Creatures: The City That Never Sleeps

Créatures #1

by Stéphane Betbeder, Djief (Illustrator)

In a post-apocalyptic New York City obliterated by a Big Night that wiped out most of civilization, bands of children struggle to stay alive in the wreckage, hunting for food under billowing clouds of toxic fog and running from hungry zombies. One child is endowed with the power to keep them at bay, but will it be enough to protect the survivors from the terrifying creature that has just risen out of the Hudson River? Meanwhile, a raving old man with a house full of books says the worst is yet to come...

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Comics, Horror, Dystopia, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2021

About the author

Stéphane Betbeder est issu des Beaux-Arts d'Angoulême. Pourtant, bien que fan de BD, il a d'avantage étudié là-bas l'art contemporain, la photo, la vidéo. Après une "longue immersion sous apnée dans le milieu de l'art contemporain" (selon ses propres termes) et divers petits boulots sans intérêt, Christophe Bec lui offre sa première chance avec le scénario d'Hôtel particulier, première mouture d'Anna. Stéphane a trouvé là la façon de concilier sa passion pour l'écriture et l'image. Il poursuit sa route avec la série Alister Kayne, chasseur de fantômes (avec Eric Heninnot). Depuis, les projets se multiplient et nous promettent de belles heures de lectures.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.


sighsAnd I thought American GN/Comics were bad in not showing anything and just dumping you right into a story… this one does the same thing. For most of the book I just had no clue what was going on. What happened in this city? Why are the adults this but not all of them? Why are some of them slobbering messes? What is that tentacle thing and why is it so invested in Peanut and Vanilla? What is Peanut? How did he get his powers? Why do most of these kids suck? Where are the other kids? Given that adults get it there should be many more kids around, right? What is the mist? I could probably go on for a while on my questions. This book seriously felt like a 2nd or even 4th book in a series. I definitely hate it when we are just dumped into a world without any bit of backstory. Because really? At this point I don’t even want to go into the next book. Seriously, there is something wrong if the blurb is MORE detailed than your book. WTF?

In this book we follow two groups. Vanilla and her brother Peanut as they try to make it by each day along with their drugged up mom (for safety because we later clearly see what happens when adults go conscious, aka not a good idea). We see how Vanilla tries to keep her family alive, safe, and happy. Though Peanut, who btw I loved that he was an albino which we very rarely see in books, was just ungrateful and annoying. I guess he misses his mom, but seriously, he did some shitty things that brought everyone in grave danger. 😐 I loved Vanilla though, loved how kick-ass she was, and how she did everything for her family.
Next up is another group featuring 4 teens/kids. Not sure about their names, I wasn’t a fan of any of them. Two of them didn’t care that Vanilla was also surviving and just went and robbed her and broke into her home. Two others (brothers) were also obnoxious and I hated what they did to Vanilla in the end. Wow, I get that you are all hungry, but that is just a shitty move. No fucking thank you.

While it was quite exciting at times (creepy Cthulhu monster, zombies, and more) , and while I loved the art (character designs are great, especially Vanilla is awesome), it was just all the confusing, again, it felt like a much later book in a series. Which is a shame. If we had just a bit more backstory I would have loved this way more.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[ame · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the art style is nice, the story was not there. There was no introduction to the characters or the world, so it was just confusing most of the time, and since we don't know anything about the characters, it was hard to care about what happens to them. There was no flow in the plot, we knew who the bad guys were, but don't know how they became like that and what happens if the bad guys "win". It really felt like the plot is just standing at one place and didn't advance further. The basic idea is great don't get me wrong, but the lack of foundation in the story makes it boring and confusing.

[Madara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Quality of writing: 4
Plot development: 3
Pace: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 5

Badass kids, apocalypse and monsters... That's it, that's the premise.
Really, really, really short, but I'm interested to see where this story will go.
The art's nice, love that it has diverse characters.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Hal · Rating 1 out of 5]

arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really did not enjoy my time with this graphic novel. The characters used jokes that were point blank racist and not funny at all. Not to mention there were a few ableist comments made too.

The overall story was also never explained or expanded upon, we were just thrown into this dystopian world with this cast of children. We don’t know anything about them or how the world ended up as it now is.

Overall, this one just didn’t hit the mark.

1/5 ⭐️

[Maciej · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autor cyklu komiksów Bunkier oraz Dogma stworzył coś dla młodszych czytelników. Nowy Jork w wersji postapo, głód, choroby i dziwne stworzenia polujące na nastolatków. Tyle mogę Wam sprzedać z fabuły. Rysunki są dosyć infantylne więc tej grozy się nie odczuwa ale finalnie - bardzo przyjemne czytadło.

