Halloween Girl, Vol. 1: Promises to Keep (Graphic Novel Series Review)
By: Joseph Perry (Twitter - Uphill Both Ways Podcast)
The new graphic novel series Halloween Girl from Mad Shelley Comics launches on October 1, 2021, on Kindle Comics (Amazon) with the first installment in a planned 7-issue series based on creator Richard T. Wilson’s The Halloween Girl film and its sister web series, Under the Flowers. Halloween Girl, Vol. 1: Promises to Keep is an engaging start to this young-adult–oriented supernatural series.
Charlotte Williams, AKA Halloween Girl, is an 18-year-old ghost who can take on human form. In this initial installment, she meets up with her slightly older best ghost friend Poe and then helps out a young trick-or-treater who is being bullied. She reluctantly takes him up on an invitation to visit his house and meet his mother. She should have been more reluctant . . .
I was unfamiliar with Wilson’s award-winning film and acclaimed web series before this graphic novel series, and though familiarity with the franchise would certainly be helpful before reading volume 1, I don’t think it is absolutely necessary. Though “The Hollow'' is mentioned and set up to be potential villains, and the backstory of the friendship between Charlotte and Poe is not explained at this point, the rest of the story has all the necessary components for a stand-alone tale. Also, the graphic novel could lead readers new to the franchise to the film and series for further explanation.
Wilson wrote the story for the graphic novel, and as the franchise creator, he obviously knows what he wants to do with this series. He kicks it off nicely with a chapter that shows Charlotte’s humanity as well as a danger that she can find herself in as a ghost. Wilson’s dialogue rings true, exemplified by Charlotte’s talk with the bullied school boy.
The black-and-white artwork by Stephen Mullan is deceptively simple and highly effective, often focusing on the action at the front of the panel. A splash page at the beginning of the story sets a nice tone for what’s to come, while two splash pages at the end of the first volume pop with shading that highlights the eerie tone of the images.
Wilson and Mullan have me intrigued. I’m impressed with Halloween Girl, Vol. 1: Promises to Keep and am looking forward to further adventures with Charlotte and Poe.
To order Halloween Girl, Vol. 1: Promises to Keep:
The ‘Under the Flowers’ tie-in to the Halloween Girl book begins shooting on November 6th; the short-short has Catherine Kustra reprising the role of Charlotte. New York City public access station Bronxnet TV is also interested in broadcasting The Halloween Girl and all three seasons of Under the Flowers for their Halloween Block for October.
Joseph Perry is one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast (whenitwascool.com/up-hill-both-ways-podcast/) and Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast (decadesofhorror.com/category/classicera/). He also writes for the film websites Diabolique Magazine (diaboliquemagazine.com), Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com), The Scariest Things (scariesthings.com), and Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), and film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com) and Drive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).
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