The story itself is compelling, but the art is what really makes BLINK a worthwhile read. The cover art is what pulled me in, and the unusal page layouts and dreamlike (nightmarish) scenes throughout kept me engaged and devouring page after page.

I was a bit skeptical at first--how is "found footage" horror going to work in a non-moving, visual-only media? But Hayden Sherman blows it out of the park. Their art is unsettling and delightful, and the way they work with Sebela's writing to hone in on those themes of surveillance, paranoia, and fear is FUN.

I've already told a handful of friends to keep an eye out for BLINK when it's released in May, and I think this'll be a solid recommendation for horror-fans who like a trippy story where it's a little hard to tell what's "real" while digging through what's "true." That being said, I definitely don't recommend BLINK for folks who are uncomfortable with body horror and unreality.

I absolutely love Blink's cover art. It's immediately intriguing, as well as its mysterious premise. Lost memories, a mysterious social experiment in an abandoned building, some sort of surveillance conspiracy - what's not to get excited for?
Before I get more into the story, I want to applaud the creative panel layout. Be it unconventional shapes forming a picture by themselves, constructing borders out of cassette tape flowing over two pages or, my favorite, going from portrait to landscape layout by creatively flipping panels/utilizing characters' movements. The flow of the panels and text bubbles was at times unconventional, but always so superbly constructed that you could easily follow it. Outstanding job by the creators here.

Sadly, I didn't like the writing as much as I liked the visuals. The introduction sequence was weirdly awkward and rushed and I often found myself going back a few pages to see if I'd missed anything, but nope, the storytelling was just confusing. It took a long time for me to understand what the characters meant when they talked about the signal and the static and how the building worked in the first place. Impossible spaces aren't exactly new, but this one wasn't set up particularly well imo. The whole story stayed very surface-level; there was a lot of potential to explore its concept and I think it's an utter shame the themes weren't dealt with in more detail. I feel like Blink is a great comic book trapped inside just a good one.

Still, Blink's creative visuals are worth checking out and I wish it had been a little longer so characters and themes could have been introduced better and the story could have progressed more naturally.

Wren Booker was three when she was found alone and covered in blood on the streets of New York. Since that day, she’s been haunted by the childhood she can't remember…until decades later when she finds a cryptic website streaming multiple CCT feeds from strange rooms in a ruined building. Something clicks, setting off hidden memories that lead her back to a place she’s seen in lifelong nightmares. Hunting for answers, Wren breaks in and finds herself lost in the camera-filled dark mazes of a decayed social experiment known only as Blink.


Thank you NetGalley\Christopher Sebela\Oni Press
For this eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinion is of my own volition.

Read BLINK, and find out what happens to Wren.

Calling all sci-fi and horror fans - this is for you!

Follow Wren as she tries to piece together her childhood having escaped from a mysterious cult. One day she finds a clue online to where the house is that she escaped from, and the story escalates quickly into a mind-bending nightmare as she tries to stay alive and solve the mystery.

The story is compelling, but what makes this a 5/5 read is the illustrations and layout by Hayden Sherman. Just like he did with Scott Snyder's Dark Spaces: Wildfire, he elevates this story from a straight forward reading experience into art. I want to frame every page in this book, and can't wait to re-read it.

This book is best read under the covers with a flashlight while home alone. Just kidding! Don't do that, it's too scary. Read it with all the lights on, and your best friend on speed dial.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this advanced reader copy.

The artists’ creative use of the page was honestly so cool. Like it wasn’t just boxes filled with a story. And it all fit in with the theme so well. The art really is incredibly well done. I thought the point of it all was just a little too on the nose for me. The idea of how technology and data sharing have taken over our world. I think it would vibe really well with some people but it just wasn’t for me. I also think that it was all a little confusing at times which honestly may have been intentional. I did appreciate the groupings of people. Like the idea behind the signal and the static was super interesting. I feel like both groups kind of succumbed to it all and didn’t end up being overly different, but again. That may have been the point.

Overall I think it was really well done, but just wasn’t really for me.

Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Overall Feelings: 2/5
Art: 5/5
Total Rating: 4/5

3.2/5
Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this Blink, we follow Wren, as she tries to find answers to her traumatic past and her connection to a mysterious building called BLINK. She soon becomes consumed by her obsession with her past and becomes sucked into the social experiment of BLINK.

Blink was freaking cool for so many reasons. First, the premise and story were really intriguing (more on that later). The art was absolutely BEAUTIFUL– I honestly took much longer than anticipated reading because every few pages I would spend minutes admiring the art. The paneling is really creative and makes the story much more immersive. I enjoyed having to turn the book around from different angles and it helped illustrate the feeling of disorientation within BLINK.

Despite the awesome premise, the storytelling fell a bit flat. The characters lacked depth and the climax felt rushed with not enough information given for the story to feel complete. I think this story should have been so much longer as there is SO much that can be expanded on. It had all the elements that could make a really cool horror/suspense and the premise was so cool. I hope this story gets expanded on or made into multiple volumes to give us the full potential of the premise.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the most action packed graphic novels I've read. Honestly, it just wasn't really for me. The story was interesting and I thought it was executed pretty well but it wasn't a story I would necessarily say was meant for me. It was very creepy and dark which I think some people will really enjoy. The art was fantastic though! I really enjoyed looking at it even when it creeped me out.

Overall, not bad but wasn't for me! Would definitely recommend to anyone that likes action packed and creepy graphic novels.

This graphic novel follows Wren, who travels back to where she was found as an lost and abandoned 3 year old to try to discover the truth about where she was born and what really happened to her parents. A weird and interesting sci-fi horror comic with absolutely stunning artwork. The art was really the highlight for me as the plot was a bit confusing and I personally find stories weaponising technology a little overdone.

