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Benjamin
IN ONE L.A. MOTEL ROOM, A COSMIC QUEST IS ABOUT TO BEGIN...
More than just a writer, more than just a science-fiction icon, Benjamin J. Carp was a cultural revolutionary. Over the course of 44 novels and hundreds of short stories—including the counterculture classic The Man They Couldn't Erase—Carp pushed the boundaries of literary respectability for the sci-fi genre and his readers' perception of reality itself... until decades of amphetamine abuse and Southern California excess finally ended a mind-bending career that always just escaped mainstream success. He died in 1982.
Until 2025... when Benjamin J. Carp awakens, alive, in a burned-out motel on the fringes of Los Angeles. He remembers dying. He knows he shouldn't exist. Is he a dream? A robot? A ghost? A clone? A simulation? In his own time, Carp pondered all of these scenarios through his fiction—and now, as he treks from Studio City to Venice Beach and onward into the paranoid sprawl of 21st-century Los Angeles, he will be called to investigate his greatest mystery yet: himself.
From Edgar Award nominee and Philip K. Dick Award winner Ben H. Winters (EC's Cruel Universe, The Last Policeman trilogy) and rising star Leomacs (EC's Epitaphs from the Abyss, Ghostlore) comes a uniquely fascinating and hilariously deranged excursion into the metatextual nexus where existence and oblivion, past and future, genius and madness, and glitter and grim reality all meet just beyond Hollywood Boulevard.
More than just a writer, more than just a science-fiction icon, Benjamin J. Carp was a cultural revolutionary. Over the course of 44 novels and hundreds of short stories—including the counterculture classic The Man They Couldn't Erase—Carp pushed the boundaries of literary respectability for the sci-fi genre and his readers' perception of reality itself... until decades of amphetamine abuse and Southern California excess finally ended a mind-bending career that always just escaped mainstream success. He died in 1982.
Until 2025... when Benjamin J. Carp awakens, alive, in a burned-out motel on the fringes of Los Angeles. He remembers dying. He knows he shouldn't exist. Is he a dream? A robot? A ghost? A clone? A simulation? In his own time, Carp pondered all of these scenarios through his fiction—and now, as he treks from Studio City to Venice Beach and onward into the paranoid sprawl of 21st-century Los Angeles, he will be called to investigate his greatest mystery yet: himself.
From Edgar Award nominee and Philip K. Dick Award winner Ben H. Winters (EC's Cruel Universe, The Last Policeman trilogy) and rising star Leomacs (EC's Epitaphs from the Abyss, Ghostlore) comes a uniquely fascinating and hilariously deranged excursion into the metatextual nexus where existence and oblivion, past and future, genius and madness, and glitter and grim reality all meet just beyond Hollywood Boulevard.
104 pages, Hardcover
Published March 10, 2026
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Ben H. Winters
70 books2,127 followersBen H. Winters is the author most recently of the novel The Quiet Boy (Mulholland/Little, Brown, 2021). He is also the author of the novel Golden State; the New York Times bestselling Underground Airlines; The Last Policeman and its two sequels; the horror novel Bedbugs; and several works for young readers. His first novel, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, was also a Times bestseller. Ben has won the Edgar Award for mystery writing, the Philip K. Dick award in science fiction, the Sidewise Award for alternate history, and France’s Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire.
Ben also writes for film and television. He is the creator and co-showrunner of Tracker, forthcoming on CBS. Previously he was a producer on the FX show Legion, and on the upcoming Apple TV+ drama Manhunt.
He has contributed short stories to many anthologies, as well as in magazines such as Lightspeed. He is the author of four “Audible Originals”– Stranger, Inside Jobs, Q&A, and Self Help — and several plays and musicals. His reviews appear frequently in the New York Times Book Review. Ben was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Maryland, educated in St. Louis, and then grew up a bunch more, in various ways, in places like Chicago, New York, Cambridge, MA, and Indianapolis, IN. These days he lives in LA with his wife, three kids, and one large dog.
Ben also writes for film and television. He is the creator and co-showrunner of Tracker, forthcoming on CBS. Previously he was a producer on the FX show Legion, and on the upcoming Apple TV+ drama Manhunt.
He has contributed short stories to many anthologies, as well as in magazines such as Lightspeed. He is the author of four “Audible Originals”– Stranger, Inside Jobs, Q&A, and Self Help — and several plays and musicals. His reviews appear frequently in the New York Times Book Review. Ben was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Maryland, educated in St. Louis, and then grew up a bunch more, in various ways, in places like Chicago, New York, Cambridge, MA, and Indianapolis, IN. These days he lives in LA with his wife, three kids, and one large dog.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars.
