Today I curled up with a horror graphic novel as a way to pass the time waiting for it to feel more like spooky season. With the same kind of vibes as one of those classic Universal Monster movies I’ve always loved, Scott Snyder’s Night of the Ghoul was a great choice.

Forest works in film archiving old pieces in a Hollywood studio when he comes across the remnants of a movie that was never released – one that became a legend the world had heard of but never had the chance to view. Before its premiere, chunks of the film were destroyed in a big studio fire. Part of the legend surrounding it is that it was meant to be “the greatest horror film ever made.” Along with his teenage son, Forest goes to visit the man behind the film, and learns quickly that it is no work of fiction – it’s autobiographical.

The concept of “the ghoul” gave me some Fallout vibes, combined with the ancient history aspect of The Mummy. There are plenty of works of horror fiction across different media platforms one could connect this to, so if you’re a fan of horror in general then there’s definitely something for you here.

The artwork was really immersive, which was no surprise because it was illustrated by artist Francesco Francavilla, who has a really impressive resume. He’s probably best known for his work on Batman: The Black Mirror, but has also worked on plenty of other horror/noir graphic novels like Swamp Thing, The Joker, Nightwing, and some more recent DC horror material. He’s got a distinctive old pulp-horror style.

This was a pretty quick read, but a fun way to spend an afternoon. If you enjoy graphic novels, I’d give it a shot! It’s also available on kindle unlimited for easy accessibility.