Thank you to Oni Press & NetGalley for providing with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blink was a wild ride. The concept was outstanding, the execution just a little lacking. It was hard for me to follow along well which made it difficult to really get into the plot. However, the art work absolutely solid. Cool AF! I feel like this would make an amazing horror sci-fi movie.

Blink
In this comic we follow wren in the attempt to seek out his past and fill in so many blank spots he has forgotten. He remembers being found covered in blood, but who's blood, where from, he remembers  dark place, hunting and chilling with beasts maybe, he isn't fully sure.
One day he comes across a website with cameras and something in his brain clicks, he knows the place in those cameras, the dark hunting place. The closer he is getting to unravel what and where this place is, the more the blank spots in his mind are filling in.
He soon find out what the place he is in is called, its called blink. He now has to unravel just what happened here and how the hell does he get back out.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, it got super intense at times and not know what was going to happen.

An interesting telling of a community that is trapped in a basement. One escaped. She is pulled back to discover the truth of her past. The ending leaves more questions than answers. The unique panel structure and art are amazing.

This was one of those reads where, after I finished, I just sat here thinking & trying to figure out if I understood what I just read. Kind of like when I read House of Leaves, which, coincidentally enough, this story brought to mind. I like that sometimes, though, and this was one of those instances. This story was in no way cut and dry, and it definitely leaves you ruminating. It almost begs to be revisited as you, the reader, suss out what it all means. The art (and the color!!!) are incredible, and I absolutely loved the unconventional panel layout. I've seen a few people say it was confusing, but personally, I found if you pay attention, the artist leaves subtle clues as to what order to follow. All in all, I liked this one--I thought it was very unique and contemplative. The trade paperback for this is slated for May 2023 release, and I'll most likely be picking up a copy so that I can revisit this from time to time.

DNF @ 50%. The artwork is stunning but the plot was so disjointed that it made it disengaging. Trying to follow along wasn’t worth figuring out the mystery.

The best thing about this horror/sci-fi graphic novel is the artwork. It's stunning! It's what initially attracted me to this work, and I wasn't disappointed.

The plot is a has promise. Wren is looking for answers about her past and what happened to her parents. What follows is an okay story revolving with a "Big Brother" vibe. The plot felt a little disorganized at times, and I think if background information were spread out rather than given in large chunks, it would entice readers to stay a bit more focused. Sometimes, I found myself re-reading sections to make sure I fully understood who the "good" and "bad" guys were.

I gave it a three largely because of the art, which again, stole the show!

This is most definitely the start of something great. I honestly can't wait to see where this story is taken and expanded upon. We have a very original idea that holds so much potential, it's enjoyable to see play out. It completely gives off horror-stricken AI and SciFi vibes mixed with the mystery surrounding our main character. Watching her try to uncover why she was the only survivor of something brutal sucks you in from the start. Not to mention the art for this is impeccable and I would catch myself just staring at it. I can't wait to dive in for more on the next issue!

Blink has an intriguing premise, Wren, after being found alone and covered in blood as a child now is fixated on discovering the truth behind what happened to her parents and her mysterious and possibly horrifying childhood.

The art style and use of layout are creative and as the mystery begins to unravel you feel the weight on Wren and her obsession with discovering where she comes from no matter how darker a path it may lead her.

The story moves quickly along and has some interesting ideas and questions about the state of surveillance, but it can feel a little rushed at times, many of the story reveals are built up with a sense of in-world logic though some of the ultimate answers to the mystery do feel somewhat out of left field.

Overall I would give Blink 3 Stars.

This had so much promise but unfortunately left me very disappointed. It felt like an amalgamation of a lot of different ideas, some of them admittedly being very cool, but they didn’t work together and it was just way too much going on.

I honestly still don’t really know what happened, it was extremely difficult to follow because of everything that it was trying to do, it felt like new things and ideas were being thrown at me every few pages. The character, I also just didn’t really care about her and what she was doing so I didn’t really have much I was reading for, since the plot didn’t work for me.

I will say however the art was very cool, with some really creative layouts and use of the medium. In some cases I felt it actually affected the reading experience negatively (putting the dialogue boxes in a way that would make you read the in the wring order, and flipping the page which is probably fine in print but since I am reading this as an e-arc I found it difficult).

I wish I enjoyed this more but unfortunately it just didn’t work.

3.5!! First of all the art in this is absolutely bonkers good, the detail put into each page is just incredible to look at while reading. Overall I enjoyed Blink, I was mildly confused the entire time but I'm assuming that was Sebela's goal. I'm not sure if this was ever intended to have a continuation but I would love it if it did, there's so much left to explore in my opinion. I would definitely recommend this to horror fans especially if you're looking to get into graphic novels.

This is for anyone who thinks the y2k doomsday is still a possibility.
The art style of this graphic novel is definitely peculiar. I've never seen anything like it. It definitely sets itself apart.
Insanity is brimming from this book. Wren, the main character, abandons everything in her life just because she discovered a link on her computer. She doesn't remember her childhood and has a sleep-paralysis demon named Cy. She leaves the comfort of sunlight to go into a made world full of deranged humans, cameras everywhere, and has a close brush with divine power.
I honestly think I would need to read this book two more times in order to understand what was actually going on. The beginning was a bit mundane but at some point, the book took a turn into retro, cyber, tech-gone-crazy territory.
The plot seemed to need a little more development but the storyline is unlike anything I've ever seen/read before. It was actually very refreshing to read something never done before.

3.5 Stars rounded up because the art and layout was stunning!
The story itself has a very intriguing premise however it felt rushed. That is to say, that it was fast paced yet seemed stuffed with partial information that could have been better fleshed out in a longer storyline. I would've loved more! Overall, a good time nonetheless.

#downwithbigbrother