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It Took Luke
Their relationship? Crumbling.
Their job? Worse.
Their clothes? Covered in blood.
Down-on-their-luck exterminator, Sal Hernandez is sick of long hours, living in their work van, and ready to reconcile with their estranged partner. The only thing standing in their way is one last shift. What seems like a routine job is anything but, and a proselytizing mass of flesh abducts Sal's newest coworker. Freshly concussed from a pro-bono job earlier this morning, for Sal, the line between reality and hallucination begins to blur.
It Took Luke is a disparate, existential take on hack & slash horror, exploring crunch culture and its casualties.
Their job? Worse.
Their clothes? Covered in blood.
Down-on-their-luck exterminator, Sal Hernandez is sick of long hours, living in their work van, and ready to reconcile with their estranged partner. The only thing standing in their way is one last shift. What seems like a routine job is anything but, and a proselytizing mass of flesh abducts Sal's newest coworker. Freshly concussed from a pro-bono job earlier this morning, for Sal, the line between reality and hallucination begins to blur.
It Took Luke is a disparate, existential take on hack & slash horror, exploring crunch culture and its casualties.
92 pages, Unknown Binding
First published October 25, 2022
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524 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
September 23, 2023
It certainly did take Luke, which isn't nice.
This is a competently told, if not exactly mind-blowing horror tale, with well sketched characters (impressively so, seeing the amount of pages), that is really elevated by the kinetic art.
Expect lots of gore, a huge sword, a constantly babbling cosmic horror, and a heartfelt layer underneath all of that stuff.
(Thanks to Oni Press for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
This is a competently told, if not exactly mind-blowing horror tale, with well sketched characters (impressively so, seeing the amount of pages), that is really elevated by the kinetic art.
Expect lots of gore, a huge sword, a constantly babbling cosmic horror, and a heartfelt layer underneath all of that stuff.
(Thanks to Oni Press for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
October 14, 2022
Well… that was an astoundingly beautiful, depressing read. What an interesting world to be thrown into, I am so eager to learn more (if I ever have the ability to do so)!
The story was a little hard to follow at times, which worked well with our concussed MC Sal for a while, but then I just began to feel lost? I wished for more of an explanation other than "we are exterminators and obviously that doesn't mean what you think!" It seems like an interesting world, where the police are abolished and there are giant, body horror creatures running around that require trained professionals to enter into a life threatening situation to kill them, but there's nothing deeper there. I feel like I should've read a graphic novel before this one, one where I got a little more of a venture into the world other than just the job Sal and their crew went on.
The art was gorgeous, the body horror was shudder-inducing, and I am such a big fan of restricted color in graphic novels. I think it really adds something to the story and in this one it DID. Oof, some of the scenes were really met with a lovely extra bit of horrifying spice when the only color was red. And not a ruby red or a dark, deep red, but like… an off, almost pink-ish red. Ugh. Awesome.
Unsurprisingly, I liked all the characters! There was very little to them other than "I have a family" or "I am the responsible one" but they were enjoyable one note characters, helping fill in the story.
And the story just made me sad, fuck dude. I wasn't expecting too much in terms of happiness but… shit. Heavy ending.
It was a simple read that left more to be desired, but fun all around! I would absolutely love to see more of this world.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
The story was a little hard to follow at times, which worked well with our concussed MC Sal for a while, but then I just began to feel lost? I wished for more of an explanation other than "we are exterminators and obviously that doesn't mean what you think!" It seems like an interesting world, where the police are abolished and there are giant, body horror creatures running around that require trained professionals to enter into a life threatening situation to kill them, but there's nothing deeper there. I feel like I should've read a graphic novel before this one, one where I got a little more of a venture into the world other than just the job Sal and their crew went on.
The art was gorgeous, the body horror was shudder-inducing, and I am such a big fan of restricted color in graphic novels. I think it really adds something to the story and in this one it DID. Oof, some of the scenes were really met with a lovely extra bit of horrifying spice when the only color was red. And not a ruby red or a dark, deep red, but like… an off, almost pink-ish red. Ugh. Awesome.
