raix's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I loved the character design, fashion, and the bloody parts! I felt like the end wrapped things up a little quickly. I'm not sure if there's going to be a sequel but the ending definitely leaves you feeling like there should be.
zephyr_trashwolf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Amazing! This book had my stomach twisting in knots. You feel for this group of friends with the town assuming innocent till guilty for a murder they didn’t commit. These friends struggle to survive a frenzied night against a town full of satanic-panic mad people, two crooked officers looking for a convenient scapegoat, and the devil themself (enjoying a wild night out and tired of being treated like a pet). The ending gave me goosebumps! The illustrations are masterful in their ability to portray emotions and scenes perfectly, a perfect mix of soft lines and terrifying visuals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Child death, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Body horror, Bullying, Torture, Violence, and Transphobia
charlie_barr's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
larakaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
If you like queer horror, this is for you. But beware, it's gory!librarianryan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is supposed to be a horror graphic novel about trans and queer kids. And technically it is. At the very beginning there is a trigger warning page and while I understand the need for it, I didn’t think this was as horrific as it could be. In this story, we have a group of kids. I’m not sure if all or just many of them are trans. Trans ideas are not a major part of the story, but it does play a factor. What you have is a town on edge in 1979 because a pastor’s wife has gone missing. This is a religious town where the sheriff goes to the preacher, wanting more sermons. But the reader knows that in the background, there’s something evil afoot, and they’re using the preacher and his sermons, and the missing wife to start the Satanic panic for whatever is going on in the background. The Satanic panic was real events in the 80s and this story plays into it. This story doesn’t end and is very much a volume one. The story is completely up in the air and I’m not sure quite yet what to make of it. The illustrations are fantastic, and I think this has an interesting story arc, and hope I get to read the next volumes.
readingwithkelsey's review
3.5
I received an eARC copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Firstly, I adored the art style in this. it was very reminiscent of Lumberjanes where it is cozy and inviting, but does not stray away from the eeriness the plot entails. I really enjoyed the over all themes and how they tied together the fear of the satanic panic of the 70s and the current "fear" of LGBTQIA+ youth today. The characters were very easy to like and root for - making the villains seem extra evil in contrast. My one complaint of this graphic novel was that I wish it was much longer than it was to fully develop the characters and climax moments. I found the ending to be a tad confusing and rushed due to the length of the novel and I was not really sure ai fully understood how the devil played a part in the end.
Firstly, I adored the art style in this. it was very reminiscent of Lumberjanes where it is cozy and inviting, but does not stray away from the eeriness the plot entails. I really enjoyed the over all themes and how they tied together the fear of the satanic panic of the 70s and the current "fear" of LGBTQIA+ youth today. The characters were very easy to like and root for - making the villains seem extra evil in contrast. My one complaint of this graphic novel was that I wish it was much longer than it was to fully develop the characters and climax moments. I found the ending to be a tad confusing and rushed due to the length of the novel and I was not really sure ai fully understood how the devil played a part in the end.
pvp_niki's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Queer teens as scapegoats in 70's satanic panic in a horror graphic novel is a very strong and promising pitch.
What I most enjoyed in this book is the carefully and slowly built mass hysteria though enjoy is not the best word as actually it is frustration, bitterness and rage what's perfectly built in me. In this story there's a conspiracy behind the carefully constructed web of lies and planting fear in townspeople then give a direction to this fear towards the queer kids, the punks, the weirdos. But it's very easy to imagine the same scenario happening without a conspiracy because it's not like one spokesperson standing out and saying "those queer kids are cultist murderers, und'stood?"" you just need a zeitgeist of ignorance, bigotry, and the fear of anything different then you'll only need to plant some seeds and the media and the people will do the rest.
After finishing the book, I felt confused about the plot and the themes and intentions at first and I think this might be due to a lack of focus. In more than half of the book the plot mainly consists of the everyday life of these teens and how every time they are assaulted it's them fingers are pointed at. The whole satanic conspiracy in the background - though hinted very early that it is real - seems insignificant, could be any other reason for fearmongering. Also the plot sometimes jumps to inconsistent or confusing steps. then the last third of the book takes a very unexpected turn with all the satanic thing and in the end everything makes sense.
I really liked the art style, especially how it utilizes the light and lineart. Also, I loved the design of the devil especially its cute face :D
If you ever felt frustrated and powerless facing the bigotry, ignorance and hatred in the world, by how certain groups are marginalized, villainized and persecuted, by voices considered to be right just because they are loud enough regardless all the bullshit they utter, and felt you'd just want to take it all down with your rage, then this is your book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press and the creators for providing the ARC.
What I most enjoyed in this book is the carefully and slowly built mass hysteria though enjoy is not the best word as actually it is frustration, bitterness and rage what's perfectly built in me. In this story there's a conspiracy behind the carefully constructed web of lies and planting fear in townspeople then give a direction to this fear towards the queer kids, the punks, the weirdos. But it's very easy to imagine the same scenario happening without a conspiracy because it's not like one spokesperson standing out and saying "those queer kids are cultist murderers, und'stood?"" you just need a zeitgeist of ignorance, bigotry, and the fear of anything different then you'll only need to plant some seeds and the media and the people will do the rest.
After finishing the book, I felt confused about the plot and the themes and intentions at first and I think this might be due to a lack of focus. In more than half of the book the plot mainly consists of the everyday life of these teens and how every time they are assaulted it's them fingers are pointed at. The whole satanic conspiracy in the background - though hinted very early that it is real - seems insignificant, could be any other reason for fearmongering. Also the plot sometimes jumps to inconsistent or confusing steps. then the last third of the book takes a very unexpected turn with all the satanic thing and in the end everything makes sense.
I really liked the art style, especially how it utilizes the light and lineart. Also, I loved the design of the devil especially its cute face :D
If you ever felt frustrated and powerless facing the bigotry, ignorance and hatred in the world, by how certain groups are marginalized, villainized and persecuted, by voices considered to be right just because they are loud enough regardless all the bullshit they utter, and felt you'd just want to take it all down with your rage, then this is your book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press and the creators for providing the ARC.
jbeoin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
CONTENT NOTE: Discrimination against queer characters, transphobia including the use of deadnames, misgendering, slurs, gore, violence, dead bodies, ableist language, involuntary restraint, torture, police, and state-sponsored abduction and murder
Let Me Out is a great queer twist on the nostalgia for the "simpler times" of the 70's and 80's trending so often these days. It has wonderfully expressive art and a devilish story set in the backdrop of a small town content to allow evil until it happens to "one of their own"-- and then there is hell to pay for the local group of queer and racialized teen punks who will stop at nothing to protect one another.
What Worked for Me:
✦ Ugh, I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the art in this!! I kept looking at it so much that I would forget to keep reading at points lol. I loved so much about George Williams' style: his textured brush use, his colors and light, his fun style, and his facial expressions all brought me so much joy.
✦ Williams' colors in particular were helpful in establishing so much of the mood and setting for each scene. The use of red throughout in places it wouldn't normally be seen was great for building an ongoing sense of uneasiness and reminding the reader that something dangerous looms close by, even if you can't see it yet.
✦ I really loved the relationships Emmett Nahil created with the main group of friends. It had a great dynamic that felt well-worn and familiar. I immediately felt drawn into their group and loved how they took care of another and looked out for each other. Nahil also made it easy to understand the nature of their circumstances as individuals and as a group throughout without having to outright state the issues, which I thought was great writing.
✦ Nahil also did an excellent job portraying the way white supremacy, cisheteronormativity, and Christian nationalism seeps into every aspect of a small town life and using anyone who is even remotely queer as a target for distracting from their own misdeeds. The 1979 New Jersey of this comic and the late 90's/early 2000's southeast United States I grew up in aren't terribly different, and the desire of those in the majority to scapegoat and dispose of those they deem violent for being different is all too familiar both in my memories and, unfortunately, to this day.
✦ I loved Williams' way with the speech balloons, too! I really like the look of balloons without lines around them (which isn't always easy to make work in a comic), and I felt that Williams did a great job overall differentiating the balloons from the background so that it was still easy to read.
✦ I also really enjoyed the dialogue, especially with the main group of friends. It felt easy and flowed naturally, and there was great distinction in voice between the differing groups: queer and punk, parents, law enforcement, the church officials, the devil, and so on. It really helped emphasize the dynamics of opposition with the queer kids against the world.
✦ The character designs were excellent. I enjoyed the diversity of body types in the main cast, as well as the queer punk teen/young adult aesthetic Williams gave the characters. It felt very organic to the individual characters and the group as a whole.
✦ I loved how Nahil gave us a look at the rage of the friends as well as the care for each other in response to the violence they're forced to put up with. There were complexities and nuance to the responses that did and didn't happen, and we always got to see this push and pull between allowing themselves to act upon their anger and not. The angry reactions were validated by the others while also grounded in the reality of not being safe from the consequences of their response the same way their white, cishet peers were from the violence they enacted on the queer, racialized kids. And regardless of how the others felt in response to their friends reactions, they always took care of one another and kept each other as safe as they could.
✦ I enjoyed how Nahil and Williams' work came together to build suspense throughout the story. The tension and worry of the scapegoating narrative combined with the colors and expressions of the art really worked well together.
What Didn't Work for Me:
✦ I really hated the reliance on ableist language throughout the script. Using slurs throughout a book about scapegoating disempowered people in particular really bothers me. I think writers are incredibly creative people, and I know they can make more creative choices than relying on slurs. I honestly think I would have enjoyed this book more if I didn't have to read so many iterations of d*mb, st*pid, and imb*c*le throughout.
✦ There were a few times in the story that I became confused and wasn't sure what was happening or felt that something wasn't followed through on enough. I think they needed just a page or two more to give us more information and context to better understand what was going on.
For example, there was a single page that seems to be indicating a flashback in the middle of an irrelevant scene, but there's no indication about that. It was extra confusing because it seemed to involve a character we knew to be dead. It wasn't until I was reviewing and looking at this page over and over again that I finally began to puzzle it out. Its placement in the storyline just didn't make sense and could've been a lot stronger in a different place in the story.
✦ The ending of the story didn't completely fulfill its promises for me. It felt a bit rushed and not entirely clear. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll be vague here, but it felt a bit forced to me when the big moments began happening. I didn't understand the connection between the [spoiler] and the kids and why it was necessary in the first place. I would have appreciated a bit more information to get it more.
✦ I also felt the explanation between the bad actors throughout the story and the [spoiler] weren't explained enough for me, too. I needed more information about what was happening, why, and how it came to be.
✦ Related to that, I felt the relationship between the cop and the federal agent could have benefitted from a little more clarity. At the beginning, it felt more like an equal footing situation, but it later was revealed to be one where the cop was directly reporting to the federal agents. Perhaps that was the case the whole time or perhaps it evolved into that, but I think if the reasoning for the actions of the villains in this book had been a bit clearer, it would have been a little easier to understand the dynamics between more of the characters in the story.
Overall
I give Let Me Out 3.5 out of 5 speech bubbles, rounding up to 4: This was a good queer horror story with some great characters and an interesting plot! It has some flaws, but I think it's great for a queer Halloween read or anytime of the year for horror lovers.
How to Read It
Interested in checking it out for yourself? Here are a few ways you can get your hands on a copy!
Local Options
Your Local Library!
Your Local Comic Book Shop!
Your Local Book Store!
Small + Indie Options
Bluestockings Cooperative
Bookshop
Midtown Comics
Big + Boxy Options
Barnes & Noble
Books a Million
Kinokuniya
Read This Next
If you liked this, check out Darlin’ and Her Other Names – Part 1: Marta, Squad, and Something Is Killing the Children TP Volume 1
If you enjoyed this review, I have a monthly comic review series called More Comics Please! on my website with interior page excerpts and additional information not shared here on Storygraph. You can sign up to receive them in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter Into the Bramble.
Let Me Out is a great queer twist on the nostalgia for the "simpler times" of the 70's and 80's trending so often these days. It has wonderfully expressive art and a devilish story set in the backdrop of a small town content to allow evil until it happens to "one of their own"-- and then there is hell to pay for the local group of queer and racialized teen punks who will stop at nothing to protect one another.
What Worked for Me:
✦ Ugh, I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the art in this!! I kept looking at it so much that I would forget to keep reading at points lol. I loved so much about George Williams' style: his textured brush use, his colors and light, his fun style, and his facial expressions all brought me so much joy.
✦ Williams' colors in particular were helpful in establishing so much of the mood and setting for each scene. The use of red throughout in places it wouldn't normally be seen was great for building an ongoing sense of uneasiness and reminding the reader that something dangerous looms close by, even if you can't see it yet.
✦ I really loved the relationships Emmett Nahil created with the main group of friends. It had a great dynamic that felt well-worn and familiar. I immediately felt drawn into their group and loved how they took care of another and looked out for each other. Nahil also made it easy to understand the nature of their circumstances as individuals and as a group throughout without having to outright state the issues, which I thought was great writing.
✦ Nahil also did an excellent job portraying the way white supremacy, cisheteronormativity, and Christian nationalism seeps into every aspect of a small town life and using anyone who is even remotely queer as a target for distracting from their own misdeeds. The 1979 New Jersey of this comic and the late 90's/early 2000's southeast United States I grew up in aren't terribly different, and the desire of those in the majority to scapegoat and dispose of those they deem violent for being different is all too familiar both in my memories and, unfortunately, to this day.
✦ I loved Williams' way with the speech balloons, too! I really like the look of balloons without lines around them (which isn't always easy to make work in a comic), and I felt that Williams did a great job overall differentiating the balloons from the background so that it was still easy to read.
✦ I also really enjoyed the dialogue, especially with the main group of friends. It felt easy and flowed naturally, and there was great distinction in voice between the differing groups: queer and punk, parents, law enforcement, the church officials, the devil, and so on. It really helped emphasize the dynamics of opposition with the queer kids against the world.
✦ The character designs were excellent. I enjoyed the diversity of body types in the main cast, as well as the queer punk teen/young adult aesthetic Williams gave the characters. It felt very organic to the individual characters and the group as a whole.
✦ I loved how Nahil gave us a look at the rage of the friends as well as the care for each other in response to the violence they're forced to put up with. There were complexities and nuance to the responses that did and didn't happen, and we always got to see this push and pull between allowing themselves to act upon their anger and not. The angry reactions were validated by the others while also grounded in the reality of not being safe from the consequences of their response the same way their white, cishet peers were from the violence they enacted on the queer, racialized kids. And regardless of how the others felt in response to their friends reactions, they always took care of one another and kept each other as safe as they could.
✦ I enjoyed how Nahil and Williams' work came together to build suspense throughout the story. The tension and worry of the scapegoating narrative combined with the colors and expressions of the art really worked well together.
What Didn't Work for Me:
✦ I really hated the reliance on ableist language throughout the script. Using slurs throughout a book about scapegoating disempowered people in particular really bothers me. I think writers are incredibly creative people, and I know they can make more creative choices than relying on slurs. I honestly think I would have enjoyed this book more if I didn't have to read so many iterations of d*mb, st*pid, and imb*c*le throughout.
✦ There were a few times in the story that I became confused and wasn't sure what was happening or felt that something wasn't followed through on enough. I think they needed just a page or two more to give us more information and context to better understand what was going on.
For example, there was a single page that seems to be indicating a flashback in the middle of an irrelevant scene, but there's no indication about that. It was extra confusing because it seemed to involve a character we knew to be dead. It wasn't until I was reviewing and looking at this page over and over again that I finally began to puzzle it out. Its placement in the storyline just didn't make sense and could've been a lot stronger in a different place in the story.
✦ The ending of the story didn't completely fulfill its promises for me. It felt a bit rushed and not entirely clear. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll be vague here, but it felt a bit forced to me when the big moments began happening. I didn't understand the connection between the [spoiler] and the kids and why it was necessary in the first place. I would have appreciated a bit more information to get it more.
✦ I also felt the explanation between the bad actors throughout the story and the [spoiler] weren't explained enough for me, too. I needed more information about what was happening, why, and how it came to be.
✦ Related to that, I felt the relationship between the cop and the federal agent could have benefitted from a little more clarity. At the beginning, it felt more like an equal footing situation, but it later was revealed to be one where the cop was directly reporting to the federal agents. Perhaps that was the case the whole time or perhaps it evolved into that, but I think if the reasoning for the actions of the villains in this book had been a bit clearer, it would have been a little easier to understand the dynamics between more of the characters in the story.
Overall
I give Let Me Out 3.5 out of 5 speech bubbles, rounding up to 4: This was a good queer horror story with some great characters and an interesting plot! It has some flaws, but I think it's great for a queer Halloween read or anytime of the year for horror lovers.
How to Read It
Interested in checking it out for yourself? Here are a few ways you can get your hands on a copy!
Local Options
Your Local Library!
Your Local Comic Book Shop!
Your Local Book Store!
Small + Indie Options
Bluestockings Cooperative
Bookshop
Midtown Comics
Big + Boxy Options
Barnes & Noble
Books a Million
Kinokuniya
Read This Next
If you liked this, check out Darlin’ and Her Other Names – Part 1: Marta, Squad, and Something Is Killing the Children TP Volume 1
If you enjoyed this review, I have a monthly comic review series called More Comics Please! on my website with interior page excerpts and additional information not shared here on Storygraph. You can sign up to receive them in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter Into the Bramble.
marybeebooks's review
4.0
Thank you Netgalley, OniPress, Emmett Nahil & George Williams for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🥰
.
This is the perfect book to add to your spooky TBR! Let Me Out is set in the 70s during the satanic panic and this leads to a group of queer kids being the main suspect in a murder. This one has some government conspiracy along with a found-family-type group of kids. I loved the illustration and thought it fit perfectly with the story! I think the ending was a little quick and it felt rushed. I hope there is a sequel to maybe add some more explanation. But I still felt like it was a solid spooky graphic novel! Please mind the trigger warnings before reading! ☺️🫶
.
I’m sorry this review is a bit short, I read this one a while ago and wasn’t able to review it sooner due to migraines. 🥲
.
Let Me Out, by Emmett Nahil & George Williams comes out on October 3rd!
.
⚠️Trigger Warnings: Blood/gore, violence, torture, mentions of period-typical transphobia and misgendering.
.
This is the perfect book to add to your spooky TBR! Let Me Out is set in the 70s during the satanic panic and this leads to a group of queer kids being the main suspect in a murder. This one has some government conspiracy along with a found-family-type group of kids. I loved the illustration and thought it fit perfectly with the story! I think the ending was a little quick and it felt rushed. I hope there is a sequel to maybe add some more explanation. But I still felt like it was a solid spooky graphic novel! Please mind the trigger warnings before reading! ☺️🫶
.
I’m sorry this review is a bit short, I read this one a while ago and wasn’t able to review it sooner due to migraines. 🥲
.
Let Me Out, by Emmett Nahil & George Williams comes out on October 3rd!
.
⚠️Trigger Warnings: Blood/gore, violence, torture, mentions of period-typical transphobia and misgendering.
readthesparrow's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
REVIEW
Let Me Out is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel perfect for an angry queer autumn read despite a fractured, unfulfilling ending.
I adored the main cast. They fit together and play off one another well, and the way that they navigate an unwelcoming world together, from the small things (giving a ride to Terri, a guitarist, to her show and cheering her on) to the big things (covering for each other against parents and cops, providing first aid, and being ride or die ‘til the end) is so quintessentially queer that, despite the grim context, it warms my heart.
I’m also head over heels for Lucifer. Like, can we appreciate their design? Hello???????
The main issue I have with Let Me Out is the ending. While there were some really interesting moments during that final scene, such as Lucifer possession-jumping from person to person during the chase scene, the storytelling became extremely fragmented and I had difficulty following the action in those last 10 or so pages.
Related to the ending, the pacing of the last half felt strange, too–I’m not a graphic novel expert, so maybe this is just the way things are done, but it felt like the main action of the book post what’s summarized on the back happened way too late. The spark that lights the kindling, Lupe punching her manager, doesn’t happen until about 60% of the way through, and the deal with the devil doesn’t happen until about 80% in. The part that interests me most–the deal with the devil–is rushed through. If I'm promised a deal with a devil, I want that to be narratively front and center, and it's just not in Let Me Out.
By the final page, there are several plot threads left dangling. I won’t list them here in the interest of avoiding spoilers, but there are several left unanswered, both ones introduced in the first ten pages and threads opened in that final 20%.
It is likely that cuts had to be made to meet page count, which is unfortunate. The ending’s potential fell flat.
I think the page count is why I am often left wanting more from graphic novels–the stories are often hampered by heavily restricted available space, requiring heavy story cuts be made, which negatively impact the story’s structure and pacing.
I think the page count is why I am often left wanting more from graphic novels–the stories are often hampered by heavily restricted available space, requiring heavy story cuts be made, which negatively impact the story’s structure and pacing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While I enjoyed this graphic novel and loved the characters, I’m left wanting more from a fractured ending. I hope there’s a follow-up that picks up some of those dangling plot threads and features more Lucifer (my love).
If you’re looking for a spooky, tense autumn read that centers queer experiences and can be finished in an afternoon, then I definitely suggest picking up Let Me Out.
Thank you to Oni Press for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in Let Me Out, it releases 3 October 2023. You can find more information from the publishers. If possible, support indie bookshops by purchasing the novel from your local brick and mortar or from Bookshop.org!