What do you think?
Rate this book
Loving, Ohio
“We all lived here. In some way. And wherever you live it leaves imprints on you”
After the mysterious suicide of their friend, Sloane, Elliott, Cameron, and Ana are just trying to get through the rest of high school. They live in Loving, Ohio—a town built around The Chorus, a new age cult with members firmly planted in positions of power and influence throughout the community.
Through their grief a series of murders throw these friends into a mystery connected to everything around them. Sloane and her friends have to escape a roaming murderer, figure out their place in the world, and deal with loss all in the looming shadow of The Chorus. But through it they will find the true cost of friendship and the adulthood they seek.
Gut punching emotion drives the mystery of Loving, Ohio. This beautifully drawn coming of age story will stay on the mind for days after reading. An expertly crafted tale about what happens when something infects every institution and structure within a community.
After the mysterious suicide of their friend, Sloane, Elliott, Cameron, and Ana are just trying to get through the rest of high school. They live in Loving, Ohio—a town built around The Chorus, a new age cult with members firmly planted in positions of power and influence throughout the community.
Through their grief a series of murders throw these friends into a mystery connected to everything around them. Sloane and her friends have to escape a roaming murderer, figure out their place in the world, and deal with loss all in the looming shadow of The Chorus. But through it they will find the true cost of friendship and the adulthood they seek.
Gut punching emotion drives the mystery of Loving, Ohio. This beautifully drawn coming of age story will stay on the mind for days after reading. An expertly crafted tale about what happens when something infects every institution and structure within a community.
211 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2024
32 people are currently reading
1349 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Erman
63 books61 followersMatthew Erman is a writer from Columbus, Ohio. Erman is known for his unique storytelling style which often blends humor and heart with the surreal and sometimes disturbing. He co-created the critically acclaimed horror series, "Long Lost,” and the roadtrip fantasy "Witchblood" with his wife, Lisa Sterle as well as being the sole creator for the sci-fi coming-of-age graphic novel “Bonding”. Erman also has written for popular properties such as Power Rangers and The Dark Crystal and has upcoming comics with Mad Cave Studios, IDW, and more.
You can find him online at www.matthewerman.com or in-line at your local Arby’s.
You can find him online at www.matthewerman.com or in-line at your local Arby’s.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
March 7, 2025
Let me allay your fears: Ohio is not one of the nine circles of Hell. As someone who has lived here my whole life, sure, we've got problems, but Ohio is actually a pretty decent state. Hell, some sections are actually inhabitable.
Matthew Erman is from Ohio. He gets it. His graphic novel "Loving, Ohio" is clearly written by someone with an understanding of Ohio and the banality and torture of suburban life.
The book is set in a (fictional) town called Loving. The protagonists are bored teenagers who are counting the days until high school graduation so that they can get the fuck out of Ohio. They also want to get away from the town's main church, called the Chorus, which is a cult that seems to have an obsession with singing and donuts. All of their parents seem to be associated in some way with the cult.
A serial killer has been killing teenagers in gruesome ways. The group of four kids at the heart of the story barely survived an attack by the killer, who appears to be not human.
I enjoyed this graphic novel, despite a rather anticlimactic ending. Although, upon further reflection, the anticlimactic ending may be purposeful. It may be Erman's criticism of how utterly boring Ohio can be. Sadly, he's not necessarily wrong.
Matthew Erman is from Ohio. He gets it. His graphic novel "Loving, Ohio" is clearly written by someone with an understanding of Ohio and the banality and torture of suburban life.
The book is set in a (fictional) town called Loving. The protagonists are bored teenagers who are counting the days until high school graduation so that they can get the fuck out of Ohio. They also want to get away from the town's main church, called the Chorus, which is a cult that seems to have an obsession with singing and donuts. All of their parents seem to be associated in some way with the cult.
A serial killer has been killing teenagers in gruesome ways. The group of four kids at the heart of the story barely survived an attack by the killer, who appears to be not human.
I enjoyed this graphic novel, despite a rather anticlimactic ending. Although, upon further reflection, the anticlimactic ending may be purposeful. It may be Erman's criticism of how utterly boring Ohio can be. Sadly, he's not necessarily wrong.
February 8, 2025
I love a well told slice of life story, a natural drama so to say, and lately I've become more and more disappointed in graphic novels, always inserting a supernatural element that generally feels like it doesn't add anything, and distracts from the real drama that's there.
Loving, Ohio falls in the same trap. There's a lovely story here about friends trying to cope with a close friend dying, and them connecting with his bereft family. And then there's a cultlike religious order in town, which has a lot of power. Interesting, I think, to see how those power dynamics work, how religion can become overpowering.
But then the supernatural element enters, and it's not nearly as thrilling as it's supposed to be. A whole club of young people is supernaturally murdered in front of the friend group's eyes, and you'd expect them to be catatonic with shock and/or fear, but they handle it (un)reasonably well.
The ending to the supernatural part of the story is underwhelming, it feels like it should've had punch, but it comes across as rushed and unsatisfying. The book steps back into slice of life after that, but it doesn't hit home anymore. There's a protracted ending that in-world goes somewhere, but also feels like it goes nowhere narratively.
There's some lovely writing here, but the supernatural storyline feels a bit like a cop out to the real story.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
Loving, Ohio falls in the same trap. There's a lovely story here about friends trying to cope with a close friend dying, and them connecting with his bereft family. And then there's a cultlike religious order in town, which has a lot of power. Interesting, I think, to see how those power dynamics work, how religion can become overpowering.
But then the supernatural element enters, and it's not nearly as thrilling as it's supposed to be. A whole club of young people is supernaturally murdered in front of the friend group's eyes, and you'd expect them to be catatonic with shock and/or fear, but they handle it (un)reasonably well.
The ending to the supernatural part of the story is underwhelming, it feels like it should've had punch, but it comes across as rushed and unsatisfying. The book steps back into slice of life after that, but it doesn't hit home anymore. There's a protracted ending that in-world goes somewhere, but also feels like it goes nowhere narratively.
There's some lovely writing here, but the supernatural storyline feels a bit like a cop out to the real story.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
August 22, 2024
This book touches on that specific feeling of powerlessness felt by youth as they watch the adults in their life lose their dang minds. It's an incredible work, highly recommended.
May 4, 2024
This was so disturbing in such a real way, even with the obvious supernatural quality. I love how even though there is a clear, physical threat here, and one that will not have to be dealt with anyone outside of this book, the real sense of heaviness and dread is the long arm of a cult, something that is so true to reality. Loving feels like an actual place, the small community and little to do, the good people who believe bad things and the bad people who can get away with anything with the right slant. I love the art in this, the almost neon feel of some of the vivid colors mashing over a crime dark palette, and I love the feeling of this long standing friend group and their imperfections. For me, though I can appreciate the decision in not lingering on the mystery set up, and why Sloane does what she does there, I really did feel like something was missing without getting to explore that. I like how the horror of this place, so domesticly normal and parasitic, comtinues in past the end of our story, but it also felt unfinished somehow.
February 1, 2025
I really liked the art style and the premise of Loving, Ohio by Matthew Erman, but the story and characters ended up pretty underwhelming for me. I might try more from this author in the future though.
March 25, 2024
Loved the artwork in this graphic novel, but the plot was lacking for me. The ending was very anticlimactic all things considered. The plot was very promising, a horror/thriller murder mystery with a cult and religious trauma, but it was too low stakes. The cult wasn’t malicious enough to be concerning and the murderer’s motive wasn’t clear at all. Lots of loose ends :(
January 20, 2025
2025 reads: 17/300
reeling from the unexpected suicide of their friend, sloane, elliott, cameron, and ana just want to make it through the rest of high school. cult activity in their town links them to a series of murders, though, and now they’re determined to take down the murderer, though their friendship gets rocky along the way.
this is such a great book for any kid from the midwest who’s ever wanted more. my town may not have had a cult, but i related to the feeling of feeling trapped that was present in the main characters. i enjoyed how this story blended real-life horrors with supernatural horrors to show the effects something like a cult can have on a whole community. i also really enjoyed the art style and colors chosen.
reeling from the unexpected suicide of their friend, sloane, elliott, cameron, and ana just want to make it through the rest of high school. cult activity in their town links them to a series of murders, though, and now they’re determined to take down the murderer, though their friendship gets rocky along the way.
this is such a great book for any kid from the midwest who’s ever wanted more. my town may not have had a cult, but i related to the feeling of feeling trapped that was present in the main characters. i enjoyed how this story blended real-life horrors with supernatural horrors to show the effects something like a cult can have on a whole community. i also really enjoyed the art style and colors chosen.
April 8, 2025
what's the point of having an ensemble cast when most of your characters aren't going to have their personalities even explored? what's the point of including supernatural or cult elements when their influence feels more like "spooky vibes" than plot relevance? this comic was juggling too many elements and felt bloated and strangely paced. it could have been a great, thoughtful exploration of teens grieving a friend they lost, but instead it's tonally discordant, ends on a whimper, and feels thematically confused. i loved the art, but that wasn't enough to save it. bummer!
September 9, 2024
The monster is good and creepy, but they manage to get rid of him and then there’s still 70 pages left ??? Publishers need to learn there is a difference between surrealism and just straight up not making sense. Badly edited too- lots of grammar mistakes that Dark Horse absolutely should have caught.
April 27, 2025
nao vou mentir, comprei esse livro pela capa kkkkkk mas nossa nao gostei. é meio de terror a historia, mas sei la, achei tao aleatorio tudo. tudo gira em torno de um culto que domina uma cidade onde os personagens principais moram (isso eu ja achei super aleatorio, tem varios personagens q parecem delusional e sem emoçao pq estao nesse culto). E começa a acontecer coisas com o grupinho principal mas eu nao me importava com eles ainda, entao o pau ta comendo, gente morrendo e etc e nao tem impacto pq eu nao me importo com esses personagens.
E tem varias partes meio de narraçao da personagem principal de uma forma meio poetica, poesia da depressao kkkk que eu achei mt nada haver. O role todo parecia querer se colocar como mt profundo mas na vdd acabava so sendo meio cliche e nada haver.
A arte é ok, nao achei incrivel mas achei bonita.
E tem varias partes meio de narraçao da personagem principal de uma forma meio poetica, poesia da depressao kkkk que eu achei mt nada haver. O role todo parecia querer se colocar como mt profundo mas na vdd acabava so sendo meio cliche e nada haver.
A arte é ok, nao achei incrivel mas achei bonita.
November 16, 2024
3.5 stars--A small group of teenagers struggle to survive--quite literally--as nearly all of the adults in the town are swept up into a bizarre and bloodthirsty cult.
I could see this one as an A24 film--it has the feeling of a lot of modern horror in which things aren't always fully explained and certain aspects of the story come out of nowhere to blindside you.
I could see this one as an A24 film--it has the feeling of a lot of modern horror in which things aren't always fully explained and certain aspects of the story come out of nowhere to blindside you.
October 4, 2024
Required reading for anyone that grew up (or did time) in the Midwest!! Nothing speaks to generational trauma that you can’t wash off like a small-town religious cult narrative!!
November 14, 2025
"That’s what I want for my memorial show, someone throwing actual feces at the audience."
Weird, dark, and horrifying graphic novels are kind of my thing. I’m always seeking out the truly bizarre books to add to my collection. This one kept popping up on all kinds of lists, so off to the Library I went.
It had a very strong and promising start, it kind of lost me with how underwhelming and flat some of these conclusions played out. Seemed as if things happened too quickly, while other parts seemed to drag on.
What had me confused was how Sloane’s Dad just let things happen without a fight. If you’re in a cult, they aren’t just going to let you leave willy nilly. Things just didn’t make sense.
This was somewhat enjoyable. Glad I read it but not something I would seek out again.
Weird, dark, and horrifying graphic novels are kind of my thing. I’m always seeking out the truly bizarre books to add to my collection. This one kept popping up on all kinds of lists, so off to the Library I went.
It had a very strong and promising start, it kind of lost me with how underwhelming and flat some of these conclusions played out. Seemed as if things happened too quickly, while other parts seemed to drag on.
What had me confused was how Sloane’s Dad just let things happen without a fight. If you’re in a cult, they aren’t just going to let you leave willy nilly. Things just didn’t make sense.
This was somewhat enjoyable. Glad I read it but not something I would seek out again.
August 16, 2024
Fuck Ohio, indeed.
March 5, 2025
I was excited to read this because I love cults and want to read fiction about them. But I don't think people understand what cults actually are and how they work.
Just because a religion is big and weird doesnt make it a cult.
So there's that.
I also disliked all the characters. Nothing really made sense. How do like 40 teens go missing and no one cares? Why are you hunting someone down to kill them and then run away? How is one girl able to do this but not the four of them?
I was just bored the whole way through. No real suspense. The church isnt very much of a cult. The main antagonist isnt explained or explored. The conclusions the characters come to feel like trite new age nonsense.
Dont read this.
The only thing I mostly liked was the art and all the colors. But it's a graphic novel so that part is at least a given.
Just because a religion is big and weird doesnt make it a cult.
So there's that.
I also disliked all the characters. Nothing really made sense. How do like 40 teens go missing and no one cares? Why are you hunting someone down to kill them and then run away? How is one girl able to do this but not the four of them?
I was just bored the whole way through. No real suspense. The church isnt very much of a cult. The main antagonist isnt explained or explored. The conclusions the characters come to feel like trite new age nonsense.
Dont read this.
The only thing I mostly liked was the art and all the colors. But it's a graphic novel so that part is at least a given.
