The Autumnal: The Complete Series

The Autumnal #1-8

by Daniel Kraus

Following the death of her estranged mother, Kat Somerville and her daughter Sybil flee a difficult life in Chicago for the quaint—and possibly pernicious—town of Comfort Notch, New Hampshire, a home town she can barely remember. As she and her daughter try to settle into a new life, Kat discovers that sometimes home is best forgotten.

From NY Times best-selling author, Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, Trollhunters, The Living Dead), and rising star Chris Shehan, comes a haunting vision of America's prettiest autumn.

Collects Autumnal #1-8, the complete series.

Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Fantasy, Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2021

About the author

“Kraus brings the rigor of a scientist and the sensibility of a poet.” – The New York Times

DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. WHALEFALL received a front-cover rave in the New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of 2023 from NPR, the New York Times, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and more.

With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored THE SHAPE OF WATER, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored TROLLHUNTERS, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. His also cowrote THE LIVING DEAD and PAY THE PIPER with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero.

Kraus’s THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s Top 10 Books of the Year. Kraus has won the Bram Stoker Award, Scribe Award, two Odyssey Awards (for both ROTTERS and SCOWLER), and has appeared multiple times as Library Guild selections, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and more.

Kraus’s work has been translated into over 20 languages. Visit him at danielkraus.com.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

After discovering her estranged ma has died, single white trash female Kat Somerville takes her kid Sybil back to her childhood smalltown home, Comfort Notch, “home of Amurica’s prettiest autumn” (the only time I’ve heard that season described so on that side of the pond - usually Muricans calls it “Fall” because it sounds more Biblical I guess), for the funeral and to take up residence in her ma’s house. But things aren’t what they seem in Comfort Notch. Them fancy trees is killer…

The Autumnal sorta lives up to its genre label literally in that it’s horrible, but otherwise it’s not a good horror. Writer Daniel Kraus spins the most tedious, drawn-out, watered-down, wannabe-Stephen King story with a dash of the worst of M. Night Shyamalan. The end result is both a boring and irritating comics version of a Bumhouse movie.

Kraus spends the book ticking off the list of horror story cliches. Mysterious death that sets the whole thing off, check; small town folk who appear all folksy and pleasant but really aren’t, check; stupid old town legend, check; children’s nursery rhyme that’s sinister, check; finding out info via old newspapers at the library, check; chosen one crap, check; and that idiotic finale.

If it’s not derivative, it’s forgettable. Kat is a dreary main character and I didn’t care about anything that happened to her or her even drearier stock daughter character. She hooks up with a tattoo removal artist… so what. The myth of the Autumnal makes no sense (how…?) and elements of the plot are too convenient, ie. the junkie character goes from being an addict to being clean having gone to rehab in the space of a few pages. What am I saying, of course we all know how easy it is to kick heroin…

Artist Chris Shehan tries to make this comic scary but can’t given how hopelessly weak the material is. I mean, how do you make dried up leaves being blown across pavement terrifying? You don’t. It’s more comedic than horrific. ‘member those shots of branches swaying in the wind that made audiences of The Happening wet themselves from fear? The latter didn’t happen, but, that. And on a smaller scale here.

I wouldn’t bother with this piss-poor “horror” unless, for some reason, you want to read a godawful comics version of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, or The Wicker Man movie (I’ll let you guess which version I mean. No - not THAT! NOT THAT VERSION, NOOOOO!!!1).

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So…I’m done with this collection! I was determined to leave individual feedback for each of the comics, and I have done that. (Without adding each to my annual book count. So ethical of me! *Patting my own back!* 😛)

Here’s the overall feedback for this collected volume titled ‘The Autumnal: The Complete Series’.

