Hailstone #1

Hailstone #1

by Rafael Scavone, Rafael de Latorre (Artist), Rafael Albuquerque (Cover Art)

In the isolated Montana town of Hailstone, food is running low. Trapped in by relentless snow, the hungry and desperate townspeople come into conflict with the well-stocked military factory. And to make matters worse, a local girl -- Mary -- has just disappeared. Sheriff Denton Ross and his deputy Tobias step in to keep the peace, but their efforts start them down a dangerous path of investigation; into Mary's disappearance, the factory, and just what it is doing here in this isolated place, so far from the war.

Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. Read for free as part of your subscription to comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. Also available for purchase via comiXology and Kindle.

Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Comics, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Rafael Scavone is an author and comic book writer from Brazil. His work includes Wonder Woman and All-Star Batman, for DC Comics, Mark Millar’s Hit-Girl, for Image Comics and Eternals 500 Years War, for Marvel Comics. He also adapted the popular Neil Gaiman tale A Study in Emerald for Dark Horse Comics.

His most recent works are Hailstone, Red Tag, Sliced and Devil's Luck: A Hailstone Story, for Stout Club and ComiXology Originals. In Brazil, he also adapted Incidente em Antares, Erico Verissimo's masterpiece, into comics, for Companhia das Letras.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book via Kindle Unlimted.

This book starts in a small town during winter. This valley town is becoming barren of food and supplies and the citizens are starting to get desperate. When yet another person goes missing in the woods, the town's sheriff turns to the local army who are safeguarding a supply factory nearby. His people are starving, scared and this winter is getting worse and worse but the army have said no before, and they say no again. Denton leads his men into the woods in the hopes of finding the missing girl but instead, they are ambushed by wolves and another mysterious creature, does this have anything to do with the missing people? Overall, I thought this was a great introduction to the story. It sets up a good amount of mystery, who's behind the disappearances, what is going on in the town of Hailstone? The art was great. Overall a good quick read.

[♛ Garima ♛ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering we are following the most interesting character and the story still remains dull, doesn't go well and it doesn't pick up until #4 and #5. This is the combination of snow, creepy settings, mad scientists, and illegal experiments.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the tone of Hailstone. It has an eerie feeling that hits from the first few pages and lingers. On the surface, it looks like a quaint forest setting, but you can't escape this uneasy tone, like these characters are being watched. This plays out beautifully in the opening sequence where we see the latest woman come under attack, although we don't see the actual act. Writer Rafael Scavone keeps the details secret which helps build the mystery.

You can read James' full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll just mark this issue for the entire volume (issues 1-5).

This was a solid comic!

The characters felt a bit flat up front, but once it becomes apparent what they are up against, the stakes really make the characters pop.

There’s a sci-fi/horror element to the story which is wonderful. Is it steampunk or some variation thereof? It is, but it doesn’t rely on all the tropes, and because of that it is pretty fresh.

I enjoyed the time period it was set in, the environment, the other struggles that served to lay the foundation of the story.

All in all this was just a good run, and it weaves multiple genres together effectively.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to review the entire series (#1-5) here under issue #1. I didn't know what to expect with this one but it looked a bit creepy and is free to read with Amazon Prime. I ended up enjoying the story. It was definitely more horrific than being actual horror. I don't want to give anything away so I won't say more. It is a bit of a sad story so not a fun romp in the woods by any stretch. The art and colouring were good and fit the story perfectly.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The winter--you know how hard it is to survive in Hailstone in times like these."

Ah, finally some free time from renovations and decorating following our house move. Time to check out the latest highly recommended series from Comixology/Amazon Kindle.

Hailstone promises to be a mix of historical fiction, horror, and suspense, as winter sets into Hailstone and townsfolk keep disappearing in the woods. The local Sheriff can't muster any help from the local army factory so has to ask the already hungry and scared town to ride with him into the woods to track down the missing.

A very intriguing start. Onto the next issue! 4 stars.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Solid artwork. The story doesn't make a lot of sense, and it lacks suspense. During the Civil War, a Montana town is cut off from the world by a once in a lifetime winter. Food is running out for both the citizens Hailstone, and the local Native American tribe. People are vanishing. A military factory is conducting strange experiments. The story should feel claustrophobic, but lacks the creepy, isolated feel necessary for a story of this type. It moves along slowly, without building any suspense.

[Diane C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

There are many character points and backstories set up but not followed up upon, making the story somewhat confusing at times because they leave a point out in the open and then completely change direction in the story. Hopefully these plot points will be explained later in the series, but I feel they should’ve filled in some of these gaps in this first novel.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hailstone”, Rafael Scavone, etc
I had been looking forward to this with anticipation (how cool is that cover!) and I was not disappointed.
Set in the time of the US Civil War a small-town sheriff must hold together the anxious locals who are suffering from grief, loss and fear.

#1 – On Jacob’s Path – “The winter – you know how hard it is to survive in Hailstone in times like these.”

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Civil war era horror.

Author and prime freebie. Suitable for teens and adults. Good color artwork. A small town is plagued by hunger, snow and the supernatural. The union army is not helping.

[Ian Burrell]

This is a dark western tale set in the bleak and desolate north of the United States during the American Civil War. What is lurking in the forest, and what is happening in the mysterious military installation? Mary Shelley deservedly gets a name check.

[Peter Dalling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good as far as it goes.

Just as I got going the episode finished. Episode two will probably be good but I'll have to wait and see.

[Mariana Vilela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zatím funguje atmosféra ale co to tady táhne je art. Kresba, inky i coloring jsou zatraceně skvělý.

[Dale Regnier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hailstone #1

Not too sure what I think of this series yet...
There is not much known yet,but the storyline seems promising.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting start to what could be a really good series!!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start full of suspense

Kind of disappointed it was so short but I have to admit that this one grabbed my attention and never let go... Now I HAVE to read the next book.

[Macky · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3.5⭐️

[clumsyplankton · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far it’s pretty dull.

[Envy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lobinhos e treta com o exército? Tô dentro!

[Jessica Ohara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um inicio bem interessante. Mesmo curto, o quadrinho me surpreendeu e já estou lendo o segundo. Desenho muito bom também.

[Stephan Katherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great art and great mood.

This first issue really is doing a good job at setting the mood and tone for future issues can't wait to keep reading.

[David May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story was solid and I really loved the artwork. Would make an excellent limited run TV series.

[Jorge Schumacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 estrelas

[valdeson alves de moura · Rating 4 out of 5]

legal

Muito instigante, a temática é interessante. Ansioso para ler mais a a a a a a a a a a

[Onder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Raar verhaal, sci-fi, mooi getekend maar daar houdt het bij op.

[Monique Tercero · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENTERTAINMENT

I love this build up of the story. When the sheriff stop that woman for talking bad about the Native Americans was really impressive.

[stef · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

full series review

[Doctor Doom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent artwork, decent premise, foul language at the end unnecessary, very short but continued story [read this free with prime, will not be reading more unless free, i.e., not worth buying as it is unnecessarily drawn out- short on exposition].