Dying Inside

by Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein, Lisa Sterle (Illustrator)

Scott Pilgrim and Wednesday combine into a teenaged Fleabag in DYING INSIDE, a supernatural, emo-fantasy thriller from the mind of FALL OUT BOY’s Pete Wentz!Immortality is entirely overrated. From Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein (Everything’s Fine), and Lisa Sterle (The Modern Witch Tarot, Witchblood) comes the graphic novel about a chronically depressed girl who’s tired of fighting for her…death. Today is Ash’s big finale. And by finale, of course, she means exiting the stage permanently. Ash is a sixteen-year-old girl with more angst than Ian Curtis and Elliott Smith combined (her two idols). She’s apathetic and therefore believes death is the easiest route to relief. But nothing is more embarrassing than a lame death. Unfortunately, her meticulous plans — which include the perfect outfit, soundtrack, and method — are all ruined when the beautiful knife she buys off a webstore turns out to be charmed with a protection spell. Now, Ash has to track down the witch who turned her clocking out attempt into the worst gift immortality. Turns out, the witch responsible is another sixteen-year-old-girl named (get this) Liv. The two vow to undo the charm together and fight for Ash’s death…even as things get increasingly entangled with a strange new antidepressant called Somnia and her mom’s gross boyfriend, Greg (ughh). DYING INSIDE is a musically immersive experience, original lyrics and poetry from Pete Wentz an integrated playlist from Pete Wentz and Hannah Klein never-before-heard music from Daisy Grenade and more! For fans It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth (Zoe Thorogood), Squad (Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle), Light as a Feather (Zoe Aarsen), Book of Shadows (M. Verano), The Secret Circle (LJ Smith), Heart-Shaped Box (Joe Hill), the Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Leigh Bardugo), Vicious (V.E. Schwab), Bunny (Mona Awad), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (graphic novels, prose novels), the Practical Magic series (Alice Hoffman), Anya’s Ghost (Vera Brosgol), the series Charmed, and the films The Craft, Booksmart, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Easy A, and Jennifer's Body. CONTENT This book includes discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, and depiction of self-harm. While Vault hopes this book will help some readers feel less alone, its content may be triggering. Please only read ahead if you are safe and supported. If you are struggling, it's important to share your feelings with people you trust. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number is 988 - call or text 24/7 for free and confidential support. You can also access online

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Graphic Novels Comics, Contemporary

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2024

About the author

Peter Lewis Kingston "Pete" Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician, lyricist and Music video director, most famous for his work with the Chicago-based band Fall Out Boy. In recent years, he has hosted the MTV program FNMTV. Wentz was born Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III, in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. He is the son of Dale Wentz, a high school admissions counselor of Hawaiian and Indian heritage,[citation needed] and Pete Wentz II, a lawyer. He attended New Trier High School and North Shore Country Day School, where he was an all-state soccer player. During his freshman year of high school, he began skipping school regularly and a school counselor convinced his parents to send him to boot camp to straighten him out. During this time, Wentz began writing songs as a way to vent out his frustrations. After graduating from high school in 1997, he attended DePaul University where he studied political science, dropping out one quarter shy of graduation to focus more on music.

Wentz recalled in a Rolling Stone interview that his earliest musical memory was listening to The Foundations' song "Build Me Up Buttercup" in the back of his dad's car.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: nobody understands teenage girl angst quite like pete wentz

[Celine Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

me: salutes the flag
the flag: is a poster of emo king pete wentz

“late night think tank / you were my sweetest trap / shrink wrapped shrink notes / lying here at the end of the world / fucking magic and all”

i’ve always wanted to hold a fall out boy song. sometimes, when i’m pressed against another sweaty shoulder in the pit, i try. arms stretched out, palms up, like the weight—the magic—of music rests in my hands.

dying inside finally gave me that gift.

tired and depressed, ash is ready to end it all. her plans, unforch, are ruined when the knife she buys off the internet turns out to be charmed with a protection spell & she gets the opposite of what she wanted: immortality. left with no other option, ash tracks down the teenage witch responsible for the spell, liv, & as their connection grows, both girls vow to undo the charm together & fight for ash’s death.

this is an undeniably pete wentz book—i could recognize my emotional support 45 year old man’s lyricism anywhere. it's power punk meets bubble grunge, a bitter punch meets a lip-glossed kiss. the specific metaphorical way he muses about the morbidity of death & dying & drugs.

