Haunted Comic Club

by Josh Tierney, Caitlin Soliman (Illustrator), Frank Cvetkovic (Letterer)

Eisner-nominated writer Josh Tierney (World Piece, Iris Complex) joins longtime collaborator Caitlin Soliman (Iris Complex) in this spooky middle-grade graphic novel about ghosts, friendship, and making comics! Will and Anita are two lonely tweens who find themselves alone together in the art room of the local after school club. After gushing over each other’s work—Will’s writing and Anita’s art—the two team up to make their own comic about a local urban legend—a teen counselor who haunts the club after a tragic demise. Anita and Will research the ghost and develop their story, forming a strong friendship. But can they overcome bullies at the club and problems at home to become great friends and collaborators?

Genres: Graphic Novels

240 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 6, 2026

Reviews

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ (semi-ia)]

ᝰ.ᐟ 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🎐
on a graphic novel arc binge ✌️

[theresia cleopatra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terima kasih NetGalley dan Oni Press untuk e-ARC nya!

Jujur, graphic novelnya cukup menghibur! 🥹 art-stylenya juga bagus dan keren, terutama saat cuma kayak sketsa hitam-putih gitu, terus ganti lagi jadi gambar berwarna ^^ Premis ceritanya keren sih. Enjoyable dan page-turner! jadinya tanpa sadar udah selesai aja, hehehe.

Dinamika antara karakternya juga menarik, yaitu dua orang anak yang kesepian dan kesulitan untuk berbaur, bertemu dan menjadi teman dekat. Aku suka bagaimana mereka berdua saling melengkapi satu sama lain dan jalinan pertemanan yang terasa natural.

Yang aku kurang puas adalah endingnya... terasa seperti agak kurang maksimal gitu. Bikin ngeganjal, misalnya terkait isu 'kematian' volunteer itu benar atau nggak? terus ending dari cerita komik yang mereka buat itu apakah seperti itu saja? kayak menggantung gitu (menurutku ya).
Tapi selain daripada itu, aku suka sih hehehe 😉

Ini bacaan yang ringan dan menyenangkan! Untuk orang dewasa seperti aku saja merasa enjoy, apalagi untuk anak-anak. Dengan bumbu misteri, hantu, dan juga persahabatan serta dinamika bertumbuh di usia anak-anak menuju remaja ^^

----ENG TRANSLATION----

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the e-ARC!

Honestly, this graphic novel is pretty entertaining! 🥹 The art style is also great and cool, especially when it starts out as just black-and-white sketches and then switches to full-color illustrations ^^ The premise is really cool. It’s enjoyable and a real page-turner! Before I realized it, I’d already finished it, hehehe.
The dynamic between the characters is also interesting—two lonely kids who struggle to fit in meet and become close friends. I like how they complement each other and how their friendship feels natural.

What I wasn’t entirely satisfied with was the ending… it felt a bit rushed. It left me with some lingering questions—for example, was the issue about the volunteer’s “death” actually true or not? And was that really the end of the comic story they created? It felt a bit unresolved (in my opinion, anyway).
But aside from that, I really enjoyed it, hehehe 😉

It’s a light and fun read! Even an adult like me enjoyed it, so I can only imagine how much kids would love it. It’s packed with mystery, ghosts, friendship, and the dynamics of growing up from childhood into adolescence ^^

[Doe Is Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So the reason I wanted to read this is genuinely because the cover caught my eye on Netgalley, and once I saw it was published from one of my favourite graphic novel publishers, Oni Press, I knew I wanted to read it. Friends, I'm not gonna lie, this was cute, funny and very sweet but it wasn't my favourite. The story was wholesome, and lovely, and dealt with grief and loneliness in a very kid friendly way whilst showing the importance of having friends. The friendship between the two main characters was adorable and everything I could have wanted, and this would be the perfect summerween/halloween read for a younger audience. I think this just wasn't the right age range for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good YA graphic novel, and even graphic novels for younger kids, I just wish there was a little bit more substance, a bit more information about what was going on than what we were given. I feel like I have a few unanswered questions which I don't feel were possible to answer because of the age range it was made for. I still enjoyed reading this one, however I wouldn't recommend this unless you were going to read it with a younger sibling/child etc.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this comic as will readers of all ages. I read this as an adult, but found myself thinking if my childhood.

Aneeta and Will are two lonely tweens. They happen to meet a busy children’s evening club. Aneeta draws, Will draws too (badly, but he accepts this), but he also wants to write stories.

Their friendship hits off as they find each other as they try to find a quieter, more comfortable, space in the rumpus of the club, and avoiding some bullies.

But what will they write. An overheard conversation of a teen councillor who died in the swimming pool triggers their imagination. The reader can see the people they speak to treat the whole thing as a joke. But endearingly these two new friends are oblivious to this.

They will investigate, and a comic will be produced. A comic, within this entertaining comic.

As I said young or old there will be something to enjoy and take from reading this.

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

This is a really great story for middle grade readers! The theme of finding somewhere to belong and making connections with people is well done throughout the story. At first I thought Anita was the ghost and that the story was going to take a completely different path, but I liked that she was not because I really wanted Will to have a real friend. I did not understand the motivation for the older kids to destroy Anita and Will's comic other than for an extra conflict for our characters to overcome. I also did not understand why they had not taken it with them to show Nicole what they had created. Other than that I really enjoyed following along as Will helped Anita find confidence in her artistic abilities and Anita help Will feel less alone. The section at the end about how to make comics and encouraging readers to make their own attempts was also really great.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will wants to create comic books, but has trouble drawing them. Anita wants to draw, and misses her grandmother (her Ama). A chance meeting, and a chance story overheard make the both of them realize they should write a ghost story about the local ghost.

There are signs, in the story, that the ghost is real, or is she? Is it all coincidences? Is it planted? Or does the ghost exist?

Very cute story of two loners who find that together they make a whole. I thought the story would go in a different direction, so was quite surprised at what did happen.

Good middle-grade graphic novel, that hopefully with give other budding artists and writers an idea of what they can do with their passions.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 6th of October 2026.

[Abby Aguilera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley!

This was so fun! I'm going to be honest, the part right before the ending made me SOOOO mad. Not at the author, but at the characters in question. The cruelty of it all!! I loved that the real resolution along with way was getting out of your comfort zone and making friends, but I also loved all the spookiness. And maybe it's just me, but I didn't feel like we REALLY found out if the ghost story was true or not (unless I missed a detail), which I loved. Keep us guessing!

Thank you so much for this advance copy.

[Sophy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. These two kids are each dealing with their own trauma, but they meet at an after-school club and immediately connect through their shared love of art. Together, they come up with the idea of creating a comic book.

Of course, every story has a villain, and in this one it's a group of bullies. As the two friends face the ups and downs that come with bullying and growing up, they learn from their experiences and become stronger together.

The art fits the story perfectly and does a wonderful job of bringing the characters and their emotions to life.

[Cristian Marrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a wonderful graphic novel for any student in 3rd grade or higher. The chapters build on top of one another. The artwork is wonderful. This story is full of inspiration and motivation for all kids, even tweens. A hard age in itself in trying to connect with others and make friends. This story is for any mystery fan, creative writer, new artist. Parents, this is a fun chapter graphic novel to read with your kids.

[Carissa Manrique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Haunted Comic Club. The characters were funny, memorable, and full of personality, and the story kept me hooked from beginning to end. I found myself flying through the pages because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

The combination of humor, mystery, and heart made this an incredibly fun read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys graphic novels with quirky characters and plenty of adventure.

[Haruka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!! Story about friendship and ghosts and finding talent in oneself!! A simple read! I enjoyed the storyline so much!! The art is cute!!
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Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a cute story about growing up when things are not easy, making friends when you don't expect it and the surprises along the way. (SLIGHT spoiler) I wish the bullies had gotten theirs, but overall, I did enjoy the process.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Making friends is scary business! When will goes to a fun youth club, there’s all kinds of talk about ghosts… scary right? This is a great story about making friends, the joy of comics and how working together brings inspiration to both sides! I really enjoyed this.

[Leonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mc was insufferable.