Unsurprisingly, I liked all the characters! There was very little to them other than "I have a family" or "I am the responsible one" but they were enjoyable one note characters, helping fill in the story.
And the story just made me sad, fuck dude. I wasn't expecting too much in terms of happiness but… shit. Heavy ending.
It was a simple read that left more to be desired, but fun all around! I would absolutely love to see more of this world.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
January 14, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
It Took Luke follows Sal Hernandez, an exterminator that's tired and just cannot catch a break. Sal is working long hours, living out of their van, and just wants to get things straightened out with their partner. After a mass of flesh abducts their coworker, Sal - freshly concussed - starts to lose touch with what's reality and what's hallucination.
This graphic novel is absolutely stunning in terms of artwork alone. I love the use of color and the character designs, they fit very well for this genre. Artwork aside, this story hits a little close to home for me right now. I'm feeling the overworked and underpaid energy that Sal is living through. Bouchard does a fantastic job of portraying how hustle culture... it just not the move, We really need to take care of ourselves or reality will start to blur a little too much. Sal talks about how hard it really is to quit any job you've invested a lot of time into. Writing countless resignation letters on the daily, hoping one day you'll actually hit send.
Fantastic! Hope to see more from this graphic novel team!
It Took Luke follows Sal Hernandez, an exterminator that's tired and just cannot catch a break. Sal is working long hours, living out of their van, and just wants to get things straightened out with their partner. After a mass of flesh abducts their coworker, Sal - freshly concussed - starts to lose touch with what's reality and what's hallucination.
This graphic novel is absolutely stunning in terms of artwork alone. I love the use of color and the character designs, they fit very well for this genre. Artwork aside, this story hits a little close to home for me right now. I'm feeling the overworked and underpaid energy that Sal is living through. Bouchard does a fantastic job of portraying how hustle culture... it just not the move, We really need to take care of ourselves or reality will start to blur a little too much. Sal talks about how hard it really is to quit any job you've invested a lot of time into. Writing countless resignation letters on the daily, hoping one day you'll actually hit send.
Fantastic! Hope to see more from this graphic novel team!
October 26, 2022
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I am sorry, but I just HAD to read this book. I mean that cover? I love the style, love how scary it looks, and it reminded me (the artstyle at least) of Hellsing. I was sold. And I am sold. Because HOT DANG this was so good.
😍 That everything was black white… but if there was blood. Good lord you will see that. Love that.
😍 Love how it started off perfectly. We meet our MC who is clearly done with the shit of his work and life and who is fighting a big big lots of fangs monster. And then we cue to the monster of the book, something that wasn’t a bugbear in a laboratory. That part, DANG. I was even more sold.
😍 Love how our MC is clearly all blood-drenched but doesn’t give an fuck’s ass about it. He just walks around. Eat his lunch. Goes back to his work/team covered in blood. At least at one point he had the decency to wash his face, because dang. I can just imagine the looks of everyone around him.
😍 I love that exterminators don’t just carry guns or whatever else is normally hot in graphic novels/comics about this type of job. Oh no. Our MC has a kick-ass sword that reminded me of many RPGs I played. One of them has a big-ass hammer. I just loved seeing what each exterminator had as weapon and see them work that thing.
😍 LOVE LOVE it when the title is mentioned! On page 31 we see one of the extermination team say it to his team members and I was just squeeing. OK, maybe also not squeeing because DANG that poor dude. RIP him. First day and already being stabbed and taken by a monster, that sucks. But I guess our MC was right, this field isn’t right for a rookie/newbie. Sounds harsh, but here we have the clear evidence ripping people to shreds.
😍 The action scenes, DA YUM. I love a good action scene and we get plenty of those in here and I was just so into it.
😍 The monster. And what it did. And what it says. OH YES. I am 100% in. That is one vile thing. And perfect. Scary. Horrifying and everything I want in September. Oh, and I loved the name that our MC gave it. That is very fitting. Horrifying but fitting.
😍 What is up with our MC and why he hears barking/clutches his head. Oh no.
