The Junction

by Norm Konyu

In the autumn of 1984, 11 year old Lucas Jones, along with his father, vanished without a trace. 12 years later, Lucas reappears on his Uncle's doorstep. He has not aged a single day.

Lucas is silent and haunted, and it is left to a police detective and a child psychologist to puzzle out where he has been. The only tangible clue is a journal he had kept during his disappearance, a journal whose entries tell of his time in The Junction.

Where has Lucas really been?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Mystery, Horror, Comic Book

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 2020

Reviews

[Ecmel Soylu · Rating 5 out of 5]

kayıp kıta'dan okuduğum ilk kitaptı. baskı kalitesine de bayıldım

[Juliette Jahm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franchement, je n'avais pas lu une BD aussi saisissante depuis foooooort longtemps.
L'histoire est aussi bien structurée que prenante, on y sent les odeurs à travers les pages, les couleurs de la ville fantôme à travers les descriptions de Lucas, car oui, tout réside dans ceci : existe-t-elle vraiment, ou est-elle seulement un mirage ?
Pourquoi tout un monde semble s'y être construit ? Et pourquoi autant d'incohérence la peuple ?

Je serai très curieuse de découvrir le reste du travail de cet auteur que je ne connaissais pas !

PITIÉ ADAPTEZ-LA EN FILM D'ANIMATION, MERCI D'AVANCE !!!

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some cool concepts and weird ideas and a compelling core mystery, but it left too many things hanging and unanswered and lacked in choices and agency of the cast. In the end, it was just weird for the sake of it.

Two and a half.

[Alex (Spells & Spaceships) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching, beautiful, eerie, imaginative, thought-provoking. I really enjoyed The Junction and can't wait to see what Norm Konyu creates next.

[Moira Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wat een meer dan fijne graphic novel, erg gaaf dit!

Zacht, aandoenlijk, atmosferisch, maar ook een tikje spooky verhaal over rouw, waarin grenzen tussen hier en daar, toen en nu vervaagden. Norm Konyu wist echt een heel bijzondere magisch realistische sfeer te creëren. Zijn tekenstijl, die de sfeer alleen nog maar meer onderstreepte, bestond uit grafische lijnen, beetje hoekig, maar tegelijkertijd ook vol subtiele details waardoor de personages helemaal tot leven kwamen. En dan zijn kleurgebruik, ik hield ervan... warm en levendig door de techniek die hij had gebruikt.

Voor een inkijkje: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwiDvNkoKXZ/

[Emre Yavuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Son zamanlarda okuduğum en iyi grafik romanlardan biri. Erken dönem M. Night Shyamalan filmlerinden birini izlemek gibi.

[Estibaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an eerie, imaginative, beautiful story. Everything on 'The Junction' is just perfect, from the art to the story and characters.

Both sad and sweet, Norm Konyu does a wonderful job on creating a profound and though-provoking gem of a graphic novel, where the colorful art works as a charm. I understand why some people have a different opinion on this, thinking that the story actually demands for something visually much darker, but I actually disagree. I found the contrast just wonderful, specially because I think that, regardless of how mature the themes here really are, this approach also make them easily accessible for younger audiences.

In any case, this is a masterpiece, full of sensibility and magic. Read it.

[Sevki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5'tan 3 yıldız, elim 4'e gitmedi.

Kötü bir eser değil kesinlikle, hatta ortalama üzerinde, fakat sanırım kurgunun özünü ve gizemleri tam tatmin edici bulamadım. Karanlık gibi görünen ancak tam da karanlık olamayan bir döngüsü var hikâyenin. Karakterlerle senkronize de olamadım. Bir de bu çizim tarzı bir noktadan sonra sıkıcı ve düz geliyor bana.

Baskı kalitesi güzeldi, Kayıp Kıta'ya teşekkürler.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featuring a unique illustration style for a graphic novel, THE JUNCTION is a spooky, twisty story that keeps readers guessing. I ended up enjoying this one more than I was expecting to.

[Vincentimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Franchement j’ai mis 4 et pas 5 pour être un gros rageux et dire qu’elle était « un peu moins bien que Downlands » (comment faire mieux que ce banger ultime en vérité ?) mais je suis TELLEMENT fan du travail de Norm Konyu.

Son style graphique est reconnaissable au premier coup d’œil et je trouve que ses histoires sont toujours surprenantes, émouvantes et extrêmement bien travaillées.

Je vous avoue que The Junction avait un petit côté Stranger Things (quand c’était bien, genre les premières saisons) et c’est vraiment ça qui m’a attiré.

Que ce soit pour celle-ci ou la précédente, on ouvre ses bd pour leurs enquêtes et intrigues haletantes et on les referme systématiquement avec un peu de baume au cœur quant à la perte de nos êtres chers.

Bravo et merci ! (Hâte de lire sa troisième bd qui sort à la fin de l’année) (Il est 2h du matin)

[Luc Sponger · Rating 5 out of 5]

De 11 jarige Lucas raakt vermist en duikt ruim 10 jaar later weer op zonder een dag ouder geworden te zijn . Zijn dagboek en tekeningen geven stukje bij beetje een tragisch geschiedenis prijs. Mooi verhaal over verlies in een even mooie stijl vormgegeven.

[Nazım · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amerikan sinemasından aşina olduğumuz tarzda bir gizemi var bu kitabın. Emre Yavuz, erken dönem Night Shyamalan filmlerine benzetmekte haksız değil. Biraz The Others, biraz Altıncı his havası eklenmiş versiyonu gibi.

Kitabın gizeminin ve hikayesinin büyük iddiaları yok. Hatta bir noktada finali idrak edip gelişmeleri izlemeye başlıyorsunuz. Bi kaç havada kalan nokta var elbette. Fakat bu hikaye kurgusunda bilerek bırakılmış noktalar mı yoksa hikaye toparlanamamış mı emin değilim. Oyum ilk seçenekten yana.

Kitabın hikaye ile karşılaştırınca çizgi tarzına çok adapte olamadım. Fazla grafik, çok vektörel. Bazen karakterlerin ifadeleri, hissettikleri bu çizim tarzıyla ifadelere çok yansımıyor. Finalde çizerin profeyonel bir animasyoncu ve büyük yapım şirketleri için iş ürettiğini okuyunca, tarzının belirli bir deneyimden geldiğini de fark ettim.

Çok keyifli bir pazar okuması ya da yolculuk kitabı olabilir. Görevi ve misyonunun tam karşılığı bir kitap.


Son olarak Kayıp Kıta, sana laflar hazırladım. Ucuz ama gramajı yüksek mat kağıda grenli ve flu baskıyı yapan matbaayı çok aradınız mı? Astigmat lobisiyle mi ortaksınız? Etmeyin.

[Jason Albertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like speculative fiction. Part of that is how well suited it is to exploring theology and philosophy. But even when it's not doing that, it's still probably going to be wild and trippy and amazing.

That's this graphic novel.

It doesn't really have a lot to say.

It's just like, hey, what if someone got lost in their grief and ended up living in a different reality as a result?

I don't think the story holds up to very serious philosophical analysis. But I don't think it's supposed to. It's supposed to be a window into what grief and loss are like to experience, not an exploration of how we should respond to grief.

And as that window: man, it's just so good. So effective - the last twist especially. It's so unassuming, but also just the perfect bow on the whole thing.

[Annalisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this and connected with it in some ways. I won't say much more because I don't want to spoil anything. It was fascinating and so good.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, what a ride! This was just so good! I thought I would read some more of this author/artist after Downlands, when having the choice between Cthulhu and this one, well, this one shouted harder. I loved the art. Loved the story. Loved the twists and turns. Highly recommended!

[Kerowyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alors j'avais beaucoup aimé Downlands, son dessin et l'univers, mystérieux, un peu sombre, mais j'ai encore plus aimé "the junction". j'ai beaucoup pensé à la série "From". c'était super. Un auteur canadien à suivre de près donc ❤️

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was really well done.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great combination of two of my favorite things: graphic novels and creeping dread. Plus the pretty illustrations. ❤️❤️💕

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tout aussi bien que Downlands !!
Vrmnt fan de ces univers entre réalité et fantastique avec des personnages perdus aux frontières.
+bien qu’étrange j’adore son style graphique je pense que je lirai toute son œuvre à l’avenir !

