What do you think?
Rate this book
Blink
Blink
Eisner-nominated Christopher Sebela ( Dirtbag Rapture) , Hayden Sherman ( Dark Wildfire ), and Nick Filardi ( Rogue Planet ) team up for a found-footage horror where uncovering your past will leave you trapped inside it.
Wren Booker was three when she was found alone and covered in blood on the streets of New York. Since that day, she’s been haunted by the childhood she can't remember…until decades later when she finds a cryptic website streaming multiple CCT feeds from strange rooms in a ruined building. Something clicks, setting off hidden memories that lead her back to a place she’s seen in lifelong nightmares. Hunting for answers, Wren breaks in and finds herself lost in the camera-filled dark mazes of a decayed social experiment known only as BLINK...which she quickly discovers is not abandoned at all. But what should be a foreign nightmare-scape feels all too familiar for Wren as she follows her obsession all the way down, piecing together the story of BLINK—as well as her own ties to it.
Wren Booker was three when she was found alone and covered in blood on the streets of New York. Since that day, she’s been haunted by the childhood she can't remember…until decades later when she finds a cryptic website streaming multiple CCT feeds from strange rooms in a ruined building. Something clicks, setting off hidden memories that lead her back to a place she’s seen in lifelong nightmares. Hunting for answers, Wren breaks in and finds herself lost in the camera-filled dark mazes of a decayed social experiment known only as BLINK...which she quickly discovers is not abandoned at all. But what should be a foreign nightmare-scape feels all too familiar for Wren as she follows her obsession all the way down, piecing together the story of BLINK—as well as her own ties to it.
128 pages, Paperback
Published May 16, 2023
3 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
March 8, 2023
I picked this up from the available NetGalley pile solely because of the cover art, which is striking, right?. Looks like cyberpunk horror. And if you skim through it, you are struck by the creative paneling. But the art, as with the story, is ultimately a bit confusing, hard to navigate. The story is this: Wren Booker, a young journalist, is obsessed to find out why she was found alone and covered in blood and wandering the streets of Manhattan when she was a kid. Her obsession, illustrated with visible anguish throughout, leads her to an abandoned building that isn’t what it seems. Maybe it should be hard to navigate for us as it is for her? Um, maybe, but you lost me at times
The building is tied to surveillance and cryptic websites and a social cyber experiment named Blink. There's all these screens with images in the building, and she’s seen these images in nightmares, so it’s PTSD territory. We don’t know why this bad stuff happened, but we know surveillance and social experimentation is bad. We don’t do a deep dive into characterization. I kind of got the feeling that the art is the basis for the project, a loosely defined trauma/horror story, an opportunity to make dark mysterious art about a future where people are trying to take over our brains, which could happen, I know. Her obsession driving everything. Not my jam, as they say.
What can I say? Maybe if it were all drawn out into a series where things were better explained and we go to know the characters better and the world-making was grounded in more than just images?
(Thanks to Netgalley and the pub team and especially the creators for an early look)
The building is tied to surveillance and cryptic websites and a social cyber experiment named Blink. There's all these screens with images in the building, and she’s seen these images in nightmares, so it’s PTSD territory. We don’t know why this bad stuff happened, but we know surveillance and social experimentation is bad. We don’t do a deep dive into characterization. I kind of got the feeling that the art is the basis for the project, a loosely defined trauma/horror story, an opportunity to make dark mysterious art about a future where people are trying to take over our brains, which could happen, I know. Her obsession driving everything. Not my jam, as they say.
What can I say? Maybe if it were all drawn out into a series where things were better explained and we go to know the characters better and the world-making was grounded in more than just images?
(Thanks to Netgalley and the pub team and especially the creators for an early look)
February 25, 2023
Wren Booker was three when she was found alone and covered in blood on the streets of New York. Since that day, she’s been haunted by the childhood she can't remember…until decades later when she finds a cryptic website streaming multiple CCT feeds from strange rooms in a ruined building. Something clicks, setting off hidden memories that lead her back to a place she’s seen in lifelong nightmares. Hunting for answers, Wren breaks in and finds herself lost in the camera-filled dark mazes of a decayed social experiment known only as Blink.
Thank you NetGalley\Christopher Sebela\
For this eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinion is of my own volition.
Read BLINK, and find out what happens to Wren.
Thank you NetGalley\Christopher Sebela\
For this eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinion is of my own volition.
Read BLINK, and find out what happens to Wren.
February 15, 2023
I have a theory about Sebela's work, and it basically is that he'll come up with a cool premise, or a cool setup, and the actual comic will turn out to be an afterthought, with barely coherent storytelling.
Blink is a patchwork of storytelling clichés, a plot that chugs along because the plot needs it to, characters never behaving a certain way because it makes emotional sense, characters making stupid choices because That's What Happens In Stories.
So we have a character we're told is obsessed with the disappearance of her parents, she'll do anything to find out, but we never feel her obsession - there are the barest indicators, but none of the work to convince us, we're told to go along with it because obsession like this is another thing That Happens In Stories.
And then we get a confusing story inside a building, where I quickly lost any idea of where we were (there's the barest suggestion the building is bigger on the inside, because sure, another Thing That Happens In Stories, but it is never referred to again). There's ghoul-like people that look like every zombie you have ever seen, and they're not scary or interesting. There are other people who are another faction, and there is a lot of explaining and then it's still unclear what has happened or is happening.
Our main character is The One, fights against being The One for a bit, then suddenly accepts her role as The One, not because she was convinced, but because That's What Happens In Stories.
But besides its dull story, I think the most offensive thing about the book is that it pretends to be about surveillance, but it has literally nothing to say about it but "surveillance is kind of bad lol".
Empty as a derelict house.
(Thanks to Oni Press for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)
Blink is a patchwork of storytelling clichés, a plot that chugs along because the plot needs it to, characters never behaving a certain way because it makes emotional sense, characters making stupid choices because That's What Happens In Stories.
So we have a character we're told is obsessed with the disappearance of her parents, she'll do anything to find out, but we never feel her obsession - there are the barest indicators, but none of the work to convince us, we're told to go along with it because obsession like this is another thing That Happens In Stories.
And then we get a confusing story inside a building, where I quickly lost any idea of where we were (there's the barest suggestion the building is bigger on the inside, because sure, another Thing That Happens In Stories, but it is never referred to again). There's ghoul-like people that look like every zombie you have ever seen, and they're not scary or interesting. There are other people who are another faction, and there is a lot of explaining and then it's still unclear what has happened or is happening.
Our main character is The One, fights against being The One for a bit, then suddenly accepts her role as The One, not because she was convinced, but because That's What Happens In Stories.
But besides its dull story, I think the most offensive thing about the book is that it pretends to be about surveillance, but it has literally nothing to say about it but "surveillance is kind of bad lol".
Empty as a derelict house.
(Thanks to Oni Press for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)
April 4, 2023
This graphic novel/comic book was a pleasure to read and had a good presentation and plot. I liked the originality and creativity of the format, even though I'm not very familiar with it. Sometimes I got confused by the transitions, but that might be because I'm still learning how to read this kind of book. It was a lively and enjoyable experience overall.
Note: I accidentally deleted my first review, so this will just have to make do.
Note: I accidentally deleted my first review, so this will just have to make do.
February 12, 2023
Blink has an awesome premise, great art, creative use of panels, but it fails in the execution department. First, it’s not really a found footage horror. Second, the narrative is erratic, confusing, sometimes rushed, sometimes dragging. Urban exploration turns into a heavy-handed lesson about the evils of surveillance and social experiments.
Sadly, Blink didn’t work out for me at all.
ARC through NetGalley
Sadly, Blink didn’t work out for me at all.
ARC through NetGalley
February 24, 2023
[6.4/10]
or 3.2/5
Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In this Blink, we follow Wren, as she tries to find answers to her traumatic past and her connection to a mysterious building called BLINK. She soon becomes consumed by her obsession with her past and becomes sucked into the social experiment of BLINK.
Blink was freaking cool for so many reasons. First, the premise and story were really intriguing (more on that later). The art was absolutely BEAUTIFUL– I honestly took much longer than anticipated reading because every few pages I would spend minutes admiring the art. The paneling is really creative and makes the story much more immersive. I enjoyed having to turn the book around from different angles and it helped illustrate the feeling of disorientation within BLINK.
Despite the awesome premise, the storytelling fell a bit flat. The characters lacked depth and the climax felt rushed with not enough information given for the story to feel complete. I think this story should have been so much longer as there is SO much that can be expanded on. It had all the elements that could make a really cool horror/suspense and the premise was so cool. I hope this story gets expanded on or made into multiple volumes to give us the full potential of the premise.
or 3.2/5
Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In this Blink, we follow Wren, as she tries to find answers to her traumatic past and her connection to a mysterious building called BLINK. She soon becomes consumed by her obsession with her past and becomes sucked into the social experiment of BLINK.
Blink was freaking cool for so many reasons. First, the premise and story were really intriguing (more on that later). The art was absolutely BEAUTIFUL– I honestly took much longer than anticipated reading because every few pages I would spend minutes admiring the art. The paneling is really creative and makes the story much more immersive. I enjoyed having to turn the book around from different angles and it helped illustrate the feeling of disorientation within BLINK.
Despite the awesome premise, the storytelling fell a bit flat. The characters lacked depth and the climax felt rushed with not enough information given for the story to feel complete. I think this story should have been so much longer as there is SO much that can be expanded on. It had all the elements that could make a really cool horror/suspense and the premise was so cool. I hope this story gets expanded on or made into multiple volumes to give us the full potential of the premise.
June 17, 2023
I absolutely love Blink's cover art. It's immediately intriguing, as well as its mysterious premise. Lost memories, a mysterious social experiment in an abandoned building, some sort of surveillance conspiracy - what's not to get excited for?
Before I get more into the story, I want to applaud the creative panel layout. Be it unconventional shapes forming a picture by themselves, constructing borders out of cassette tape flowing over two pages or, my favorite, going from portrait to landscape layout by creatively flipping panels/utilizing characters' movements. The flow of the panels and text bubbles was at times unconventional, but always so superbly constructed that you could easily follow it. Outstanding job by the creators here.
Sadly, I didn't like the writing as much as I liked the visuals. The introduction sequence was weirdly awkward and rushed and I often found myself going back a few pages to see if I'd missed anything, but nope, the storytelling was just confusing. It took a long time for me to understand what the characters meant when they talked about the signal and the static and how the building worked in the first place. Impossible spaces aren't exactly new, but this one wasn't set up particularly well imo. The whole story stayed very surface-level; there was a lot of potential to explore its concept and I think it's an utter shame the themes weren't dealt with in more detail. I feel like Blink is a good comic book trapped inside just an okay one.
Still, Blink's creative visuals are worth checking out and I wish it had been a little longer so characters and themes could have been introduced better and the story could have progressed more naturally.
- ARC provided by NetGalley -
Before I get more into the story, I want to applaud the creative panel layout. Be it unconventional shapes forming a picture by themselves, constructing borders out of cassette tape flowing over two pages or, my favorite, going from portrait to landscape layout by creatively flipping panels/utilizing characters' movements. The flow of the panels and text bubbles was at times unconventional, but always so superbly constructed that you could easily follow it. Outstanding job by the creators here.
Sadly, I didn't like the writing as much as I liked the visuals. The introduction sequence was weirdly awkward and rushed and I often found myself going back a few pages to see if I'd missed anything, but nope, the storytelling was just confusing. It took a long time for me to understand what the characters meant when they talked about the signal and the static and how the building worked in the first place. Impossible spaces aren't exactly new, but this one wasn't set up particularly well imo. The whole story stayed very surface-level; there was a lot of potential to explore its concept and I think it's an utter shame the themes weren't dealt with in more detail. I feel like Blink is a good comic book trapped inside just an okay one.
Still, Blink's creative visuals are worth checking out and I wish it had been a little longer so characters and themes could have been introduced better and the story could have progressed more naturally.
- ARC provided by NetGalley -
February 5, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Out May 16, 2023.
3 stars
Wren is obsessed with finding out why she was found alone and covered in blood as a child. Her discovery leads her to an abandoned building that isn’t what it seems.
Really great artwork and panelling. There were certain aspects where I just stared at the creativity on the page!
I think this could be such a great story but the story was way too big for the short format. I wanted more build up and more time to just let the story soak in. The pace was SO FAST and because of that I just didn’t connect to the story and found myself rereading because I got lost.
Overall though, a great concept and really interesting narrative on security and monitoring. Very big brother.
Out May 16, 2023.
3 stars
Wren is obsessed with finding out why she was found alone and covered in blood as a child. Her discovery leads her to an abandoned building that isn’t what it seems.
Really great artwork and panelling. There were certain aspects where I just stared at the creativity on the page!
I think this could be such a great story but the story was way too big for the short format. I wanted more build up and more time to just let the story soak in. The pace was SO FAST and because of that I just didn’t connect to the story and found myself rereading because I got lost.
Overall though, a great concept and really interesting narrative on security and monitoring. Very big brother.
February 13, 2023
A gripping 'Dark Mirror'esque 'Truman Show' horror story about a life stolen, a spirit lost, looking for answers in the dark recesses of memory. Wren has strong motivations, mystery, action, and killer demons and the priesthood that fights them. Blink is a very gripping, edge-of-your-seat read that can be enjoyed by everyone within today's society. A very cerebral and technologically aware thriller!
August 26, 2023
I decided to check this one out due to it being a horror comic. It was interesting at first but I feel like the ideas of this just kind of went over the top and out the window....it just got too weird to merit it being better than average. Reality tv idea turned horror house = meh.
Read
May 15, 2024Dnf at page 38
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2023
Darkly surreal, Blink will keep you guessing with each turn of the page. Personally, I think I would have preferred reading this as a serialized experience as opposed to sitting down and devouring the graphic novel all in one. That said there was a lot to sink your teeth into. There were some interesting thoughts around the commercializing of daily life via reality TV. It covers how cult like mentalities can develop and get out of hand. It deals with the general human desire to understand where you came from no matter how old you are.
