Brynmore

Brynmore #1-5

by Steve Niles, Damien Worm (artist)

From the creators of The October Faction, Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) & Damien Worm, comes a new horror tale! Recently divorced and sober, Mark Turner has returned to his hometown looking for a second chance. He’ll rebuild the old church into a new home…if the locals let him. But Turner Island has a secret, one tracing back to when it was named after Mark’s ancestors. Who, or what, is Brynmore?

Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2024

About the author

STEVE NILES is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of it's "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years."

Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison.

Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the arc for a review on Netgalley.

Been quite a long time wence I read a comic and was intruiged by this. Was creep and entertaining. Liked the way the story was set up and enjoyed the art work aswell.

[Megu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, what a mess. This is incredibly flat zombie story, where characters don’t display an ounce of emotion when a real apocalypse starts. Full of mundane tropes, characters appearing from nowhere and suddenly becoming crucial in the plot for no reason (the protagonist daughter speaks like two words once she arrives, but somehow we’re supposed to care). It seems like the writer took a whole 15 minutes to come up with this story, but the execution is so bad it’s almost laughable. Ending and art with no emotions whatsoever.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! My only complaint was that it felt like it was rushing to wrap things up in one tidy volume when I think it would've worked really well as a series (even a brief one of just a few volumes). I'd have loved more time with Brynmore as a character because he seemed REALLY cool and intrigued me a lot.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Turner returns to Turner Island to start over again. Newly sober, he plans to rebuild an old abandoned church into his new home. The only problem, the island is cursed and that curse is renewed when Turner finds a secret basement in the church.

This graphic novel is just ok. The story is bland with plot holes all over the place and basically just tells us what the art shows. It's very rushed and things happen with no lead-in to why exactly. The only that nearly saves it is the art. my only complaint there is that there's very little emotion in the characters. There's an apocalypse going down and everyone's basically like, "meh, ok." I wouldn't call it a waste of time, but I also can't sing it's praises from the rooftops.

Thanks to the publisher, IDW, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brynmore is the adventure through generational trauma that I needed this season.

Brynmore is about a father who returns to his small town after splitting from his wife and getting sober. What he discovers here changes his life. This town founded by his ancestors has secrets behind closed doors that once in the light set chaos in motion. Mark Turner, is going to face some of the most eery hometown dynamics and when his daughter makes an appearance, she becomes embroiled in this generational drama.

This was such a great story from start to finish. IDW Publishing truly brings some of the most horrifying stories to the page. This story is full of some of the most vivid and great illustrations that I have gotten to experience this year. Also getting to experience Steve Niles writing again is such an experience that you do not want to miss! Readers everywhere are going to get pulled into this universe.

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me all the supernatural, generational curse horror! This has a lot of good horror centered around being that outsider, too, which is always something that can draw me in. The artwork and coloring is really great, too! It's got a sort of washed-over (not washed up!) flare to it that I can't take my eyes off. I definitely want more and more from the Brynmore universe if possible!

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this one from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.


A guy who returns to his hometown, or well, home island given that the place is named after his family, finds out that sometimes you should just leave mysterious things to their own, haha. I did like Mark Turner though, he did some dumb things, but I did like that he was trying to make his place on this island despite the hostility from the people living there (later we learn why everyone seems to hate the Turners so much, which I really liked that we got that backstory). I was a bit on the fence about him turning a church into a home though, but I was still curious what he would make of it. He was quite resilient (or is it stubborn?). A lot of people would just have said fuck it to the home feeling and left to other better places.

But during a drunk stupor (which I didn’t blame him for at all, I mean, if that happened and all the pent up stuff as well) he opens something horrific. Or well, what comes out of the box is not really the one they should fear I guess, but along with that monster (named Brynmore) comes something full of curse. Something deadly. Something will rise from the ground and the water and it will take whatever comes in their path. It was totally epic to see several town’s folk I didn’t like get their dues. I am sorry, not the good thoughts, but I was just so pissed at how the people treated Turner. Yes, his ancestors sucked, but Mark seems to be a nice guy. Come on. It was gruesome to see what happened to the people out on the streets, and how more and more dead just seemed to come to earth to do some murder. And it was epic to see Turner, his daughter, and new friends try to fix the problem. Try to make sure that everything is safe again.