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this reminds me of stranger things with a bit of stephen chbosky's imaginery friend.

a boy returns to his town 12 years later after disaappearing at age 11, and he's still 11 years old!
I loved the format this took: a mixture between interviews with the boy after he returned and journal entries of where he actually was. I'd love to see more of this world or even to see it adapted!

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those graphic novels that has all sorts of buzzwords assigned to it. In reviews you'll read 'charming', 'gorgeous', 'beautiful' etc ... and, honestly, I sat there thinking 'How in the world can a graphic novel be charming?' 

But it is.

It's also probably my favourite graphic novel that I've ever picked up. From start to finish it literally is all of those buzzwords and so many more. The Junction is utterly wonderful, charming (honest), moving and just one of those books that stays with you. It has so much going for it that I feel reviewing it in any proper way is just such a hard task (hence why this will be short). As, and this is going to sound very odd, it's one of those books that touches each person differently and will leave you with different memories of it.

The art work is delightful and simplistic in a way that works so well that I couldn't fathom a more detailed art style ever being used for this. The story being told has layers and depth, the characters are all very believable and everything that happens, despite nothing happening in an action-packed way (it's not that kind of graphic novel), has you hanging on for more and leaves you not wanting to put the book down. 

The story of Lucas Jones and his bizarre disappearance and re-emergence is one that I honestly wish I could read again for the first time.

If you get a chance to pick this up, and you want something a little different in your comics than the usual superheroes, zombies or war spectaculars, grab this with both hands and don't let it go until you've finished.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eerie, haunting story with absolutely gorgeous art. It’s an unusual style for a graphic novel, but it works so well. The characters do not have much in the way of features, so expressions are rendered in the tilt of a head or a subtle change in the semi-circle of a mouth. And there is so much in the textures and layering of color. It looks simplistic but it has depth.
To the story - Lucas vanished when he was 11, then returned 12 years later, still 11. He kept a diary that investigators hoped would hold clues, but seems to be nonsense.
I thought I knew what the big reveal was, but I was wrong. Close, but not quite. Konya does something unexpected, and I could not stop thinking about it.

[Tim Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dig the alternative style of art but the story is just really average. *shrug*

[Metin Yılmaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Konu, çizim, karakterler hepsi çok güzeldi. Her sayfaya bir süre bakmak gerekiyor. Güzel bir çalışma, tavsiye ederim.

[tatum ☕️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5 sterren

[Geoffroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avec The Junction, Norm Konyu confirme magistralement la singularité de son univers et s’impose, après Downlands, comme l’un des auteurs les plus troublants et sensibles du roman graphique contemporain.

Le point de départ est d’une simplicité désarmante, presque banale : Lucas Jones réapparaît un jour sur le pas de la porte de son oncle, dans la petite ville de Medford, après douze années d’absence. Mais très vite, l’évidence se fissure. Lucas n’a pas vieilli. Il a toujours 11 ans. Son père, disparu le même jour que lui, reste introuvable. Et surtout, l’enfant est muré dans un silence inquiétant. À partir de là, The Junction déploie une enquête à la fois rationnelle et profondément métaphysique, menée par un inspecteur et une psychologue qui tentent de recomposer l’irreprésentable à partir d’indices fragmentaires : quelques Polaroids et un journal intime.

C’est dans ce carnet que le récit bascule pleinement. Lucas y décrit Kirby Junction, une ville hors du temps où les maisons surgissent sans prévenir, où les habitants attendent indéfiniment un train qui n’arrive jamais. Norm Konyu orchestre avec une grande finesse cette narration gigogne, faisant dialoguer le présent de l’enquête et l’univers mental – ou surnaturel – du journal. Plus l’histoire avance, plus la frontière entre réel, souvenir et imaginaire devient poreuse, jusqu’à troubler profondément le lecteur.

Derrière son vernis fantastique, The Junction est avant tout un récit sur la perte, le deuil et l’impossibilité de faire son deuil. Comme dans Downlands, Konyu s’intéresse à ce moment suspendu où l’absence devient une présence obsédante, où l’on reste bloqué à un carrefour émotionnel sans parvenir à avancer. La ville de Kirby Junction apparaît alors comme une métaphore saisissante : celle d’un lieu où l’on attend, où l’on refuse le mouvement, où le temps s’est arrêté pour ne pas affronter la douleur.

Graphiquement, Norm Konyu déploie une patte immédiatement reconnaissable. Son dessin épuré, presque enfantin en apparence, est traversé par une inquiétante étrangeté. Les décors semblent à la fois familiers et décalés, les visages figés dans une mélancolie sourde. La mise en page, très maîtrisée, joue sur les silences, les répétitions et les ruptures, renforçant cette sensation de malaise diffus. Chaque page contribue à installer une atmosphère à la fois douce et oppressante.

Les influences revendiquées – Twin Peaks, le cinéma de Spielberg des années 80 – ne sont jamais plaquées. Elles nourrissent un imaginaire personnel, teinté d’un absurde très britannique, qui donne à The Junction une tonalité unique. Le fantastique n’y est jamais démonstratif : il surgit par touches, comme un symptôme de blessures enfouies.

Œuvre lente, mélancolique et profondément émotive, The Junction touche juste par sa retenue et sa capacité à évoquer l’indicible. Norm Konyu signe ici un roman graphique d’une grande maturité, aussi déroutant que bouleversant, qui confirme son talent pour raconter l’absence, le manque et ces zones floues où l’enfance, le souvenir et la perte se confondent. Une lecture marquante, qui continue de résonner longtemps après la dernière page.

[Eleana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Après avoir été tour à tour émerveillée puis émue par Downlands, Norm Konyu renouvelle l'exploit avec The Junction. Son univers, si singulier et unique, nous transporte dans un tout autre monde, fait de mystères et d'émotions brutes qui nous prennent aux tripes. L'auteur travaille également dans l'animation et cela se ressent. Il a réussi à créer une patte graphique à nulle autre pareille. Pour ma part, je suis complètement charmée par son travail, tant au niveau de l'illustration que du scénario, mais aussi de la colorimétrie et des thématiques abordées. The Junction traite également de la mort et du deuil mais d'une façon différente de Downlands qui se rapprochait davantage du conte gothique. Dans The Junction, l'histoire se concentre sur une enquête autour de la disparition mystérieuse de Lucas Jones, en même temps que son père, douze ans plus tôt. L'affaire avait été classée sans suite des années plus tôt, mais elle se rouvre au moment de la découverte de Lucas Jones, disparu alors qu'il avait 11 ans seulement... et retrouvé au même âge. Une réapparition troublante et inquiétante qui suscite bien des réactions au poste de police. Nous suivons l'enquête du point de vue de l'inspecteur et de ses collègues qui ont bien du mal à rassembler les pièces du puzzle : les pages d'un journal qui se répètent, avec des événements plus troublants les uns que les autres, impossibles à imaginer... Pourtant, l'impossible s'est déjà produit : Lucas Jones est de nouveau à Medford, sans avoir vieilli d'une seule ride. L'homme de 23 ans qu'il aurait dû être n'existe pas, il ne reste que le Lucas de 11 ans peu bavard et bien plus mature qu'il ne le devrait. La narration nous embarque avec une facilité déconcertante, les mystères se multiplient pendant que le journal est décortiqué : des maisons qui apparaissent de nulle part, une voix dans le puits, un randonneur pas si perdu... Autant de péripéties déconcertantes que de nouveaux mystères à résoudre. Pour avoir déjà lu Downlands, la vérité derrière tous ces événements m'est apparue assez vite. C'est ce qui explique pourquoi je n'ai pas un aussi gros coup de cœur que pour son précédent opus, mais pour toutes les émotions ressenties au cours de ma lecture, il mérite tout de même ce titre. J'ai été intriguée, émue, frustrée plus d'une fois. Je ne peux que conseiller chaudement The Junction, et plus largement la bibliographie de Norm Konyu, un auteur et un scénariste de roman graphique à suivre de très près, qui nous offre toujours de sublimes pépites qu'on ne se lasse pas d'admirer.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I have had this graphic novel on my bookcase for a couple of years now. It has been patiently waiting for me to pick it up. When I first stumbled across it, I have to admit that it was the cover which initially drew me in. When I read the synopsis of the story, that then intrigued me, and so with no real awareness of how this book came to be, or Konyu's work, I took a punt and I ordered it. I am so glad that I follow my shallow responses to book covers now, as this was a brilliant read.

I think graphic novels and comics don't always get the recognition that they deserve. I think that, for some, they feel that when you reach adulthood, you really shouldn't be reading books with pictures in. That's for kids. Well, if we stuck to this crazy logic, adults would miss out on books such as this.

The Junction is a beautiful, and strange book in so many ways. First of all, the art is utterly brilliant. The style and the colouring is just spot on. The way that the text is arranged in each cell is also intuitive, making the reading experience all the better. But what makes this graphic novel go completely out of the park is the story. Lucas Jones, an 11 year-old boy who goes missing, only to reappear 12 years later. The only thing is, he hasn't aged in all of that time. How can this be?

The story of Lucas completely captivated me. There is a quote on the front cover of the book which says, "Gorgeous in every way. Hallucinatory, moving, and mesmerizing." For once, this is a quote to plug the book which actually perfectly sums up the book, the story, everything. The Junction is a strange tale but it is one which will haunt you. I pretty much read it in one sitting, as once I had started it I didn't want to leave - on reflection, this may be a bit ironic, given what the story is about...

I would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you don't usually read graphic novels - in fact, then I would urge you to give it a go even more; it may just surprise you and make you realise what you've been missing by not giving this genre a go.
Beautiful - this is one book which is going to be staying on the bookcase, as it is somewhere I'd love to go back to one day.

[Joseph B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Junction uniquely expressive art style paired with its page-turning mystery delivers a thriller worth the time. The premise is deceptively simple; a boy goes missing and twelve years later he returns... exactly the same age as when he disappeared. This boy, Lucas, claims to have spent all that time in Kirby Junction. A place that doesn't exist.

Junction's strength stems twofold; its somewhat minimalist art style (plus the text formatting) along with its pace at unfolding mysteries. The art is surprisingly expressive with its characters and the world is fittingly dreamlike when in Kirby Junction. Lucas drives the story as he adjusts to being back while we also see a great many flashbacks to what happened in Kirby Junction. Each chapter peels back a mystery as to what's happening. Kirby Junction is the draw of this miniseries. Its bizarre state juxtaposes well with the disbelief adults have in the "real world" story.

An issue I noticed with The Junction is the secondary characters aren't overly fleshed out and lack agency. However the story makes it explicitly clear from the get-go this is all about Lucas. What happened to him, how much information he is willing to give when prodded, and what he plans to do next. The characters react to Lucas. So I chalk it up to a minor issue at most.

Overall The Junction delivers a fun mystery for the reader to unravel. With an ending that is satisfactory, even if it leaves some loose ends just as life does.

[Bookshortie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1984 11 year old Lucas and his father disappeared without a trace. Fast forward to 1996 when Lucas reappears without his father but there is mystery surrounding Lucas’ reappearance because Lucas is still 11 years old and hasn’t aged a day. The only potential clues as to Lucas’ whereabouts are contained in a diary he kept in an exercise book which was found in his belongings. As Lucas won’t speak his therapist asks him to continue writing in his diary and drawing pictures so his movements during his time away can be pieced together. Lucas does indicate that he has been living in Kirby Junction, but that place doesn’t exist. What happened to Lucas? Where has he been? Why has he not aged a day? Where is Lucas’ father?

As a child I loved to read comics and graphic novels and recently I’ve wanted to start getting back into reading more of them. When the invitation arrived to review The Junction and it was pitched as something fans of Stranger Things would love I jumped at the chance to read it. The story sounded interesting and the illustrations that I saw were intriguing. As soon as I picked it up it reignited my love of comics and graphic novels. I absolutely adored this read and after I had finished reading I found myself flicking back through the pages to appreciate the story and artwork further.

From the outset there was this eerie atmosphere around Lucas and where he’d been. That eerie feeling stayed with me until I’d finished the book. I was a little sad when the book was over because I wanted to see what would happen to Lucas next. The story included a mix of intrigue and a dash of the thriller genre thrown in. I could have never guessed the ending and it’s a graphic novel with a storyline that I don’t think I’ll easily forget. One thing I liked about this graphic novel was the section at the end which explored the scenes behind The Junction where the author talked about the artwork and story process.

If like me you love graphic novels or want to read one for the first time then I would recommend The Junction as it is perfect for established fans of the genre or those who are discovering it for the first time.