[VibrationLitteraire · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆ Cette histoire nous présente une version de New-York post-apocalyptique. Nous suivons divers personnages adolescents qui tentent de survivre contre les adultes transformés en "sans-cervelle" dirigés par une entité supérieure monstrueuse...⁠
⁠
♡ L'ambiance est globalement sombre et menaçante et j'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages principaux présentés qui font tout pour survivre. Ils ont chacun une particularité qui les rend facilement différenciables dès le départ. Il s'agit d'un premier tome qui permet d'introduire l'univers et les personnages et je dois dire que je me suis largement laissée portée par cette histoire. On en sait encore peu sur la cause de cet univers post-apo, mais j'ai vraiment envie de savoir la suite ! L'ambiance et les personnages principaux m'ont totalement conquise et j'ai hâte de replonger dans cet univers menaçant ! ⁠
⁠
☆ En bref, un premier tome intéressant et intriguant qui donne très envie de découvrir la suite !⁠

[July C. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

This comic follows a group of kids trying to survive in an apocalyptic world where adults are basically zombies and there is a dangerous mist that comes at night.

I really liked the art style, I loved how it portrayed the desolated landscape of New York and the color pallet is exquisite. However, the plot is a little bit underdeveloped, we don’t get to know much about the world or why everything is so messed up. The characters are fine, but I only liked Peanut and Vanilla, the other kids were a little annoying to read about. I hope we see more of their personalities later on, I feel like we’re just starting to get to know them.

Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience, but this is a very short introduction to the series. I would like to read the next volumes when they come out and see if it the story gets better.

[Bibliomaniaque · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Une BD postapocalyptique à laquelle n'ont survécu que les enfants (cela m'a fait penser à L'après... d'Émilie Ouellet d'ailleurs!). La quête du savoir par les livres m'a fait penser à Chroniques postapocalyptiques d'une enfant sage d'Annie Bacon.

C'est intrigant, on a hâte de connaitre la suite. L'ambiance est bien campée grâce aux illustrations sombres. J'ai beaucoup aimé le visuel!

Mon bémol se situe plus du côté des personnages auxquels je n'ai pas réussi à m'attacher encore. Chief et son acolyte sont irrespectueux l'un envers l'autre, s'insultant à coups de "garçon manqué" et de "sioux", "chico". J'espère qu'il y aura un peu plus de nuance et de respect dans les prochains tomes, que la diversité sera saluée plutôt que ridiculisée.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se é sempre interessante ler histórias em cidades pós-apocalípticas, especialmente se forem Nova Iorque, a estética não se sobrepõe à narrativa. E aqui, apesar da premissa, este livro não cativa. Num mundo em ruínas, com os humanos transformados em criaturas animalescas sob controle de uma entidade lovecraftiana, só restam alguns jovens que tentam sobreviver. Visualmente interessante, mas pouco cativante.

[Dylan Schnabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ARC copy was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Creatures: The City That Never Sleeps is the first volume of Creatures, a graphic novel that takes place sometime after an 'event' that turned many people into zombies of a sort. We follow two groups of kids: one brother-sister pair and another rag-tag group consisting of two brothers and two other kids. The first group is trying to survive in this post-apocalyptic world while caring for the survival of their seemingly vegetative mother. The surviving mostly falls on Vanilla, the older sister, as Peanut, the younger brother, appears to be quite young. The other group is a gang, more or less.

We're introduced to two main plotlines, really. The first is the conflict between our first pairing of children and the gang and its fruits. The second is between half of the gang, the brother pair, and one of the brother's quest for knowledge while braving a seemingly crazy old man.

For most of the volume, I was rather neutral. The characters don't inspire me to care about them much, aside from Peanut, and three out of four of the 'gang' members are downright unlikeable, in my opinion. Also, the dialog is a little stilted, and I wonder if it wouldn't be better in the original French. The hook in the last few pages of the volume was fantastic, though, and the alienesque antagonistic force looks to be interesting.

Is Creatures a unique concept so far? Not really. Was the execution great? Also not totally, although I really liked the art. Do I think this has a ton of potential if some of the more fantastical elements are well-explored? Absolutely.

All-in-all, I'd give this a 3.5/5 or so, and I'm pretty excited to learn more about the titular creatures.

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post-apocalypse stories seem to be more popular than ever these days, guess the pandemic has got people wanting stories about the world being pretty much destroyed for lighter reading than what we're seeing in the news right now. Luckily for readers Creatures doesn't feature a killer virus or anything as grim as that, just dark otherworldly forces seeking our destruction. Much nicer really!

The story begins after the end of the world we know, where a bunch of children seem to be some of the only survivors in the ruins of New York City. We soon discover that this is because something terrible has happened to all of the adults, forcing the children to have to fend for themselves as their parents turn against them.

We open in a small apartment that's home to Vanilla, a young girl, and her brother Peanut, along with their mother, who's being kept in a hazy and unresponsive state with sleeping pills. Whilst Peanut stays at home looking after their mother Vanilla ventures out into the city armed with a shotgun, looking for supplies. On her way back to the apartment, loaded up with canned goods, she's spotted by a pair of kids, Chief and Emma, who's sometimes called Dirt Face.






The pair track Vanilla back to her apartment and watch from outside as she and her brother argue about what to do with their mother. As the duo plot a way to get in and steal the supplies a storm begins to roll in, which causes Vanilla and Peanut to run for the roof where they seek shelter inside a storage unit. Unfortunately, Peanut sneaks away and returns to the apartment where he finds the other kids stealing their stuff. Before they're able to explain away their presence there though the door is thrown open and a crowd of adults make their way inside, acting like zombies. Not only that, but they're joined by this black, tentacle covered creature, one that seems to be controlling them, and wants the children.

Creatures is a pretty spooky first volume, one that sets up this new world nicely, without really giving much away. We learn pretty quickly that something bad has happened, and that the adults have been taken over by some kind of strange mist; but we don't get told why. It leaves enough mystery that you want to learn more, but gives you just enough information to make sure that you don't get too confused or lost.

Much of the issue seems to be setting pieces in place for further volumes. It introduces the reader to the world and the main characters, and gets these characters into an uneasy alliance establishing relationships that can evolve further in the future. It also gives us a few interesting glimpses at some of the creatures to come, and hints at much bigger and scarier things. There's the mind controlled adults, the strange tentacle man, a creature that seems to be some sort of horrific spider that catches children in a cage, and Peanut dreams of some huge, dark, skeletal figure hidden in the mists. It's creepy, and disturbing stuff, and draws upon some very nightmarish ideas and themes.

The final page of the book perhaps gives the biggest insight into the horrors to come as the thing behind this apocalypse is named; Yog-Sothoth. Yep, this book is diving into the Lovecraftian horror. I was already interested in this book come the end, but as soon as this name got dropped, and you're just able to make out some giant, tentacled horror hidden in the storms that surround the ruins of the city it definitely grabbed my attention. Whether you're well versed in the Lovecraft gods or not, just the very notion that they exist here and are playing a part in these horrors is a hell of a tease to end things on.

Overall I had a lot of fun with this book, the characters weren't hugely developed, but still get pretty clear personalities laid out, and I expect they will get more time to evolve over time in future volumes. There's a big sense of mystery, and wanting to find out answers that will also have me returning for more later on. And the art, provided by Djief, is really pretty. It has an almost cartoon-like quality, yet remains grounded enough that it never feels completely too unreal, and it makes the moments of horror stand out all the more.

I'll certainly be picking up the second volume as soon as it's available.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Our tale opens with a child trying to sleep in a room with drawings of a monster. The child wakes as a girl closed a window before going downstairs to sleep in the girl's lap. There's almost a voodoo-like quality to the setting, holding evil spirits at bay.

The images soar over a ruined city that soon appears to be a post-apocalyptic New York. Cue the ubiquitous imagery of the statue of liberty with ruined skyscrapers in the background.

The world-building begins with two robberies. Armed with a shotgun, a girl pushes a trolley filled with food home. Two kids, one named chief, follow and plan to rob her. A boy named mole is trapped whilst trying to steal a book. Through these tales, we learn about the fog, which turns people who breath is into zombies. Dark Predator lookalikes are the zombie's masters.

The story engages us with beautiful artwork and colouring. It was an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, it ended too soon. The world-building had barely finished when the graphic novel ends, leaving more questions than are answered. The PDF was 82 pages, only around 70 is the actual story. If the GN were double the length, there would be enough time to get involved with the story. I did not feel I finished a novel, more an unfinished beginning. It's undoubtedly a fascinating world I'd love to learn more about. If the GN's continue till the first story arch finished, this could be amazing.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Europe Comics for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Creatures 1. The City That Never Sleeps’, written by Stéphane Betbeder with art by Djief.

This graphic novel leaps right into its setting of post-apocalyptic New York City, where bands of children struggle to stay alive following the Big Night, an event that had wiped out most of civilisation. There are clouds of toxic fog and roaming zombies seeking the kids!

Yet one child within the group has the power to hold the zombies at bay. Then a new threat emerges from the Hudson River - the terrifying creature depicted on the cover. We are also introduced to a raving old man, who has locked himself away in a house full of books. He says that the worst is yet to come…

This was a bit confusing for me at first as there was so much action that I felt dropped into it wondering what was going on. Yet I did get into the swing of it soon enough. At the end of this volume there was a reveal that left me wanting to find out what happens in Volume 2.

I felt that the art work throughout captured the action and characters well and its muted palette conveyed the sense of oppression with the sickly greens and browns stressing the toxicity of the environment.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Sab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. :)

This story is about a bunch of very resourceful children trying to survive a post-apocalyptic world where something had turned the adults into zombies, strangely sparing the children.

The main strength of this graphic novel is the art. It's very well done. And the palette of colors really suited the general atmosphere and 'there is something so wrong here' vibes perfectly :D.

But I wasn't convinced by the story. I found it really confusing at best and not very original at worst. To be honest, the themes of zombies and post-apocalypse have been thoroughly and abundantly explored already and this work, in my humble opinion, is not standing out (even though it has qualities). Maybe it is just me being fed up with zombies ^^'. Looking at the cover, I really thought it will be something else.

I could recommend it to unconditional zombies lovers though ^^.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely different zombie-styled drama, in a post-apocalyptic world where food is the greatest currency, unless you're one of the kids focused on here, in which case it's book knowledge. He's trying to rob the library of an old man who's managed to fend off all dangers and not been turned into a 'slobberer', but he's still going to have to join in with his cohorts – the great majority of adults have been infected, and it's every kid for him- or herself. There's a great visual effect with the weather system that seems to be behind some of the zombification, and the style of the creature the turned call 'Master' is excellent, too. With the creators taking time to introduce the idea of a sort of superpower, as well, there're no signs of how many books we can expect in this series, but many encouraging signs that they'll all be enjoyable.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

It is a post-apocalyptic story, where most of the adults have transformed into some sort of zombies. Children seem to not be affected by this and we follow a band who just tries to survive in these conditions. It is a short comic that sets the world and the pace. The main characters are likeable, they fall into specific categories but that did not bother me at all.

I enjoy the art - the colour pallet was perfectly selected for the atmosphere. There were some changes in the dominant colour for different scenes, which added so much more to the whole vibe and even to the intensity of the scene. I have read it in one go, just could not put it down.

The ending left me want to find out more. I really want to know what happens next to these children.

[Kirstyn (readwithkirstyn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love Creatures - it's something that is typically right in my zone with the creepy post-apocalyptic vibes, I really wanted this to deliver... but it was a pretty big let down.

Creatures is a post-apocalyptic story where it seems adults have turned into some sort of zombie? Yet it's never explained and super unclear on what's happening and why it is happening. Whatever is happening to the adults seems to not touch children which is even more confusing.

The characters are interesting enough, though more background would have been nice. There is a creature that appears at the end that is never explained or anything - but feels like it's supposed to be a big baddie reveal that just left me confused/wanting to know more.

[Kisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

CREATURES: 4 stars

CREATURES is an odd duck of a graphic novel that is completely delightful. From off the bat, we are in an apocalyptic world with some ‘maybe’ zombies controlled by a creature. We soon meet Vanilla, a young Black girl who takes care of her baby brother, Peanut, and their mother. Unbeknownst to them, they are being stalked for the food in their apartment by two kids. Some stuff happens and it leads to Vanilla and Peanut needing to stay at a warehouse with a kid gang, where they try to stay alive.

It kept me interested and the art is cool, never mind the fact that there is a young Black girl lead with an albino brother.

NOTE: I was provided with an advanced reader copy in exchange for a honest review. Thanks NetGalley!

[Reading_seas0n · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the Last kids on Earth book series, you'll love this Walking Dead Comic meets Stephen Kings The Mist meets Micheal Grant's Gone mashup graphic novel.

The world has fallen under a supernatural fog, where creatures are hunting kids, and the adults have become slaves to monsters; Peanut & Vanilla are forced to join a small group of kids to survive and perhaps find out how to save the world.

The art style is fantastic, and I will die for Peanut! This shows a compelling story about how kids will grow up fast and lose their childhood to survive the horrors of life (a metaphor for childhood trauma), and this storyline has such potential, and I am hungry for more!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for giving me access.

This has a really interesting storyline, I enjoyed it and the story that was there was solid...downfall is I felt like I was just dropped into the middle of it with no explanation of what happened prior to page one.

What's the mist? Why does it only affect the adults? What is the creature thing that the adults flock to??? I am left with more questions than when I started reading.

Hopefully future issues will explain the situation of the world we are in and what happened, otherwise this one will just be a massive time waster.

[Sophie lit ça · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lire la critique complète : http://sophielit.ca/critique.php?id=2812

J’ai découvert cette bande dessinée un peu en retard, un peu par la bande, alors que j’ai assisté à un atelier de dessin offert par Djief au Salon international du livre de Québec. J’ai tout de suite été attirée par ses visuels et je n’ai pas été déçue du tout de ce côté lors de ma lecture !

Aux commandes des dessins comme des couleurs, l’illustrateur offre en effet un univers riche et chaleureux, un décor magnifique malgré la déchéance du lieu, avec ce Manhattan postapocalyptiques peuplés d’anciens adultes devenus créatures sanguinaires.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world has ended and all the adults have been turned into zombies. Two small groups of children are struggling to survive. While stealing some food, the bigger group discovers a child with powers to make himself and others invisible to the zombies. The groups come together to escape the zombies, but the bigger group intends to exploit the other to find food. They run away and go back to their apartment only to be kidnapped by the zombies. Meanwhile, the clouds are gathering and the worst is yet to come. #EuropeComics #NetGalley

[Žaba Čita Novine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea what this was all about.
It was way too jumbled and not enough information was given.

It is some kind of post-apocalyptic world where only kids are normal(?) and adults crave sugar(??) or whatever, and there is this strange creature who is a master of the adults and an albino black kid who has some powers(???)

It was really too weak and low in information for me to have liked it.

A big thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this - I saw another review saying that it was confusing, but I actually liked the gradual reveal of information as the characters interacted with each other and their scenery, rather than just telling us things they would already know. Several times, more information got added that made the setup more interesting than just a typical zombie/post-apocalyptic story. I expected zombies, but it's actually more of a Lovecraftian horror story, with kids as the protagonists. Very interesting and gripping! I would definitely like to read more.

[fairytalesreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

New-York, dans un futur proche. Une brume mystérieuse a recouvert la ville, faisant apparaître des créatures qui transforment les adultes en zombie à leur solde. Seuls les enfants sont étrangement épargnés...

Un groupe de jeunes adolescents survit tant bien que mal dans ce monde post-apocalyptique, jusqu’à ce que l’une des créatures prenne en otage d’eux d’entre eux, dont un tout jeune garçon aux étranges pouvoirs...

Aventure, action, mystère et humeur sont au cœur de ce premier tome très prometteur. Quand j’ai tourné la dernière page, je n’avais qu’une envie : connaître la suite ! 🤩

[Jennifer T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. I think it was a good introduction to this post apocalyptic New York City and am intrigued enough to find out more about why/what exactly happened to the adults and what the heck the tentacled monster is, though I’m guessing by the name given at the end it must be a cosmic horror-HP Lovecraft themed graphic novel. The art was well done as well.

**thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC I received**

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review purposes*

In the wake of the apocalypse, we follow a group of misfit kids struggling to survive in a world full of adult zombies.

This felt very middle grade, An enjoyable art style but we haven't learnt much about any of the characters or what happened to the world.

I hope that vol 2 will answer these but I think it will probably just pose more questions.

[G. Salter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine Omega Man, in a world where Lovecraftian monsters caused people to become mindless zombies, and it only affected the grown-ups. Omega Man meets Peter Pan as written by H.P. Lovecraft, basically. There's plenty of humor, very enjoyable characters and a surprising plot unfolding in the background...

[Rebii · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is a good first book for a comic series, the world building was amazing and I really liked the art style. It is placed in an interesting zombie outbreak which have only affected the adults, so we will follow in the next books a 5-6 member gang of children with superpowers who trying to survive together. I really liked it, when the next books will be available I'll definitely read them.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 1 is off to a good start although it was rather short. Earth has changed and is crumbling. Adults exist as zombies, held under the thrall of a creature. In the apocalyptic New York a group of children are trying to survive. It does look as if it will be a gripping series and the artwork is good.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.