Benjamin J. Carp is a cult sci-fi writer who died in the 1980s and then finds himself mysteriously resurrected in 2025. He enlists an unsuspecting man named Marcus to help him discover who and what he is, and his purpose.
What follows is mind-bending at times, and I can't say I understood every moment, but it didn't matter. It was such a fun journey, strangely heart-warming, and hilarious.
I'm really glad I picked this up, and would definitely recommend for lovers of trippy sci-fi graphic novels!
4.5 stars.
Benjamin J. Carp is a cult sci-fi writer who died in the 1980s and then finds himself mysteriously resurrected in 2025. He enlists an unsuspecting man named Marcus to help him discover who and what he is, and his purpose.
What follows is mind-bending at times, and I can't say I understood every moment, but it didn't matter. It was such a fun journey, strangely heart-warming, and hilarious.
I'm really glad I picked this up, and would definitely recommend for lovers of trippy sci-fi graphic novels!
March 1, 2026
All I could see was Nick Offerman and Ncuti Gatwa having a few nice, psychological talks.
Read
January 6, 2026Benjamin J Carp, a cult writer (though he hates the term) with a style and back catalogue suspiciously reminiscent of Philip K Dick, awakes in a motel room, sees people walking around with devices out of his stories, and learns that the world believes he died decades previously. So he drags Marcus, a directionless employee at said motel, into finding out the hidden truth behind this bizarre turn of events. It's lively enough, and at three issues doesn't outstay its welcome, but the minute you stop to think about it, it all feels as flimsy as one of its own fake realities. Trying to out-meta PKD on his own turf is a losing game; playing up the solipsistic side of his hunt for ultimate reality has an obvious appeal in an age when conspiracy madness is mainstream, but at one and the same time Carp has some of Dick's worst edges sanded off, is A Lot rather than an outright menace, and his books seem to offer much more definite answers than the hall of mirrors into which Dick so often leads the reader. When it plays for laughs, it does get some, but never on the level of Steve Aylett's more lightly Dick-influenced (Dickfluenced?) Lint. Even bringing Dick back from the dead was already done, years back and without the changed name, by the late Michael Bishop. And at the end of it all, there's the sappiest resolution I ever did see, whose jarring handbrake turn from what came before seems to be deliberate, but that isn't enough to make it satisfy. Leomacs' art nicely balances trippiness with McKelvie-esque face acting, but writer Winters should be very grateful for Alien: Earth, simply because it saves this from being the most disappointed I've been by a Legion alumnus lately.
(Netgalley ARC)
(Netgalley ARC)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to both NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this graphic novel that tells the continuing adventures of a two-fisted, of pharmaceuticals, science fiction writer who even death it seems can't stop, dealing with a new world, new paranoid thoughts, and maybe even new friends.
Science fiction has been around for quite a few years, starting with a young lady writing about a creature being returned to life, with side excursions into the far future, the far past, the inner world and of course outer space. Many of these authors have become famous, maybe not in their time, but later as the world they wrote in their books, seems to be the reality we find ourselves in. One author stands out from the rest, a man who wrote entire novels in days, fueled by drugs, anger, religion, and fear of his own mind. That author was Horselover Fat. Benjamin J. Carp was a close second, writing books that plumed the depths of the soul, the outer limits, the lies that we continue to believe, all while being a jerk to everyone around him. An author thought lost, due to dying but now found in a ratty motel room. With no idea why he has returned, if in fact he has returned. Benjamin is a graphic novel written by Ben H. Winters with art by Leomacs and colored by Luca Bertelè and tells the story of a science fiction writer returning to the world he thought he died in, a future he doesn't understand, but one that he might have created, maybe, unless there is more to the universe than he thinks.
A man lies in a sad motel room dreaming maybe of eternity, or maybe even of electronic sheep. Awoken from his slumber the man announces who he is, and that the words cult author are an insult to his craft. This man is science fiction writer Benjamin J. Carp. A name that means little to anyone except an employee who recognizes the name, as Carp was his father's favorite writer. What really stands out is that Carp supposedly died years ago, something that Carp kind of remembers. Carp with his new friend Marcus decides to find out why he has returned, if he has returned. Carp is known for his paranoid stories, of time out of joint, of galactic vase makes, of robots that scream in the night. Maybe he is part of his own story, a reality that is being tested. Or maybe he has returned for other reasons, possibly to share an exegesis, maybe even to help others.