[now talking's just a waste of breath / and living's just a waste of death / and why put a new address / on the same old loneliness?]

there’s something so wonderful about pete wentz’s mind & how he elevates everything into a creative project. there are lyrics & poetry specially penned by pete, an integrated playlist (featuring boygenius!), & music by daisy grenade—a whole immersive reading experience. the art, of course, is fucking stunning. lisa sterle killed it with the graphics & i recently realized why they looked so familiar—she also designed the modern witch tarot deck!!

for those who are curious, it is not, on paper, queer in the way that bang the doldrums (i wrote a goodbye note in lipstick on your arm when you passed out) & ginasfs (trade baby blues for wide eyed browns) aren’t queer (lol). but it is sapphic in my head & heart & for anyone with eyes to see (and as the people’s princess it is sapphic bc i said so).

(p.s. the dimension 20 brainrot doesn’t stop cody “night angel” walsh u would love dying inside)

[Marijne Van Boeckel · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Still jetlagged from being born.’ Lmao I felt that.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel about teenage angst, mental health and found family. The banter is A+ and the message behind the book is very thoughtful.

[Genne Bourdeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

shoutout to my emotional support 45 year old man, Pete Wentz. Love love love the art style. I know a sequel would be completely unnecessary but I would like one anyway because Ash and Liv are so cute. please consider this my formal request!

[Kaylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witches, friendship, the power of girls, learning how to stay alive even when it hurts so you don’t hurt the people you love, and the particular incomparable style of metaphor common to all Pete Wentz poetry. What’s not to love?

[Nightwing’s Thiccness · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had a nickel for every time an emo band lead singer wrote a comic that was darkly humorous and included written lyrics not for the express intent of a full song…I’d have 2 nickels at least.

[Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this existed when I was a teenage girl who idolized suicidal rockstars

[Jenna-booklooksbyjenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars for the BeReal bit THATS how you use modern references

[Maiya · Rating 2 out of 5]

edgy teen wants to die

[Sarah☃️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I say I don’t like to read books written by men, I do NOT mean Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III !!!!!! He can write it better than I ever felt it!!!

No coherent review atm just passionate chaotic thoughts.

I loved everything! It was funny! It was SUCH a real version of depression and suicide ideation and I think it is so so so important to have books like this—especially for teenagers—that talk about it with ease! It is NOT glamorizing anything while still taking the topic as lightly as it sometimes can feel when you’re always depressed. And learning to live for those who love you even when it’s hard. It’s hard!!! And it’s just nice to see it in a real way (magic not withstanding).

Also the girls🧡 LATE NIGHT THINK TANK YOU WERE MY SWEETEST TRAP SHRINK WRAPPED SHRINK NOTES LYING HERE AT THE END OF THE WORLD FUCKING MAGIC AND ALL!!!!???? Fucking GINASFS 2.0. Bang the Doldrums ass girls!!!

[ashley marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute. While the premise feels a bit dark, the humor and sarcasm keeps the rest of it light. I liked the art style and the choice of using specific colors for characters and moods. I do feel like the ending feels a little too neat and tidy, but it is clearly setting up for a second volume, so I’ll take it.

A quick read, but a fun addition to the spooky season. Plus, it was fun to see how Pete Wentz’s lyrical abilities made their way into the writing.

[misery.™ · Rating 4 out of 5]

hello pete wentz yuri

[stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to be inside this man’s head

[Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it was longer!!!!!!! It was so silly and cute!!

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should've read this at 14

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

'That's tragic.'
'Or...is life the tragedy, you know?'
'No, it's definitely death that's the tragedy.'
'You just don't get it.'

Dying Inside is the ultimate emo teenage black comedy and I love that it exists. The duo of Pete Wentz (from Fall Out Boy !) and Hannah Klein nailed the black comedy and humor so well despite the comic being based on a serious topic of suicide and mental health. I feel like they were able to pull off talking about the subjects successfully without trivializing or mocking it in any way. Ash's deadpan humor is hilarious and I just had the best time reading this witchy comic.

Ash has had enough and just wants to die and even though she's serious about it, it kinda never comes across as such. However, the magical knife that's supposed to ~help her achieve her morbid goal seemingly makes her immortal instead. I have to say it did take me some time to realize Ash turned immortal so I feel like that progression could have been executed better. Anyway, as Ash decides to hunt down the person who sold her the defective knife, it turns out to be Liv who she then ends up befriending but things only end up getting more complicated.