😍 Oh yes, finding a kid in a murderous laboratory setting. Seriously? I know it sounds harsh, but I would have dropped that kid like he was a sack of burning coals.
😍 Loved reading about the characters. We get to know the MC the most, about his past, about his ex. I wonder how much of what we see is true and what is all in Sal’s mind. I also liked Molly and Hussam. While we don’t see a lot of them, they are present and I love that. Sometimes side-characters get forgotten, but not in this book.
😍 The end battle was awesome and epic, yes, it felt a bit short, a bit easy, but I don’t mind.
😍 I want more pages and I want more books in this world. Given the ending I would say there could be more? I need to see more exterminations. How they went from friends to just co-workers. Or how they started to become friends. This world is so scary and spooky and holy hell, imagine going to work and then potentially getting murdered by a freaking monster? Not a world I would like to live in, but it is a world I want to read about.
😍 It was very gore and bloody. Normally my body is like FUCK NOPE about that (and that comes from someone who used to watch Elfen Lied and other gore stuff without a hitch) but in this one? Yes, I was at times going EWW, but it seems that maybe I am getting more resistance for it again?
😍 A bit of love and a bit of anger, mostly at the boss. At times I felt for our exterminator team. Their boss is such insert some angry words. Geez. I get that you want the job done, but holy crap. Your team is clearly in over their head and instead of saying, OK, come out and get some more peeps. Oh no. If you want your job and your pay you keep going. I can imagine that Sal wanted out.
🤔 WAIT? Wait? That is how it ends? Is there more coming? You cannot just end it like that. I need to know what is going on. Did they all… you know? You can’t leave me hanging. Bleh, this was such an epic story.. until the ending. Sorry, but deducing 0.5 stars.
But all in all, despite that ending and still having maybe a few questions, I did love this book. It is full of gore, I love how it is black/white with the blood vividly red, great characters, horrifying monsters. I think this would be a perfect read for Halloween!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I am sorry, but I just HAD to read this book. I mean that cover? I love the style, love how scary it looks, and it reminded me (the artstyle at least) of Hellsing. I was sold. And I am sold. Because HOT DANG this was so good.
😍 That everything was black white… but if there was blood. Good lord you will see that. Love that.
😍 Love how it started off perfectly. We meet our MC who is clearly done with the shit of his work and life and who is fighting a big big lots of fangs monster. And then we cue to the monster of the book, something that wasn’t a bugbear in a laboratory. That part, DANG. I was even more sold.
😍 Love how our MC is clearly all blood-drenched but doesn’t give an fuck’s ass about it. He just walks around. Eat his lunch. Goes back to his work/team covered in blood. At least at one point he had the decency to wash his face, because dang. I can just imagine the looks of everyone around him.
😍 I love that exterminators don’t just carry guns or whatever else is normally hot in graphic novels/comics about this type of job. Oh no. Our MC has a kick-ass sword that reminded me of many RPGs I played. One of them has a big-ass hammer. I just loved seeing what each exterminator had as weapon and see them work that thing.
😍 LOVE LOVE it when the title is mentioned! On page 31 we see one of the extermination team say it to his team members and I was just squeeing. OK, maybe also not squeeing because DANG that poor dude. RIP him. First day and already being stabbed and taken by a monster, that sucks. But I guess our MC was right, this field isn’t right for a rookie/newbie. Sounds harsh, but here we have the clear evidence ripping people to shreds.
😍 The action scenes, DA YUM. I love a good action scene and we get plenty of those in here and I was just so into it.
😍 The monster. And what it did. And what it says. OH YES. I am 100% in. That is one vile thing. And perfect. Scary. Horrifying and everything I want in September. Oh, and I loved the name that our MC gave it. That is very fitting. Horrifying but fitting.
😍 What is up with our MC and why he hears barking/clutches his head. Oh no.
😍 Oh yes, finding a kid in a murderous laboratory setting. Seriously? I know it sounds harsh, but I would have dropped that kid like he was a sack of burning coals.
