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REVIEW: ‘Neverland’ A Novel By Douglas Clegg

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Once in awhile there are novels that we read not knowing what exactly it is that we are picking up. Many times this can lead to a lot of eye-rolling, groaning, and eventually giving up on the story entirely. But there are also those very few and far between stories, the ones that we read on a whim, or a recommendation, or based solely on the author’s name that wind up taking us by surprise. Like a right hook to the chin, these stories dazzle readers and remind them why it is they read the genre they chose interest in in the first place. So was the case with Douglas Clegg’s (“NAOMI”, “THE MACHINERY OF NIGHT”) newest novel “NEVERLAND” that was released yesterday. A novel that I went into based solely on my enjoyment of the author’s previous works…Read on for the full review.

“NEVERLAND” tells the story of the Jackson tribe who once a year vacation to Rowena Wandigaux Lee s old Victorian house on Gull Island. For young Beau the spot is a place where superstitions and mystery stir in the kettle of his imagination, and when his cousin Sumter shows him the old shack out in the woods it seems like a natural thing to turn the place into the children’s clubhouse. But then things take a turn for the macabre. Little do the children know that their clubhouse holds the key to an age old mystery, and for years has been forbidden to anyone who wants to enter. Soon the children begin to view the place as a safe haven away from the fighting and tension back home…but “NEVERLAND” is anything but safe . As time goes on the children begin to worship a shadowy specter that they dub “Lucy”. Lucy is a God of sorts, and in saying that sacrifices must be made. It is all fun and games until something, or someone, dies.

In a neat little paragraph that is what we have for horror author Douglas Clegg’s newest novel, “NEVERLAND” . I’ve heard many compare Clegg’s latest offering to “CHILDREN OF THE CORN” for its depiction of childhood freedom gone horribly awry and the dangers of worshiping false Gods, but I’d say that to compare this to anything would be doing it a hefty disservice. For while reading “NEVERLAND” there were indeed quite a few things that came to mind but they were not of the published sort. Instead I found myself looking back into my own childhood, thinking about the way I thought about things back then before I knew any better, and it scared the crap out of me. What Clegg does so well with this novel is he throws readers back into a time when they were Beau s age, puts them back into that childlike mindset, and twists their gears in a direction they were never meant to go in.

On this level “NEVERLAND” is its own sort of shade of classic. Much of what is presented here feels very timeless (that it has been compared to the classic “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” is fair in this sense) and the novel does serve the chills up very heartily. Pacing wise Clegg has turned in his best work. The novel plays out very slow, very eerie at time, but then when the thrills come they hit you like an out of control Toyota. (Sorry Prius owners) The author does an excellent job of starting the novel off in a way that grabs the reader s attention and then he eases up on the gas just enough to keep you entertained. (Think of “NEVERLAND” as a fast car ride, but the whole time the driver is break-checking) The characters are all colorfully written, and the relationships between them all believable. Particularly of note here is Beau’s relationships with the adults, which are at times very strenuous to say the least.

The addition of Stephen King illustrator Glenn Chadbourne is a very nice touch as well. The artist has a very distinct style to his illustrations that lend perfectly to the story. Many of these pictures are unnerving enough to really drive home some of the key moments in the book, and it is easy to see why Clegg decided to bring him on for the job.

When all is done and read, “NEVERLAND” is likely to be as chilling a novel as you’ll read all year. It is slow, methodical, eerie, and most of all terrifying. There is something about the story that stays with you even after you’ve put it down, and the finished product feels almost as if it could be timeless. Much like Joe Hill’s “HORNS” before it, “NEVERLAND” will go down as one of the finest pieces of terror lit this year. It dares to take us back top a time when we were most vulnerable (and impressionable) and in doing so it shows us a horror within ourselves that is downright fascinating.

4.5 Out Of 5 Skulls

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[Review] Graphic Novel ‘Tender’ Is Brilliant Feminist Body Horror That Will Make You Squirm & Scream

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Tender Beth Hetland Graphic Novel

Beth Hetland’s debut graphic novel, ‘Tender,’ is a modern tale of love, validation, and self-destruction by way of brutal body horror with a feminist edge.

“I’ve wanted this more than anything.”

Men so often dominate the body horror subgenre, which makes it so rare and insightful whenever women tackle this space. This makes Beth Hetland’s Tender such a refreshing change of pace. It’s earnest, honest, and impossibly exposed. Tender takes the body horror subgenre and brilliantly and subversively mixes it together with a narrative that’s steeped in the societal expectations that women face on a daily basis, whether it comes to empowerment, family, or sexuality. It single-handedly beats other 2023 and ‘24 feminine horror texts like American Horror Story: Delicate, Sick, Lisa Frankenstein, and Immaculate at their own game.

Hetland’s Tender is American Psycho meets Rosemary’s Baby meets Swallow. It’s also absolutely not for the faint of heart.

Right from the jump, Tender grabs hold of its audience and doesn’t let go. Carolanne’s quest for romantic fulfillment, validation, and a grander purpose is easy to empathize with and an effective framework for this woeful saga. Carolanne’s wounds cut so deep simply because they’re so incredibly commonplace. Everybody wants to feel wanted.

Tender is full of beautiful, gross, expressive artwork that makes the reader squirm in their seat and itch. Hetland’s drawings are simultaneously minimalist and comprehensively layered. They’re  reminiscent of Charles Burns’ Black Hole, in the best way possible. There’s consistently inspired and striking use of spot coloring that elevates Hetland’s story whenever it’s incorporated, invading Tender’s muted world.

Hetland employs effective, economical storytelling that makes clever use of panels and scene construction so that Tender can breeze through exposition and get to the story’s gooey, aching heart. There’s an excellent page that depicts Carolanne’s menial domestic tasks where the repetitive panels grow increasingly smaller to illustrate the formulaic rut that her life has become. It’s magical. Tender is full of creative devices like this that further let the reader into Carolanne’s mind without ever getting clunky or explicit on the matter. The graphic novel is bookended with a simple moment that shifts from sweet to suffocating.

Tender gives the audience a proper sense of who Carolanne is right away. Hetland adeptly defines her protagonist so that readers are immediately on her side, praying that she gets her “happily ever after,” and makes it out of this sick story alive…And then they’re rapidly wishing for the opposite and utterly aghast over this chameleon. There’s also some creative experimentation with non-linear storytelling that gets to the root of Carolanne and continually recontextualizes who she is and what she wants out of life so that the audience is kept on guard.

Tender casually transforms from a picture-perfect rom-com, right down to the visual style, into a haunting horror story. There’s such a natural quality to how Tender presents the melancholy manner in which a relationship — and life — can decay. Once the horror elements hit, they hit hard, like a jackhammer, and don’t relent. It’s hard not to wince and grimace through Tender’s terrifying images. They’re reminiscent of the nightmarish dadaist visuals from The Ring’s cursed videotape, distilled to blunt comic panels that the reader is forced to confront and digest, rather than something that simply flickers through their mind and is gone a moment later. Tender makes its audience marinate in its mania and incubates its horror as if it’s a gestating fetus in their womb.

Tender tells a powerful, emotional, disturbing story, but its secret weapon may be its sublime pacing. Hetland paces Tender in such an exceptional manner, so that it takes its time, sneaks up on the reader, and gets under their skin until they’re dreading where the story will go next. Tender pushes the audience right up to the edge so that they’re practically begging that Carolanne won’t do the things that she does, yet the other shoe always drops in the most devastating manner. Audiences will read Tender with clenched fists that make it a struggle to turn each page, although they won’t be able to stop. Tender isn’t a short story, at more than 160 pages, but readers will want to take their time and relish each page so that this macabre story lasts for as long as possible before it cascades to its tragic conclusion. 

Tender is an accomplished and uncomfortable debut graphic novel from Hetland that reveals a strong, unflinching voice that’s the perfect fit for horror. Tender indulges in heightened flights of fancy and toes the line with the supernatural. However, Tender is so successful at what it does because it’s so grounded in reality and presents a horror story that’s all too common in society. It’s a heartbreaking meditation on loneliness and codependency that’s one of 2024’s must-read horror graphic novels.

‘Tender,’ by Beth Hetland and published by Fantagraphics, is now available.

4 out of 5 skulls

Tender graphic novel review

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