Story:

Kat Somerville’s life isn’t easy. She has been estranged from her mother Trudy for years. She’s in an abusive relationship. She is almost broke. Her precocious seven year old daughter Sybil has trouble controlling her aggression at school. So when she gets news that Trudy has passed away all of a sudden and left her house to her daughter, Kat decides to relocate to her old hometown of Comfort Notch, “Home of America’s Prettiest Autumn.” But the leaves in the town seem to behaving strangely and the townspeople, even stranger. Soon Kat finds that under the pretty picture, there’s a dark murky truth and with each subsequent day, she’s is embedding herself further and further into a quagmire of unforeseen depth. Will she be able to make it out safely along with Sybil?

If you haven’t heard of author Daniel Kraus, you should know that he co-authored “The Shape of Water’ and ‘Trollhunters’ along with Guillermo Del Toro. So I knew I would be getting something dark and twisty in this story. And to a great extent, it is a satisfying experience. I especially loved the underlying mother-child theme that comes out through various relationships in this series. While all the mothers loved their children, their actions were quite disparate. The entire plot rests on these multifarious actions of the mothers in this story.

Each of the eight ‘chapters’ as they are called in this collection delivers to a different extent. So I’ll rate them individually and then average it out. (Gotta love it when Maths comes to the rescue of confused reviewers!)

Chapter One: 4.5 stars
A great build-up and a mind-blowing ending. Love the way the back story gives a glimpse of Kat’s personality without going overboard.

Chapter Two: 3 stars
A bit disappointing after the great first part. Nothing scary or spooky happens. Just more suspenseful intrigue about Trudy’s house that Kat and Sybil have now shifted into. The spooky leaves make their first proper appearance here.

Chapter Three: 4.25 stars
The plot thickens! This has some great moments and gets the story back on its spooky track. Clementine Biddle looks like an interesting character. In spite of my great rating, this is the chapter where I realised that Autumnal is no match to the ‘Sandman’ series but just a regular horror comic.

Chapter Four: 4 stars
Slow and steady. Backstory explained. Now we know who Clementine Biddle is and why she does what she does. But there are still some things unexplained. Especially the leaves. Aaargh, the freaky leaves!?!??!?!

Chapter Five: 3.5 stars
One of the most vibrant covers so far in the series and yet the weakest in terms of plot. Interesting with a few twists thrown in but not much happening, which is a big no-no at this point in the plot. I am DISAPPOINTED!

Chapter Six: 4.5 stars
One of the best endings of all the books so far. The next volume promises a lot. I don’t know how people who read this part by part had the patience to wait after this issue!

Chapter Seven: 4.25 stars
Yet another creepy ending! OMG, that ending! A lot of things become clear after this chapter and yet, there are many things yet to be resolved.

Chapter Eight: 4 stars
The grand finale! I am not sure how much I am satisfied with the resolution. (If I can call it that!) There are some things that I saw coming, and they came exactly as expected. There are some things that were unexpected and shocked me to my core. (Cant reveal more without spoilers! And I hate giving away spoilers.) But yes, there is a resolution, though not much of an explanation. Just to let you know, I always prefer explanations in horror, otherwise I can’t sleep! So that dips the rating a bit, though the conclusion is horrifyingly good.

Basically, I am pretty satisfied with this collection, though there were a couple of dull moments and some unresolved minor arcs. I can see why a couple of the individual comics might be disappointing but if you read them all together in this combined issue, the experience is enjoyable. Using maths to average out my rating, I arrive at a straightforward 4 stars.

Thank you to Independent Publishers Group, Vault Comics and NetGalley for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.




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[Sadie Hartmann]

THIS WAS SO CREEPY AND TRAGIC AND BRUTAL!
A compelling graphic novel written by Daniel Kraus complimented by gorgeous artwork from Chris Shehan -- everything you would ever want for seasonal, folk horror.
Historical legends, creepy nursery rhyme, small-town horror set in New England during Autumn.
A perfect Halloween read!
The panels with all the Fall color are vibrant and beautiful. Shehan also does an incredible job capturing even the most nuanced facial expressions.
The story ties in female centered issues like single motherhood, complicated mother-daughter relationships, and physical abuse–turning to drugs and alcohol to dull the pain which leads to guilty feeling later–questioning one’s ability to be a “good mother”
I don’t think any of the characters were likable, but it doesn’t distract from the Shirley Jackson “The Lottery” vibes.
This could be an annual, tradition- The Autumnal every Halloween!

