Member Reviews
I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love R.L. Stine and every time I see the name, it brings me back to my childhood. I was both very surprised and excited to see that he’s now started writing graphic novels. I had to take the opportunity to read one and it did not disappoint. In true R.L. Stine fashion, we are presented with a monster story with just the right amount of murder, revenge, and the supernatural. It’s a relatively simple story but it’s executed well and the illustrations are great.
This was the only one I’ve read so far in the series but I’d definitely read the others as well.
I love R. L. Stine. He shaped my childhood. Fear Street was my favorite series for a while. When I heard about the graphic novels, I was really excited to see what he would do with them and in which direction he would go. I enjoyed this. It had that Stine element we all know and love to it and being a graphic novel, it was even faster-paced than his other works
This book is a great short graphic story. It's the second book in It's series and can't wait to enjoy more of it. It's definitely age appropriate. To me the story felt very nostalgic. R.l stine is the best when it comes to middle grade horror. Also I really liked the graphic artist.
If it is R.L. Stine, then it is perfect.
This comic is fun, interesting, well drawn and well writte.
Monstrosity is the latest book in RL Stine's graphic novel series Just Beyond. Each book tells a stand alone story. Monstrosity follows Ezra and Ruthie Dillon who's father and uncle have bought an old Horror Movie Studio and plan on making films using the old horror movie creatures.
As this is an RL Stine story you can probably guess what happens next.
The good news is that all the classic ingredients of a RL Stine story are there, plucky teenagers, one of whom is obsessed with the old horror movies, a nice group of old school horror movies and some good action/horror sequences. I read this book in one sitting and did enjoy it. I found the majority of the characters to be good, making believable actions and I cared about what happened to the main two characters in particular. The monsters were variations on real life old school horror movie monsters so there was that nice nostalgia feeling when they popped up.
How fun! I have recently gotten into graphic novels and I found Just Beyond: Monstrosity by R.L. Stine to be frightfully fun. I really enjoyed the artwork, the story felt like it had a great pace and the story reminded me of some of my favorite Goosebumps books. I was also thrilled to see that this was an upcoming series on Disney+.
Two brothers purchase an old horror film house. One of the brother's children are excited for the new adventure. Ezra a horror movie fanatic and his sister Ruthie explore the different sets with Poe.
Everything seems fine till they resume acting scenes and Ruthie is injured along with the director.
The brothers are suspicious, Ezra and Ruthie are spooked by the scary things happening in the film house.
This comic book is short and exciting. I really love the art and graphic style used by the illustrator. The dialogue boxes are clear and the words are easy to read
Middle graders will definitely enjoy this thriller comic. While trying to uncover the truth about the accidents and awakening of the monsters. They'll find themselves enjoying the young Characters, Ezra and Ruthie because they'll find they share the same curiosity.
Thank you for this advanced reader's copy.
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't finish this because I didn't realize that this was a comic/graphic novel and it's incredibly hard to read on the netgalley shelf app.
I have been reading R.L. Stine since I was a little kid and I'm still reading his stories. He certainly does not disappoint in this middle-grade graphic novel. The illustrations in this book are wonderful and Stine does a fabulous job at combining elements of horror and mystery.
I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Personally I didn’t love it nor hate it. I felt it was just okay. I prefer R.L. Stein’s novels more but I think this would be a great graphic novel for middle-grade audiences!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for review
1st Line: "'Wow!'"
Prose (Story): Book two in this graphic novel series by beloved suspense/horror writer R. L. Stine finds a pair of brothers who buy an old horror movie studio in Los Angeles, in order to resurrect some classic cinematic monsters, a bit over their heads when it seems said monsters never left the lot in the first place!
Don's (Review): This is my introduction to Stine's graphic novel series, and I was drawn immediately to the idea of a story showcasing the kind of cheesy monster movies from a bygone era that I loved on TV as a kid. Sure enough, with the help of a little backstory, readers are clued in pretty quickly that the re-opening of Monstrosity Studios helps to awaken some very real monsters from its past archives to life again - making Ruthie and Ezra, a brother and sister whose father is one of the new owners, ideal targets for Wolfenscreem, The Lagoonatics, and more. Mysterious accidents begin to shut down each new production the studio undertakes, threatening to bankrupt the new owners even as it turns them into bickering brothers, so ultimately it falls to the kids, Ruthie and Ezra, to uncover exactly what's going on and how to stop it, before someone gets killed. A lot of suspension of belief is required here, but then with the subject matter (resurrecting a grade-B monster films studio) you'd have to expect that - but the gung-ho, perky kids and diabolical (complete with maniacal laugh) villain and movie lot monsters make for a fast-paced, suspenseful story brought to absolute pefect life by Irene Flores's art; each full-color page is a throwback to old-school comics of the 1950's, perfectly suiting the monster-movie storyline. Hope the rest in this series are just as good, since they're now on my TBR as well (p.s. I wanna see a REAL Lagoonatics film next, thank you)! 4/5 stars
NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Two children are hyped when their father and their uncle buy and old horror movie studio with all the sets they know from the silver screen and are allowed to explore freely. But then, weird things start happening.
This is pretty straightforward and predictable, but since I read tons of R.L. Stine books in my teens, I was prepared for that. I got exactly what I wanted, and if you were to add a goofy dog, this would feel very, very much like Scooby Doo.
At the end, there were two short stories/excerpts from other graphic novels, and somehow I found I liked them more than the main event, probably because the main plot was so predictable and I'd already spend some time with the author's works.
I liked the illustrations a lot and would read more by the author and also by the illustrator.
The arc was provided by the publisher.
This is a perfect book for middle schoolers. And the graphics in this novel is top notch
I always ♥ r l stones book he has such a creative mind when it comes to creepy horror books. I never knew until now that he does graphic novels. Guess i need to pick up the other ones now.
I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.
R. L. Stone still has it when it comes to middle grade horror! I thought this was a fast and easy read with an interesting plot. The timing seems a little bit off. But other than that, the story and art style was good. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!
* Really good for a graphic comic book. Good storyline that keeps your interest from start to finish. With great detail in the graphics also.
4 stars from me = I really liked it. I did not develop a fondness / love for graphic novels until I was well into adulthood, but my taste is very specific - typically the GNs by Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill. I was absolutely thrilled, JUST BEYOND thrilled, if you will, when I saw that R.L. Stine has a new graphic novel being published the 26th of this month.
R.L. Stine's numerous books made up at least a full quarter of my childhood. I remember Mum taking me to the bookstore where I'd select two or three Goosebumps books, and she'd gently remind me to not read them all in one day. I read Just Beyond: Monstrosity in two sittings just because I remembered the plea to not read all of my Stine material in one day (:
The writing in this tale brought me straight back to growing up in the 90s where I craved all the Goosebumps, all the Fear Street, and all the episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? A solid 3.5 for the writing and artwork - I just love the subdued colors used in this spooky story! The other .5 of a star is for nostalgia and pure joy alone.
As an adult, this graphic novel did not scare me, but I can see where it may creep out a young child depending on their sensitivities to creepy, spooky, and horror.
I have yet until now read any of the R.L Stine books, you see, I wasn't a reader until about the eighth grade. However, this book reminds me that it's never too late. Just Beyond: Monstrosity is a great take on film classics and horrors, which personally for me goes pretty well with how terrifying Hollywood is behind the scenes. The art is beautiful, and I thought the comic novel flowed smoothly throughout the story. Stine has a way with writing childhood and I can't imagine he'll ever stop creating books that resonate so well with newly grown up 90's to 2000's kids, and the ones just starting. I would also like to add that it made me laugh more than I thought I would, and I genuinely had the most fun reading the scares.
Overall, the aesthetic and great plot direction of this novel makes for a great story. Though I ended up wanting more from the characters, possibly a second book, I was extremely satisfied by this monster tale with films and a museum of horror.
It was alright for a graphic novel. Some people will definitely enjoy this but I just thought it was ok.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I received this ARC from NetGalley.
Fun graphic novel read. There were a few little moments that were very typical RL Stine and elicited a laugh from me. Such as a battery going dead. I appreciated the art. Especially the pages with panels in the same color scheme to fit the mood. It’s a little bit campy of a story but that’s exactly what I expected and wanted from this author.