But the ending just felt kinda sudden. We went from murderous spree and danger and OMG we are all dying to OK, case is closed. Done. Hop. It just felt very anticlimactic. I would have just liked a bit more to it. See how the town is doing. See who is still alive and who is dead. See them build up again. That kind of stuff.
I also found it odd that our MC just let his teen daughter come to live with him. I mean, I get it, her mom isn’t the best apparently and she needed her dad, but he had ZERO living space + a dead demon wandering around. WTF?

The art was pretty good though, the monsters/demons/dead peeps were well drawn. The illustrator sure got the right atmosphere!

All in all, despite being disappointed at some points, I am still very happy I read this one because it was quite the ride.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Su · Rating 1 out of 5]

Things that are my fault: assuming, based on the cover art, this is a vampire story. (It’s a golem story — not that knowing it would’ve stopped me from reading and enjoying this graphic novel; just an fyi remark.)

Things that aren’t my fault: all the developmental deficiencies it suffers from. I’d have proposed going back to the board, but in all honesty I have a hard time believing this is the whole story and not the storyboard itself.

Don’t get me wrong, the book starts great … because it starts with the graphics. Their colouring is captivating, and their grain/texture gives them a found footage-ish appearance. With the excitement built, you’re unfortunately set up for harsher disappointment.

I know this is wild to say of a graphic novel (a visual medium!) but it’s all tell and no show. When the text isn’t busy with info-dumping, it restates what you can already see in the illustrations.

But the bigger issue is the frankly insane pace. The story and characters are left with no time to steep, so we get Mark relapsing without witnessing the inner conflict that brought him to it (which means it’s entirely out of the blue and does not make sense within the story itself either), we get every character immediately accepting with utter indifference that there are golems and zombies (not a single instance of surprise or disbelief, let alone panic and confusion), and we get the most abrupt ending imaginable.

While the story does not live up to the atmosphere created by the illustrations, they take a bit of a nosedive themselves too, becoming truly comical (and as such ruining the story further) in the action sequences.

I’m assuming this is a standalone volume, because the story does not lend itself to any continuation. It’s rather sad that the single shot it had to be told, the story’s impact was sacrificed in favour of a low page count. The premise was promising, but its fruits were wilted.

[DRC provided by NetGalley and IDW Publishing.]

[ShanTil · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a really cool scary story in here somewhere, but it needed a lot more depth and development. The cover art is sick as hell though.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean it's okay?

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this duo a lot and my husband is reading the series in single issue format so I figured I’d check it out. I wish it was much longer because it’s a great concept that feels rushed due to the nature of having only five issues to tell the story. It’s no one’s fault - I know that’s the way comics work, and it’s hard to get publishers to commit to a long-term, ongoing series.

The art is, as always with DW, stunning. And the story is definitely interesting. I’m just waiting for a nice, long series I can truly dig into for more than a few minutes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Dion Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Artwork in this book is excellent, and the colouring is beautiful, the story on the other hand is a bit basic and uneventful.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Hannah Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brynmore has all the atmospheric vibes I love in my horror fiction. It has a small town filled with ghosts of its past, a rag-tag group of people fighting a force they don’t understand, and secrets that tie everything back to the main character. If you’re a fan of Stephen King, Brynmore is for you.

Brynmore tells the story of Mark Turner, a divorcee who has returned to his hometown, Turner Island, for a fresh start. His fresh start should mean renovating an old church into a home and trying to stay sober. It wasn’t supposed to include unearthing a supernatural being in his basement. And Mark definitely wasn’t prepared for zombie-like creatures to emerge throughout town.

Brynmore is one heck of a story. Like a long-lost Stephen King story, Brynmore oozes with small-town horror, supernatural beings, and curses passed down through the ages. It’s a story to read on a rainy night when you could almost imagine it to be true.

