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kingmcgaw's review against another edition
4.0
Weird and unsettling, enhanced by the equally odd style
leleisreading's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
kate_m_m's review against another edition
4.0
Another unsettling Drnaso. His style is flattens characters, which seems intentional, especially here, with 10 or so main characters that were often hard to tell apart. It starts unsettling and then gets creepier/weirder from there. Not sure he fully stuck the landing, but was interested in the exploration of the grey areas of how belief tinges reality.
heyitstomduffy's review against another edition
4.0
Drnaso’s books are always disturbing and I definitely had a pit in my stomach reading this but it’s not as directly confrontational with its ideas as Sabrina is. It’s more metaphorical but still very impactful. The bland designs of his strange expressionless characters are usually a bit of problem because it can be hard to keep track of which character is which but I kind of think it works here as a purposeful execution of an idea. These are all meant to be lonely awkward people whose faces would likely disappear from your memory shortly after you’d met them so it makes sense to some degree that they’d be designed that way. The idea that a large group of people who feel forgotten by the world would get hypnotized by a literal bad actor who makes them feel special and important is obviously a strong one that resonates. Drnaso is incredibly good at turning existence in 21st century America into pure horror and dread and the scariest part is just having a conversation with another person.
bertrob's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it. Drnaso’s drab styling works well with the boring characters that are stuck in the boring lives. I think theres a lot of great comedic moments that are done by precise framing of a scene and tempo of the panels.
Personally i found theres too many characters and not enough exploration into their interior lives that by the time the stressful finale is reached it didnt hit as hard as i think it couldve. Id like to reread it again sometime
Personally i found theres too many characters and not enough exploration into their interior lives that by the time the stressful finale is reached it didnt hit as hard as i think it couldve. Id like to reread it again sometime
oak_croissant's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
madelineemmie's review against another edition
3.0
Did not finish…I really enjoy Drnaso’s art style and the interwoven storytelling but this one got progressively harder to follow and I didn’t feel invested in the story. I liked Sabrina a LOT more
blueteacup's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
megankirby's review against another edition
4.0
This book plays out like a Twilight Zone episode--an Acting Class that increasingly blurs the lines of fact and fiction, immersing the students in a surreal, fully realized alternate reality. Drnaso does a great job of establishing a wide range of characters from the start. The slides between reality and "fantasy" are subtle and effective. I don't always love Drnaso's art--especially in dialogue-heavy moments where characters feel pretty static--but his style is consistent and his character's eternally blank expressions worked especially well here. He also doesn't bother overexplaining what's going on to the reader, leaving a lot of questions open-ended--which I think was definitely the right move. Overall, a really odd and enjoyable comic.
slippete's review against another edition
5.0
wonderful balance of style and substance. the themes and form were perfectly intertwined, magnifying the plot parts and characters to create a richer whole. creepy and surreal, while remaining pointed in its structure. everyone has potential and no one is special!!!