However, as far as a horror graphic novel goes, I kind of wanted it to go harder
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review
However, as far as a horror graphic novel goes, I kind of wanted it to go harder
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review
February 17, 2023
BLINK was, overall, great.
On the one hand, I had a story that I didn't really relate to. It felt a little heavy-handed from time to time, the writing wasn't that spectacular and it dragged a little bit in the second half. I wished we'd spent more time with Wren before *it* all began, and I felt just a little bit disappointed by the ending.
On the other hand, though, I had the feeling of a brand new adventure on every page. The art style is simply incredible, and the creative use of panels, symmetry & asymmetry and color added value that the story itself could not and then some. Some moments were actually truly unsettling, especially in the first half.
It felt reminiscent of House of Leaves at first, with a very Orwellian twist. I'm not sure whether I like that combination or not but regardless, I had a really good time reading this and absorbing the visuals.
On the one hand, I had a story that I didn't really relate to. It felt a little heavy-handed from time to time, the writing wasn't that spectacular and it dragged a little bit in the second half. I wished we'd spent more time with Wren before *it* all began, and I felt just a little bit disappointed by the ending.
On the other hand, though, I had the feeling of a brand new adventure on every page. The art style is simply incredible, and the creative use of panels, symmetry & asymmetry and color added value that the story itself could not and then some. Some moments were actually truly unsettling, especially in the first half.
It felt reminiscent of House of Leaves at first, with a very Orwellian twist. I'm not sure whether I like that combination or not but regardless, I had a really good time reading this and absorbing the visuals.
May 11, 2023
First off, crazy amazing artwork. I was blown away by how good it was. The story of Wren’s past and the obsession to uncover the truth was top tier creepiness. Found footage style with mindbending twists and turn that keep you guessing the whole way through. Highly recommended for anyone who loves their horror mixed in with the sci-fi that leaves you reeling.
March 4, 2023
I received Blink by Christopher Sebela in exchange for my honest review. Its been a while since I read a horror comic and this one had an eye-catching, interesting art style. Then I saw that it was found-footage horror and I needed to give this a shot.
Content Warnings:
Blink is a horror comic and contains horrific themes including childhood trauma, cult-like scenarios, monsters, murder, war, stabbing, blood, extreme body modification and mutilation (both voluntary and forced), kidnapping and imprisonment, suicide, obsession, depression, agoraphobia, and more. Take care of yourself and remember, its just a story.
5 Star Read
Found footage is not my favorite horror genre but there are some real gems in this sub-genre. I'm always intrigued when I see a book or comic book written as found footage because its so often linked to movies or tv that translating that feeling of shaky camera and glitchy feed to paper is a task worth looking at. Blink certainly was able to do that and more!
Honestly, the first pages made me think of the first found footage movie I ever saw, Fear dot com. This movie was not great but it scared me as a teen and seeing the early pages of Wren staring at her monitor at the CCT feeds unlocked that memory so hard for me. It was great.
I couldn't put it down. Once I started reading Blink, I was glued. Like the main character, Wren, I couldn't leave until I had answers. (Note: I read Blink on my phone when my house lost power during a wind storm. This likely effected my mood and attention. While power outages are stressful, this was a great mood for reading horror.) The pace was steady and didn't let up. Each page dragged Wren and the reader further into the labyrinth of camera feeds and shadows.
The story is both unique and uses horror tropes that any fan will recognize. I was a particular fan of the way the story isolated Wren. It felt both frustrating and believable. Other tropes like obsession, childhood trauma coming back up, the monster in the closet (in this case, paralysis demon), and a twist that really jars the main character are all there to enjoy.
As far as artistry, I loved it. Not just the illustration style but the way the page twists and turns with the characters - it really helped to give the sense that the reader is tagging along with Wren as she makes her way through this labyrinth that is obviously tunneling and ripping its way into our world but doesn't follow our world's rules of physics and geography. It added to the tension as I turned my phone here and there to follow the words and characters. I felt afraid I would miss something, a phrase or clue and somehow missing that would mean that Wren also would miss it and that neither of us would figure out what was going on. It was great.
Recommendation
I highly recommend Blink for sci-fi horror fans who are into found footage and want to see how that translates to paper and/or are into psychological horror. Also fans of the darker side of American Gods by Gaiman or modern eldritch horror wherein gods aren't exactly benevolent.
Content Warnings:
Blink is a horror comic and contains horrific themes including childhood trauma, cult-like scenarios, monsters, murder, war, stabbing, blood, extreme body modification and mutilation (both voluntary and forced), kidnapping and imprisonment, suicide, obsession, depression, agoraphobia, and more. Take care of yourself and remember, its just a story.