Art:

The art in Brynmore is dark and moody, which matches the story well. I enjoyed the depictions of the characters (and the dog), though they're a bit different than I’m used to. The characters are drawn a bit cartoon-like, but this contrasts well with the dark coloring and the overall bleak tone of the story. The look is not overdone, and it doesn’t overtake the story. I enjoyed the art and will look for more comics illustrated by Damien Worm in the future.

Final Thoughts:

Brynmore is a fun and slightly terrifying romp, but there are deeper themes to be found in it as well. I enjoyed the main characters, and the dog companion is quite adorable. If you’re looking for the perfect horror palate cleanser, look no further than Brynmore.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thanks to IDW for providing an advanced review copy. All the above thoughts are my own.

Check out Back Shelf Books for more comics and SFF reviews.

[taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I want to thank IDW for the advanced copy through Netgalley. I’m trying to expand my graphic novel reading this year and this has been great! Also happy to say the dog doesn’t die!

But that being said I have fairly complicated opinions on this novel. Brynmore has fantastic bones and cool artwork to match but I felt it lacked a bit in lore, substance, and overall needed a good twenty or more pages to flesh it out. Taking place on a small island town a sobered man accidentally awakens an evil curse and plagues it upon the town, gaining guidance from an old put together monster that had once rid of said evil. It’s a cool premise but it felt lackluster in the execution of the zombies and how all at once all the lore is thrown at you and it has no room whatsoever to develop. Another complaint is we don’t get to see the relationship develop between the main character and anyone else, especially not his daughter Sophie who is slapped in there in the last twenty or so pages. It’s a bummer because I really do think with a little more room it would gain a lot! I don’t want to be harsh either, I am a big fan of Niles other work more specifically 30 Days of Night which I think excels in the minimal scary storytelling but this didn’t hit the same. Didn’t dislike it at all but think it needed more room for to breathe.

I also love the artwork it is very cool and I like that Brynmore (the creature) is some sort of tree nature kind of monster. Not what I was expecting! It’s not human, they don’t pretend they really are and the execution is impressive!

Bouncing between two and a half and three so … take what you can get I suppose!

[Kirbie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family curse, island named after your family, alcoholic trying to get past it all makes for a really good graphic novel read. Steve Niles is one of my favorite authors and even though this story was shorter it had all the things you’d want in a Steve Nile’s story.

Mark Turner’s family has always had a horrid curse follow them wherever they go. Mark a recently divorced and struggling with alcohol returns to Turner Island as the last living heir. Wanting to make it home again he is remodeling an old church. What he didn’t anticipate was finding a hidden basement and unleashing the metaphorical Pandora’s box which in turn casts the curse all over the island.


Pros: the writing was great. I enjoyed even with how short the story was that you did get a feel for each character that was introduced. That’s hard to do when it is a shorter story.

The illustrations for this book are top notch. Damien Worm did an absolutely fantastic job and honestly the illustrations makes the whole book really truly come to life.


Cons:

I felt the story was incredibly rushed. It was almost as if the author had an idea and just wrote it down without making changes from
Start to finish it was bam bam bam done. I wish there was a lot more build up to the whole story.


Thank you NetGalley for this arc in return for an honest review.

[AitziST · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
Mark Turner returns to his hometown island to rebuild a church and maybe get a second chance, but the neighbours are not welcoming at all. They say the Turners are cursed, and this curse could kill all life in the island.
I was really expecting more from Steve Niles’ writing. Damien Worm’s art is just amazing, his creatures and landscapes out of this world, but the story was all over the place and nowhere at the same time.
Let me explain: it feels more like a storyboard than the final script. Things just happen or are suddenly there, no momentum, no crescendo, nothing. It is just a concatenation of scenes that resolves easily enough. The rhythm was very irregular as well. I don’t know if I’m being clear, but things just happen? And then they are over? There is not a difficulty, nor a moment where the characters do not know what to do. Something new appears and they have the solution the next panel.
And it could have been so good! The story is interesting enough, the supernatural elements are interesting enough… maybe it needed more pages in order to get the story the depth it deserved?
I hope both writer and artist have a second chance to return to this world and show us what we were missing. Because I know we were missing a lot.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free ARC, and this review is voluntary.