🍁🍁🍁

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The straight up trope of the family who moves to a new town and slowly finds out they are in the midst of a cult. Strong comparisons can be made to The Wicker Man, The Lottery and even Rosemary's Baby. It's done well enough, although it starts off really slow.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autumnal was a fun graphic novel with outstanding artwork, perfect for Halloween season reading.

WELCOME TO COMFORT NOTCH! HOME OF AMERICA'S PRETTIEST AUTUMN. YOU'LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE.

A young woman named Kat and her daughter Sybil flee from a bad relationship by returning to Kat's hometown. Kat's estranged mom has passed away and left her, (via someone else), her home. Comfort Notch holds lots of secrets and this ended up being a wonderful folk horror tale.

Evil in a small town is one of my favorite horror tropes and I think Daniel Kraus and the related artists did a fabulous job with this one!

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

RIDICULOUSLY GOOD.

This was done so well that I'll now be looking twice at Autumn leaves.

The story follows single mum Kat at she and her daughter, Sybil, move back to Kat's hometown after the death of her mother. People in the town are sketchy AF strange and have a weird fixation on leaves.

The suspense builds slowly but by the end it's sheer terror. The pace is perfect and there's enough flesh for the story that it never feels rushed or flat.

The art style complements the story perfectly, with Autumn colours bringing the story to life in an extra eerie way.

Everything about this made a perfect horror story for me. The pace, the characters, the art, the ending. EVERYTHING.

Really loved it, and highly recommend if you're looking for a cleverly original horror graphic novel.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, let me say that The Autumnal has one of the most gorgeous, striking covers I've ever seen on a graphic novel — and that's exactly what drew me in at first. I wish I could say the story lived up to the precedent that the art set, but it wasn't quite there. The plot was really intriguing until the end, when it went off the rails in a predictable, fairly boring way (and then we got a lot of weird info-dumping monologue I could've lived without). While I enjoy flawed, even downright unlikable characters, it's a bit harder to root for them when their actions simply don't make sense. I can't think of any good reason for about half of the main character's choices, frankly.

Overall, if you're particularly intrigued by the plot and like the art, pick it up, but I can't say I recommend this one too highly.

✨ Content warnings for: violence, death, body horror, missing children, child deaths and injuries, infanticide, insects

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[Brittni | semi-hiatus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extended review here.

The Autumnal is a beautiful graphic novel and has everything you’d want to experience from a stopover in New Hampshire, the next state on this literary adventure. Young single mother, Kat, returns to her hometown of Comfort Notch with her daughter Sybil, just in time for the Autumn Equinox. 🍂🍁

What I loved 😍
It really captures the essence of New Hampshire in the fall. Being a New Englander myself, I was delighted to see that the colors and imagery in this graphic novel really brought to life the vivid autumns and quaint towns I’m familiar with. The artist, Chris Shehan, and the colorist, Jason Wordie, invoke the feelings of beautiful fall days, vast expanses of trees worth the leaf peeping trips, and the horror in the woods. Warm, fall colors and leaf imagery are used throughout, in clever ways that bring the story and the art together. Dare I say it…this is a prime example of cozy horror.

The story itself is well written and engaging. I was uncertain about this, having disliked Pay the Piper by Daniel Kraus. To my delight, the plot in The Autumnal is well paced and well pulled together. There isn’t anything extraneous and the prominent themes aren’t spoken around or hidden. This is a really great example of folk horror and small town, everyone-is-in-on-the-secret horror. The citizens of Comfort Notch know what the equinox brings and welcome it.

What could have been better 🤔
Not much, in my opinion. I really enjoyed everything about this work. The main characters, Kat & Sybil, were fleshed out enough to enjoy. Her boyfriend, Rob, is delightful and sweet. The cast of townsfolk fits in to the story well and the art is beautiful and conveys the tone perfectly.

Let’s Talk About Scares! 👻
There’s some serious tension in this one. For an eight issue series, the story is tight and the pace doesn’t feel rushed. It’s a work that makes you not only interested in the mystery of what’s happening, but wary of autumn leaves, the wind howling through the trees, and the friendliness of your neighbors. There isn’t much in the way of gore, but the body horror is well done. It’s creepy and beautiful in the same breath – really conveying the collision of horrific nature and the beautiful of nature.

Beyond the Boo! 🧠
I love the themes in this work because folk horror is one of my favorite subgenres, particularly when there’s some form of spooky botany.

The Autumnal focuses on generational trauma and returning to your roots. Comfort Notch’s present day acceptance of the rewards of the Autumn Equinox draws a direct line back to the trauma of motherhood and womanhood, traumas which are passed down from Kat’s mother Trudy, to her, to her daughter. It’s only when Kat returns to Comfort Notch, to her roots, does the small town “let sleeping dogs lie” ideology help smooth over the pain and memories she faces, as well as her daughter’s trauma responses. As this story does focus on the vast woods, returning to your roots is a literal statement. Sticking to tradition and sacrifices for the greater good beget rewards, even when those sacrifices generate more torment and trauma. It’s a story that neatly ties together the psychological horror with the body horror, told in snippets of children’s songs, newspaper clippings, and memories.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Lightning, thunder, ax, and knife. Fifty whacks, she takes a life…"

The cover was the sole reason why I decided to read this book. I was looking at new titles and this cover stopped me in my tracks. I had to go back and look at the cover again. It’s hauntingly beautiful. Well, I found the beauty in the horror. I was already sold on reading this and then I read the synopsis. It was just as mysterious as the cover.

This contains a weird tale and it intrigued me. It kept me interested all the way through. The layout of the tale was interesting. Some parts were very repetitive and the story wasn’t the greatest. What kept me reading was finding out more about the legend of Clementine. She was definitely the glue.

The story didn’t make me connect with Kat or Sybil. There was no emotional connection to them, so nothing was felt when things got fiery at the end. I felt more connection with the leaves. That is so weird to say. But if you read this, then you know.

Autumnal was an okay read. It was one where I was expecting the entire story to draw you in. I was only drawn into the legend. The horror filled art was the better of the art and that really takes away from a story.

Beware of the leaves. They can hear you.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A effective creepy horror that ends in a similar fashion to how it began.

So we have Kat, a single mother, with her child Sybil, as they decide to move away from their city they live in due to having issues with Sybil at school and Kat just kind of being a fuck up. Kat learns of her mother's passing and decides to take a trip out to the town she grew up in since her mother left her the house anyway. What starts as a typical family drama soon turns into a hellish nightmare as this town isn't what it seems.

I personally really enjoyed this. I'm a sucker for family/life drama. And watching Kat and Sybil try to make ends meet on top of dealing with this weird children of the corn like vibe town was great. I also really enjoyed the art, captures this mysterious town well. The ending comes as a shock in ways but also expected. Don't expect a very happy ending here.

I did think it can get a bit too wordy at points but besides that I really dug this one. A 4 out of 5.

[hannaღ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atmospheric and dark - a perfect read for this time of the year!

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was by far one of my most inspired October 31st selections, a genuinely spooky tale for a day meant for it.
So you know that old jazz standard Autumn Leaves? I love that song. Well, Autumnal sets out to do for the autumn leaves the same thing It did for red balloons or Psycho did for showers. And it succeeds, too.
The story isn’t the most original thing and genre fans will recognize a lot of traditional themes…returning to a small town, a small town with creepy secrets, a small town with creepy secrets but enough superficial prosperity for the locals to put up with it, to even pay an unthinkable cost for it…all there. But then again, nothing wrong with tradition is you’re going to do it right and do it justice. Which Autumnal does, very nicely.
The narrative gets the atmosphere right, the eeriness, the bleakness, all of it, stab-stab-stab, and then twists the knife in for a killer ending.
The art’s great too, gorgeous panels perfectly complimenting the story.
All in all, a great read. Autumn leaves have never been creepier. Recommended.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m obsessed with The Autumnal! The art is perfection, the story is creepier than expected, and it was just an ideal fall read in general.

Dark and dreary wins again :D

[♡ retrovvitches ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

a horror graphic novel that had some great illustrations and okay storytelling. i just got a bit bored with the characters, i didn’t really care for them. but otherwise it was creepy and tragic :(

[Dan Poblocki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy wow… This was beyond horrifying. For fear during the autumnal season, though, it’s a perfect read. A must for fans of horror comics.

[Michael J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“May the leaves always fall on the right side of the fence.” I read this in the individual single monthly issues.

Sometimes, I’ll read a debut issue so impressive that I give it a Five-Star Rating. Later, as the series progresses, it fails to live up to the initial promise and ends up with an overall Four-Star or lower rating. Rarely, does the reverse happen. THE AUTUMNAL is the exception.

I read the first three issues with increasing interest but rated each of them Four Stars. When I returned to this title (after stock-piling the remaining issues for a rainy day) everything started to click. By the time I paged through Issue #5 I was thoroughly hooked and this series ends up being a FIVE-STAR read for me. It builds creepiness slowly issue by issue until after the mid-point things get out of control and this goes bat-shit crazy (in a good, entertaining way). I’m not going to give away what happens later in this series; but if you pick it up and stay with it those final issues will reward you tenfold.

In just two words, chilling and unsettling. That final issue and resolution is a giant grab-by-the-shirt-collar-and-punch-in-the-face. If you like stories of small-town horror and dreadful secrets, this is the book for you.

Main character Kat and her middle-school daughter Sybil are both troubled and struggling on her meager income, but bond together when they try to adjust to the New England town of Comfort Notch as they try to settle her deceased mother’s estate but decide to stay and live there.

Her mother seems to have an unsavory reputation in the town, and neighbors are very panicky about touching any leaves outdoors as fall is just beginning. Sybil makes friends easily and learns a weird nursery rhyme while playing hopscotch. Is there a local legend and an ancient curse behind it?

Neighbors and strangers are friendly and helpful up to a certain point, but exhibit strange behavior. “Don’t hang around the park after dark.” When Kat rakes the yard, encouraging her daughter to invite some boys to have fun jumping into piles of leaves, a neighbor panics and gets abusive.

Kat is trying her best to fit in, but has to leave town one day (to get away and contemplate) and ends up at a seedy bar that doesn’t end well. She gets sage advice from an unlikely source, the owner of a tattoo removal service, who later becomes a confidant and lover. Creepy images of Clementine Briggs (a treelike wraith of a woman of local legend) keep showing up in Comfort Notch in strange places. A good samaritan neighbor dies and Kat finds herself being blamed by his unfriendly wife.

The art overall is spot-on and looks like a fall montage (warm, brown and orange earth tones) and just adds to the foreboding atmosphere. That brings us to the aforementioned Issue #4 which is where I’m going to stop describing scenes so as not to interrupt your own suspense/fear for these characters. Pick this one up if you’re so inclined.

[Jovana (NovelOnMyMind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Ok. Wow, alright. So... I have no idea what to think about The Autumnal. It was just such a weird story. A bit too nonsensical, but then again - is that really a bad thing?

This novel reminded me of the 90s horror movies. The ones that weren't worrying about clichés or looking cool. They went all in and we loved them for it.

I loved the art. It was a bit creepy, a bit unsettling. The colors were deep and dark, lots of oranges - very autumnal. Just perfect for this time of year.

And I really loved the contrast between the coziest, 'the most autumnal' little town and the horror element. People acting suspicious, weird deaths, children singing creepy rhymes – what’s there not to like? 😅

I can't say I was creeped out while I was reading it. But once I put it down, some scenes kept playing in my head - it was a bit disconcerting.

It also felt a bit as if the author got tired of us bloggers gushing about how much we love autumn. So he took the coziness and the nature and a small town and the warmth... And he smashed us in the head with it. Here, choke on the leaves. 😳 😂

And then that ending... I mean, sure, yeah - it was pretty ridiculous. But I still kind of liked it overall.

I gave this book 4 stars, but even now I can't really make up my mind how it should be rated. Can I honestly say it was the same quality as other books I rated 4 stars? I don't think I can.

At the same time, I really did enjoy it, probably because its weird was my kind of weird. But to whom should I recommend it now?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Autumnal by Daniel Kraus in exchange for an honest review.

❤️️ ❤️️ ❤️️

[gee ☽ (IG: momoxshi) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kat Somerville, with her daughter Sybil, return to her childhood hometown following the death of her estranged mother. The quiet country life in the town of Comfort Notch was seemingly perfect compared to their chaotic life in Chicago, but Kat and Sybil soon learn that this idyllic neighborhood hides horrid secret.

+

The art was perfect - atmospheric and the right amount of eerie. As for the story itself, it is a good enough scare with a creative folkloric background. But some parts did bore me and the end was a little bit too predictable. It was still a good read for October--the art itself is worth checking out the comic.

[Amanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at https://amanjareads.com/2023/01/05/th...

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime]

WOW! WOW! WOW! This enthralling graphic novel from accomplished author Daniel Kraus and rising artist Chris Shehan brings it all: Autumn's scenic glory, historical legends, tall tales, small-town horror, New England folk horror. A perfect Halloween read, it also pulls in contemporary issues such as mother-daughter friction, drug abuse, and the kind of insular mentality demonstrated in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." This story and art are excellent! I can see this becoming a traditional annual Halloween reread.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Autumnal collects issues 1-8 of the Vault Comics series written by Daniel Kraus with art by Chris Shehan.

After the death of her estranged mother, Kat Somerville and her daughter Sybil move in to the family home in the idyllic town of Comfort Notch, New Hampshire. Kat, who has lead a troubled life since being given up by her mother as a young girl, is trying to make peace with her past while providing a supporting and loving relationship with her own daughter. But the town has a weird fascination with Autumn and the falling of the leaves, and it always seems as if someone, or something, is watching them through the trees.

The overall story here has been told many times in horror, but this book does a great job of having the reader want to root for our main protagonist. She has lead a difficult life and just wants to do well for her daughter. The atmosphere of the book is super creepy with the art doing a great job of capturing that tone. Yes, there are some laughable moments of “jump scares” from leaves, but I believe it all fits well into this tragic story.

[Crepusculodeloslibros · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as single issues. (Issue 8 just released this week, as I write this.)

Vault has really come out of nowhere in the last couple of years for me! They've managed to put out a number of compelling titles (especially in the horror vein), including this and "The Plot."

Normally, I apprecaite a well-done limited series. "The Plot" fit really well into an 8-issue run, without feeling either rushed or dragged out. With "Autumnal", I feel like the story is larger than an 8-issue run (at least IMO); I feel like there was more to explore and expand here, to the point where I would have liked a 10 or 12 issue series from this. (Hell, TOm Kings "Strange Adventures" and "Rorschach" are both a slog to get through each issues, and they get 12 issues, and aren't NEARLY as good as this.)

