Scan barcode
A review by lilli_mack
Lovesick by Luana Vecchio
challenging
dark
sad
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? Yes
2.5
Western comics spent a long time not getting to tell horror stories. The Comics Code Authority kept that shit tamped down for decades, so any comic from a major publisher in that genre has a sort of elevated importance to me. It feels like we're still building a foundation for that canon.
Lovesick is so good at being horrifying. I read it in a single sitting, and I had to go horizontal several times. The gore in this book is gut-churning. The art, especially on the covers, is stunning. And it's playing in a unique arena, that of dark-web snuff porn and the people who engage with that kind of cursed shit. Lovesick very quickly racks up a deep catalogue of content warnings, and dares you to look away. The first three issues are nearly perfect, and I'd absolutely recommend them to anyone who can stomach the content and is looking for a good horror short story.
However, this trade compiles 7 issues. The second arc focuses on showing us who our main characters really are, and how they got to this point. Issues 4 and 5 have writing and art generally on par with the first arc, but the more time I spent marinating in the subject matter of this book, the more I was left hungry for a "so-what," or any sort of cohesive point that the author was trying to make. It felt like the book was more focused on depiction, rather than discussion. The last two issues sort fall apart a bit. The moment-to-moment quality drops off pretty notably, and the themes become extremely muddled. The ending also feels sorta toothless. By the time I finished reading, I was left entirely unsatisfied. While the story unnerved me in the way it wanted to, it felt like it only pressed those buttons for the sake of pressing them.
TL:DR: Lovesick is impressive as a horror short story but, in my opinion, fails to be worth its content warnings.
Lovesick is so good at being horrifying. I read it in a single sitting, and I had to go horizontal several times. The gore in this book is gut-churning. The art, especially on the covers, is stunning. And it's playing in a unique arena, that of dark-web snuff porn and the people who engage with that kind of cursed shit. Lovesick very quickly racks up a deep catalogue of content warnings, and dares you to look away. The first three issues are nearly perfect, and I'd absolutely recommend them to anyone who can stomach the content and is looking for a good horror short story.
However, this trade compiles 7 issues. The second arc focuses on showing us who our main characters really are, and how they got to this point. Issues 4 and 5 have writing and art generally on par with the first arc, but the more time I spent marinating in the subject matter of this book, the more I was left hungry for a "so-what," or any sort of cohesive point that the author was trying to make. It felt like the book was more focused on depiction, rather than discussion. The last two issues sort fall apart a bit. The moment-to-moment quality drops off pretty notably, and the themes become extremely muddled. The ending also feels sorta toothless. By the time I finished reading, I was left entirely unsatisfied. While the story unnerved me in the way it wanted to, it felt like it only pressed those buttons for the sake of pressing them.
TL:DR: Lovesick is impressive as a horror short story but, in my opinion, fails to be worth its content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Vomit
It's about the making of snuff films. Please be careful.