In an effort to a fresh start, Mark Turner returns to his childhood locale to renovate a dilapidated church. Between dealing with the hostility of certain folks in the area, Mark stumbles upon an item in the church's basement, that doesn't have a clear answer as to what it is. Seemingly out of place among the traditional relics found elsewhere in this structure of the holy. Contained within is a significance, and terror, that reaches beyond Mark's own understanding.

Right off the bat, what I noticed and then appreciated, is how the color scheme built atmosphere to each scene within the panels. It's been said that when we're angry, "we see red," and that same underlying vibe was utilized in-approach to how each color highlighted the event, or action taking place.

There was never a lull in the plot, or a dull moment. It was as it should be, which is to say, a story that knows what's it after, and it takes with full-force. Finding more curiosity with each turn of the page, we learn more about Mark, and the motions he's taking to rebuild his life, but also the long-forgotten secrets of his hometown that have reverberating consequences.

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Steve Niles' latest horror comic sets itself in a remote island off the coast of North Carolina where recently divorced Mark Turner decides to make his home. Turner Island, so named after one of Mark's ancestors, is his childhood home which he has long since abandoned and left to the deepest crevices of his memories. Deciding to tackle his newfound sobriety in a remote location, Mark builds a new home for himself on the island from an old abandoned church. But the island holds a lot of secrets, many of them much darker than Mark remembers.

Brynmore sets itself up well, having the pretense of classic folk horror stories like The Wicker Man and Midsommar. Unfortunately, despite what the premise seems to be from the initial issue, the story devolves into a fairly lackluster story involving zombie-like creatures that didn't really capture my attention. The back half of the series is a fairly dull affair, and none of the characters really connected either. Damien Worm's illustrations were quite well done though, and add nicely to the atmospheric tension cultivated early in the series.

[Sorcered · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like this book. Steve Niles’ 30 Days of Night was good, and I hoped for more of the same - unfortunately, this one is a mess.

Very slow start (nothing happens until around page 50, when some very familiar red eyes pop up). Nothing original (a cocktail of ancient curses, golems and zombies), the obligatory harebrained protagonist, and an ultralame ending. And the art goes against the horror - the fighting scenes are hilarious, not scary or gore.

I guess kids 10 or under might like this, although there are some “five rednecks beating a guy with baseball bats” scenes that are more unpleasant than the actual monsters, and might be a problem for young eyes.

Go read 30 Days of Night instead.

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love 30 days of night. It’s my favorite vampire movie. I did enjoy the comic books as well, but personally enjoyed the movies more. So, this story was AND was not what I was expecting from Steve Niles. I don’t want to divulge the plot of this comic because it’s better left as a surprise. The story started off really strong but started to taper off towards the end. The ending itself felt very rushed but I believe this is supposed to be part of a series. So maybe the sequels will make up for this? Otherwise I enjoyed the story, the characters, the artwork, and most of all Brynmore.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW publishing for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Brynmore tells the story of a man returning to the island where he grew up, in an effort to pick up the pieces of his life. He is confronted by locals who don't want him back, and a dark secret linked to his family.

I found myself tearing through this story, wanting to see where it was going. The art was fantastic, and built the creepy atmosphere. I enjoyed watching the story unfold.

The downside was that it felt extremely short/quick. Issues were raised and resolved in short order.

Overall I enjoyed it, and would read more from this team.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My guess is that some would call this gothic horror. Turner returns to the old family home, a slightly remote, rustic setting, and discovers some buried (literally) family secrets.

Look, I know that this is an absurdly short review, but going even a little farther I think will stray into spoiler territory. Niles does give Turner some character (recovering alcoholic, divorced, with a teen).

I remain spilt over how I feel about Niles' urban horror/fantasy Cal McDonald, but he has one of the bigger ranges for someone writing American horror comics. From this gothic (IMO), to the more pulp inspired Monster Born and The Ghoul.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Без якоїсь зайвої вигадки.

П’янчуга в зав’язці, або наш головний герой, повертається на острів, де провів своє дитинство. Острів назвали на честь одного з його предків. Герой викупив шмат землі із закинутою церквою і збирається зайнятися реновацією своєї нової власності. Місцеве бидло героя нашого не любить. Герой випадково відновлює дію старого прокляття, з моря лізуть невбиваємі зомбі, хапають людей і тягнуть їх тонути, головний герой знайомиться з… големом (Це ж голем?), який спочивав під церквою, поки головний герой не розтрощив його кам’яний гроб. Прокляття ребутнулось саме через це. голем пішов заганяти зомбі назад в море, а потім прокляття було подолане похованням голему. Деталі не важливі, гепі енд. Дуже нудні зомбі, дуже ніякі персонажі. Намальовано добре.

[Amanda Savieri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very fast read. Must admit, after jumping from comics like Something Is Killing The Children, The Boys and Crossed, this one seemed very rushed. Quite honestly, fell kinda flat but wonder if that was more the length of it more than anything else. It did cram a lot into a short book and it suffered in character development and loads of action scenes as a result but also, it made it a very quick read. I will give it that. Didnt love, it, Didnt hate it. Did like the artwork and concept. So I have marked it 3/5. Sometimes its nice to escape in something short and simple. A time and a place for all things and this wasnt too bad for what I was looking for this afternoon.

[Geri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Получих тази книга от Netgalley. Мнението си е изцяло мое.

Книгата е доста интересна. Малко е кратка, но ми хареса.

Става дума за Марк Търнър, който се връща на острова, на който е израснал. Иска да реновира старата църква на острова Търнър, и да я превърне в свой дом там.

Когато започва реновацията, намира под един шкаф стълбище. Слиза по него и намира старинна врата, на която са изрисувани символи на непознат за Марк език.

Нататък вече става прекалено интересно, и няма да кажа какво се случва. Но все пак благодаря на Netgalley, че ми предоставиха това arc копие на книгата.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. After the breakdown of his marriage a man returns to his home town, but it is a place where he isn’t welcome because one of his ancestors was involved in saving the Island through magic that went wrong. He isn’t welcome in town and when he inadvertently sets the magic off again no one is welcome. The artwork was good too. Nicely horrifying.

I am not a horror fan but I did enjoy this. It is predictable, but enjoyable.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Dbgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea was good and I liked the art too. But there’s a lot to improve with the story. Dad’s story is fine until the daughter comes around, then everything starts to fall apart in the story. Like a cherry on a top of it all, when I started reading it, the first four pages just teared off. And I was the first reader. I told about this to the library personnel and she responded: ”Yeah, that happens a lot in comic books. I think we don’t even try to fix this.” Good luck to the next reader, if they even passed that on.

[Lianna Kendig · Rating 4 out of 5]

80/100 or 4.00 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was entertaining! The artwork was beautifully done. This would be a great first in a series, if that is what the author is planning. I would be interested to see where the story goes after this! If I can find a reasonably priced physical copy when this comes out, I will be getting it!

[Nicky Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brynmore is a vampire zombie story. The art is great, and I love the digitally painted backgrounds. The story was a little too simple, the premise is kept vague until issue three. Brynmore seems like a villain, but (twist maybe?) he's not. He beats up the zombie hordes easily. The characters were generic, and the ending was very troupey. I didn't enjoy this one that much and wouldn't recommend it.

[indyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a pretty good time with it! The artwork was great, and the story for most parts was pretty good. The vibes/feels of the island were nicely presented in my opinion, and the horror element was well done too. And although the second half was a little underwhelming, as a graphic novel, I liked it overall. Would certainly recommend that you check it out!

Rating: – 8/10 (Enjoyed it!)

Check out the full, spoiler-free review at my blog - indycritic.com