😍 Loved reading about the characters. We get to know the MC the most, about his past, about his ex. I wonder how much of what we see is true and what is all in Sal’s mind. I also liked Molly and Hussam. While we don’t see a lot of them, they are present and I love that. Sometimes side-characters get forgotten, but not in this book.
😍 The end battle was awesome and epic, yes, it felt a bit short, a bit easy, but I don’t mind.
😍 I want more pages and I want more books in this world. Given the ending I would say there could be more? I need to see more exterminations. How they went from friends to just co-workers. Or how they started to become friends. This world is so scary and spooky and holy hell, imagine going to work and then potentially getting murdered by a freaking monster? Not a world I would like to live in, but it is a world I want to read about.
😍 It was very gore and bloody. Normally my body is like FUCK NOPE about that (and that comes from someone who used to watch Elfen Lied and other gore stuff without a hitch) but in this one? Yes, I was at times going EWW, but it seems that maybe I am getting more resistance for it again?
😍 A bit of love and a bit of anger, mostly at the boss. At times I felt for our exterminator team. Their boss is such insert some angry words. Geez. I get that you want the job done, but holy crap. Your team is clearly in over their head and instead of saying, OK, come out and get some more peeps. Oh no. If you want your job and your pay you keep going. I can imagine that Sal wanted out.
🤔 WAIT? Wait? That is how it ends? Is there more coming? You cannot just end it like that. I need to know what is going on. Did they all… you know? You can’t leave me hanging. Bleh, this was such an epic story.. until the ending. Sorry, but deducing 0.5 stars.
But all in all, despite that ending and still having maybe a few questions, I did love this book. It is full of gore, I love how it is black/white with the blood vividly red, great characters, horrifying monsters. I think this would be a perfect read for Halloween!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
August 26, 2022
Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC!
This is a super rapid and fast paced graphic novel with a focus on horror that is exceptionally well done. The art style fits perfectly, with the purposeful use of red and the well captured action, It Took Luke kept me involved right up to the last page. The design for the creatures are perfectly disturbing and fill the story with such a sense of pure unease.
There are countless panels that just flow so well together, especially within the different fight sequences and a few full pages that had me just fully enraptured. I wish this story was slightly longer! I adored it and just wanted a few more pages out of it!
This is a super rapid and fast paced graphic novel with a focus on horror that is exceptionally well done. The art style fits perfectly, with the purposeful use of red and the well captured action, It Took Luke kept me involved right up to the last page. The design for the creatures are perfectly disturbing and fill the story with such a sense of pure unease.
There are countless panels that just flow so well together, especially within the different fight sequences and a few full pages that had me just fully enraptured. I wish this story was slightly longer! I adored it and just wanted a few more pages out of it!
April 10, 2023
What an art!!!! I really adored the art style. Totally terrifying !!! Especially when the red color appeared as blood color but the other was not. That thing added the "thrilling" effect. Really love it
December 10, 2022
Wasn’t sure I would like this because it’s full of action scenes and that’s not my thing, but I found myself really liking this! It cut straight into the story and I actually really enjoyed the artwork - even the action scenes! My only complaint is that it’s too short and I want more!
February 7, 2023
disgusting and terrifying. i absolutely loved it
August 17, 2022
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers, artist, and writers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This graphic novel was METAL. I absolutely love body horror so this got my attention right away. The fact the only color in the book was red from the blood was an awesome touch. I could feel myself become anxious while I was reading. It was so hard to tell what was real and what wasn’t through Sal’s hallucinations. It really did play out like a short horror film I would have loved to see on tv.
Sal is just trying to make it till the end of the day so they can quit their job. They work as an “exterminator” and are extremely overworked and unappreciated. They are holding on by a thread and live in their work van. They are having problems with their partner and are trying their hardest to make it work but nothing seems to help. When their new coworker Luke gets kidnapped by the monster they are trying to exterminate, all hands are on deck to get him back. I wish I could know more about what the monsters really are and how they operate. I also wanted to know more about Sal and their friends.
The scene with all the bodies in the hallway and the big final monster boss at the end were my favorites. I would deff recommend if you like body horror or just horror comics in general. I want to read more and more comics from Oni Press so I’ll deff be looking out!
This graphic novel was METAL. I absolutely love body horror so this got my attention right away. The fact the only color in the book was red from the blood was an awesome touch. I could feel myself become anxious while I was reading. It was so hard to tell what was real and what wasn’t through Sal’s hallucinations. It really did play out like a short horror film I would have loved to see on tv.
Sal is just trying to make it till the end of the day so they can quit their job. They work as an “exterminator” and are extremely overworked and unappreciated. They are holding on by a thread and live in their work van. They are having problems with their partner and are trying their hardest to make it work but nothing seems to help. When their new coworker Luke gets kidnapped by the monster they are trying to exterminate, all hands are on deck to get him back. I wish I could know more about what the monsters really are and how they operate. I also wanted to know more about Sal and their friends.
The scene with all the bodies in the hallway and the big final monster boss at the end were my favorites. I would deff recommend if you like body horror or just horror comics in general. I want to read more and more comics from Oni Press so I’ll deff be looking out!
August 3, 2023
I want more of thiss AAAHH
August 17, 2022
A graphic novel not afraid to dig into horror with a graphic style that complements the story perfectly. I was amazed by the black and white style and the touch of reds which made the gory aspects come alive.
The protagonist of this story is non-binary like the author and while I hate when people say this : I love that it was never stated but up to the reader to pick up on that through dialogues.
I think that while the horror elements were really well done, the story did lack some cohesiveness, some things and relationships didn't quite click together. I would have loved for a bit more development but that's a flaw inherent to the story's length.
The protagonist of this story is non-binary like the author and while I hate when people say this : I love that it was never stated but up to the reader to pick up on that through dialogues.
I think that while the horror elements were really well done, the story did lack some cohesiveness, some things and relationships didn't quite click together. I would have loved for a bit more development but that's a flaw inherent to the story's length.
November 12, 2022
Not exactly sure what that ending was, but the author and illustrators made some interesting choices. I enjoyed that they only used the color red and everything else was black and white, and I liked the character design as well as the fact that this is basically just a story about a person whose work and relationship suck, but also... monsters.
Still, the ending really didn't make any sense at all unless this is going to be the beginning of a series? Not sure it is though.
Still, the ending really didn't make any sense at all unless this is going to be the beginning of a series? Not sure it is though.
May 12, 2023
A quick and gory read😍
I sped through this book! The artwork was amazing & very gory😍! I really enjoyed the action sequences and the writing was great too! I had so much fun with this!
I sped through this book! The artwork was amazing & very gory😍! I really enjoyed the action sequences and the writing was great too! I had so much fun with this!
July 5, 2023
FANTASTIC and criminally underrated. The art is breathtaking and technically phenomenal, the writing is punchy and exciting, my only critique is I wish it was longer. WHY ISN'T EVERYONE READING THIS??
Read
December 25, 2021I'm absolutely in love with Bayleigh Underwood's art style. This is a short, well-done indie comicbook.
June 19, 2023
Omg 😭
February 28, 2026
it wasn't bad but it just felt unfinished/incomplete which is annoying
June 11, 2025
I loved the art style, especially the use of colors (red haha) but the plot and characters were just... okay? I don't know. It all felt a bit like a fever dream and that kept me from really connecting.
August 25, 2023
middling feelings, though i liked the concept.
2.5/5 stars
2.5/5 stars
January 26, 2023
Gorgeous and vicious. And likely says something about the nature of work and how it can be an inescapable thing. But it was disjointed in a way that made it hard for me to connect to the characters.
