I requested this book thinking it would be more of a supernatural horror story (Cullen Bunn + drug made from ashes of the dead = promising). While there are a few supernatural elements to be sure, that's not the direction it takes. Bone Parish ended up being a family crime drama with nothing really to hook me or keep me coming back for more since I didn't care about the family or the ins and outs of starting up a drug operation. If you do then give it a go, but this was not my cup of tea.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

The concept is pretty interesting (highly addictive drug made of bone dust of the dead people, nice!) but the more I was reading - the more I was bored. I started losing my interest half way through actually, I expected something scary and maybe a little disturbing story but except few scenes during drug effect I got just bunch of threatening dialogues and „macho men“ killing each other. Art was good. I am interested to see where it goes though, 'cause it was not bad, I just didn’t get what I wanted.

Looks like Bunn has another winner here. The Winter family of New Orleans controls and runs the "ash" trade--a drug made from the remains of the dead. Users who take it can experience bits and pieces of the life of the dead person, but there's only a finite amount to be made from each corpse. Use it up and there's no more. The drug has become very popular, so much so that a couple of other criminal organizations are thinking about muscling in on the family's operations. This was a great mix of crime and horror, with a number of different characters just waiting to be further fleshed-out, particularly older son Brae and daughter Brigitte, the brains behind the chemistry. Nice artwork throughout by Jonas Scharf. Looking forward to more of this.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this volume. The artwork is wonderful and the lettering is very consistent. The drug that is the centerpiece of this comic is an interesting concept (essentially bones of dead people that when consumed allows you to take on the aspects of those people through their memories). What didn't work for me was the numerous perspective changes and characters throughout especially in the first couple issues.

I am interested to see where this title goes, but the more of Cullen Bunn's work I read, the more I wonder about the frequency with which he adopts a black perspective. Not to say that this isn't possible for fiction writers, but this particular title verges into mystical practices that seem to verge close to Voudon and I'd be extremely curious to see a take from an actual practitioner. I enjoyed the story, but that particular aspect has left me with some concerns.

Bone Parish is one of those series that I went in not really too sure what to expect, only to be completely blown away with the results. I can’t say for certain if this series is my favorite read of the year, but it surely is high up on the list (a purely theoretical list, since I am too lazy to write one out).
The series follows one family as they try to become the new drug lords of the land. Only thing is, unlike many other drug families out there…they can’t expand the same way. There’s a limit on the drug they’re selling…but at least they’re keeping it in the family. Meanwhile the city can’t seem to get enough of the stuff – literally.
Bone Parish is from the minds of Cullen Bunn (The Empty Man, Harrow County) and Jonas Scarf (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, House of Waxwork). The two work shockingly well together. Jonas Scarf’s darker art style perfectly portrays the disturbing elements of Cullen Bunn’s story.
Bone Parish is as enthralling as it is bone chilling. I know that sounds blasé, but I honestly do mean it. Every new twist and revelation had me on the edge of my seat. I honestly was surprised by many of the scenes I was shown, while still being eager for more.
The Winters family is not what you’d expect for a family of drug dealers (and makers, for that matter). I liked that they were different. I loved how different each character ended up being. Everyone in the family had their own motivations and their own skeletons to deal with. It made for a disturbing family telling…but it worked so well.
The mother and the daughter are by far the most interesting characters, in my opinion. Their experiences and actions being put in direct comparisons of one another, showing the different ways of handling loss and inspiration.
As for the drug itself…wow. I know it’s probably something that has been seen before, but the way it was handled here was pretty brilliant. I love the different forms it can take, depending on the…ingredients. I also love the concept of its production being constantly capped. It raises all sorts of questions about supply, demand, cost, and value. This made for a refreshing change of pace, in my opinion.
I honestly can’t wait for the next volume to come out. I’m actually tempted to switch over to reading this issue by issue, just so I can get back to it sooner.

The concept of the Bone Parish is amazing. I am completely hooked! It's dark and creepy and I really want to get my hands on the second volume.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

I really liked this book. The setting was good. The character descriptions was very well written. The pace of the story was good. I will be reading more by this author. I would recommend this book.

A family in New Orleans has learned how to make a psychedelic drug from the ashes of corpses, allowing the user to feel as though they are living that dead person's memories for a time, or revisiting a scene with them.

I would say to go into this graphic novel knowing as little as possible, because it's a really cool plotline that takes well to readers going in blind. The artwork isn't my favorite, but it's got a nice, grungy feel to it that fits the mood well enough. My only issue with the graphic novel is the same issue I've had with other works from Cullen Bunn: I found the storyline and pacing to be very jumpy and hard to follow at points. That said, I'd still definitely recommend checking the story out if you're intrigued by the synopsis and don't mind a bit of gore and murder.

Thank you so much to BOOM! Studios for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The worst thing about this was how short it was! A strong beginning for what will hopefully be a great series. I'm not personally very interested in crime stories about drug cartels but like necromancy! We don't yet how the Ash is made other than it's made from the corpses and how the hallucinations manifest. So far it seems to take different forms and I'm guessing it depends on how it's made. The Ash that is sold taps into the memories of the dead, which the user can experience. Sight, sound, feelings, everything! I think?
Very little about how the Ash works it explained. There is a lot of showing and very little exposition. A lot of the story, the emotions and subtext are conveyed through the beautiful art. I really liked how the 'real' world is kind of washed out while the hallucinations are vibrant. It's gorgeous, honestly more than the actual drawings the colors left a greater impact on conveying tone and feel.
I'm excited to see what happens next and how the Winter family can deal with pressure put on them from competing drug cartels as well the police. The Ash itself is also very versatile so I want to know what more it can be used to do and how that will affect the typical crime aspects.
I highly recommend if you’re into crime stories with a supernatural twist.

Cullen Bunn’s cornered the market on shitty horror-themed comics – you wanna read something mega-dull with the superficial genre trappings of horror? He’s your dude! He’s like a one-man Hammer Horror of comics except his stuff isn’t even entertaining on a campy level.

Bone Parish is his latest crud-bucket of images and words. Set in N’Orleans, some family has magically puzzled out how to make an addictive street drug from corpses that makes you hallucinate said corpses’ life experiences: if they was a rock star, you get to experience being a rock star, if they was a porn star, etc. Some other crime family is muscling in on their hustle and bang bangs happen. Sound meet Fury and signify one big Nuthin!

It’s not even worth pointing out how such a drug could possibly work (how do you select the experience you’re after?), not least because this is a fantasy, but because the book has much bigger flaws. The premise might’ve been interesting in the hands of a more capable writer but Bunn fluffs it up. There’s barely any horror or crime – the piss-poor story is basically a shitty family melodrama peopled by instantly forgettable, unlikeable non-entities. I cared about these nobodies so little that when some started getting bumped off I barely noticed let alone felt anything! The art – whatever.

Boring Parish is the comics version of some bland, sub-Netflix TV show you’ll never watch and couldn’t imagine the audience for - in other words, Cullen Bunn does it again! He has written some quality horror comics in the past though and I recommend Death Follows or his Night of the Living Deadpool series for Marvel instead of this drek.

I‘m impressed. As a long-time graphic-novels’ fan I look for fresh and exciting reads in the genre, but I rarely find something worthwhile. Cullen Bunn’s Bone Parish engaged me from the start and never let go. The story blends surreal horror, narcotic visions, stunning art and solid writing.

Ash, a hallucinogenic made from the remains of the dead, allows to experience not only visions but also gain powers of the deceased used to prepare a batch (like combat skills, knowledge, insights). Winters family produces and distributes Ash on the street. Their business develops and bigger players want it for themselves.

Winters don’t want to sell their business, but they struggle to manage it properly. Family’s head, Grace, abuses Ash as it allows her to spent time with visions of her deceased husband. Her son Brae shares trade secrets with wrong people. Maintaining control of the operation has a high cost.

Ash allows to experience life events of the dead, show thoughts of the living, and gain skills of the deceased. It transcends life and death, but it seems Winters still don’t understand the potential of what they’re selling.

Bone Parish is a brilliant supernatural crime thriller that displays a lot of spooky creativity. It combines a gritty crime drama (conflict between police and drug dealers) and gothic horror. Jonas Scharf‘s art captures gothic aesthetics and formidably blends it with modern urban setting. Every single page is a work of art.

If you’re into horror graphic novels, read this one and thank me later.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read this book very suspense

First, I must warn you that this is equal parts graphic (no pun intended) and gory. It is also beautiful and stunning. Okay okay, I know. My descriptive words are …. lacking and mostly generalized. So let’s try this:

Bone Parish is about a new drug that’s made its debut and the family behind it. A girl whose discovered how to make a hallucinogen from dead bodies, the people who use the drug and the fight to control the money and the drugs. Typical of drug crime, except for how it’s made and what people are seeing while high on it.

The biggest draw to this was the art. The colors are absolutely stunning. I loved the way that you can follow the timeline of the story simply by noticing what colors are being used. The story itself was compelling. I kept reading to figure out what in the heck was actually happening. And when it ended? Crap. I need more. Like right now please.

I will be keeping my eye out for more volumes and this is one I would love to have a physical copy of.

Thank you to netgalley and boom! Studios for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dear Bone Parish, welcome to my graphic novel collection because wow..

This graphic novel truly starts off with an unsettling scene as a man is under the influence of this infamous drug in the middle of a public street. Now this drug is not your typical substance. It is made my grinding human bones into dust and when introduced into the body, the users mind is basically of that person. Digest a rock star's bone dust, you then imagine yourself as that rock star. You see it, hear it, feel it, and live it momentarily. This has obviously become VERY profitable for the moblike family that has created this illegal business venture but this criminal underworld always leads to more enemies and violence. Hence where out plot comes in.

I do wish the story had more bite. It was just your typical linear plotline of tragedy and then revenge between opposing groups so in a way, it became predictable toward the end. I wish the drug elements were used more creatively to add something fresh to the mob family tropes but the plot twists we do get are done with flare

The artwork truly sets the mood. It's dark, gloomy and has this noir feeling to it. The blues and greys give you this feeling like you're trying to conceal something the entire time. Like you're reading something you're not supposed to be reading.

I actually can't wait to continue with this series. I'm excited to see where the author takes this almost "magical" drug to next.

Bunn's story of a drug made from the dead is quite an interesting premise and brought to life through Scharf's illustrations. While there are elements of the graphic novel I really liked, such as the premise and the ability of the user to obtain some attributes of the "donor", the story seemed disjointed and left me confused. The relationship between characters threw me off completely and I feel like I needed a who's who cheat sheet. I want to know more though, mainly who was Lucian and what was his story, but that interest is outweighed by the confusion and "what did I just read" that I am left with. The art style is gritty and fits the story perfectly. It's a little bit like if Sin City meets The Godfather meets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (at least to me).

Thank you Boom! and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

There's a cool idea for a graphic novel in this piece. I didn't quite get into the story of this one, but I love the art style. The highlights are a plus.