As amazing as Ash is as the main character, Liv is equally my favorite. Protect these girls at all costs, ahh. I definitely felt an undercurrent of a budding sapphic relationship here even though the authors defined as best friends. With that ending, though I kinda didn't wanna buy it.

I like that they made the comic interactive by putting in a few QR codes for songs, one of them an original by Daisy Grenade, a band that Ash loves. The original lyrics written by Pete Wentz are actually pretty good but I didn't end up listening to the songs while I read the comic.

The art in Dying Inside is so worth 5 stars alone, TBH. The black and white manga-inspired screentones with hints of pastels is just stunning. Fashion also plays a big part with Ash's style leaning more towards goth and emo and Liv is just a fashionista straight-up. Lisa Sterle really outdone herself here.

[Emma Presnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark humor with a bubblegum pop aesthetic, Dying Inside hits at the heart of teenage girlhood and mental health for those feeling like they’re dying inside. Some may see it as “trying too hard to be edgy and witty” but for those who have been in Ash’s shoes it hits close to home. I hope to see more of Ash and Liv in the future.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rating anything Pete Wentz writes 5 stars. Also the art is to die for.

[Liz Guhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious. I’ll take 100 more.

[Nott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish someday to be as cool as this depressed suicidal teen girl

[kaitziez · Rating 2 out of 5]

That ending--terrible. Why paint Greg as a narcissist but then ruin his personality at the end? He's a narcissist! He is not going to care for Ash like that. Sure, you can say that it's because he is a narcissist that he put the curse on her but his motives overall do not line up with that ending. So stupid.

[Zedsdead · Rating 3 out of 5]

A depressed teenager attempts suicide with a dagger she bought online from an apprentice witch. Unfortunately the dagger turns out to be enchanted with an immortality spell.

This was initially a lot of fun--Ash is a wry and funny character and her new friend's incompetent attempts to break the spell are endearing. Their joint care for a stranger who finds herself in harm's way is appealing. I was invested.

And Wentz dives into some meaty subjects--the complication of blended families, the agony of loneliness...

But Dying Inside eventually devolves into page after page of a surly teenager yelling abuse at her mom's boyfriend, who appears to be a decent guy. I was over it fast. Five star beginning, two star ending.

[Whitney Jamimah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED Dying Inside so much!
*Still debating bumping it up to all 5 stars, definitely 4.5 stars if nothing else.*

This witchy comic had a very similar flavor to another favorite of mine, Grimoire Noir. If you have not read that please do yourself a favor.

This starts out an emo tragedy and ends up being this whole supernatural mystery. Pete Wenz and this Artist Hanna Klein hit it out of the park. This will be a must read for comic and graphic novel fans.

[aris · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish this book existed when i was a depressed teenager idolising suicidal singers... its so good... both writers & the illustrator did such a good job at creating a beautiful world :') also its gay as fuck

[stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

my only critique is that elliott smith was definitely murdered

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art was so pretty and the writing was authentic

[Elyssa K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A treat for my inner depressed teenager. With a curated playlist and gorgeous artwork it’s easy to be immersed in the angsty world of Ash and Liv.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think this is probably one of my favourite graphic novels of all time now.

Going into it, I knew a graphic novel with stunning artwork, witchcraft and a relatable and unhinged character would be right down my alley. I also really appreciate the sort of one-off, slice of life stories that could play out like a movie; and now I'm DYING for this to be a movie!

This story went above and beyond what I expected; a heart-grasping, beautiful tale of friendship, living, and dying.

I wish i had more time with it, i wish there was more - "time is luck, and i wish ours overlapped more, or for longer" - BASICALLY, I'm asking for a sequel, prequel, anthology series, 5 -film contract, netflix special WITH guest appearances from Daisy Grenade, a behind-the-magic mini series, and i want everyone to read this.

[Maxie Froelicher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my real rating is 3.75, because I love the art style, I love the music incorporated into the story, I love the characters, but the ending just fell really flat to me. It felt anticlimactic, too easy, and wrapped up too fast, but it did leave room for a sequel which I would be interested in!

[Fem loonieslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh this would rock as a tv show