MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within: The Graphic Stories

by MrBallen, Robert Venditti (Contributor), Andrea Mutti (Illustrator)

From the New York Times bestselling author and creator of the hit MrBallen Podcast and YouTube channel comes a spine-chilling novel featuring nine gripping stories based on real events—including four all-new, never-before-shared tales—of the terrors that hide inside us all

Have you ever wondered what you’re truly capable of? Or been afraid of what you might do when no one is looking?

If so, you have experienced the terror within. And now, in this vivid collection of stories, New York Times bestselling author and hit podcaster MrBallen returns with tales of the horrors that exist in our own psyches. From primeval atrocities in the Russian wilderness to shockingly personal hauntings in Taiwan to chilling encounters in the depths of cyberspace, these stories are creepy, captivating, and utterly unforgettable.

Enter if you dare.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics

208 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 6, 2026

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[STEPH · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve seen quite a few videos of Mr. Ballen on Facebook Reels and YouTube, and there’s something special about the way he narrates his stories. They’re well-researched, opinionated, and strike a balance between respect and dread.

The drawings are great, and the stories are eerie. The copy I got from NetGalley had some chapters removed, as they will be held back until the book’s release, which is fair enough.

Overall, this was okay. Not memorable, but a bit fun.

[Sabrina Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

If you love creepy, unsettling stories that are made even scarier because they’re based on real events, this is a fun read. The graphic novel format makes it incredibly easy to fly through, and the artwork adds just the right amount of tension without taking away from the storytelling. Some stories hit harder than others, but overall it’s an entertaining collection that kept me turning the pages

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Overview: Mr. Ballen has hosted a podcast for several years now. Yet, he just likes to tell stories. Granted most of them have something strange or mysterious about them. This graphic novel has ten illustrated stories that show how the human mind can drive some odd cases. What's included? Let's find out.

Story Telling: This is a graphic novel full of short stories.

Artwork: We have an excellent American comic book style artwork with sepia tones in many cases.

Dislikes: Too bad that Luis went alone when that villager called for help. They might have both survived.

Likes: Mary's story is creepy in a good way.

The stories were fun. Though I can't read them the same way that Mr. Ballen does.

It was interesting to see how Mr. Ballen got started on his story telling career.

Conclusion: This is a fun book. If you are a fan of strange, mysterious, and true stories, or a fan of Mr. Ballen, then this book is for you. Enjoy the read.

[Noah H-I]

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

This graphic novel collection presents a series of strange and mysterious stories in Mr. Ballen’s signature storytelling style. The artwork is expressive, atmospheric, and easy to follow, using a comic-book style and muted tones that add to the suspense without distracting from the stories themselves.

Many of the stories may feel familiar to longtime fans of Mr. Ballen’s YouTube channel or podcast, but the graphic novel format gives them a fresh and entertaining presentation. The collection mixes eerie and intriguing stories with visuals that keep the tone engaging rather than overly intense, making it approachable for both fans and newer readers, including older kids and teens who enjoy spooky stories.

The review copy also had several stories removed until publication day, so the full collection was not available to read in advance.

Overall, it’s a fun and visually strong collection that will likely appeal to readers who enjoy mysterious, suspenseful, and true-story-inspired tales.

[Pawsandpagesonthecoast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a massive Mr Ballen fan so I was so excited to be approved for this ARC. I loved the manga style graphic novel. It was easy to read and the stories still had heaps of detail. If anything the pics added to this. My favourite was The Cave but all the other stories were equally intriguing. I can’t wait for the release date so I can buy myself a copy and read the four chapters that were excluded from this version. I’m so interested to read His Masterpiece. I honestly couldn’t fault this novel at all. I will review on Good Reads, Amazon and Insta the week of release. Thanks again for such a fab read

[Chelsea is Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered MrBallen a few years ago with his podcast. I have enjoyed his story telling and this is no different. Because I have listened to many of his episodes, some of these stories were not new to me but it was still fun seeing them drawn out. Because I read the review copy, I am not able to review all the stories as they left 4 out till publication but all the ones I read where good. Obviously, with any collection of stories there will be ones that resonate more with the reader than others. These would be the perfect stories to tell around the firepit while camping.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

[Isabell · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://hauntedreads.com/2026/08/30/t...

[Garrett Huckabay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story telling and illustrations are amazing! However half the stories were excluded from the NetGalley version. I can’t wait to read the rest once published!
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've really liked the other books, so I was pretty stoked to get a chance to read this ahead of the pub date. It's strangely informative with a little bit of eerie thrown in for good measure. MrBallen has the story telling down.

[Katies_bookish_adventure · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Terror Within was a nice popcorn horror kind of read, I only had access to five stories out of nine stories on the galley version but the stories were still interesting to read about. I felt like they all had an intriguing premise and while most endings were kind of open ended I hadn’t minded that. The stories are unique and carry a good amount of dread and suspense. The art style looks good too, it’s has this rugged kind of look to it that matches the tone of these stories nicely. Thank you to the publisher for my complimentary review copy.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within: The Graphic Stories by MrBallen is a 2026 graphic story collection from the MrBallen Graphic Stories series, illustrated by Andrea Mutti with contributions by Robert Venditti. It releases on September 29, 2026 from Ten Speed Graphic. As a longtime MrBallen fan, I was immediately excited to see this pop up for review, especially because I already own a signed copy of the first book. I went in excited, but I still wanted to look at this objectively as a book and as a graphic collection.

This collection brings together strange, dark, and unsettling stories based on real events, told in a graphic novel format. The focus is exactly what I would expect from MrBallen: creepy incidents, disturbing history, unnerving mysteries, and stories that stay with you after you finish them.

I really enjoyed this. The stories themselves are strong, and the format works better than I expected. MrBallen’s style has always been built around pacing and payoff, and this version still captures that feeling while giving the stories a visual edge. The artwork is not necessarily my usual personal style, but it fits the material well. It has an older illustrated-history feel to it, almost like something pulled from frontier-era books or old strange-events collections, which makes sense with the range of stories being told. A lot of these stories feel rooted in the outdoors, the past, or places where the world already feels a little dangerous.

My favorite story was the one about the Red Ghost. The imagery there was especially well done, and it had one of the strongest visual impressions in the collection. I do not want to say too much beyond that, because it is the kind of story that works best without spoilers.

To be transparent, the advance copy provided by the publisher did not include all of the stories from the finished book. That was a little disappointing because I was enjoying the collection so much, but I also understand that advance copies are not always final. The stories I did get to read were strong enough that I’m looking forward to picking up a finished physical copy, especially knowing there will still be a few surprises left.

Overall, The Terror Within is a creepy, well-made graphic collection that should work for MrBallen fans and for readers who like true-event-inspired horror, eerie history, outdoor scares, and short unsettling stories with strong visuals. It feels accessible without being bland, creepy without trying too hard, and faithful to the kind of storytelling that makes MrBallen so fun to follow.

Rating: 4.5/5

Author Note: Thank you to Ten Speed Graphic and NetGalley for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Waldkauzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This comic is unnecessary in my opinion. During each story I thought I would rather watch MrBallen's YouTube video on it instead of continuing, which defeats the purpose of the graphic novel.
Collected are 10 short stories of mysterious, sometimes rather spooky, cases, but all of them were told in a short manner, and some story beats and case developments felt randomly introduced, and the conclusion often rushed, in the sense of "Maybe it was X? Maybe Y was happening. Anyway, no page time left."
The inclusion of MrBallen's character was often quite short, and he rarely had anything interesting to offer or comment on.

The art is nice enough, though. Thanks to NetGalley and Then Speed Press for an eARC for an honest review.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can tell a lot of care went into the artwork and presentation of this book, and I loved that it included a mix of stories I already knew and others that were completely new to me. I think this would make a great gift for a reader who loves spooky stories or someone who is getting into reading.

[Indiana Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, it's Mr. Ballen. What? Was the book going to be bad? Pshhhh. Forever a Mr. Ballen fan!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I enjoy watching MrBallen’s stories on TikTok. He’s a really good storyteller. I also really enjoy the graphic novels. The flow works and the artwork is gorgeous.

But please, NetGalley or Ten Speed Graphic I am begging you, put in the description that the book doesn’t contain all the stories so readers can make an informed decision about requesting to read this book. Four of the stories weren’t available, which wasn’t indicated until you got to that first missing story in the book.
I don’t like reviewing a book that isn’t complete and that I didn’t know wasn’t complete until I started it.

However, what I did read, I liked. Dead Mountain and Her Face were my favorite stories. I hadn’t heard of Ape Canyon, the Red Ghost or The Cave before and I did find them interesting. I will read this in full when it becomes available but it’s not necessarily going to be something I rush out to get.

I did also enjoy the further reading section at the end of the book. I love a good rabbit hole.

I do recommend watching his stories on TikTok. He is a good storyteller and his stories are always interesting.

Thank you to MrBallen, NetGalley and Ten Speed Graphic for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

As a big fan of MrBallen, I was thrilled to read this graphic novel. I enjoyed the stories I was allowed to read (four weren’t shown in the advanced copy), the story about Mary and her husband was my favorite.

For me, personally, I didn’t like the art. It was very gritty and, while that works for the stories, it was hard for me to distinguish anything. But that’s just my personal preference.

Overall, this felt like I binged a bunch of his YouTube Videos and I enjoyed the experience.

Rating: 3.5 stars (for now! Until I read the other stories)

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy Mr Ballens YT stories than you will most likely know the stories coved in this book.
The drawings are great and the style is intriguing each cell is very animated and expressive art style wise. the text does not distract from the art.
The stories are commonly told but are still done every well, just nothing new if you have watched all of his YT vids.
With saying that this graphic novel would be great as an introduction to his story telling, for fans, even introducing this style of storytelling or these types of stories to older kids and teens. Personally know my 10 year old will love this book as a physical copy, he loves these styles of stories and as a graphic novel, even better, there is nothing disturbing or horrifying image or story wise for a younger reader, Just the story topic.
Over all if you are a fan of Ballen's YT or just the story topics you will most likely enjoy this Graphic novel.
Thank you to the author and publisher for letting me read this book as an ARC. I have watched Ballen for many years now and really found this graphic novel really interesting.

[Susan Beamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel, and with such, the publisher has withheld some of the collected stories from the book as presented on Netgalley. I understand this, although I would have liked to have read those stories when I read the ones present.
This book is a collection of stories taken from newspapers and magazines of a decidedly horrific nature. They would correctly be counted as urban legends. As such, the author was clear with s bibliography showing where the stories were first published. Some of the stories I had heard of through other publications, like The Red Ghost about a time in the West when the Army actually imported camels. That will be the only spoiler I'll give. The other stories are as equally unlikely and proven true as Ghost.
I enjoyed the book. The art is vivid, leaning more toward the Eerie magazine art. That makes it atmospheric and matches the subject matter. Some of these stories you may recognize from horror or thriller fiction. Our stories do come from somewhere. I liked the book. It is a fast read, mostly due to the format. I think you may enjoy it also.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC

I'd like to thank Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic, and NetGalley for the chance to give "MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within" an early read in return for an honest review.

This is the third graphic novel from the online storyteller MrBallen, and it's no surprise to find that this is just as good as the others, if not the best of the bunch so far. The stories are easy to follow, with a distinct art style that has followed through every collection thus far. The stories that were chosen here felt a bit more curated than the others, which made the collection, as a whole, feel a lot more cohesive. They're short, sweet, and frightening, which is all you could ask for out of these collections. I have a blast every time that I get to read these, and I'm so glad to report that this one really is worth a read.

Be sure to give "MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within" a read when it is published on September 29, 2026!

[Nadine Sturgill · Rating 4 out of 5]

MrBallen is great at finding the stories that are creepy, unexplained, and makes them entertaining. This was my first graphic novel of his, and although it was amazing, I felt a little put off with the ARC having 4 of the stories held back. One of the stories I was looking forward to reading. References for each story are included for a little more in-depth information. The stories do not go as deep as his youtube videos or podcasts, but I feel like this would be great for teens/young adults who aren't really into reading. I will be purchasing the physical copy so that I can see the artwork and get MrBallen's take on those 4 stories that were withheld. Even with that, I was extremely happy with this graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, MrBallen, and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press | Ten Speed Graphic for an early read of Terror Within.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Ballen does it again. The third graphic novel in his series is just a great as the other two. I own the first two and I had already pre-ordered this one when he announced it before seeing it on NetGalley and requesting it. Although the publisher opted to keep 4 new stories from the ARC, it was still enjoyable. I have seen every one of his Youtube videos multiple times and listened to all of his podcast episodes for all of his podcasts, so I would consider myself to be a huge fan of his storytelling. The stories in this graphic novel (at least the ones I was permitted to read) are retold from his Youtube channel and put into this graphic novel with some great artwork as always. I am really looking forward to getting my copy upon release to read the 4 new stories that were not included in the ARC. Thank you to the publisher on NetGalley who allowed me to read an advanced copy.

[H. Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach primarily juniors, seniors, and former high school dropouts from age 18-21. To say my students are reluctant readers is putting it lightly. However, I owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Ballen for these books. My students love them, and I can convince them to go online after reading to check out more info about the stories. So I appreciate the ‘breadcrumb’ trail at the end for each one! Then we can argue about and write about each story, or at least their favorites anyway. I told one of my students I was an advanced reader for NetGalley on this book, and he keeps asking me, ‘Is it good? When do we get to read it?’ Which is nothing short of miraculous for a young man with some serious hurdles to literacy. Bless you, Mr Ballen, the kids are reading.

[mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. To be honest, I wasn't familiar with MrBallen or his podcast before picking this up, but I've already added it to my list of things to check out.

As for the stories themselves... My favorite was definitely "The Cave", that one was really well done and kept me hooked from start to finish. The other ones were okay. They were interesting, but they didn't leave the same impression on me. There were also a few stories I couldn't read because they're being "saved" for the physical publication, which I actually think it's an interesting detail.

Overall, an interesting collection that introduced me to a creator I probably wouldn't have discovered otherwise.

[Haruka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read i guess. I cant really give my full review as the book is not given to me completely. The book is such a quick read to me. 5 story out of 9 was the only available to be read. The first and 3rd story was a famous one so that was nothing new. The other 3 story i could read was new to me so i can review that. It a new mystery story. I do enjoy reading and knowing about them. The stories is short and simple yet interesting and the way it was written is engaging. Good read!
.
.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~
Maybe when it fully releases then i can come back to give my full review of the other stories.

[Keziah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars | I loved the idea of this book. As someone who loves spooky ghost stories, this was perfect.
The artist did a fantastic job bring the art to life in a way that wasn’t distracting or takes away from the text.
I loved how some of the stories chosen weren’t super familiar so I was learning some new ones.
I didn’t like that there were 4 stories taken out of the book to be available only on publishing day. I would’ve liked to read them all. Nonetheless it was still an enjoyable read, with absolutely breathtaking graphics.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Juniper Mortlock Jennison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got given an E-ARC via NetGalley which had been gracefully delivered and read in one sitting. Thank you to NetGalley

I have been a longtime fan of MrBallen since before he even had the books he has. This book is one of his best pieces I’ve ever indulged in. The artwork, the stories, and the execution is done to perfection. While having already heard two of the stories in the book it is as always written in a way you’ve never heard before.

The only reason I bring down my rating is because most of the chapters were hidden before release.

[Cristian Marrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

MrBallen never disappoints. This is his 3rd set of stories. His artwork is amazing and wonderful blends of colors for the individual stories. He collects stories, lores, rumors from all over the world and presents it to us the readers. The stories are up to you, whether you believe it or not. They do make good bedtime stories and even campfire stories for groups. These are also short stories of about 10 to 12 pages each. Perfect for any new young reader or curious genre fan. Enjoy.

[Lili Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel you'll want on your shelf. The publisher held back 4 stories from this ARC and of course I'm left wanting those too now! The art is wonderful to demonstrate the stories, and the stories are absolutely bone-chilling because of course they are re-tellings based on someone's lived experience. No spoilers, but the tale of Dead Mountain was my favorite! MrBallen, you have a new fan! Thank-you, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, for this complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Crimson Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley for an advanced copy of this graphic novel for an honest review.

I have been a fan of mr ballen for years now, his YouTube channel is great and the sample we get of this new book coming out is just as good. The art work in this for each story is lovely and brings so much like into what your reading, you can tell the love put into them as well so that you stay engaged and get the best enjoyment out of each page.

I highly suggest his channel and the books based on atories his shared if you love true horror, and someone who takes pride in the art they show.