassassinophilia, yay for learning new words. Domino and Jack have a very complicated and toxic relationship. All of the characters in this comic are terrible people, but also interesting and compelling. The illustrations are also done well, such as the coloring and the characters' facial expressions. The sex is also mixed well all the gore and bloodshed. In one of the pages, Luana Vecchio writes that this comic offers nothing more than entertainment, which is a sentiment I very much disagree with. What happens in these pages cruel, but there is still to think about and learn from stories like this. Since this is about people who don't care about being cruel, there are some minor characters use words such as "incel" and "femoid" (one of the many words incels use to dehumanize women) and the ableist r slur in the chats while they watch Domino's livestreams. I did not enjoy this comic, but it did keep me engaged with its story and illustrations.

[Paige Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork was absolutely STUNNING😍 I was completely obsessed. However, the storyline was lacking to me. It wasn’t totally concise or clear and kind of all over the place. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Alex Sarll]

I'd been interested in this because I was so taken with Vecchio's work on disaffected multiverse romance Bolero, but its first arc left me wondering if she was going to be another artist who shouldn't have gone writer-artist. Granted, I've never really seen the point of the whole A Serbian Saw Hostel subgenre of horror anyway, so I'm possibly not the target audience, but another story of dark web sites full of live snuff movies just didn't seem to add anything; occasional portentous queries as to whether monsters are born or made felt almost like a parody of attempts at depth. Sure, I enjoy scenes of beautiful women bathing in blood as much as the next man, and likely more so, but after a while panels full of severed limbs aren't shocking, just a bit grim. There was one promising avenue - is Domino some form of demon,or is it just that incels online think so because she's another woman who won't fuck them? - but even that didn't really feel like it went anywhere.
(The scene where she's hunting furries with a shotgun was a nice touch, granted)

The second story, though, eases up ever so slightly on the gore and gives the themes beneath the splatter room to breathe. Some of this is new, and verges on outright satire, like the divide between the old, hierarchical cannibals and a younger generation who want a more diverse anthropophagy scene, but it turns out most of it was there all along, like the way the victims have actually signed up to have this done to them, and how the line between killer and victim, cannibal and meal, may not always be as clear as the outside world would expect. Indeed, the most powerful scenes come not when another nameless deviant gets slaughtered or eaten, but when characters who have been properly established plead for it, and are denied. There's an element of incompleteness in any relationship, after all, but what must it be like to be deeply in love with someone while knowing that the fullest expression of that love can only happen once, and then they're gone? Now that's something to properly get your teeth into (sorry).

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Nick Padula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A majorly fucked but incredibly compelling story about a dark web dominatrix. My favorite scene was definitely her army of dominatrix followers facing off against a psychotic band of incels. Great stuff.

This is the kind of subversive story that should end up a cult classic alongside other mega-dark stories that gaze into the abyss of human depravity such as American Psycho, I Saw the Devil, Green Room, A Clockwork Orange, Palahniuk novels, and other books/movies with those vibes. Happy to have discovered Luana Vecchio and will definitely be keeping an eye out on future graphic novels she comes up with!

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truthfully, not sure what made me continue this one. It’s extremely graphic and filled with more gore than I had expected. I was fascinated yet horrified and slightly sickened. Knowing that there real people out there like this was, shocking to say the least. However, I wanted to know where it was going. I’m not really sure it went anywhere. The ending felt unsatisfactory in that there is no ending. It just sort of stops, like the author ran out of steam. The art is well done and clearly the author cared deeply for this project.

I can confidently say I do not need to read any more of this type of genre. I have dipped my toes in and now I know. Not for me.

[Mariano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esto es excelente. Una inmersión en un mundo completamente perturbador pero con reglas extremadamente lógicas. El desarrollo de los personajes, los textos de Luana que acompañan y, obviamente, los dibujos que son increíbles. Se la juega un montón, definitivamente no es para todo el mundo y eso es buenísimo.

[Leslie Carnahan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what I was expecting but it sure wasn't that. Listen, I love a good horror/body horror comic. But this was absolutely disgusting in the worst way. The fact that the author watched gore content to do more research for this book is wild to me. I like the idea of a dark web comic... but damn. This i guess was too real for me.

[Samantha Sutherland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay look before anyone judges me for reading this one lololol
I picked this up from a local comic book store and I was in the mood for a new horror read, and I was nottttt expecting anything that I had just read. I often had to go back and reread some things because I kept feeling like I missed something?? A lot of the plot felt really mushed together and then just loads of gore.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art for this was great and I'm not the type of person to be bothered by super gory/dark things. However, the story itself left a lot to be desired. I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I got to the final page and was like, 'Umm. Okay??? That's it?'. I get the feeling that the author intended the ending to be much deeper than it actually came off as.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giving it 3 stars because I'm not exactly sure how I want to rate it. It was an experience for sure. I don't think I will ever forget reading it, but it is absolutely NOT for everyone.

Review submitted to Diamond Bookshelf for potential professional publication.

[Ange Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn! This might be the most twisted graphic novel I've ever read and it was superb! Loved the art, loved the sickness. Would have been 5 Stars if the story would have been a little more coherent. But, I can't wait to read more!

[Nick K.]

Nie wiem jak ocenić ten komiks (razem z Doll Parts, bo traktuję je jako całość), ale dawno nic mi tak mózgu nie przeorało. Mentalny throwback do 2021/22, żałuję, że zabrałam się za czytanie tak późno.
Edgy część mnie przyjęła go cieplutko, wizualnie top, na plus komentarze odautorskie

[Akira Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible work of art