August 17, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I don't know what it is about this comic, but I'm in love with it. I absolutely adore the art style! The action scenes are dynamic, fast-paced, and are so fun to read. The flow of the panels adds to the action scenes; there are several page spreads that stood out to me. The way they're composed is just gorgeous. The color scheme for this comic is one of my favorite color scheme styles; black and white, with the only color being pops of red. I really like how easy it was to connect with the characters, mostly Sal. Molly and Hussam are written in a way that makes it almost feel like they could be your co-workers. It was all too easy to emphasize with them. I also emphasized heavily with Sal when they talk about how they accidentally trapped themself into a career that they ended up hating because it would mean trying to start over at twenty-seven. I winced reading Sal say "Now I'm thirty-one and full of resentment" and "I couldn't even tell you how many resignation letters I've written on my phone this past month". Like, ouch. I've been there myself, so it felt like the story really went for my throat. Sal is a painfully relatable character; struggling with their hatred for their job, and the brief mentions of their relationship woes with their partner. The story of the comic itself is great, even though it feels like it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm assuming this is a one-shot, not a series, but I really wish it was a series! What we see of the world in "It Took Luke" is fascinating. The mystery of the monster that Sal's team has been sent to exterminate was amazing, and the reveal is truly horrific. I'm not a huge horror person, but this captivated me, instead of grossing me out. This story is VERY gory, think Alien or The Expanse level of gore. But still, I found myself reading on in vaguely horrified awe. My ONLY complaint is that the comic is woefully short. The story itself does not feel short in any way; I was actually surprised to see it's only 92 pages. But I want more of this story and world; it's got me fully hooked. I really love this story and I really love the art style of this comic. I will totally be seeking out both the author and artist's other works after this!
I don't know what it is about this comic, but I'm in love with it. I absolutely adore the art style! The action scenes are dynamic, fast-paced, and are so fun to read. The flow of the panels adds to the action scenes; there are several page spreads that stood out to me. The way they're composed is just gorgeous. The color scheme for this comic is one of my favorite color scheme styles; black and white, with the only color being pops of red. I really like how easy it was to connect with the characters, mostly Sal. Molly and Hussam are written in a way that makes it almost feel like they could be your co-workers. It was all too easy to emphasize with them. I also emphasized heavily with Sal when they talk about how they accidentally trapped themself into a career that they ended up hating because it would mean trying to start over at twenty-seven. I winced reading Sal say "Now I'm thirty-one and full of resentment" and "I couldn't even tell you how many resignation letters I've written on my phone this past month". Like, ouch. I've been there myself, so it felt like the story really went for my throat. Sal is a painfully relatable character; struggling with their hatred for their job, and the brief mentions of their relationship woes with their partner. The story of the comic itself is great, even though it feels like it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm assuming this is a one-shot, not a series, but I really wish it was a series! What we see of the world in "It Took Luke" is fascinating. The mystery of the monster that Sal's team has been sent to exterminate was amazing, and the reveal is truly horrific. I'm not a huge horror person, but this captivated me, instead of grossing me out. This story is VERY gory, think Alien or The Expanse level of gore. But still, I found myself reading on in vaguely horrified awe. My ONLY complaint is that the comic is woefully short. The story itself does not feel short in any way; I was actually surprised to see it's only 92 pages. But I want more of this story and world; it's got me fully hooked. I really love this story and I really love the art style of this comic. I will totally be seeking out both the author and artist's other works after this!
August 19, 2022
It Took Luke: Overworked Underpaid interested me, since I've read Mark Bouchard's works before. I do like how short this is and how the comic actually still works. Sal is an exterminator with mental issues. He now lives in a van and his relationship with his partner isn't going anywhere either. He still has the last shift and boy it doesn't look good. His coworker Luke is abducted by the monster and now the group needs to save him only to enter a massive slaughter. The tone is very dark and depressing, feels like Alien actually. There's lots of blood and gore, so this isn't for everyone. The monsters are hideous and it gives that extra spice to the story.
The art looks good as in the comic style works well with the dark scenes. The comic is black and white except for the blood that's red. It looks great like that and somehow highlights the brutality and still does the exact opposite at the same time. Still, I think this would've needed more pages to work out and the beginning is very fast and it takes time to get what is even happening. Otherwise, an interesting comic with a LGBTQ+ theme to it too.
The art looks good as in the comic style works well with the dark scenes. The comic is black and white except for the blood that's red. It looks great like that and somehow highlights the brutality and still does the exact opposite at the same time. Still, I think this would've needed more pages to work out and the beginning is very fast and it takes time to get what is even happening. Otherwise, an interesting comic with a LGBTQ+ theme to it too.
September 1, 2022
What an odd and horrific graphic novel. I love it. We follow Sal as they do their job and try to get their life together. There is little world building done, but the story and visuals are strong enough to allow you to fill in a lot of gaps. An off the clock incident affects Sal before they go in to work, allowing for a disoriented storytelling. Are the barks real or are they auditory hallucinations? How much of what Sal is experiencing is real? Let me tell you, the body horror is real. The art is perfect for a horror comic, with great lines and amazing use of adding red to an otherwise black and white comic. The story and action are strong enough to carry you on with less than fleshed out characters. You get a glimpse into Sal and get a feel for them, but their coworkers and ex play their role well enough to move the story forward. The more I sit with it, the more I love it and wish I had gotten more. It's a short read, just a moment in the life of Sal, but will leave you in awe of the quick and precise storytelling. Just... don't look for a happy ending.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
April 1, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
It Took Luke follows Sal Hernandez, an exterminator that's tired and just cannot catch a break. Sal is working long hours, living out of their van, and just wants to get things straightened out with their partner. After a mass of flesh abducts their coworker, Sal - freshly concussed - starts to lose touch with what's reality and what's hallucination.
This graphic novel is absolutely stunning in terms of artwork alone. I love the use of color and the character designs, they fit very well for this genre. Artwork aside, this story hits a little close to home for me right now. I'm feeling the overworked and underpaid energy that Sal is living through. Bouchard does a fantastic job of portraying how hustle culture... it just not the move, We really need to take care of ourselves or reality will start to blur a little too much. Sal talks about how hard it really is to quit any job you've invested a lot of time into. Writing countless resignation letters on the daily, hoping one day you'll actually hit send.
Fantastic! Hope to see more from this graphic novel team!
It Took Luke follows Sal Hernandez, an exterminator that's tired and just cannot catch a break. Sal is working long hours, living out of their van, and just wants to get things straightened out with their partner. After a mass of flesh abducts their coworker, Sal - freshly concussed - starts to lose touch with what's reality and what's hallucination.
This graphic novel is absolutely stunning in terms of artwork alone. I love the use of color and the character designs, they fit very well for this genre. Artwork aside, this story hits a little close to home for me right now. I'm feeling the overworked and underpaid energy that Sal is living through. Bouchard does a fantastic job of portraying how hustle culture... it just not the move, We really need to take care of ourselves or reality will start to blur a little too much. Sal talks about how hard it really is to quit any job you've invested a lot of time into. Writing countless resignation letters on the daily, hoping one day you'll actually hit send.
Fantastic! Hope to see more from this graphic novel team!
October 3, 2022
[Thank you NETGALLEY and the publisher for a proof copy in exchange for an honest review]
This graphic novel is like an existential crisis in a comic, but with some monsters added. Sal, has been doing the same job for years, exterminating monsters. They want to get out, but don't want to start their life over again in their early 30s. However this comes at the price of relationships, health, friends and a stable home.
I loved the graphics in this, the style was super unique and I loved the idea of using burnout as the main concept. What I didn't like was the ending. If this is planned to be #1 of many, I take it back, but if this is meant as a standalone, then I don't get the ending. It felt rushed as though the plot got lost somewhere or too long and the end was just stuck there for lack of anything else to do. Also Luke, the title character, had pretty much nothing to do with the plot at all, which confused me. But the art was beautiful and I would definitely continue to story. It was a fun read, if I would have liked more plot development!
This graphic novel is like an existential crisis in a comic, but with some monsters added. Sal, has been doing the same job for years, exterminating monsters. They want to get out, but don't want to start their life over again in their early 30s. However this comes at the price of relationships, health, friends and a stable home.
I loved the graphics in this, the style was super unique and I loved the idea of using burnout as the main concept. What I didn't like was the ending. If this is planned to be #1 of many, I take it back, but if this is meant as a standalone, then I don't get the ending. It felt rushed as though the plot got lost somewhere or too long and the end was just stuck there for lack of anything else to do. Also Luke, the title character, had pretty much nothing to do with the plot at all, which confused me. But the art was beautiful and I would definitely continue to story. It was a fun read, if I would have liked more plot development!
August 17, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This was an interesting graphic novel! Sal is an exterminator who hunts monsters. They are fed up of them job and want to move on, maybe rekindle things with their ex. Then they are called on a job… the only thing is they are facing something they’ve never seen before. Can they defeat it? Will their team survive? I think the storyline for this is really enjoyable. I like that the artwork was black and white except for the splashes of red. I think the side storyline between Sal and their ex! The only thing I would say is it might have been nice to have a little back story everything went really fast. That’s also a good thing though I enjoy quick reads! I think if you enjoy graphic novels with LGBTQ+ characters and monsters you’ll enjoy this!
September 7, 2022
This graphic novel was absolutely everything that I was looking for. It is a perfectly dark look at the way that we work jobs that we hate for longer than we should because change is scary whilst also being an incredibly dark and graphic horror story. The art reminded me a lot of the work of Junji Ito with just how horrifying it is and it paired so well with the very dry humour that was incredibly irreverent.
There were parts of the story that I didn't feel like I was following along with as easily as I would have liked but I think that was largely due to the format that I was reading and I will 100% be buying a copy and regularly returning to this story time and time again.
This is one of those stories that just happen to come into my life at exactly the right time as I relate so much with Sal (even down to the fact that we are both enby and 31!).
There were parts of the story that I didn't feel like I was following along with as easily as I would have liked but I think that was largely due to the format that I was reading and I will 100% be buying a copy and regularly returning to this story time and time again.
This is one of those stories that just happen to come into my life at exactly the right time as I relate so much with Sal (even down to the fact that we are both enby and 31!).
September 12, 2022
I really enjoyed “It Took Luke”. This graphic novella examining the consequences of crunch culture was fast-paced and fascinating, with breathtaking art and a great message. I’m not typically a reader of horror but I really, really enjoyed this comic and would certainly recommend it. I liked that it has LGBTQ+ representation in that the main character is nonbinary and presumably queer, but that isn’t all that the story is about. In fact, it isn’t really integral to the story at all and instead is just treated as a fact of life which I really liked to see. I would have liked to see a little bit more worldbuilding and backstory on how the exterminators came to be, but other than that I had no criticisms.
Thank you to NetGalley and OniPress for this ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and OniPress for this ARC!
August 24, 2022
It Took Luke is a short graphic novel about a team of exterminators that get hired for a job that turns into a rescue mission for their newest coworker, Luke. The three main characters Sal (they/them & queer), Hussam and Molly have a terrible relationship that affects the mission.
I loved the art style and the character designs and also the concept art at the end. The plot was really cool and the characters were really interesting too. I really enjoyed reading this and I’d love to see some other works by this author and also by the artist.
TW/CW - Blood; Body Horror; Cursing; Gore; Possession; Vomit
I loved the art style and the character designs and also the concept art at the end. The plot was really cool and the characters were really interesting too. I really enjoyed reading this and I’d love to see some other works by this author and also by the artist.
TW/CW - Blood; Body Horror; Cursing; Gore; Possession; Vomit
July 11, 2024
It took Luke by Mark Bouchard was a little outside my wheelhouse but I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
I though the story was engaging right from the first few panels. The art style was really beautiful - familiar but also nothing too out there that I couldn’t follow the action. I loved that the only colour we get is red. I think it made it so impactful when we did see that colour, especially when it was the red of blood. Particularly towards the end - just wow.
A slight warning though: it was rather graphic at times.
Highly recommend you give this one a chance!
I though the story was engaging right from the first few panels. The art style was really beautiful - familiar but also nothing too out there that I couldn’t follow the action. I loved that the only colour we get is red. I think it made it so impactful when we did see that colour, especially when it was the red of blood. Particularly towards the end - just wow.
A slight warning though: it was rather graphic at times.
Highly recommend you give this one a chance!
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