An odd book, sort of like an early Philip K. Dick novel, for whom the character of Benjamin is based on. This is a graphic novel that might make some go, what the heck, with much stronger words. However this is very Dickian, a story about one person lost in the world that makes no sense at all, but hoping that something and someone helps make sense of what is happening. And maybe getting a little lost in the writing on the way. I enjoyed this, but I can see this being a hard sell. I loved the references, and I love that there are so many questions. Some characters just disappear, some questions aren't answered. There is a dog, but I don't remember much in the way of classical music references. And the story might meander a bit, but again the resolution reminded me much of a Dick novel from the 50's. The art is really good, capturing both the characters, the real world, and the odd things that happen. I really enjoyed Carp's look after an incident with a van. The colors really pop, and the faces look like real people. Not superheroes.
For fans of Philip K. Dick, for fans of the artist, and for fans who like their stories odd, different, and open to interpretation. Again, not for everyone, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Science fiction has been around for quite a few years, starting with a young lady writing about a creature being returned to life, with side excursions into the far future, the far past, the inner world and of course outer space. Many of these authors have become famous, maybe not in their time, but later as the world they wrote in their books, seems to be the reality we find ourselves in. One author stands out from the rest, a man who wrote entire novels in days, fueled by drugs, anger, religion, and fear of his own mind. That author was Horselover Fat. Benjamin J. Carp was a close second, writing books that plumed the depths of the soul, the outer limits, the lies that we continue to believe, all while being a jerk to everyone around him. An author thought lost, due to dying but now found in a ratty motel room. With no idea why he has returned, if in fact he has returned. Benjamin is a graphic novel written by Ben H. Winters with art by Leomacs and colored by Luca Bertelè and tells the story of a science fiction writer returning to the world he thought he died in, a future he doesn't understand, but one that he might have created, maybe, unless there is more to the universe than he thinks.
A man lies in a sad motel room dreaming maybe of eternity, or maybe even of electronic sheep. Awoken from his slumber the man announces who he is, and that the words cult author are an insult to his craft. This man is science fiction writer Benjamin J. Carp. A name that means little to anyone except an employee who recognizes the name, as Carp was his father's favorite writer. What really stands out is that Carp supposedly died years ago, something that Carp kind of remembers. Carp with his new friend Marcus decides to find out why he has returned, if he has returned. Carp is known for his paranoid stories, of time out of joint, of galactic vase makes, of robots that scream in the night. Maybe he is part of his own story, a reality that is being tested. Or maybe he has returned for other reasons, possibly to share an exegesis, maybe even to help others.
An odd book, sort of like an early Philip K. Dick novel, for whom the character of Benjamin is based on. This is a graphic novel that might make some go, what the heck, with much stronger words. However this is very Dickian, a story about one person lost in the world that makes no sense at all, but hoping that something and someone helps make sense of what is happening. And maybe getting a little lost in the writing on the way. I enjoyed this, but I can see this being a hard sell. I loved the references, and I love that there are so many questions. Some characters just disappear, some questions aren't answered. There is a dog, but I don't remember much in the way of classical music references. And the story might meander a bit, but again the resolution reminded me much of a Dick novel from the 50's. The art is really good, capturing both the characters, the real world, and the odd things that happen. I really enjoyed Carp's look after an incident with a van. The colors really pop, and the faces look like real people. Not superheroes.
For fans of Philip K. Dick, for fans of the artist, and for fans who like their stories odd, different, and open to interpretation. Again, not for everyone, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
January 23, 2026
🇮🇹🇬🇧
Questa graphic novel racconta di Benjamin J. Carp, un famoso scrittore di fantascienza ufficialmente deceduto nel 1982 dopo un improvviso malore.
La vicenda prende il via quando Carp si risveglia misteriosamente nel 2025 in un casuale motel di Los Angeles: è vivo, ha l'aspetto di un tempo e possiede tutti i ricordi fino all'istante della sua morte. Da questo incipit si dipana un’indagine durante la quale il protagonista si imbatterà in tanti soggetti più o meno insoliti e in cui cercherà disperatamente di comprendere la sua natura attuale: è forse un fantasma, un clone, un robot o il frutto di una simulazione?
Ho tanto apprezzato il soggetto, che mai in modo banale, in poco più di cento pagine mi ha portata a ragionare su tanti temi come l'identità, la follia e il confine tra la realtà e la finzione.
La storia segue un corso apparentemente lineare, lo scopo del protagonista è chiaro, le domande a cui rispondere sono palesi, ma si costruisce pagina per pagina portando il lettore a modificare il suo pensiero e cambiare continuamente direzione con ogni piega improvvisa che prende la storia.
Anche lo stile grafico è stato di mio gusto, con palette sempre accese ma variegate nelle diverse pagine.
This graphic novel tells the story of Benjamin J. Carp, a famous sci-fi writer who officially died in 1982 following a sudden illness.
The story begins when Carp mysteriously wakes up in 2025 in a random motel in Los Angeles: he is alive, looks just as he used to, and possesses all his memories up until the moment of his death. From this starting point, an investigation unfolds where the protagonist encounters many rather unusual characters and desperately tries to understand his current nature: is he a ghost, a clone, a robot, or the product of a simulation?
I really appreciated the premise; in just over a hundred pages—and never in a trivial way—it led me to reflect on many themes like identity, madness, and the boundary between reality and fiction.
The story follows a seemingly linear path, the protagonist's goal is clear, and the questions to be answered are obvious, yet it builds page by page, leading the reader to change their mind and constantly shift direction with every sudden twist the story takes.
I also enjoyed the art style, with color palettes that were always vibrant but varied throughout the pages.
Questa graphic novel racconta di Benjamin J. Carp, un famoso scrittore di fantascienza ufficialmente deceduto nel 1982 dopo un improvviso malore.
La vicenda prende il via quando Carp si risveglia misteriosamente nel 2025 in un casuale motel di Los Angeles: è vivo, ha l'aspetto di un tempo e possiede tutti i ricordi fino all'istante della sua morte. Da questo incipit si dipana un’indagine durante la quale il protagonista si imbatterà in tanti soggetti più o meno insoliti e in cui cercherà disperatamente di comprendere la sua natura attuale: è forse un fantasma, un clone, un robot o il frutto di una simulazione?
Ho tanto apprezzato il soggetto, che mai in modo banale, in poco più di cento pagine mi ha portata a ragionare su tanti temi come l'identità, la follia e il confine tra la realtà e la finzione.
La storia segue un corso apparentemente lineare, lo scopo del protagonista è chiaro, le domande a cui rispondere sono palesi, ma si costruisce pagina per pagina portando il lettore a modificare il suo pensiero e cambiare continuamente direzione con ogni piega improvvisa che prende la storia.
Anche lo stile grafico è stato di mio gusto, con palette sempre accese ma variegate nelle diverse pagine.
This graphic novel tells the story of Benjamin J. Carp, a famous sci-fi writer who officially died in 1982 following a sudden illness.
The story begins when Carp mysteriously wakes up in 2025 in a random motel in Los Angeles: he is alive, looks just as he used to, and possesses all his memories up until the moment of his death. From this starting point, an investigation unfolds where the protagonist encounters many rather unusual characters and desperately tries to understand his current nature: is he a ghost, a clone, a robot, or the product of a simulation?
I really appreciated the premise; in just over a hundred pages—and never in a trivial way—it led me to reflect on many themes like identity, madness, and the boundary between reality and fiction.
The story follows a seemingly linear path, the protagonist's goal is clear, and the questions to be answered are obvious, yet it builds page by page, leading the reader to change their mind and constantly shift direction with every sudden twist the story takes.
I also enjoyed the art style, with color palettes that were always vibrant but varied throughout the pages.
March 5, 2026
My Selling Pitch:
A metafiction graphic novel for sci-fi fans.
Pre-reading:
The color work on this cover is incredible.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
I can’t figure out what they’re eating at this diner. I would’ve said breakfast and pancakes, but the colors give burger.
You can’t make the poor dog walk through glass.
They have smartphones though? Why can’t they just Google the plot?
This is so meta and fun.
Oh, that’s the end? Cute! Kinda abrupt but cute.
Post-reading:
This was a fun read, but the ending is incredibly abrupt. The art is stronger than the story. The artist did a great job at conveying emotion and the colorwork was beautiful. It’s impressive to be able to draw sarcasm. The story was a little too short for me to get emotionally invested in the characters. I think if you like metafiction, you’ll get a kick out of this, but I don't think you need to rush out and read it.
Who should read this:
Metafiction fans
Golden age sci-fi fans
Ideal reading time:
Anytime
Do I want to reread this:
No, I'll just remember it.
Would I buy this:
I would get this one from your library.