April 14, 2024
I loved the set up and the middle of this book, but found the ending to be very disappointing. It feels like everything just happened and ended. I was kind of expecting it to finish in a different way. I’m really sad that it didn’t end the way that my brain thought the artist was setting it up for. But it was a good book and it was a scary book and I like the art style a lot.
January 15, 2025
'we'll haunt this place forever.'
March 16, 2025
On some levels, one could think of this as a “Lovecraft Inspired” with its setting moved from New England to Ohio. But that would be doing this narrative a disadvantage. Typos aside, this is nice story that deals with the trauma that is inflicted upon cult members, or more specifically the children of cult members, and how they struggle to deal with and understand that trauma. It would be nice if every hat wearing MAGA cultist would read this and see the pain and delusion they are raining down upon their fellow citizens and the rest of the world. But alas, they are too far gone.
September 28, 2024
Now this was fun! Wonderful illustrations and created an incredibly strong tone of the book. I loved the concept and the execution was also strong. Good cult-vibes. Good characters. Not enough resolution or solutions, but maybe that’s the point? It was also really philosophical and mindful and I’m just not really interested in that so I kinda skimmed through that stuff. But overall it was a good concept and executed well I just wish it had a little more flavor to it.
February 9, 2025
9/10.
I'm a sucker for the midwest emo vibe, so this was just my cup of tea. The cult was too Hollywood-coded tho.
I'm a sucker for the midwest emo vibe, so this was just my cup of tea. The cult was too Hollywood-coded tho.
October 5, 2024
What's with all the grammar mistakes?
The illustrations were good.
The illustrations were good.
November 24, 2024
The stakes in this story were weirdly non-existent. It felt like a watered down version of other stories, and I genuinely can't think of adjectives to describe any of the main characters.
March 27, 2025
More like a 2.5 stars. This was a strange culty horror/scifi type of mystery about a weird cult.
May 10, 2025
banger art, horror, creature design, and atmosphere, but the writing itself was meh. too many loose ends, not enough drive or development. it’s fine to have a character-driven narrative but then you need to flesh out each of the individual characters. needed a few more editing passes for cohesion (and grammar lol). maybe i’m just too far removed from my angsty teenage ‘i need to get out of ohio’ days, but this didn’t hit for me
February 13, 2025
Oop religious trauma
May 16, 2024
A gorgeously written & illustrated ode to growing up on the fringes in the Midwest combined with truly unsettling Lovecraftian-style religious horror. I can’t recommend this enough as the perfect Halloween read for those of us living alongside Ohio (the authors truly capture the perfect fuck Ohio vibes, chefs kiss) and for anyone looking for a very well done YA graphic novel. Honestly one of the most well-illustrated GNs I’ve ever seen. Though there were just hints of queerness throughout the story, it FELT very queer to me and spoke to marginalization in a myriad of intelligent ways. An overall banger, looking forward to when this comes out in August 🫡
September 15, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
i wanted to like this one, immensely, but it fell short.
i love love LOVE the use of the monster as a symbol for religious trauma, and the exploration of religious trauma that stems from living in small midwestern towns. however, i thought the ideas being conveyed became redundant and too on-the-nose-and-shoved-down-your-throat.
the pacing was also weird. the main storyline concluded 80 pages before the book ended, and even then it felt unsatisfactory.
however, the artwork was STUNNING and i really connected to it visually. i feel like, perhaps, the graphic novel could have been more impactful as a wordless, David Wiesner-esque story.
i wanted to like this one, immensely, but it fell short.
i love love LOVE the use of the monster as a symbol for religious trauma, and the exploration of religious trauma that stems from living in small midwestern towns. however, i thought the ideas being conveyed became redundant and too on-the-nose-and-shoved-down-your-throat.
the pacing was also weird. the main storyline concluded 80 pages before the book ended, and even then it felt unsatisfactory.
however, the artwork was STUNNING and i really connected to it visually. i feel like, perhaps, the graphic novel could have been more impactful as a wordless, David Wiesner-esque story.
December 8, 2024
The first four stars are for the storytelling which I found to be elegant and disquieting and confident. Nothing was spelled out or spoon-fed and I felt a few earnest surprises throughout the book. I loved the art and the palette, the red/green/yellow interplay gave the book a kind of sinister, in the heat of summer glare that I really liked. The fifth star is for name checking Sun Kil Moon and my favorite song “Carry Me, Ohio”, for all of the Ohio references throughout, and depicting what I suspect to be the Mosque in Perrysburg near Interstate 75.
March 11, 2025
A cult murder story dipped into teen angst- nice color scheme but overall this story was not interesting for me. It is a nice succinct story about small town loneliness and otherness but I’m not sure it just didn’t hit at all for me. All the parts I found interesting were under investigated
August 18, 2024
The art was nice at least
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews