A nice addition for spooky season!

Let Me Out is a fast paced, thrilling queer horror story that is set in 1970s New Jersey and that follows an increase in satanic-like practices at that time. Thanks to NetGalley for the gifted copy!

It's immediate chaos when Pastor Holly's wife is found murdered and with satanic cult markings on her body. The FBI is on the scene led by Agent Garrett. He hardly has any interest in working with local authorities besides conjuring a story that there is a local element comprised of outcasts, queer folks, and any punks they'd like to rid the town of. A curfew is imposed and now Mitch, Terri, Lupe, and Jackson are on the run although they maintain their innocence. When they're forced to return to the site of Pastor Holly's wife murder, they'll learn who the true devil is.

What I enjoyed most about this graphic novel are the awesome illustrations that were as concise and gory as they needed to be to set the stage for what was to come. I also enjoyed the cast of characters. While, the story, lost its pacing towards the end a bit, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

4.5/5 ⭐️s

i wanted to like this title more than i did because the synopsis was SO intriguing--the popularity of satanic panic literature at the moment made me hopeful that this may be something a little more subversive. alas, it did feel very similar to a lot of narratives in the same subgenre. i also had trouble getting into the art, but that's more of a subjective issue. even though the art style made sense with the narrative, it was just a little gritty and unrefined for my taste. i am glad that we're getting more queer and inclusive stories in the genre, especially in terms of graphic novels, but i feel like this just barely missed the mark for me.

Wow! I had sooo much fun reading this dark and queer graphic novel! A very exciting story with some unexpected twists. Also the drawings impressed me and left me speechless.
For everyone who wants some more diversity in the horror genre and also need some aesthetic art at its finest!
Can we please also talk about the very cute dog Rufus?!🥰
100/10!

In the small town of Columbiana, after the pastor’s wife, Kelly, is murdered, the townspeople are immediately incensed and screaming for justice. Unfortunately, she died during the FBI’s illicit experiments with the supernatural, used as a sacrifice with “better blood” instead of the transients that Agent Garrett typically uses, because no one cares when they go missing. The town wants a quick resolution, and Sheriff Mullen must deliver it, but as he’s tasked with keeping the experiments under wraps and cleaning up any messes they cause, he finds himself in an untenable position. With the townsfolk demanding he find the murderer and the FBI demanding he pacify them and bring them to heel, he’s under pressure to find a scapegoat and quickly.

Who better to shift blame to than Mitchell, Jackson, Theresa, and Lupe, the queer teenagers who are already targeted for being different? As a bonus, Mullen finally has an unimpeachable reason to rid Columbiana of its freaks. Garrett and Mullen enlist the aid of the pastor to stoke the flames of moral outrage and fear of the “other” already brewing in the town. Having been counseled to be mistrustful of people acting or dressing strangely and listening to violent music, the townsfolk are primed to unquestioningly swallow the idea that a satanic group of cultist committed the murder, and who else could that be but those people? When Lupe reaches her limit after another transphobic attack from her manager, she strikes him and the incident is spun as an attempted murder. The group flees town when the police present them as a threat to the public. Now on the run, the friends ends up meeting the only being that can help them…so long as they let it in.

Set during America’s most recent culturally massive satanic panic, Let Me Out explores the skewed sense of morality, prejudice, and lack of compassion that can foment in and be weaponized by rigid religious and societal norms. Thus, there are some components in this story that readers might find triggering, such as deadnaming and transphobia; a complete list is in the content advisory. The novel’s emotional core comes from the group of friends whose queerness and participation in the punk music scene make them outcasts. The story quickly sets the tone for how they are treated as it opens with Mitch being violently attacked in the parking lot of a YMCA, helped home by his lovingly sarcastic friends, then deadnamed and misgendered by his parents.

Mitch’s defining characteristic is that he’s willing to fight for his right to be respected and be himself. Terri is the level-headed, cohesive force in their family unit that helps steer them away from trouble with humor and sarcastic chiding. Although she’s under pressure to conform, her home life seems to be the most stable, making Mitch’s parents think positively of her, unlike Lupe and Jackson. Lupe is similar to Terri, trying to help them stay under the radar, but she also acts as a foil to Mitch. Whereas his pain from mistreatment and disgust is directed outward as a stubborn refusal to back down (even when outnumbered), Lupe’s is directed inward. The comfort and ease she has with her friends drains away as she internalizes the ugliness flung at her, especially the daily harassment she gets from her manager. She has to swallow his vitriol because she doesn’t live with her parents like the others, so needs the job to support herself. Jackson, god bless him, is the hot-head; impulsive and quick to anger, he’s always ready to throw people’s prejudice back in their faces…with his fists.

If their group carries the theme of love and acceptance and the strength found family provides when the world is against you, Sheriff Mullen and Agent Garrett show the complete opposite—selfish, self-interest that has no moral compass and a causal disregard for the “worthless” and marginalized. Sheriff Mullen is emblematic of the subtler forms of immorality and injustice—the indifferent complacency of those with privilege typically found in the good, moral citizen who shows kindness…as long as you’re one of them. Agent Garrett is corruption and greed personified. His hubris in believing he can control a being as powerful as the Devil, his utter lack of humanity, and his unabashed willingness to throw human lives away as a means to an end illustrates how people with authority can wield it against the vulnerable—from those at the minor end of the scale like parents and cops, to those who can do harm on a grand scale like government officials and the wealthy. Garrett and Mullen epitomize the problem of unchecked authority and how much damage it can cause.

As a character-driven story, the plot focuses more on Lupe, Terri, Jackson, and Mitch’s day-to-day lives and the stress from simply existing outside of accepted mores, particularly Mitch, as he is struggles with how his usual anger is becoming unrelenting rage after this latest attack. Development of the characters and setting up the underlying conflict are the strongest aspects of the story and, until the lead up to the climax, I feel that the pacing is well done and creates an atmosphere of slow building pressure, with everyone in the group coming ever closer to breaking open and letting loose. Up to this point, the main horror element is the underlying societal horror, with a few isolated examples of overt gore, but then, the narrative switches gears and it feels less like reaching the boiling point of simmering tension and more like a race to the fun horror stuff and relieved glee as the disenfranchised take their power back.

As someone who enjoys horror, I’ve watched and read many works featuring possession and the importance of the spilling of blood and its allegorical uses, so I was a bit let down that the use of those elements isn’t a new spin on an old classic. The government experiment of summoning the Devil is a nice touch, but its execution is muddled. It’s alluded to that the government has been performing this experiment for some time, but the end goal is unclear. Is the FBI summoning the Devil and offering them blood and sacrifices to gain their partnership and compliance because they’re power hungry? Are they worshiping them because that is how the government received and maintains power? Are they trying to find a way to control the Devil and are simply a bit mad? Maybe it doesn’t matter, as these elements function nicely as thematic delivery systems.

All the ideas, emotions, and atmosphere building are expressed well by the art style of the graphic novel. I enjoyed the different color pallets and how they are used to convey certain people and elements; I especially liked the line work used in some scenes. The color choices and weight of the lines during the night scenes make the characters almost glow and adds depth to the images, while in brighter, less matte scenes, they make the characters pop and help the parts of characters that are close to larger blocks of the background transition into it. This exemplifies one of the reasons I love graphic novels and find them so engaging; they are able to convey so much in even a simple pen stroke or color choice that a book would need a paragraph to say (if it could even communicate it at all). In one of the early scenes between Garrett and Mullen, Garrett walks away after delivering a smug rebuttal and, as he does, the wind blows his suit jacket in such a way that it resembles a villain’s cape, telling the reader all they need to know about Garrett. Trying to put into words the feeling and information that simple flourish imparts and have it make the same impact would probably end up sounding silly and cartoonish, no pun intended.

Despite not breaking new ground for me, Let Me Out is an enjoyable and entertaining read featuring a diverse cast of protagonists. The antagonists and their machinations are horrible, but sadly believable; the art style is fun, very compatible with the narrative, and effective; and I enjoyed the characters, the family they provide for one another, and the Devil’s vibes.

The artwork was beautiful - I loved the aesthetic and style. The characters and their emotions are amazingly depicted.

The story - just didn't hook me. I found it a little convoluted, the pacing wasn't something I enjoyed and felt that there were even too many speech bubbles at times (with little interest). Not the biggest fan of this one.

Let Me Out is a graphic novel with absolutely stunning art that enhanced the story, it was grungy, rage-filled and most importantly Queer and full of punk energy and I LOVED IT

set in the 1980s amid the Satanic panic in America the story focuses on a tight-knit group of offbeat teenagers who end up getting tied into a murder investigation by the local police and a suspicious government agent.

This novel was honestly wonderful! It was fast-paced, a little Gorey, beautiful artistically and full of delightful details.

The only thing I can really knock this graphic novel for is that the ending feels a little rushed, I'm unsure if there's going to be a second novel but I'm hoping that there is.

Why should you read this?
- Queer horror, need I say more?
- Found Family
- Full-color illustrations
- Queer Rep
- Set around the 1980s

3/5

I honestly hoped for something different to happenen in here.
The story is good, but it didn't fully spark in my opinion.
I have to say I got easily distracted while reading it and I had a feeling that sometimes the events weren't very well connected, I don't know, it just wasn't fully for me.

I am a horror stories lover, the art was good even if not my cup of tea, so overall all the elements to create a good story were all there, but what was missing for me was the soul of the main story...
In this first (I guess) volume, there wasn't enough space to fully get into the whole setting and what we get felt rushed and definitely too many things happened in here.

I enjoyed what I read of this, but it was archived before I got to finish it… I will be purchasing this so I can find out how it ends!

I really liked the concept of this graphic novel especially setting it during the satanic panic years, but the story ended too abruptly. The character development and art is great It just seemed that the end was a bit rushed compared to the rest of the story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let Me Out was decidedly okay. Like a lot of standalone graphic novels, I think it falls into the trap of trying to have too many main characters: I didn’t have a good sense of the kids’ dynamics, or even a grasp on all of their names by the time we reached the finale, and I definitely wasn’t emotionally invested in them.

I love the tropes and themes at play here, but I don’t feel like Let Me Out really got its teeth into them so much as brushed past them lightly on its way by. I wish this could have been much longer- I know the ending is open to a sequel, but I feel like a slow buildup would’ve been useful not just for added nuance but to build up the eerie atmosphere more gradually. The pacing here simply didn’t work for me.

The character designs are good, and there’s some memorable panel composition, and nice use of limited palettes- in short, the art is giving my middle-of-the-road rating a bit of a boost.

All in all, there wasn’t really anything objectionable about Let Me Out- but I wouldn’t call it a memorable read or be particularly inclined to recommend it as it didn’t really evoke any emotion in me as a reader.

Let Me Out was much more fun of a title than I had anticipated! More than anything though, I absolutely loved the art and design and would recommend it to readers based on that alone.

LET ME OUT is a phenomenal queer horror fueled by rage at the people who demonize the queer community and explodes on the page with channeling that rage. The main crew, Mitch, Terri, Lupe, and Jackson, were wonderful to read and their struggles are so common. I loved how much their unity and sense of always having each other's back shined. I wish the plot could have spent more time in the climax and how the crew fought back; though those sequences were incredible on page and some of my favorite art in the story.

This is supposed to be a horror graphic novel about trans and queer kids. And technically it is. At the very beginning there is a trigger warning page and while I understand the need for it, I didn’t think this was as horrific as it could be. In this story, we have a group of kids. I’m not sure if all or just many of them are trans. Trans ideas are not a major part of the story, but it does play a factor. What you have is a town on edge in 1979 because a pastor’s wife has gone missing. This is a religious town where the sheriff goes to the preacher, wanting more sermons. But the reader knows that in the background, there’s something evil afoot, and they’re using the preacher and his sermons, and the missing wife to start the Satanic panic for whatever is going on in the background. The Satanic panic was real events in the 80s and this story plays into it. This story doesn’t end and is very much a volume one. The story is completely up in the air and I’m not sure quite yet what to make of it. The illustrations are fantastic, and I think this has an interesting story arc, and hope I get to read the next volumes.

Let Me Out is the perfect messy queer graphic novel. If you like satanic rituals, conspiracies, and we'll, the devil, this is perfect for you. When. I say you don't want to miss this one, you really don't.

Thank you Netgalley for a free copy for a review.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. I liked the style of the artwork and the story which had queer characters that are not often focused on in these stories.

Let Me Out is a bloody, nostalgic, subversive queer horror set amidst the satanic panic of the 1970s that doesn't shy away from the real-life struggles facing the LGBT community. Instead, it leans into them, and the all-too-real threat of violence from those in power supplements the supernatural in service of a story that truly scares.

The art featured in this graphic novel is also just brilliant. In particular, the use of colour is what really pushed it to a 4-star read for me. Even when the plot/writing faltered, the art remained stunning, dynamic, and vibrant. This is the first ARC I've been so excited to see on IRL shelves. Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars - Firstly, I adored the art style in this. it was very reminiscent of Lumberjanes where it is cozy and inviting, but does not stray away from the eeriness the plot entails. I really enjoyed the over all themes and how they tied together the fear of the satanic panic of the 70s and the current "fear" of LGBTQIA+ youth today. The characters were very easy to like and root for - making the villains seem extra evil in contrast. My one complaint of this graphic novel was that I wish it was much longer than it was to fully develop the characters and climax moments. I found the ending to be a tad confusing and rushed due to the length of the novel and I was not really sure ai fully understood how the devil played a part in the end.

This is only the second murder/mystery book I've read so I'm still quite new to the genre, but I really enjoyed it. I only wish the file format was not a PDF as I was unable to send to my kindle in this form.

Queer teens as scapegoats in 70's satanic panic in a horror graphic novel is a very strong and promising pitch.
What I most enjoyed in this book is the carefully and slowly built mass hysteria though enjoy is not the best word as actually it is frustration, bitterness and rage what's perfectly built in me. In this story there's a cult conspiracy behind the carefully constructed web of lies and planting fear in townspeople then give a direction to this fear towards the queer kids, the punks, the weirdos. But it's very easy to imagine the same scenario happening without a conspiracy because it's not like one spokesperson standing out and saying "those queer kids are cultist murderers, und'stood?"" you just need a zeitgeist of ignorance, bigotry, and the fear of anything different then you'll only need to plant some seeds and the media and the people will do the rest.

After finishing the book, I felt confused about the plot and the themes and intentions at first and I think this might be due to a lack of focus. In more than half of the book the plot mainly consists of the everyday life of these teens and how every time they are assaulted it's them fingers are pointed at. The whole satanic conspiracy in the background - though hinted very early that it is real - seems insignificant, could be any other reason for fearmongering. Also the plot sometimes jumps to inconsistent or confusing steps. then the last third of the book takes a very unexpected turn with all the satanic thing and in the end everything makes sense.

I really liked the art style, especially how it utilizes the light and lineart. Also, I loved the design of the devil especially its cute face :D

If you ever felt frustrated and powerless facing the bigotry, ignorance and hatred in the world, by how certain groups are marginalized, villainized and persecuted, by voices considered to be right just because they are loud enough regardless all the bullshit they utter, and felt you'd just want to take it all down with your rage, then this is your book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press and the creators for providing the ARC.

This whole thing had such a grungy, raw feel to it.

The art had a wonderful and unique style that really suited the story! Full color. Just really enjoyable to look at.

I think it said in the comic this was set in 1979, and, listen, I wasn’t born yet, and I’m not an expert on that time period, but I felt like the late 70s small town vibes were on point.

The queer rep was great. I’m not sure exactly what rep was here, but I know some of the characters were trans. Most of them were also POC. There was a lot of struggle depicted, since they were living in a small religious town during a satanic panic, and not even their parents were accepting of them. There was verbal and physical violence against them. But there was also a lovely depiction of the bonds queer people can make. They had each other, this little group.

Everything about this book was some vibe or another. Queer vibes. 70s/80s vibes. Grungy vibes. Horror—well, it just is horror, I don’t know if you can really call that vibes? Still, vibes all the way down, in a great way.

And just a heads up, because of the horror elements, there is some gore, though only on a few occasions.

Though a bit slow, I was enjoying this, and then it sort of lost me in the end. The story was mostly build-up, the stuff mentioned in the description didn’t happen until far into the book. And once we got there, when we hit the point of, “Ooh things are really getting interesting now!” I didn’t really understand what was going on or what deals were being made, and then it was over with nothing resolved. Maybe this will be a series? I don’t know.

Overall, the ending was abrupt and I don’t know if there will be a sequel, but aside from that, it was a foreboding and vibey story with great queer rep and eye-catching art!