Similar books:
* You’ll Do Bad Things by Tyler Boss-graphic novel, metafiction, crime thriller, horror
* Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction-graphic novel, sci-fi, romance, social commentary
* Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor-metafiction, lit fic, family drama, scifi
* Greatest Hits by Harlan Ellison-short story collection, dystopian, sci-fi, social commentary
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A metafiction graphic novel for sci-fi fans.
Pre-reading:
The color work on this cover is incredible.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
I can’t figure out what they’re eating at this diner. I would’ve said breakfast and pancakes, but the colors give burger.
You can’t make the poor dog walk through glass.
They have smartphones though? Why can’t they just Google the plot?
This is so meta and fun.
Oh, that’s the end? Cute! Kinda abrupt but cute.
Post-reading:
This was a fun read, but the ending is incredibly abrupt. The art is stronger than the story. The artist did a great job at conveying emotion and the colorwork was beautiful. It’s impressive to be able to draw sarcasm. The story was a little too short for me to get emotionally invested in the characters. I think if you like metafiction, you’ll get a kick out of this, but I don't think you need to rush out and read it.
Who should read this:
Metafiction fans
Golden age sci-fi fans
Ideal reading time:
Anytime
Do I want to reread this:
No, I'll just remember it.
Would I buy this:
I would get this one from your library.
Similar books:
* You’ll Do Bad Things by Tyler Boss-graphic novel, metafiction, crime thriller, horror
* Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction-graphic novel, sci-fi, romance, social commentary
* Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor-metafiction, lit fic, family drama, scifi
* Greatest Hits by Harlan Ellison-short story collection, dystopian, sci-fi, social commentary
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The premise here is genuinely intriguing, but unfortunately, the execution didn't quite live up to it. The biggest problem for me is that the main character's near-constant rambling. It's a clear, deliberate choice, with eventual payoff, but throughout the book, it just feels more exhausting than engaging and the payoff doesn't make up for the fact that he didn't really ever have anything interesting to say. In addition to this, the story leans pretty heavily on twists to keep things moving and this grows old the second "actually THIS is the answer!". Overall, the narrative just never fully delivered on the potential of its setup, and I found myself wondering what a writer with a stronger handle on weird, high-concept storytelling, like Grant Morrison or Peter Milligan, might have done with the same material.
The art and coloring are both consistently strong throughout the book, with a visual style that leans towards the trippy and surreal. It fits the material well, although personally, I would've loved to see it pushed even further in that direction. If nothing else, the book exists as a good showcase for the talent of the artist, Leomacs. I know it certainly made me want to look into more of their work.
The art and coloring are both consistently strong throughout the book, with a visual style that leans towards the trippy and surreal. It fits the material well, although personally, I would've loved to see it pushed even further in that direction. If nothing else, the book exists as a good showcase for the talent of the artist, Leomacs. I know it certainly made me want to look into more of their work.
January 27, 2026
Benjamin J. Carp is a science fiction writer who is a bit of a cult icon. Though he doesn't like that label. Much like the author he is modeled on, Philip K. Dick, he died in 1982. He's now awoken in a motel in 2025 and assumes that he has been brought back because he is A MAN OF CONSEQUENCE! What's more, his resurrection appears to be modeled on one of his own stories. But is it the published one or the unfinished one? Going on a journey with one of the employees from the motel, Marcus, he must find out the answer to his resurrection. The answer might be surprisingly humbling because this might not be Benjamin's story after all. The loquacious verbosity and pomposity make Benjamin a protagonist not soon forgotten, and not least because his visage resembles the great Nick Offerman, as does his circumlocutions. This is peppered with Easter Eggs for the true science fiction aficionado and I truly adore the room of robot heads, Isaac Asimov and in particular Ursula K. Le Guin being wonderful additions. This book is a keeper for sure.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is one story to make your brain hurt! Or you can just do as I did, sit back, read on, and enjoy the ride.
That’s the attitude needed as you take this journey through an author’s writing. (Benjamin’s that is, not the comic’s author Ben H Winters.) Or is it the soon to be, maybe not, book/life of a hotel clerk? I really don’t know!
It was a fun ride either way. But my head now needs time to recover.
By the way, I didn’t quite understand the end. If I had maybe it would have been 5 stars. I suppose it doesn’t matter. I chose to exist, I was there. I survived. I smiled.
Thank you to ONI Press and NetGalley for this experience, and giving me the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
That’s the attitude needed as you take this journey through an author’s writing. (Benjamin’s that is, not the comic’s author Ben H Winters.) Or is it the soon to be, maybe not, book/life of a hotel clerk? I really don’t know!