Also, while I liked the cover art for "The PLot" systistically for that title, I feel like "Autumnal" has covers that are more eye-catching and evocative, and really jump off the shelf.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was haunting, sad, and strangely beautiful. It is a pretty bleak story with body horror and a lot of child death. I had no idea where this was going and the ending was definitely a surprise. A horrible, depressing surprise. Despite the sorrow and misery of the storyline I actually quite enjoyed it! I always love creepy small towns and their propensity for bizarre cults. The town felt so ominous and strange. Any town where all the people are happy and perfect is always suspect. They're obviously hiding an awful secret. Best to turn your car around and get out of Dodge. Nothing good ever comes of investigating the crazy cult.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Kraus is one of my favorite authors--you need to check out his books Scowler and Rotters--and I had high hopes for this. There are a lot of good things here (such as the bond between Kat and Sybil, the natural dialogue, etc.), even with the nods to The Wicker Man and The Lottery and other, similar folk horrors. And the artwork throughout is consistently strong. But, ultimately, the story is just a bit too much of a mishmash of competing themes and plots to really be successful and stand on its own. Definitely worth a read, though.

[frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a lot of tropes in it but it’s done in a way that made the story feel almost comfortingly familiar mixed with enough originality that it never felt overdone or boring. Perfect read for Halloween season. The art itself makes it worth picking up, it’s gorgeous.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters and dialogue helped a predictable premise.

[Marie Labrousse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quoi de mieux pour Halloween qu’une bande dessinée de folk horror dans l’automne de la Nouvelle-Angleterre?

À la mort de sa mère, qu’elle n’a pas vue depuis son enfance, Kat, jeune femme paumée, retourne dans sa ville d’origine, Comfort Notch, accompagnée de sa fille Sybil. L’occasion de prendre un nouveau départ et d’offrir à Sybil une meilleure vie que celle qu’elles ont menée jusqu’à présent… Mais la petite ville aux airs idylliques dissimule quelque chose de bien plus sombre – quelque chose lié aux feuilles d’automne que les habitant·es se hâtent de ramasser dès leur chute, ainsi qu’à une inquiétante comptine chantée par les enfants…

On ne peut pas dire que le scénario brille par son originalité, néanmoins, l’exécution est plutôt bien faite. L’ambiance m’a rappelé certains romans de Stephen King pour le cadre géographique et Midsommar pour l’aspect folk horror, mais également quelques bandes dessinées de Serge Lehman, Saint-Elme ainsi que L'Homme gribouillé (pour les relations mère-fille). La maternité représente évidemment un des thèmes centraux de cette histoire, mais aussi la gestion des traumatismes et la violence subie par les personnes marginales, ostracisées par un monde bourgeois prêt à tout pour conserver sa tranquillité d’esprit. J’ai l’impression que c’est là que réside l’horreur plutôt que dans le scénario lui-même.

Les couleurs, époustouflantes, rendent bien l’ambiance automnale (je peux d’ailleurs confirmer que l’automne ressemble véritablement à ça dans cette zone géographique) et je n’ai pas grand-chose à redire sur le dessin, si ce n’est que certaines images paraissent parfois un peu trop statiques.

Parfait pour la saison!

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was great. Genuinely spooky, beautifully drawn and colored, with terrific characters and a mythology that feels fitting to the setting.

I'm kind of obsessed with this now and I'll 100% be buying this for my shelves (I picked it up at my local library just out of curiosity).

According to the publisher's website (https://www.simonandschuster.com/book...) there will be a film adaptation coming out in 2026 - I am so here for this, completely seated, not moving till it's here. I hope it actually comes out because it would be gorgeous and gory in the best ways.

And what an ending!!

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a great time with The Autumnal. The art is excellent. I especially love the scratchy feel to a lot of the framing and the style feels like it morphs with the amount of chaos happening in the story, subtly so that it is not jarring. The characters are not the most likeable, but I still enjoyed seeing their story unfold. The mix of family trauma and small town interconnectivity was nice, and the ending went in the direction I was hoping for. Good stuff all around.