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!

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

So the story takes us into the late 70s, at the rise of the satanic panic. When a gruesome ritual murder shakes the community, someone needs a scapegoat - and who is a better candidate for that role than the queer metalhead teenage group who are just trying to live their lives.

The best part of this story is definitely the final act. There are some basic expectations of what should happen in a story like this - main characters beating rude people despite the odds, celebrated as a hero by their former bullies and such. It does not happen here. It's much, much better form of justice.

The more I read it, the more I enjoyed it. This is a perfect read for October and spooky season.

This was a super fun read for LGBTQ youth and young adults who love horror, satanic panic, and everything else spooky. I love how this story combined gritty, 80s punk style art and themes, with the small town mystery and Christian values. My favorite thing was the FBI conspiracies. This is a must read if you are a fan of cult favorite horror movies mixed with humor and gender diversity.

Honestly, the fact that I'm a queer person with a love of horror is the only reason I'm not giving this 2 stars. The rep simply means too much to me to bring it down further, but that's pretty much the only thing I fully appreciated about this. The story is forgettable - I finished this a few days ago while on vacation and I already couldn't fully recap it for you beyond the basic skeleton - and the art didn't captivate me that much, either. Aside from all that, it was a pretty lukewarm experience with little to offer. More than anything, I remember being mad at the deadnaming and misgendering even though it's all part of a huge discussion this graphic novel was trying to have. This one simply wasn't for me, but I'm sure it will find its readership.

There are hardly words for how confusing this graphic novel is, but I will try. I was given an ARC by NetGalley for an honest review.

My first issue with the book is that none of the characters were introduced and it seems as though we were thrown into something that was already happening. Graphic novels/manga tend to not introduce too many characters at once with zero explanation as to who everyone is, however, this one ignored that principle. The limited dialogue in graphic novels only makes it more difficult to figure out. Especially when you also have to try and figure out sexualities, etc. that the story throws in your face.

My second issue is that this book is not clear on what it is supposed to be. Is it a queer coming of age story? Is it a suspense/thriller with demonic/religious tendencies? Well, it's trying to be both and not really doing either one very well. Graphic novels have about 200 pages to tell the story and so much time was wasted on teenage angst and "bullying the queers" and "my parents don't understand me" that the actual interesting part of the story (the murder and satanic ritual stuff) barely moved along until the last 20 pages or so.

Finally, I think that it is in poor taste to put Christianity in such a poor light throughout this book. The entire feel of the book is not just anti-Christian, but it is almost mockingly so. The message of the book is almost vilifying Christians to lift up the LGBTQ+ community. My question is, why can't both be ok? Being one does not exclude someone from being the other. It almost felt icky to read if I'm honest. I don't offend easily so I won't say that I was, but I can see where some people might be.

I did enjoy the art style. I feel like it was perfect for the time period that was being portrayed. It worked really well for the part of the book that I actually enjoyed which was the demonic goat possession thing. The last 20 pages were actually really good and I wish the whole book had been like that.