It was a fun ride either way. But my head now needs time to recover.
By the way, I didn’t quite understand the end. If I had maybe it would have been 5 stars. I suppose it doesn’t matter. I chose to exist, I was there. I survived. I smiled.
Thank you to ONI Press and NetGalley for this experience, and giving me the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Got a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for a review....
Benjamin is about a science fiction author named Benjamin who appears in a modern-day motel after having died in 1982. Benjamin and Marcus, an employee of said motel, go on a journey to find out what has happened and what it all means.
I think the book was fine. Benjamin seems to be a kind of Philip K. Dick style writer and is full of weird ideas and ego. The journey her and Marcus go on, however, is very brief and moves a little too fast. I could have used some more digging in to both characters' inner worlds.
A quick, okay read.
Benjamin is about a science fiction author named Benjamin who appears in a modern-day motel after having died in 1982. Benjamin and Marcus, an employee of said motel, go on a journey to find out what has happened and what it all means.
I think the book was fine. Benjamin seems to be a kind of Philip K. Dick style writer and is full of weird ideas and ego. The journey her and Marcus go on, however, is very brief and moves a little too fast. I could have used some more digging in to both characters' inner worlds.
A quick, okay read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
To say I hated this would be an understatement. It's about this blowhard science fiction writer who wakes up one day in a motel room after having been dead for the last 40 years. He goes through a bunch of metaphysical, bullshit, self-centered ideas about why he's returned having to do with his past stories. I thought bored to tears was just a phrase until I grew so bored with this that my eyes glazed over and teared up. It's only redeeming quality is that it was only 3 issues and Leomacs's art was very good.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An incredibly satisfying, witty, epic sci-fi story. 🩷🧠
This is one of those books where I’d recommend readers go in with as little prior information as to the contents as possible which makes for a tricky review to write. ✏️🌝
The art was gorgeous and the plot even better, on publication day I will be making my boyfriend read this IMMEDIATELY. 📖 It is enthralling and twisty, fun yet thoughtful. 🛎️ It is such a beautiful encapsulation of the genre, a unique memorable story. 🔮 I highly recommend. ✨
This is one of those books where I’d recommend readers go in with as little prior information as to the contents as possible which makes for a tricky review to write. ✏️🌝
The art was gorgeous and the plot even better, on publication day I will be making my boyfriend read this IMMEDIATELY. 📖 It is enthralling and twisty, fun yet thoughtful. 🛎️ It is such a beautiful encapsulation of the genre, a unique memorable story. 🔮 I highly recommend. ✨
March 10, 2026
First, I want to say the art in this comic is fantastic. The visuals are striking, the panels are easy to follow, and the whole thing looks great on the page.
The writing and story were just okay, though. I didn’t really like the dialogue or the storyline itself. The main character, Benjamin, just annoyed me - though I suspect that’s intentional.
I’m not especially interested in continuing the story to see where it goes, even though shifting the focus to Marcus in future installments would probably be an improvement.
I received this book as an eARC.
The writing and story were just okay, though. I didn’t really like the dialogue or the storyline itself. The main character, Benjamin, just annoyed me - though I suspect that’s intentional.
I’m not especially interested in continuing the story to see where it goes, even though shifting the focus to Marcus in future installments would probably be an improvement.
I received this book as an eARC.
March 22, 2026
This was a fun one! I'm a fan of Ben H. Winters' novels and it was nice to see him let loose here. Art was great as well. The graphic novel is clearly inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's character Kilgore Trout (just look at the name), but the story doesn't feel derivative.
My only criticism is that it's a short book (It compiles a 3-issue miniseries), which wraps up a little too quickly. I wouldn't have minded spending a little more time with these characters before their story concluded.
My only criticism is that it's a short book (It compiles a 3-issue miniseries), which wraps up a little too quickly. I wouldn't have minded spending a little more time with these characters before their story concluded.
September 5, 2025
It’s a really fun, reality warping mini series by novelist Ben H Winters. To say too much would spoil it but there’s shades of Milligan’s Profane here along with some good oddball humour. It’s not perfect as doesn’t quite stick the landing, but it’s above average entertainment in a saturated market. Leomacs is terrific as always.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Great read! Very interesting storyline. I didnt expect that ending. I really thought the story will end with Benjamin. Great read if you enjoy sci fiction~
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Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~
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Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Arc from netgalley.
I don't know that I loved it. It just seemed to peter out and never really build up a head of steam.
I don't know that I loved it. It just seemed to peter out and never really build up a head of steam.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews