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Goosebumps Graphic Novels #3
Stay Out of the Basement: The Graphic Novel
A thrilling Goosebumps horror classic about creepy basement experiments is now available as a page-turning graphic novel.
Do not enter . . . or else!
The basement is strictly off limits to Margaret and Casey Brewer. Their scientist dad is running a secret experiment with plants and doesn’t want them upsetting the delicate ecosystem he’s created. But Margaret and Casey decide a quick peek won’t hurt anyone. Their dad has been behaving very strangely and they have to know what’s going on down there. The truth they find is way stranger than fiction―these plants just might have minds of their own!
Do not enter . . . or else!
The basement is strictly off limits to Margaret and Casey Brewer. Their scientist dad is running a secret experiment with plants and doesn’t want them upsetting the delicate ecosystem he’s created. But Margaret and Casey decide a quick peek won’t hurt anyone. Their dad has been behaving very strangely and they have to know what’s going on down there. The truth they find is way stranger than fiction―these plants just might have minds of their own!
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 7, 2026
4.75/5 rounded to 4.8.
I think this my second favorite adaptation of the classic Original 62 book, only behind the original Goosebumps series episode for me. Thinking on it - I think I prefer The Haunted Mask over this by a smidge but this is darn good. Just feel that Maddi’s take on the story felt fresh but also felt kinda — ripoff-y.
First thing is, this is arguably the most faithful adaptation she’s done yet. I think she shocked everyone when she came out wanting to do this story given her art style and there was reason for apprehension. To say I’m surprised is an understatement.
It’s clear the the admiration of the original book and 90’s Goosebumps episode seeps through the pages. While the original novelette felt lighter in tone whenever Dr. Brewer was on page, shifting from concerning to overly excitable, I think the disconnect was seeing the actual body language there. Which - Maddi delivers. It’s more Smile movie series inspired than I hoped, but works. Not as effectively as Judah Katz’s role, sadly, but it sure feels better than what the book insinuated.
Here’s the thing: the book is mainly intact which means we have Diane. She serves her role like the book but honestly - she’s not needed at all. I’d prefer the focus be shifted on the kids like the episode, which basically has everything the graphic novel offers minus some newish things Maddi adds near the end.
The additional plant horror adds to the macabre science fiction world the book had and the episode also brought in its own ways. I do feel like there’s some plants that are trying to be scary but end up just being goofy. And when we find the real Brewer and his boss in the basement near the end - I did kinda laugh. But aside from that, solid plant horror stuff.
And for those wondering — WE GOT THE AXE AND IT WAS AWESOME.
All in all - valiant attempt at tackling such an iconic piece of horror fiction from the series. I think in due time Maddi will be able to tackle projects that fans have been clamoring for.
I hope she gets the shot to do Vampire Breath, A Night In Terror Tower, and Ghost Camp the most.
Great read, and cool art.
I think this my second favorite adaptation of the classic Original 62 book, only behind the original Goosebumps series episode for me. Thinking on it - I think I prefer The Haunted Mask over this by a smidge but this is darn good. Just feel that Maddi’s take on the story felt fresh but also felt kinda — ripoff-y.
First thing is, this is arguably the most faithful adaptation she’s done yet. I think she shocked everyone when she came out wanting to do this story given her art style and there was reason for apprehension. To say I’m surprised is an understatement.
It’s clear the the admiration of the original book and 90’s Goosebumps episode seeps through the pages. While the original novelette felt lighter in tone whenever Dr. Brewer was on page, shifting from concerning to overly excitable, I think the disconnect was seeing the actual body language there. Which - Maddi delivers. It’s more Smile movie series inspired than I hoped, but works. Not as effectively as Judah Katz’s role, sadly, but it sure feels better than what the book insinuated.
Here’s the thing: the book is mainly intact which means we have Diane. She serves her role like the book but honestly - she’s not needed at all. I’d prefer the focus be shifted on the kids like the episode, which basically has everything the graphic novel offers minus some newish things Maddi adds near the end.
The additional plant horror adds to the macabre science fiction world the book had and the episode also brought in its own ways. I do feel like there’s some plants that are trying to be scary but end up just being goofy. And when we find the real Brewer and his boss in the basement near the end - I did kinda laugh. But aside from that, solid plant horror stuff.
And for those wondering — WE GOT THE AXE AND IT WAS AWESOME.
All in all - valiant attempt at tackling such an iconic piece of horror fiction from the series. I think in due time Maddi will be able to tackle projects that fans have been clamoring for.
I hope she gets the shot to do Vampire Breath, A Night In Terror Tower, and Ghost Camp the most.
Great read, and cool art.
October 7, 2026
What an absolutely wonderful visual adaptation of what is probably my favorite of the original 62 Goosebumps books (If not #1, Top 3).
MG's art has already shined with the preceding two series adaptations, and I find this one to be her best effort yet.
From the art style to the clever little visual effects throughout, this graphic novel version of the classic story makes the source material glow with renewed light.
I can't think of a better intro into the series for younger readers than this, especially kids who are reluctant readers.
Scholastic, just sign MG up to adapt the full series at this point. Seriously.
MG's art has already shined with the preceding two series adaptations, and I find this one to be her best effort yet.
From the art style to the clever little visual effects throughout, this graphic novel version of the classic story makes the source material glow with renewed light.
I can't think of a better intro into the series for younger readers than this, especially kids who are reluctant readers.
Scholastic, just sign MG up to adapt the full series at this point. Seriously.
October 7, 2026
Another solid adaptation from Maddi Gonzalez. Not quite great; the Haunted Mask graphic novel is still the best but I've been very happy with these overall and I hope she keeps them coming!
October 7, 2026
Am I getting this right? We finally have a Goosebumps graphic novel that I feel was genuinely perfect. Maddi Gonzalez style for Goosebumps has progressively gotten more homey, feeling like she’d adapted into the series whilst retaining some of her cutesy style. This is the best I’ve seen of it yet and I think she did a phenomenal job with the humor and horror. One of my concerns for her work with Goosebumps was that some of the matured scenes would feel dialed down since this would undoubtedly be more accessible to younger readers with it not being daunting, but Maddi crushed it with the plant gore and body horror. There’s cover is the tamest thing you see lol. The character of Diane also has more shine in this version, which is something that actually improved from the original book, and she brings most of the levity in the story. Speaking of the story, it’s pretty much beat-for-beat with the original book, and so it shares many positives, like Dr. Brewer and the darker tone/tension he has whenever he appears, the plant horror (again, SO good), and the final act of the book with its revelations. I think this was a great interpretation of the story, and I’ll say one I think I favor. Overall, 10/10. Doesn’t miss a beat and does all I want from the Goosebumps graphic novels. I hope we get another one with adequate horror in the future because I think Maddi can do it justice. I went into the basement, I saw what’s in the basement, I conquered what’s in the basement.
November 2, 2026
is this the hottest any dad has ever been? chugging miracle grow?
Review of advance copy
Probably My Favourite Out Of The Graphic Novels That have came out so far This Really Gives Me The Fly 1986 and Little shop of horrors Vibe’s And I love the grotesque Art In this Also This Is less cartoony Then The other Graphic novels Definitely Less cartoony Then the monster blood one 9.5/10
October 29, 2026
It is time once again for the now yearly Goosebumps graphic novels. I certainly hope they keep this up for at least a few more years. Maddi Gonzalez returns and this time we have Stay Out of the Basement. I wasn’t too surprised this was next as she said it was a favorite and it is pretty well represented.
Season 2 of the 2023 show even had a Brewer family in it. I wonder if this was picked to create some synergy with it. Anyway, this is the most serious of the stories these have adapted so far as it does have a gloomy-ness to it. There’s humor and weird-ness of course but I mostly think of Marget Brewer’s concerns about her dad not being himself and possibly up to some bad stuff.
So going in I had some worries since the style these are going with is one I didn't think would lend itself quite as well to this story. But hey I was still interested to see how it is.
For those that need a bit of a summary: It’s about Margaret and Casey Brewer, who have a botanist father that recently got fired. He used to be fun but now he’s mostly stewing his lab in the basement, working on who knows what. He also warns them to…well, the title. They now both feel distant from Dr. Brewer and are a bit afraid. And it gets worse as he starts acting strangely and develops some old plant-like qualities.
This was pretty good but it doesn’t leave me with as much to say. If you read my reviews for the prior 2 graphic novels, you know the main things I said about the art style and how it works. Reviewing these will likely get a bit boring since I’m going at it from the POV of knowing the books and such. From a reading experience it’s still fun and there’s enough neat things to note in terms of what it contributes but we’re already into the groove of these.
I did find this a bit weaker than the first 2 in terms of how it compares to the book. There are slight signs of being more rushed, with a few wonky faces and less major standout moments Granted, the story doesn’t lend itself as much to all the things Maddi does really well. More straight forward so less room for great expressions and all that.
It’s all still there, mostly with Diane and Brewer himself. There’s added funny moments with Brewer and some creepy ones too. There is some mild lightening up as the comedy and brighter colors make it less moody than the original book. The book and episode did that well, to sell both the horror and sad-ness of Margaret dealing with a distant dad.
It’s to be expected, especially with the original story being somewhat evocative of abusive parents. Clone Brewer is a bit more offbeat than cruel, making the distinction between the two more clear. It all makes sense at least. Although it does feel rushed in a few spots, having less of the creepy build in a couple scenes. It has these minor scenes that make it just a bit less effective.
It does have the strongest horror moments of these graphic novels so far when we get to the plant stuff. My favorite actually being the final panel, won’t say anything further. The colors are especially good here, with the basement scenes standing out the reds and greens.
Adaptation wise, the most notable difference is giving Diane more to do. She has a few extra bits that make her more fun. She still isn’t a big part of it but I did like that, while in the tv episode they just got rid of her lol. Otherwise, it’s the usual minor things including the new usual added nice bits between characters. In this case they also heighten up the concern over the scary plant dad.
We get a more elaborate backstory for how Brewer made the plant clone which was cool to see. It does again keep a flaw from the book, that being how the princess thing is paid off. It’s a small enough part to not matter too much but it’s there. The major plot stuff is well handled though, including that backstory.
(Also, spoilers, they keep in the ax stuff which is surprising and awesome)
There are some drawbacks to this one compared to the original book and TV episode but it still does fare well. It’s pretty solid/enjoyable with some horror and the same strong concept. It just does show some of the cons of this art style when applied to a more serious story. It’s able to work here but I do know how it will go if something like Ghost Camp gets tried out.
Still, it all works pretty well for Goosebumps in general. Not too much to add for this one, a bit weaker than the book but pretty good in general. It mostly gets better as it goes, as it gets more into the plant horror stuff.
Now to look towards the future. As of now, there’s nothing to confirm or deny getting more of these which is a bit worrying. I can see the torch being passed to another artist and that being the hold up on confirmation but who knows. Frankly the goal should be to get up to 6 since that’s where the Animorphs Graphix stopped.
Those were greenlit for 3 off the bat like this was and those first ones did well enough to 3 more and given Goosebumps is bigger, I don’t see how we don’t get at least one more batch. But who knows, circumstances could be different. I do really enjoy these and do hope for more. Again I prefer fresher takes but straight adaptations like this do well as there’s enough of its own stamp in the art.
New artist or nah, I do hope to get more. Fingers crossed. So yeah, not much more to add. As for my next read, won’t be able to fit more Halloween stuff so I’ll move on to our 3rd GB ripoff round for the year.
And how do I start it off? By finishing up Deadtime Stories cuz a chad on Archive.org finally put up the Tiny Town sequel! See ya then.
(Also I read Nightbooks cuz I’m reviewing the movie so that will be logged tomorrow)
Season 2 of the 2023 show even had a Brewer family in it. I wonder if this was picked to create some synergy with it. Anyway, this is the most serious of the stories these have adapted so far as it does have a gloomy-ness to it. There’s humor and weird-ness of course but I mostly think of Marget Brewer’s concerns about her dad not being himself and possibly up to some bad stuff.
So going in I had some worries since the style these are going with is one I didn't think would lend itself quite as well to this story. But hey I was still interested to see how it is.
For those that need a bit of a summary: It’s about Margaret and Casey Brewer, who have a botanist father that recently got fired. He used to be fun but now he’s mostly stewing his lab in the basement, working on who knows what. He also warns them to…well, the title. They now both feel distant from Dr. Brewer and are a bit afraid. And it gets worse as he starts acting strangely and develops some old plant-like qualities.
This was pretty good but it doesn’t leave me with as much to say. If you read my reviews for the prior 2 graphic novels, you know the main things I said about the art style and how it works. Reviewing these will likely get a bit boring since I’m going at it from the POV of knowing the books and such. From a reading experience it’s still fun and there’s enough neat things to note in terms of what it contributes but we’re already into the groove of these.
I did find this a bit weaker than the first 2 in terms of how it compares to the book. There are slight signs of being more rushed, with a few wonky faces and less major standout moments Granted, the story doesn’t lend itself as much to all the things Maddi does really well. More straight forward so less room for great expressions and all that.
It’s all still there, mostly with Diane and Brewer himself. There’s added funny moments with Brewer and some creepy ones too. There is some mild lightening up as the comedy and brighter colors make it less moody than the original book. The book and episode did that well, to sell both the horror and sad-ness of Margaret dealing with a distant dad.
It’s to be expected, especially with the original story being somewhat evocative of abusive parents. Clone Brewer is a bit more offbeat than cruel, making the distinction between the two more clear. It all makes sense at least. Although it does feel rushed in a few spots, having less of the creepy build in a couple scenes. It has these minor scenes that make it just a bit less effective.
It does have the strongest horror moments of these graphic novels so far when we get to the plant stuff. My favorite actually being the final panel, won’t say anything further. The colors are especially good here, with the basement scenes standing out the reds and greens.
Adaptation wise, the most notable difference is giving Diane more to do. She has a few extra bits that make her more fun. She still isn’t a big part of it but I did like that, while in the tv episode they just got rid of her lol. Otherwise, it’s the usual minor things including the new usual added nice bits between characters. In this case they also heighten up the concern over the scary plant dad.
We get a more elaborate backstory for how Brewer made the plant clone which was cool to see. It does again keep a flaw from the book, that being how the princess thing is paid off. It’s a small enough part to not matter too much but it’s there. The major plot stuff is well handled though, including that backstory.
(Also, spoilers, they keep in the ax stuff which is surprising and awesome)
There are some drawbacks to this one compared to the original book and TV episode but it still does fare well. It’s pretty solid/enjoyable with some horror and the same strong concept. It just does show some of the cons of this art style when applied to a more serious story. It’s able to work here but I do know how it will go if something like Ghost Camp gets tried out.
Still, it all works pretty well for Goosebumps in general. Not too much to add for this one, a bit weaker than the book but pretty good in general. It mostly gets better as it goes, as it gets more into the plant horror stuff.
Now to look towards the future. As of now, there’s nothing to confirm or deny getting more of these which is a bit worrying. I can see the torch being passed to another artist and that being the hold up on confirmation but who knows. Frankly the goal should be to get up to 6 since that’s where the Animorphs Graphix stopped.
Those were greenlit for 3 off the bat like this was and those first ones did well enough to 3 more and given Goosebumps is bigger, I don’t see how we don’t get at least one more batch. But who knows, circumstances could be different. I do really enjoy these and do hope for more. Again I prefer fresher takes but straight adaptations like this do well as there’s enough of its own stamp in the art.
New artist or nah, I do hope to get more. Fingers crossed. So yeah, not much more to add. As for my next read, won’t be able to fit more Halloween stuff so I’ll move on to our 3rd GB ripoff round for the year.
And how do I start it off? By finishing up Deadtime Stories cuz a chad on Archive.org finally put up the Tiny Town sequel! See ya then.
(Also I read Nightbooks cuz I’m reviewing the movie so that will be logged tomorrow)
October 25, 2026
The third book in the Goosebumps graphic novel adaptation series! Much stronger than "Monster Blood," but not quite up to par with "The Haunted Mask" graphic novel. Although as with "Monster Blood," I have to wonder if it's because "The Haunted Mask" simply lends itself better to adaptation by being a more compelling story.
Still, the illustrations are fun and vibrant; kids who love horror are sure to enjoy it, and adults who grew up with the original Goosebumps should (like m!) have a good time revisiting these stories in a new way. I hope they continue the series!
Still, the illustrations are fun and vibrant; kids who love horror are sure to enjoy it, and adults who grew up with the original Goosebumps should (like m!) have a good time revisiting these stories in a new way. I hope they continue the series!
October 19, 2026
Of the three graphic novels we’ve gotten thus far, I feel like this one was handled the best. I still am annoyed there’s a cell phone in it, but it’s used for a call that actually happens in the book as a regular telephone call instead of a video call. So it doesn’t hurt the plot too much.
October 16, 2026
Gonzalez has been absolutely killing it with these graphic novels. I will read any Goosebumps adaptation she illustrates.
October 22, 2026
Good adaptation of the story to illustration, but interesting changes to modernize the story.
October 23, 2026
I look so forward to these each year and this one was fantastic! The colors were vibrant, the story classic and it was paced perfectly.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews