Jason Cavallaro's Almost All-Horror October

Contrary to popular belief, I read many non-horror books. In October, I traditionally read all horror books. In a moment of weakness (I forgot), I read a superhero graphic novel. Oops. It was really good though.

BEST OF THE MONTH

Feral by Tony Fleecs (writer) and Trish Forstner (art)

Tony and Trish set the bar way too high with Stray Dogs, but they've successfully met my expectations for their cat-themed horror series, Feral. I know their work on My Little Pony has a huge fanbase, but they're hitting nothing but homeruns with their horror work. Violent and suspenseful, with well-rounded characters and great art. Perfect.

WORST OF THE MONTH

Monochrome by Jamie Costello

Maybe there was a decent payoff in this book about the world losing color, but I never got to it. I was disinterested in the plot very early on, and trudged forward for as long as I could, which was about 75 pages.

The rest:

Escape from Viperob Island by Alister Hodge. This sf/action/horror hybrid started off strong and tapered off. Grade: D

The Ghost Hunter's Daughter by Caroline Flarity. Pretty good YA horror novel, with a slightly annoying lead. Grade: C

Everless by Sara Holland. I don't remember. But I didn't finish it. Grade: D

Dancing Jax by Robin Jarvis. This was recommended multiple times, so expectations were high. The premise not worth the page count. Grade: D

The Cemeterians by Daniel Kraus (writer) and Maan House (art). Kraus is absolutely one of my favorite writers, but let me just say this: The Autumnal is 100X better. Grade: D

Somna by Becky Cloonan (writer) and Tula Lotay. Eisner Award-winning, witch-themed graphic novel. Absolutely spectacular art and story. Grade: A

Invincible by Robert Kirkman (writer) and Cory Walker (art). I see why this is so popular. Edgy like modern comics, but classic look. Grade: B

Come Closer by Sara Gran. A slow-progression haunting. Sort of like a modern day The Screwtape Letters. Grade: B

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. Really just too slow paced for me. Grade: D

The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire (writer and art). A ghost story without ghosts. A lost Twilight Zone episode. Grade: B

The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue. Great payoff, but a middling pace to get there. Grade: C

Savage Island by Bryony Pearce. Not an original plot (teens sent to mysterious island), but great execution. Grade: B

That's it!

Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com