The Cursed Hermit

Hobtown Mystery Stories #2

by Kris Bertin, Alexander Forbes (Visual Art)

Reeling from the strange and confusing discoveries of their last adventure, the Hobtown Junior Detective Club is looking forward to Christmas break when two of its Teen Detectives—Brennan and Pauline—are made to attend an extra-credit boarding school called Knotty Pines. After attending their first classes, however, they realize they may have stumbled on their weirdest case yet!

It’s not just that the Headmaster and the Headmistress are unusually strict, it’s that they seem to be controlling the students, transforming them into idiots and bullies. Isolated from their fellow sleuths, our intrepid young investigators have to rely on a lady ghost, a crazy hermit, and a mysterious mini-man to lift a curse that has plagued the good people of Hobtown for centuries!

Bizarre, funny, frightening, and heartwarming, this latest installment of the Hobtown Mystery Stories brings our teens one step closer to uncovering the haunting truth of their funny little east-coast village.


Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes are childhood friends who trained in separate disciplines in order to reunite as adults and make comic books. Alexander Forbes is an artist and graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and Kris Bertin is the author of the short story collection Bad Things Happen (Biblioasis, 2016). They are both from Lincoln, New Brunswick, and both live in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Mystery, Horror, Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Young Adult

188 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

Kris Bertin is a writer of from Halifax, NS. His first book of short stories, BAD THINGS HAPPEN, won the Writers' Union of Canada's 2017 Danuta Gleed Award and the ReLit Award for short fiction. Kris's graphic novel (illustrated by Alexander Forbes) THE CASE OF THE MISSING MEN, published in 2017 by Conundrum Press, was nominated for a Doug Wright Award.

Reviews

[Sara the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. It's just warped enough to give me the David Lynch shivery tinglies and yet its got such a tremendous amount of heart.

This is the second in what I hope is going to be a very long series about the Hobtown Teen Detective Club made of high schoolers Dana Nance (who might as well be Nancy Drew's twin sister down to the absurdly supportive, super wealthy, strangely well connected lawyer father), Pauline (Dana's best friend the reluctant psychic) and Denny and Brennan (brothers who bear more than a passing resemblance to the Hardy boys). Hobtown is a strange little place. It sits somewhere on the coast of Canada and its residents, with the exception of our friends the detective club and their nearest and dearest, are all a trifle odd. Nothing seems to bother the residents of Hobtown. Not the strange creatures that occasionally wander its hills or the crazy number of increasingly creepy, cult like homicides that occur.

So what in the hell is up in this weird little town and why does no one but our intrepid team care!?

I can't say enough about how good these graphic novels are. The illustrations one hundred percent evoke the classic girl/boy detective stories we all grew up reading, there's a wonderful old fashioned, creepy vibe to everything. But even though everything is so weird and creepy awful (there are, no joke, some truly terrifying images here) these characters are all very genuine and really care about each other. The books are as much about the evolution of the characters and their relationships as they are about the Twin Peakesque mysteries that plague Hobtown. I really LIKE these kids.

There's just so much good stuff here. Like they're really good at solving mysteries! No Scooby Doo shenanigins here! Dana, with her Sherlock Holmes pipe and hard stare, is a goddamn general leading her troops to battle as the club's leader and Brenner and Denny, who initially come off as jocks with little interest in actually solving mysteries, are totally dedicated investigators with brains and brawn. Pauline may actually be the most interesting of the crew with psychic visions she wants no part of and a sincere insecurity about how much she actually helps the club, but she's the quintessential clutch team member who almost always sees the one clue that's been overlooked by the others.

The mysteries themselves have the creep factor and weirdness level cranked up to eleven. There's all kinds of crazy ghosts and mind control and secret societies and tunnels under the town. There's chases and zombie killers and curses. Its endlessly exciting stuff.

Honestly this review is turning into me repeating "its awesome" in so many words so I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead but I sincerely adore these books, they need way more attention than they get and you must read them.

[Derek Nason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was supposed to go to the gym but I couldn’t stop reading. There’s still time to go, but now all I want to do is lay down and think about the story.
The magic of Hobtown is so dark. It’s the magic of decay. There are no blue orbs of light or unicorns. There’s sticks and dirt and little humanoid creatures with secrets.
I don’t like mysteries. I think most of them are dumb. But good mysteries like this will make you think you’re reading a mystery but give you something better.
This is a ghost story unlike any you’ve ever heard of. There are elements that’ll remind you of The Shining, Stir of Echoes, Twin Peaks. But that feeling of recognition won’t last.
These pages are gonna drag you to a dark place. Prepare yourself: open a couple beers. Maybe go to the gym tomorrow instead.

[Joey Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much!! The first book was offbeat and creepy, hinting at a whole lot of weirdness in the margins of what initially seems like a straightforward teens-solving-mysteries-in-small-town story. This one, though, goes fully off-the-rails into all-out nightmare horror territory, with some pictures that feel ripped directly out of David Cronenberg movies or the Twin Peaks reboot. Creepiness isn't hinted at anymore and is brought directly into the foreground, and it's such a trip. The characters are still all so fun and charming, the mystery is bonkers and wildly unpredictable, and the whole thing just feels so subversive and smart and thrilling! As good or better than the first book and IMO if you are into mystery novels or Nancy Drew or graphic novels or genre fiction in general I could not recommend this more highly! Such a spooky little treat, the only downside is how short it is because I am dying to read more of these stories.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this even more than the first! In part, I think, because its main focus was on fewer characters. Super weird mystery horror that just makes me surrender to not totally know what the fuck’s going on! Also realized it reminds me of Riverdale so that’s in its favor lol. Bring on book #3!

[Karelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encore un 3,5. C'était différent de l'autre, à la fois plus intéressant et moins intéressant. C'était comme une rencontre entre Fear Street et Twin Peaks, ce qui n'était pas sans me déplaire, en plus qu'il y a un fantôme et une médium. Bien cool, en tout cas (mais j'aurais peut-être dû attendre à Noël avant de le lire).

[Ian Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

In hindsight, the first book methodically sets up the bizarre nature of Hobtown for maximum benefit the second time visiting. Some absolutely buck-wild decisions made throughout. They got something special cooking in Québec…

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leaning even more into the absurdity and darkness of Hobtown… a Christmas excursion to a boarding school helps explain what the hell is going on in this crazy town. Using teens for their life-force to stay young, the little creature is a good fella, the hermit is a missing teen cursed to wander, the ghost in the urinal… all good spooky stuff.

[Dair · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book shows marked improvement in storytelling. It flows much better and the visuals are terrific. I enjoyed this one and think anyone who likes a little occult dabbled into a mystery would enjoy as well. Can’t wait for the third book to get a color reprint.

[Sandy Plants · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, wow, I love this series so much! Just when I think it’s a normal mystery, Bertin and Forbes crank the weird dial up to 11: Like hardy boys on acid.

[Karrie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh why aren't there more of this crazy town?!

[charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

genius. terrifying. truly insane. looking forward to the next installment.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hobtown Mystery Stories is my comics find of 2024. The second volume is even better than the first.

[La Biblio Geek · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5*

[doubleokay · Rating 5 out of 5]

the only thing that can fill the void of her interactive nancy drew games

[Ryan Acosta-Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are great, and I hope they keep making more.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are so weird and fun!

[Tom Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this second volume even better than the first. I'm excited to see that there are three more Hobtown Mystery Stories planned, and I hope that those end up being a reality. The Cursed Hermit gets dinged a little for its lack of any truly deep character development, but when it comes to originality, atmosphere, and just plain weirdness, it can't be beat. I liked that this story focused almost entirely on Pauline, who was definitely my favorite character from The Case of the Missing Men. I love surreal comics, and this one has a foot in reality too and in juvenile mystery series and cartoons of the past. It's set in 1996, but might as well be 1966. Very cool.

[Maude · Rating 4 out of 5]

je ne comprends jamais tout de cette série de bd mais j’aime la frousse qu’elle me donne avec son côté retro et lugubre. j’accuse nancy drew avec le chandelier dans l’académie.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys/Scooby Gang style mystery, except that the supernatural stuff is real. Imagine the Gang tears the monster mask off the villain (spoiler alert) to reveal a monster even more, hideous, evil, & undying. The cursed town reminds me a lot of Stephen King's Derry. The creepy school reminds me a lot of the old abandoned hotel in Lucerne CA, which was briefly used as a satellite campus for some SoCal university (yours now for the low low price of $3M!). This sequel focuses more on the uncanny Canuck Pauline, & her uncanny perceptions, with Brennan as sidekick. Sam & Denny act as occasional Deus ex Machinae, & Dana sets up some interpersonal drama for the next book, which I can't wait to read. Has helpful asterisks to indicate when they're talking about something from the first book.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a lot of ways, this is a distillation of all the qualities in the first, both good and bad: the art remains entrancing; the overall vibe is just so rad; the writing is more uneven than in the first, and the plot is more than a bit incoherent. Character development is wildly uneven, though I find myself inclined to forgive this because Pauline's grandma is such a singularly great character. I think this one suffers from not having the whole gang together, but still an intriguing read.

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

some of the visual sequences in this are *chef's kiss*
wish they hadn't put in the word "retarded" as an insult.
otherwise I'm a huge fan of this series.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

From the covers of this series, you'd expect a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys type of mystery suitable for middle graders. But what you get here is Nancy Drew through Twin peaks: weird, crude, adult, and very different. The art does take a bit to get used to but it also suits this very odd series well.

Story: It's Summer and our intrepid Canadian detective club finds some members going on holidays overseas while two head out to a special invite-only Summer school in an old mansion out of town. Pauline and Brennen are not really looking forward to the school: uniforms, strict rules, old fashioned values. They'd rather fool around and smoke than deal with it all. But then the other students start acting weird and Pauline really begins to chafe at an institution that seems to be making the men into macho bullies and the women into docile future wives. Even Brennen is starting to succumb and act very out of character. Can she get to the bottom of this mystery?

So we have a lot of the same mystery hallmarks as the Drew/Hardy series: a red headed smart female protagonist and two brothers, to complete the Nancy Dres/Hardy references (along with the covers looking purposely Drew-influenced). But this is a motley Scooby Gang in a remote Nova Scotia town where things start to go very, very, odd fast. The artwork on the cover is fairly representative of what you will find inside and is laid out like old fashioned sequential comics in very square paneling. It's an odd combination of old influences merged with new that somehow ends up working surprisingly well.

The story goes from weird to weird but still ends up being solved like a Scooby Doo mystery, despite the very adult themes. This is a great series if you are looking for something fun but also wildly different. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[François Vigneault · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional, perhaps superior sequel to the already very strong The Case of the Missing Men, this book takes a deeper dive not only into the authors' convoluted "Hobtown Mythos" but also into the psychology of the first book's most intriguing figure, the under-achieving, sometimes-psychic Pauline Larmier, treasurer of the "Hobtown Junior Detective Club." In this shorter, more focused second installment, Bertin and Forbes delve into the potential for trauma and violence to linger across lifetimes and generations. Pauline and her fellow Junior Detective Brennan find themselves enrolled over winter break at the Knotty Pines, an exclusive and secretive school. As might be expected, all is not as it seems, and the characters soon find themselves involved in a mystery that all somehow connects with the eponymous "Meat Basin Hermit."

But while the set-up might seem familiar to anyone who has read Carolyn Keene's "Nancy Drew" books, "The Cursed Hermit" soon reveals itself to be something far more disturbing and serious. Bertin and Forbes are definitely "playing for keeps" here... Characters are wounded, suffer, and die. Past actions, from a character's life-altering injury in the previous book to the malevolent and often invisible forces of colonialism, racism, and sexism all rear their ugly heads here, and what starts off as a loving pastiche of light-hearted adventure fare is quickly transformed into a rather moving and disturbing look at pain and sorrow.

By the time the book wraps up you might be hoping to spare the poor characters any further "adventures," but Bertin and Forbes also manage to expand and deepen their always intriguing and unique universe, and the reader is bound to want to find out more. Looking forward to the next installment!

[Cody Wilson]

The first Hobtown Mysteries story, The Case of the Missing Men, is an unambiguous success and a rare, unqualified recommendation from me. This second volume, The Cursed Hermit, is still excellent but can’t help but fall victim to the “sophomore slump” given the high quality of its predecessor.

The Cursed Hermit is smaller in both size and scale than the first as Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes focus largely on two characters from the first volume, Pauline and Brennan, set primarily in a intensely messed up boarding school, Knotty Pines. With this approach, aspects of the first volume that appealed to me – the overall team dynamic, a wider view of Hobtown – are largely absent in the second. The lack of Dana is especially noticeable; without her as the “Nancy Drew” type, the story’s mystery is less compelling. I’m not sure this volume offers a good argument for the upsides of its alternative approach, besides that the focus on Pauline and Brennan allows for deeper exploration of the value of platonic relationships.

Still, the characters are fun and memorable, and the creators perfectly maintain the first volume’s tone of youthful adventure with a dark edge. The series’ thematic core is intact as the teenagers must come to terms with a society of apathetic, complacent adults. The Cursed Hermit also answers questions posed by the first while posing new ones in turn, although the volume still works as a standalone story. Forbes’ cartooning is top-notch with an incredible knack for facial expressions and pacing. I look forward to upcoming volumes of Hobtown Mysteries.

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by this sequel. Especially because I liked the first one so much, this book felt different and was a bit of a let-down. It leans more heavily towards the weird, supernatural angle than the teen detective vibe. And the group was split up for the whole book. Dana, the lead character from book 1, goes on vacation and most of the story is told to her through letters from Pauline and notes from Brennan. Denny and Sam are barely featured. Pauline and Brennan are accepted into a weird etiquette school (over holiday break) where the headmasters are stealing kids' souls to keep themselves alive longer. Or something. I got a bit confused. Pauline and Brennan are able to save the day (and the other kids at the school) with the help of a ghost and her long-lost love, who happens to be the town hermit. I still liked the art and I'd be willing to read more of this series, but I'm not as excited for it as I was previously. I would not recommend reading this if you haven't read The Case of the Missing Men.

[Opal Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally love this series.
There is so much personality in this horrific mystery... and still it manages to hold so much heart and sweetness.
I love the strong Canadian vibe, the fantastical, the friendships, the weird, the offbeat, the creepy, it works so well together and rejigs old things into new takes in the same spirit as Stranger Things. There is a little of X-Files, a little Lovecraft, it also reminded me of the novel Mexican Gothic. It has that retro feel and at the same time slaps the old away.
The characters are less awkward in this one, probably because the "colder" personalities are not at the center of this story, and that's nice too, having a different angle. Can't wait for the next one! I do hope there will be many volumes because it's everything I love reading.

Also, the illustrations are fantastic, completely embracing that retro feel with great details and beautiful sceneries (though facial expressions are limited which makes it more artsy than a lot of comic styles people are used to). Personally I love it, and think it totally work, but I know my husband is not as enamoured with the style as I am.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't quite know what to make of these aggressively odd Hobtown Mystery Stories, but I'm definitely on board for the madness and mayhem. In The Cursed Hermit, the Junior Detective Club takes a backseat to Brennan and Pauline's misadventures in a creepy boarding school. The headmaster and mistress appear to be ageless and are definitely grooming the students for marriage. Something is certainly amiss!

Pauline is the primary character, a bonus since she's easily the more interesting of the duo. She's the vintage "bad teen," smoking and drinking and hiding a cat. She has some psychedelic visions that I could have done without, though I suppose they did play into the very weird conclusion. Very satisfying also! The book came full circle quite unexpectedly.

The art continues to be excellent, black and white with intricate details. I look forward to future entries in this series - it appears that something very funny is going on in Hobtown and has been going on for a long time. Plenty more mysteries for the Junior Detective Club to solve!

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the rather generic trade dress and pulpy premise, Bertin's and Forbes' Hobtown Mystery Stories are excellently put together crime thrillers with just the right amount of horror and bizarreness matching the likes of Lynch/Cronenberg/Burroughs added to the mix. "The Cursed Hermit" follows members of the Hobtown Junior Detective Club (basically a pastiche of the likes of amateur sleuths like Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, etc.) who are selected to attend an clandestine academy in the mountain peaks overlooking their small town. The mystery underlying this story involves the goings on at their school, including the occult, demonic possessions and intricate conspiracies. Forbes' artwork is very stiff yet somehow dynamic as he manages to capture the off-kilter, disconcerting tone the individual stories shoot for. Though the pulp quality is highly retained in the Hobtown Mystery Stories, there are multiple textured layers to each tale to make them feel like unique entries to the crime genre.

[Newly Wardell · Rating 4 out of 5]

`This series is just freaking great. This chapter starts weird and gets ends even weirder. The more time spent with in Hobtown the better. Good night nurse is it ever interesting. I have been in small towns where every one knows everyone. It's not sinister so much as unwelcoming. Townfolk dont cotton to strangers because strangers tend to ask questions and questions can be threatening. For example why are we watching some homeless man walk across an icy field? The answer because it happens every year isnt going to satisfy curiosity although that's the reason. We see our mystery team split up and pushed in different directions. Half the team has to go to a private school over winter break. They get there and it sucks. (None of that crappy I love school propaganda in this story. YES!) They split the guys and dolls and wouldnt you know it there's not much fun in being a doll. Then Bertin says hello paranormal creepy. (talk about planting roots)

[Torie Mollett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hobtown Mystery Stories have yet to disappoint. In this installment of the graphic novel series, we journey with our Junior Detective Agency through another wild and tumultuous adventure in hopes of getting closer to Hobtown’s dark truth. The series is a continuous homage to those retro mysteries we love so much, sprinkled with a bit more of a macabre spice, if you will. The plot is intricate, yet strikingly brilliant, the stories are beautifully and uniquely spun, and the art work? Stunning. For a retro mystery/crime/supernatural story geek like me, this hits all the marks. If you have a taste for the unusual, these may be the ticket for you. I can’t wait for another installment to be released!