Something Monstrous

by Steve Niles, R.H. Stavis, Stephanie Buscema (Artist)

There's something killing off the old folks of the usually quiet little town of Hope Falls, something very angry with a score to settle. When Alexis Conner arrives to bail her sobering brother, Cody, out of jail, they soon discover their own father has fallen victim to its rage and Cody has become the prime suspect! What secret does this seemingly perfect town harbor and exactly whose axe is grinding, and what horrors did these two endure as they played out their childhood days in idyllic bliss? This all-new, original graphic novel is written by Horror Master Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and R. H. Stavis, and illustrated by Stephanie Buscema.

Genres: Graphic Novels

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2011

About the author

STEVE NILES is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of it's "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years."

Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison.

Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conceptually, I enjoyed this book. Steve Niles has written some of the most creative horror books I've ever read, and the artists he works with tend to either be masters of classic horror art, or else offer something unlike you've ever encountered in a horror book before. And in this book, Stephanie Buscema's art creates a unique looking horror book. It deserves better writing.

Niles shares writing duties with R.H. Stavis, and I don't know who came up with the story concept and who sat down and wrote the dialog, but neither of them pushed the envelope. They folded up a neat little cliche, and neatly put it in the box marked 80s horror ideas. Every character is a cliche, and every character talks like they're 14 there are no parents around, and they just discovered how to swear.

I wanted to finish the book because Buscema's art is such an unusual and interesting choice for a horror book, but the writing was so bad, I had to skip ahead to see if I could predict the ending.

Yeup.

I only recommend this if you're a horror buff, and want to check out the art. If you're not 100% invested in loving horror cliches, this book is going to bore you to sleep. And any nightmares you'll have will be more satisfying than reading this book.

[Tanvir Muntasim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average horror story with familiar tropes abound (people with mysterious childhood return to the small town where it all started). The drawing was also average and at times confusing to distinguish between a few characters.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids with a dark past, town with a secret and mysterious murders.

A lot of build up about the secret and little pay off.

The premise was kinda neat. And I liked the final page. The art was sub par. I wouldn't pay full price for this one folks.