5 Star Read
Found footage is not my favorite horror genre but there are some real gems in this sub-genre. I'm always intrigued when I see a book or comic book written as found footage because its so often linked to movies or tv that translating that feeling of shaky camera and glitchy feed to paper is a task worth looking at. Blink certainly was able to do that and more!
Honestly, the first pages made me think of the first found footage movie I ever saw, Fear dot com. This movie was not great but it scared me as a teen and seeing the early pages of Wren staring at her monitor at the CCT feeds unlocked that memory so hard for me. It was great.
I couldn't put it down. Once I started reading Blink, I was glued. Like the main character, Wren, I couldn't leave until I had answers. (Note: I read Blink on my phone when my house lost power during a wind storm. This likely effected my mood and attention. While power outages are stressful, this was a great mood for reading horror.) The pace was steady and didn't let up. Each page dragged Wren and the reader further into the labyrinth of camera feeds and shadows.
The story is both unique and uses horror tropes that any fan will recognize. I was a particular fan of the way the story isolated Wren. It felt both frustrating and believable. Other tropes like obsession, childhood trauma coming back up, the monster in the closet (in this case, paralysis demon), and a twist that really jars the main character are all there to enjoy.
As far as artistry, I loved it. Not just the illustration style but the way the page twists and turns with the characters - it really helped to give the sense that the reader is tagging along with Wren as she makes her way through this labyrinth that is obviously tunneling and ripping its way into our world but doesn't follow our world's rules of physics and geography. It added to the tension as I turned my phone here and there to follow the words and characters. I felt afraid I would miss something, a phrase or clue and somehow missing that would mean that Wren also would miss it and that neither of us would figure out what was going on. It was great.
Recommendation
I highly recommend Blink for sci-fi horror fans who are into found footage and want to see how that translates to paper and/or are into psychological horror. Also fans of the darker side of American Gods by Gaiman or modern eldritch horror wherein gods aren't exactly benevolent.
February 2, 2023
[Blur goes here]
This is my first time reviewing a comic book...one I requested entirely by mistake. Yeap, I thought it was a novel. Anyways, here goes.
Wren is obsessed by a website she glanced once, it had CCTV footage of a place that seems hidden somewhere deep down her memories. By night, the night terrors come, by day she ignores everything around her, looking for the website again, looking for clues...her love life crumbling, as is her job. She needs to know what happened to her when she was a child, a child found covered in blood so many years ago. By happenstance, she finally finds the physical place, was she a captive there?
As Wren inspects the place she realizes that the basement spans across buildings. The answers she desperately needs are but a few paces away.
Let me start with the graphic art. While it is beautiful, no question there, at times the intricate panel placement becomes a bit confusing, but nothing be wary about. The characters themselves are drawn in a wonderful style. This story is going to shine when printed, since some of the pages are meant to be seen together, something hard to accomplish in a PDF that shows one page at a time.
The story starts off like a rocket, relentlessly pulling you in. Wren is a wreck of a woman, and you'll feel for her. You'll want to know the story behind her trauma. It is a bit unfortunate that the story starts to get confusing after a while, now, don't get me wrong, it is a good story and the confusion is short lived. Suddenly-which is truly inconvenient-it turns a bit pedestrian.
IMHO you cannot rate a graphic novel as two independent units, it should be rated as a whole: graphic art, plus story. In this regard, I have to say that I loved every bit of it, even with the story's short comings, it still a great read.
Thank you for the advanced copy!
This is my first time reviewing a comic book...one I requested entirely by mistake. Yeap, I thought it was a novel. Anyways, here goes.
Wren is obsessed by a website she glanced once, it had CCTV footage of a place that seems hidden somewhere deep down her memories. By night, the night terrors come, by day she ignores everything around her, looking for the website again, looking for clues...her love life crumbling, as is her job. She needs to know what happened to her when she was a child, a child found covered in blood so many years ago. By happenstance, she finally finds the physical place, was she a captive there?
As Wren inspects the place she realizes that the basement spans across buildings. The answers she desperately needs are but a few paces away.
Let me start with the graphic art. While it is beautiful, no question there, at times the intricate panel placement becomes a bit confusing, but nothing be wary about. The characters themselves are drawn in a wonderful style. This story is going to shine when printed, since some of the pages are meant to be seen together, something hard to accomplish in a PDF that shows one page at a time.
The story starts off like a rocket, relentlessly pulling you in. Wren is a wreck of a woman, and you'll feel for her. You'll want to know the story behind her trauma. It is a bit unfortunate that the story starts to get confusing after a while, now, don't get me wrong, it is a good story and the confusion is short lived. Suddenly-which is truly inconvenient-it turns a bit pedestrian.
IMHO you cannot rate a graphic novel as two independent units, it should be rated as a whole: graphic art, plus story. In this regard, I have to say that I loved every bit of it, even with the story's short comings, it still a great read.
Thank you for the advanced copy!
February 5, 2023
Blink is a graphic novel that follows Wren, a woman plagued by sleep paralysis with a past she can’t remember. She goes on a journey to try and figure out what happened to her parents only to find out that what happened is far beyond anything she could have imagined.
I am a huge fan of horror and graphic novels so seeing the two together, I knew this was something I wanted to read. The art style is so stunning and unique. Truly so different from anything else I have ever seen in the context of a graphic novel.
The story itself was a little disjointed. In order to match the art style, some of the speech bubbles were in a weird order making it hard to know what to read first and I had to restart some pages several times to really understand what was going on. I think the story was also a big convoluted due to having so much going on. The way this ended, I am not sure it it’s a standalone or if there will be more but I think this particular volume could have benefited a lot being twice the length to really go into the story. I could see myself rereading this just to pick up on things I missed the first time.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am a huge fan of horror and graphic novels so seeing the two together, I knew this was something I wanted to read. The art style is so stunning and unique. Truly so different from anything else I have ever seen in the context of a graphic novel.
The story itself was a little disjointed. In order to match the art style, some of the speech bubbles were in a weird order making it hard to know what to read first and I had to restart some pages several times to really understand what was going on. I think the story was also a big convoluted due to having so much going on. The way this ended, I am not sure it it’s a standalone or if there will be more but I think this particular volume could have benefited a lot being twice the length to really go into the story. I could see myself rereading this just to pick up on things I missed the first time.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 12, 2023
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
When Wren was a toddler, she was found wandering the streets of New York, alone and covered in blood; an orphan, her parents missing but presumed dead. She would spend the next eighteen years haunted by the black void that was her childhood, trying and failing to piece together a "normal" life when she doesn't even know who she is.
Now a journalist, Wren tries to solve other people's mysteries as a way of salving her wounds; but always and forever on the lookout for a break in her own case. And then, it comes: in the form of a URL, which displays feeds from countless cameras. Among the pixles, static, and cavernous emptiness, it awakens something in Wren: memories long-buried, of an underground bunker, filled to bursting with cameras and monitors. And so she leaves her comfortable yet pained life with Nico, and follows an urban explorer named Joel straight into the bowels of hell.
BLINK has a pretty interesting premise, though it sadly falls short in its execution. It's pretty clearly a warning about the dangers of the surveillance state, the commodification of personal data, and the idolization of the rich (particularly tech bros), which I can get behind; but the story is just a little too out there for me. For example, take the two competing factions of Blink, the static and the signal, the latter which seemingly transformed themselves into some sort of zombie-robot hybrid of the course of, what, two decades?
The art is pretty creepy, but the dark tones and stylistic choices often make it difficult to tell what's going on. Reading this on an ipad sometimes proved maddening, as the panels rotated between landscape and portrait. I guess it's a cool choice, to mimic the protagonist's journey through a ramshackle, cyberpunk dyi, multi-unit city dwelling, but actually reading it was another story.
When Wren was a toddler, she was found wandering the streets of New York, alone and covered in blood; an orphan, her parents missing but presumed dead. She would spend the next eighteen years haunted by the black void that was her childhood, trying and failing to piece together a "normal" life when she doesn't even know who she is.
Now a journalist, Wren tries to solve other people's mysteries as a way of salving her wounds; but always and forever on the lookout for a break in her own case. And then, it comes: in the form of a URL, which displays feeds from countless cameras. Among the pixles, static, and cavernous emptiness, it awakens something in Wren: memories long-buried, of an underground bunker, filled to bursting with cameras and monitors. And so she leaves her comfortable yet pained life with Nico, and follows an urban explorer named Joel straight into the bowels of hell.
BLINK has a pretty interesting premise, though it sadly falls short in its execution. It's pretty clearly a warning about the dangers of the surveillance state, the commodification of personal data, and the idolization of the rich (particularly tech bros), which I can get behind; but the story is just a little too out there for me. For example, take the two competing factions of Blink, the static and the signal, the latter which seemingly transformed themselves into some sort of zombie-robot hybrid of the course of, what, two decades?
The art is pretty creepy, but the dark tones and stylistic choices often make it difficult to tell what's going on. Reading this on an ipad sometimes proved maddening, as the panels rotated between landscape and portrait. I guess it's a cool choice, to mimic the protagonist's journey through a ramshackle, cyberpunk dyi, multi-unit city dwelling, but actually reading it was another story.
March 14, 2023
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Receiving said copy in no way effects my opinion of this title. Thank you*
If I'm going to be honest, which I am, I hate cyberpunk. The futuristic, mechanical, doomsday vibe has never, and will never, be my style. I don't know why I requested this, even from the cover you can see that it's all cyber punk and futuristic dystopian. Nonetheless, she persisted....until 50% when I just said screw it and stopped forcing myself to read a book I didn't understand. I thought maybe it was my lack of love for the genre that made me confused about this story and what was supposed to be going on, but after looking at other peoples reviews that DO enjoy the genre, I see I'm not alone here. One minute we're in normal present say (or so it seems/ what I think it is anyway) and then the next we're underground. I have no idea how we got here. The backstory was never explained, I really thought it was a dream. Maybe it was. regardless, I never knew what was happening, and instead of trying to finish it, I didn't.
If I'm going to be honest, which I am, I hate cyberpunk. The futuristic, mechanical, doomsday vibe has never, and will never, be my style. I don't know why I requested this, even from the cover you can see that it's all cyber punk and futuristic dystopian. Nonetheless, she persisted....until 50% when I just said screw it and stopped forcing myself to read a book I didn't understand. I thought maybe it was my lack of love for the genre that made me confused about this story and what was supposed to be going on, but after looking at other peoples reviews that DO enjoy the genre, I see I'm not alone here. One minute we're in normal present say (or so it seems/ what I think it is anyway) and then the next we're underground. I have no idea how we got here. The backstory was never explained, I really thought it was a dream. Maybe it was. regardless, I never knew what was happening, and instead of trying to finish it, I didn't.
March 27, 2023
Wren Booker was found on the street as a kid, abandoned, bloody, without memories. As an adult, her non-existent past still chews on her to the point of obsession. All she has are a few glimpses of images - until she discovers a video feed online that seems to livestream a place that looks like the few things she can remember. Against her partner's pleas, she flies out to visit the house or houses the videos originate from. What she finds is at the same time less and more than what she bargained for.
I enjoyed this story. I was really courious to find out what happened in Blink and the resolutions did not disappoint, but I did feel like this could have been a bit longer and explain/show a little more in depth what was going on. I really loved the details in the backgrounds and the way the colours in themselves already created athmosphere.
Thanks to the publisher, the team and Netgalley for the ARC!
I enjoyed this story. I was really courious to find out what happened in Blink and the resolutions did not disappoint, but I did feel like this could have been a bit longer and explain/show a little more in depth what was going on. I really loved the details in the backgrounds and the way the colours in themselves already created athmosphere.
Thanks to the publisher, the team and Netgalley for the ARC!
Read
February 12, 2023Escaping from a childhood she largely can't remember but knows wasn't good, Wren Booker has pieced together an adult life that looks reasonably convincing – but her journalism is largely a displacement activity for the one story she can't get to the bottom of. And then, somehow, she gets a lead... Which is fairly obviously a trap, but she's sufficiently solidly characterised that her insistence on pulling the thread is still entirely plausible. More of an issue is that the answers she apparently finds, while they'd absolutely be enough of an explanation in real life, clearly won't cut it in a comic, so there has to be more, darker, stranger. And as Wren goes deeper into the mystery, that initial sense of connection dissipates. I kept being reminded of stuff I like, from House Of Leaves to Faction Paradox, but it was generally as if they'd been badly adapted into a straight-to-streaming thriller. There are some cool layouts, and occasional hints at promising ideas like an interrogation of the whole Chosen One concept, but for the most part they're smothered in so much running down corridors that even this fan of classic Who found it exhausting.
(Netgalley ARC)
(Netgalley ARC)
February 20, 2023
Blink
In this comic we follow wren in the attempt to seek out his past and fill in so many blank spots he has forgotten. He remembers being found covered in blood, but who's blood, where from, he remembers dark place, hunting and chilling with beasts maybe, he isn't fully sure.
One day he comes across a website with cameras and something in his brain clicks, he knows the place in those cameras, the dark hunting place. The closer he is getting to unravel what and where this place is, the more the blank spots in his mind are filling in.
He soon find out what the place he is in is called, its called blink. He now has to unravel just what happened here and how the hell does he get back out.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, it got super intense at times and not know what was going to happen.
In this comic we follow wren in the attempt to seek out his past and fill in so many blank spots he has forgotten. He remembers being found covered in blood, but who's blood, where from, he remembers dark place, hunting and chilling with beasts maybe, he isn't fully sure.
One day he comes across a website with cameras and something in his brain clicks, he knows the place in those cameras, the dark hunting place. The closer he is getting to unravel what and where this place is, the more the blank spots in his mind are filling in.
He soon find out what the place he is in is called, its called blink. He now has to unravel just what happened here and how the hell does he get back out.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, it got super intense at times and not know what was going to happen.
January 31, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this.
Blink is a haunting story following Wren as she begins to fill in the blanks of her childhood and becomes consumed by a social experiment that sent chills down my spine. The art style of this graphic novel enhanced the story, the design of the characters such as Cy adding to the discomfort of the narrative. However, I found it was confusing at times and there were occasions where the placement and order of the dialogue and the frames were difficult to understand.
Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel and can see the appeal for people who enjoy psychological thrillers and dark narratives. The art alone makes it worth a read.
Blink is a haunting story following Wren as she begins to fill in the blanks of her childhood and becomes consumed by a social experiment that sent chills down my spine. The art style of this graphic novel enhanced the story, the design of the characters such as Cy adding to the discomfort of the narrative. However, I found it was confusing at times and there were occasions where the placement and order of the dialogue and the frames were difficult to understand.
Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel and can see the appeal for people who enjoy psychological thrillers and dark narratives. The art alone makes it worth a read.
March 1, 2023
2/5
- Huge thanks to the author and publisher for approving me a copy of this book through NetGalley -
Uff I really wanted to like this one but I unfortunately really didn't.
At half way through I felt so bored and confused that I basically dropped it and just started to read the essential things just to get to its end, which surprisingly even if super predictable I liked.
I was very interested and invested at first but then I started to disconnect with the story till I just couldn't get into it anymore.
The drawings are really cool and I liked how sometimes the panels were put in some innovative way, but that's it.
Sigh
- Huge thanks to the author and publisher for approving me a copy of this book through NetGalley -
Uff I really wanted to like this one but I unfortunately really didn't.
At half way through I felt so bored and confused that I basically dropped it and just started to read the essential things just to get to its end, which surprisingly even if super predictable I liked.
I was very interested and invested at first but then I started to disconnect with the story till I just couldn't get into it anymore.
The drawings are really cool and I liked how sometimes the panels were put in some innovative way, but that's it.
Sigh
November 20, 2023
BLINK is a book I chose based on its stunning cover. Despite how late I am with this review, I still think the cover is amazing and would most likely draw me into it again. Unfortunately, my interest peaks at the cover.
I attempted to read this book multiple times but never got past more than a couple pages without getting bored. Finally, I've been able to finish it. I ended up finding it was fine but not something I'm interested in continuing. I just couldn't get into the story and found the main character to be annoying. I just can't do a whole comic series focused around him.
I was given a free copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I attempted to read this book multiple times but never got past more than a couple pages without getting bored. Finally, I've been able to finish it. I ended up finding it was fine but not something I'm interested in continuing. I just couldn't get into the story and found the main character to be annoying. I just can't do a whole comic series focused around him.
I was given a free copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 12, 2023
I picked this up on a whim after seeing a friend had it on her TBR. This is a disturbing read...Big Brother gone wrong and I am totally here for it. I was hooked from page one and found myself stuck in my bed (my chosen reading spot) because I couldn't put it down. Action packed with zombie apocalypse vibes, I was scared at times and didn't know who to trust! Very intrigued to see where the story takes us and would happily yet cautiously continue the series to find out...
May 2, 2023
That plot was amusing obvsly but sometimes it felt confusing (and not in a nice way). There were so many cool details that would have been awesome to dig more into, but they were just there…
Overall, I enjoyed it because it maintained me with intrigue BUT it would’ve been better if the details and other secrets were more explained or at least better used.
Also, I really liked the art and the cool panels (some even gave me chills).
Thanks to Netgally for the e-arc. 💫
Overall, I enjoyed it because it maintained me with intrigue BUT it would’ve been better if the details and other secrets were more explained or at least better used.
Also, I really liked the art and the cool panels (some even gave me chills).
Thanks to Netgally for the e-arc. 💫
October 6, 2025
Really impressive art and a cool story concept, but the execution just wasn’t there, story-wise. I found the story difficult to follow and confusing at times, I think mainly due to pacing issues. Overall, a good concept but it could have done with a few more issues to really explain what was going on, and give our main character some time to actually make decisions other than quickly jumping between two extremes in order to further the plot.
Unfortunately, kind of a miss!
Unfortunately, kind of a miss!
February 3, 2023
*I received a copy of this book as an ARC for review
Did I like this book? yes. Did I understand the majority of the plot? no. The art was incredible and they used the layout in ways I haven't seen before but a lot of the dialogue felt rushed and didn't explain much. 3.5 starts rounded to 4.
Did I like this book? yes. Did I understand the majority of the plot? no. The art was incredible and they used the layout in ways I haven't seen before but a lot of the dialogue felt rushed and didn't explain much. 3.5 starts rounded to 4.
February 19, 2023
DNF @ 50%. I almost never DNF but this book was so disjointed and frustrating. Art was wicked though!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews