A review by oddly
Survivors' Club: The Complete Series by Lauren Beukes
4.0
Lauren Beukes has been on my instant-buy list since I read [b:The Shining Girls|16131077|The Shining Girls|Lauren Beukes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1352227705l/16131077._SY75_.jpg|21956898], so I'm glad I finally got around to reading this graphic novel.
Co-written with Dale Halverson, this story is interested in horror tropes and stock characters and subverting the hell out of your expectations. I am also a sucker for a haunted house tale! The story plays with time in a way that will appeal to anyone who loved The Haunting of Hill House Netflix series or fans of [b:House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403889034l/24800._SX50_.jpg|856555]. But through the art (Ryan Kelly), this story goes to whole new levels of weird, horrific, and just plain awesome. The last few issues that take place mostly in a strange house felt like being in a funhouse of horror, and there is a lot of nuance from the beginning of the story that really pays off.
At times, the storyline feels a little overly involved and I think the same concept could have been accomplished to great effect with 2 less characters. This becomes especially apparent when the story is winding down and what is going on in the house is so much more interesting and crucial to the story than the gaming bit. (Though I did love those characters... The writers are excellent at creating people you want to root for.)
This is a story I didn't want to end, and one I would love to see this team pick up again; there appears to be more story to tell and I am here for it.
Co-written with Dale Halverson, this story is interested in horror tropes and stock characters and subverting the hell out of your expectations. I am also a sucker for a haunted house tale! The story plays with time in a way that will appeal to anyone who loved The Haunting of Hill House Netflix series or fans of [b:House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403889034l/24800._SX50_.jpg|856555]. But through the art (Ryan Kelly), this story goes to whole new levels of weird, horrific, and just plain awesome. The last few issues that take place mostly in a strange house felt like being in a funhouse of horror, and there is a lot of nuance from the beginning of the story that really pays off.
At times, the storyline feels a little overly involved and I think the same concept could have been accomplished to great effect with 2 less characters. This becomes especially apparent when the story is winding down and what is going on in the house is so much more interesting and crucial to the story than the gaming bit. (Though I did love those characters... The writers are excellent at creating people you want to root for.)
This is a story I didn't want to end, and one I would love to see this team pick up again; there appears to be more story to tell and I am here for it.