Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Black Hole

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

spotlessminds's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Bleak and very unflinching in tackling teenage angst and the overhanging dread as you feel in becoming a sexual being, but incredibly honest and,
poignant.

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limina's review

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This sure was a read. It has a lot of the atmospheric, body horror content that's popular right now, and this is from 2005 so it's certainly ahead of the game. They Do Not shy away from body horror, grotesque imagery so keep that in mind.

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annchmn's review

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Cool art style, but the plot seemed to go nowhere. Like

Who/what was the voice in Rob that said it failed when he died?? Where was the disease coming from and what did all those dreams mean?

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lovegriefandgender's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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the_bleaknesss_in_wonder's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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thetatteredowl's review

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It was a solid 4, maybe 4.5. There was a lot less gore and body horror than I was expecting, and it ended up being mostly a teen drama with some mutations thrown in. I think the book's inside cover actually had more characters with mutations than the plot did. Not to mention the main characters didn't even have any extreme mutations, and they could all 'pass' as healthy, which for me undercut the drama of the entire premise. Why bother having a universe where people can get scary mutations, and then only commit halfway? Seeing a teenager trying to cope with having antennae or bat teeth or something would be much more interesting than what actually happens in the book, which is teen drama with very little consequences from the mutations

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jakobvongunten's review against another edition

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3.0

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hermitlyinclined's review

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challenging dark tense slow-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

3.0

3/5 - GOOD

The story in Black Hole isn't anything special, particularly when read later in life. But with the care and consideration Charles Burns took in writing and illustrating the work, Black Hole becomes a timeless coming of age piece. The story follows a group of teenagers exploring the forays of sex and love for the first time, applying the motif of an STI that inflicts body horrors onto the host. While Burns has stated the mutation reflects an adolescence tranformation into adulthood, I prefer to see it as a reflection of the sense of permanence each of us feel in our youth; every decision, consequence, and state of being will continue on in perpetuity.

My only evidence would be the reveal that the mutations eventually disappear and victims return to (relatively) normal appearance.

The actions of the book reflect how various characters adapt to that illusion permanence. Many hide away in darkness, not wanting to expose their vulnerabilities and finding others like them to empathise with. Some are fully enveloped by that darkness and look to drag as many others down into their misery as possible. Others want to understand what they are going through and find someone to understand both themselves and the world around them. And then there are those who look to redeem themselves, however poorly.

It is a short series, 12 trade-paperbacks worth of content, with a tendency to drag through the middle-third, but it was a warm memory of a time gone by for me. The events readers witness do go to some unnecessary (fantastical) extremes - and there are some loose ends left untied - but the language used doesn't date the contents. Despite being written throughout the 90s and 00s, the setting is a suburban America of the late 70s early 80s. The art further lends itself to it being of a bygone era without feeling out of place - seemingly combining 1950s pop line-art with a wood carving asthetic. The simplicity of some panels allows for the extremes of horror and psychodelia to leap off of the page.

In general, this would be a strong recommendation for late-teenagers (that can stomach gore and violence) to reassure them that they are not alone in some of the struggles they inevitable go through.

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