Wretched: A Surreal Tale of Vice and Crime

by Henrik Rehr, Jan Solheim (artist)

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

144 pages, Hardcover

Published January 14, 2025

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A postively (and negatively) harrowing story of Euro-terror. I mean 'Euro' in subject matter, storytelling and art. Of the three, the art is strongest, and at times quite mesmerising. The story is here to push some buttons, which it does, but I'm not entirely sure which buttons are pushed, and why those specific buttons.

Intriguing and repulsive at the same time.

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

More impressions than actual review...Kafkaesque...German expressionism...woodcuts of Lynd Ward and Frans Masereel...'crime' story that is reminiscent of something William S. Burroughs or Hunter S. Thompson would write...sorry to be so vague; but this book is really hard to 'pin down' in any way. Very interesting!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

Review submitted to Diamond Bookshelf for potential professional publication.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading a book I'd supported on a crowdfunding platform and I expected weird, but that was pretty weird. I had a hard time totally following, but I enjoyed the art and the format.

[Lucsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this simply because I wanted to read a graphic novel and I knew I would love the art by the cover alone, plus, I got to support a translated work.

Reading this as I'm consuming Diddy content in 2024 was wild and I only recommend it if you feel strong enough.

I had never read a graphic novel with an unreliable narrator before, and I loved it and how it made the reader stop to think and fill in the information or question the narrator, looking for clues in the illustrations that she is telling the truth or lying.

I loved the art as much if not more than what I thought I would, it looked so unique.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Black Panel Press and Diamond Books for this DRC

[Christopher Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A nightmare, anxiety attack, or bad trip?” From the renowned Danish creators Henrik Rehr (Tribeca Sunset, Gavrilo Princip, La chute de Cuba) and Jan Solheim (Hjertestop (The Oh My Godz, #1), Se mig! (Alberte i børnehave #6), En dum dag (Alberte i børnehave, #1) comes a crime story creeping out from the shadows, through the eyes of a woman caught in tragedy and despair. Wretched brings readers into the deepest, darkest parts of the human mind and the world of crime, a woman caught in the crossfire of drugs, mental distress, and abuse, and looking desperately for a way out. Wretched is one of the first books since Paru Itagaki’s Drip Drip that has struck a cord in me that most books don’t, and that specific feeling is dread and uncertainty.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s a way that you can tell a good story by how it makes you feel, how it can make you think, and how it is portrayed. This is the first time I have read Henrik Rehr and Jan Solheim’s work and I have to say I am impressed by Rehr’s script and Solheim’s art for Wretched. This story is a grim reminder of what people have experienced in their lives, whether it be a friend, or perhaps a loved one going through a rough time.

While I can’t go into real detail about the book due to the themes the Graphic Novel addresses, Jan Solheim’s linework was something that fitted perfectly for what story Rehr was trying to tell. Solheim’s art showed how chaotic drug and substance use and abuse can be, accompanied by a glimpse into mental distress with attempted suicide and murder. Aside from making readers think, it does offer other things to question the narrator, looking for clues in the illustrations that she is telling the truth or lying.

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I attended LibraryCon Live recently for my job where my coworker read an arc of Wretched. She talked about it enough that I went back and read it as well. It was definitely wild and chaotic. Wretched is not the type of book I would usually pick up. TW it's got a lot of drug use, abuse, and nudity. The art also isn't a style I usually would like. But.. I did enjoy it. It's thought provoking. To really understand it I think you need to go back and reread it after you finish it. The narrator is unreliable so you miss a lot of context the first time around.

[Ooha Biddala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wretched, indeed.

The art style adds to the "ugliness" as well as the speech bubbles of incomprehensible babble. It's a short read- but so well put together that the sense of despair never lets up. Right from the first panel, you know you're going to need a palate cleanser at the end of it. And to do such a fantastically immersive job within 143 pages is amazing.