Melvin's Macabre

by MeatCanyon

From the demented mind of MeatCanyon comes this very special manga collection of the creepiest little fella himself: MELVIN!

Weighing in at over 300 pages, Melvin’s Macabre features four full-length tales of horror. This hardcover collection comes with a special soft-touch, foil stamped cover with never-before-seen art and stories from MeatCanyon and co.!

302 pages, Hardcover

Published February 26, 2025

About the author

a/k/a Papa Meat or Hunter Hancock

Reviews

[TC Bekos · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st review! I was so excited when i got the book in the mail, I read it all in 1 sitting. Some of the panels look 1st drafty but other than that there’s not much wrong with it. So cool that i own this despite the large price tag. So unbelievably funny at some points. When the earwax monster was pouting I was actually laughing to myself. Throughly enjoyed this and I hope papa meat makes more stuff like this (it would be dope if he illustrated it too)

[jzmcdaisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Hunter's stuff for quite a while now, and was enthralled when he started CreepCast with Wendigoon. It's nice to see his own contributions to horror with his demented cartoons, and Melvin seems like his most original work. I really liked that all four stories are reminiscent of Junji Ito's work. They all take simple concepts (earwax, bowling, and nostalgia) and put an absolutely twisted spin on it. The final tale is a haunted house story satirizing ghost hunter shows, which is a delight as well.

Only issue is, I've seen it all before. MeatCanyon is a great animator, and I think all of Melvin's misadventures work better as cartoons. I love a good adaptation though, and I think this is about the best he could've done with the comic format. All of the stories are very simple, but they all deal with loss or longing in interesting ways. I wished that they were all connected a little better, but I think that Meat wanted to add more comedy and horror instead of storytelling. They're all somewhat emotionally engaging, even if the episodic format doesn't leave room for connectivity. I had fun both reading and watching Melvin, even if the book isn't everyone's cup of tea.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes 4 stories that originated as YouTube animated videos. Truth be told, I think this format is a lot better than the videos. The videos aren't bad by any means, but with this format, you can actually spend time appreciating the art. The panels are awesome for the most part with lots of detail and splash. The stories are fun. The price was steep for sure ($50), but as a limited release, I don't feel too scammed. It's nice to have it and have access to these stories in such a premium and unique format. I love it and will gladly pick up a volume 2 if that ever comes to fruition.
Minus one star for price and random, out-of-place, seemingly unfinished panels.

[Stellan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a casual MeatCanyon animation fan. The comic just doesn't hit the same IMO, despite being along the exact lines of what the animations are about. I'm disappointed the stories apparently aren't new, and the art quality feels lacking in some spots, especially pertaining to following action and movement. There just doesn't feel like a lot of 'meat on the bones' here for the $50 price tag, making it an excessively expensive coffee table book. At least the cover and sleeve art is gorgeous.

DNFed about halfway through, was struggling to stay interested after the first story, but would still recommend checking it out to more avid comic fans who thoroughly enjoy MC's works.

[mister_piou_piou09 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The drawings are really amazing and it’s such a pleasure to finally have some of papa meat’s artwork physically and on paper, however It sometimes felt like it missed some panels to make moments in the stories more fluid and understandable. But it still worth to read even just for the drawings, and even the book itself is a really nice object to have in your collection, the dustcover and cover are soo cool too. The general atmosphere and esthetic of meatcanyon and Melvin macabre universe is on point.

[R.E. Holding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly a lot of love went into the illustrations of this book. I still can't get over how Melvin's face looks like a sack with eyes.

However, I was sad that none of the stories were really that new, even if the description says as much. I've watched a few of these on the YT channel, which is more censored than the book, but I was hoping for more original stories that could only be found in this book (especially for the price tag).

I do love the quality, and I'm glad to have it.

[lunie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently received my copy in the mail and read through it today. I found the comedy very well done and at times I felt so bad for poor Melvin. I enjoyed the manga, but it felt like it left more to be desired in each story/felt unfinished. I really love how detailed some of the panels are. I haven’t seen any animations for Melvin so this is just purely based on the book. Great work :) Keep it up would love to see more.

[Mr.Meat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it sooooo much! I’m a big fan of Meat Canyon and specifically the Papa Meat videos. So I obviously wanted to support Hunter and read his awesome manga. The art was done beautifully and the humor was really good. I found it super engaging and something I will definitely go back to in the future. I really really loved it!

[Jeffrey McCullough · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a perfect translation from the animation, but it’s clear Hunter and the artists have a deep understanding and love for horror manga. Happy to support Meat Canyon in all its endeavors!

[Jake Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is exactly what you'd expect it to be. I'm just not the biggest fan of this format.

[Noah Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter is a beautiful mastermind and I recommend this to everyone!!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Melvin macabra series

[Mae Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

that last story was hilarious 10/10

[Bethany Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so impressed by some of these stories! Some of the concepts took me by surprise and kept me reading. The art is beautifully done as well. A solid 20-30 minute read. Kudos, Hunter!

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome, awesome. Didn't dig the bowling story as much. Still fun though. Loved the last two!!!

[Blaine Riesberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really utilizes the page turn scare to good effect. Had I not seen the animation on Youtube I would not have known what was going on with the bowling alley bowling pins, what they were, that said, I look forward to future installments of MeatCanyon manga.