A Sickness in the Family in She-Geeks

Jan 28, 2016 Geeky Like rated it liked it

Shelves: comic

I have always been extremely fond of comics and think they get a bad rap. People always just assume it is nothing but caped crusaders and masked superheroes. I think Denise Mina and I would disagree with that notion. In an effort to read even more graphic novels I turned to the mystery/thriller/crime genre. It is not a genre that I read a lot, which is a shame as there is some great stuff out there. So when I went to the library I had to pick this guy up.

The Ushers look like your typical family I have always been extremely fond of comics and think they get a bad rap. People always just assume it is nothing but caped crusaders and masked superheroes. I think Denise Mina and I would disagree with that notion. In an effort to read even more graphic novels I turned to the mystery/thriller/crime genre. It is not a genre that I read a lot, which is a shame as there is some great stuff out there. So when I went to the library I had to pick this guy up.

The Ushers look like your typical family albeit a bit dysfunctional, but who isn’t these days. Ted and Biddy, Biddy’s mom Martha, and the three grown children William, Amy and Sam have all come together for Christmas. Tragedy strikes when a horrible murder takes place in the basement flat they let out. Ted quickly decides that this means this is the perfect time to incorporate the flat back into the house as that has been his plan for many years. Then family members start to die. First Grandma Martha falls through the hole one night; a drop of almost thirty feet. She suffers a stroke and can no longer take care of herself. The rest of the family could care less, and it is up to Sam to care for Martha. Ted and his wife Biddy are having problems and seeing a marriage counselor, William is kicked out of school, and Amy just wants money. Sam seems to be the only sane member of the family. As Sam investigates he begins to wonder is it because of the wrath of a witch who was burnt at the stake there in the 1500s? Or has one of the remaining family members decided to get rid of the rest, each of whom has a surprisingly good reason for wanting the others dead?

Things I loved: Ooh dysfunction at its best. Everyone is selfish, with the exception of Sam, it seems. They bicker, they fight, and are downright nasty. Sam tries to hold it all together, but in the end he understands that he is the outsider. Maybe that is a good thing, being adopted and not quite having all of this in the blood. Perhaps.

This is a great little gothic horror mystery, one that had a twist I wasn’t quite expecting though definitely had my guesses. The art is black and white with fairly stark lines and a lot of shadowing. I think it fits with the comic overall and is still gruesome even without the splashes of red.

Things I didn’t love so much: The narrative was a bit uneven at times, though overall the pacing was nice. Also, while I like a good mystery and thriller you have to make a few of the characters sympathetic. At the beginning of the story the family sits around in dysfunctional dinner bliss while their tenant is beaten and murdered. No one lifts a finger. So when they start dying do I really care? Not really. So as a whole the story, because I could not feel any sympathy for the characters, was missing that great hook I was looking for.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow. This won’t be for everyone. It has some great things about it that I really liked, but some things I also really didn’t like.

Part of: Stand Alone

Also Recommended: If you are looking for some mystery/crime comics please try: Criminal by Ed Brubaker, Fell by Warren Ellis, Torso by Brian Michael Bendis, and Queen and Country by Greg Rucka. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 06, 2012 KWinks rated it liked it

I enjoyed the art in this graphic novel and the story was really good. I was a little put off by the language and really did not like any of the characters. I think the reader was supposed to support Sam in all of this, but I felt something was off about him right away. The ending was a shocker though, reminding me that I can still be surprised!

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Marissa rated it it was ok

Shelves: comix, crime, horror

This book was just ok for me, even though it is firmly in the crime/horror genre that I'm usually a big fan of. I didn't feel like the big twist/reveal at the end was all that great and the narration of the family drama felt kind of hackneyed and overdone. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2013 Sevil Çıtır rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels

Çok iyi bir polisiye roman olabilirmiş, tüm karakterlerin kendi hikayelerini de okumak isterdim, grafik roman olmasına resmen bozuldum şu an, bayıldım.

(Ayrıca kapağı, Stoker'ın afişini hatırlatıyor ve bu da çok tatlı bir şey.) ...more

1 like · Like · see review