I really enjoyed the story and the amazing art in this graphic novel! It was creepy and deep and I loved the overall deeper message it had. A great read for anyone who likes something spooky or has ever dealt with mental health struggles.

I'm not too familiar with Ethan Sacks but in reading the story I, out of curiosity, looked into the writers. I found a YT video of Ethan and Naomi Sacks discussed A Haunted Girl and their reasons and aims for writing it. It also turns out they're father/daughter!

The story is heavily guided by Naomi Sacks lived experience with depression, while showing those struggles through the lens of familial legacy and supernatural mythology. The final issue gets cheesy at times but overall the series handles its themes with love and care, including multiple pages each issue dedicated to discussing mental health and available resources.

As I'm sure is clear, this is a very personal story and I think it shows through the character interactions the most. Cleo's struggles aren't sugarcoated, nor are the struggles of those who love her and want to help and support her but are unsure how, while also hurting themselves. I get the idea of framing such a serious topic with the supernatural, even if I don't think the story necessarily needed it, because as much as it makes it easier to read, I'm also sure it makes it easier to write. At least a little bit.

Having suffered depression and all that comes with it myself, I choked more than once while reading A Haunted Girl.

The artwork is good but doesn't interfere with or take attention from the story. I liked some of the issue covers and alt-covers a lot, with artwork reminding me of Witchblade and The Darkness.

Haunted and heart-warming, this is one of Image's low-key hits. Great work.

A simple and emotionally wrenching premise, A Haunted Girl delivers a personal struggle for existence that becomes epic. The dual authors bring the perspective of what clinical depression is like from the outside and inside. The persistent information and resources offered were great as well.

100% honest. Not my cup of tea. This was heavy material and I felt like I should’ve looked more in to this comic before requesting it so that’s 100% my bad.

This book wasn't quite what I expected. To start off the artwork is equally as stunning as it is creepy , however when the main villain is speaking and the text goes to a white it became trickier to read those parts as sometimes the artwork would blend in . The story itself about a girl who is trying to return to normal after a time spent recovering with supernatural twists it was a cool concept, I feel as though it could have been expanding it was fairly short and concluded quickly had you spent more time with the main character and her abilities I think it would have boosted the character development. I loved the inclusion of mental health reach outs and in the 2nd portion where the writer wrote a how to on controlled breathing for when you are anxious or inbetween a panic attack. This story shows you can overcome anything once you realise what you have

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Tackling themes of suicide and depression are never easy but I feel like this was done in such a respectful and is true to the experiences had by a lot of folks (aside from having to stop the world from ending of course!). The art work was beautiful and all the inclusions from AFSP and other tidbits about mental health - chef's kiss!

I was really hoping to get this book because I just knew it was going to hit home in the best of ways. This is a beautiful and terrifying depiction of mental health and the struggles of a young woman battling depression. One scene in particular was actually the beginning where the father was being sweet to the girl and talking lightly about her "incident" and when alluding to cutting herself he faded off instead of actually talking about it. As someone who dealt with similar things it really hit home. This is a beautifully haunting graphic novel that I think everyone should read. Thank you for allowing me the chance to.

Graphic novels are not normally my go to but since working in a secondary school library and realising how popular they are it was time to broaden my reading. I really enjoyed this story, the illustrations were fantastic and really complimented the tone of the story.
For me this story was a horror (and some of the pictures really reflected that!) but it was mostly a story about Cleo's mental health and how her negative emotions start to rule her life.
This is a graphic novel that I think would be a great addition to a Secondary School library and will definitely be recommending it to the pupils who come into the library.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is a great example (even with supernatural influences) on how to move forward after a mental health crisis. Cleo has a great support system and it is shown very well. And so are all the stressors she incounters when she returns to school.

100% was not a fan of the principle, but he was definitely the kind of ignorant you will encounter when trying to recover from any public display of crisis.

I would recommend this book for anyone and everyone who is going through, or knows someone who is going through, a major depressive episode.

I love love the art so much.

This is such an important comic. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it

Such a wholesome journey.

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I really liked the overall message of this story about depression, anxiety and how you can lean on those that you love but the story itself didn't quite do it for me. The urgency of the ghost apocalypse wasn't really there. Yes, it was scary that Cleo kept running into these ghosts trying to hurt her but they really didn't seem like much of a problem and didn't really do anything to her that convinced her they were real. The whole red rain seemed a bit forced too as a plot point. I think if the story had left that part out and just kept the part where the man dies at the bike shop it still would've worked. So while it was interesting and the art was really cool, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this graphic novel

At first, the artist style wasn't for me but the note of this being inspired by the authors daughter and then becoming a collaborative work between him and his daughter kept me interested in reading it. And I'm glad there were pages at the end of each issue regarding mental health and information towards the suicide prevention organization.

My issue with most comics is that it often uses the first 3 issues to build up problems and then rushes through the last 2 or 3 tor resolve it but not enough that it's done smoothly. The mistrust of the boy could have been brought in earlier and taken away the need for an intense villain monologue. I also think the support system could have gotten more of a personality towards their characterization because it is pretty hard to feel attached to any character in a short amount of pages with so little information.

If you saw me crying over Ethan’s letter at the end of Issue 1, no you didn’t... Jokes aside, 'A Haunted Girl' is a beautiful collaborative project between father and daughter, rooted in experiences that resonate with many.

Addressing depression, anxiety, and the feeling of not wanting to live anymore in a sensitive and grounded manner while maintaining a positive reading experience is no small feat, but Ethan and Naomi have certainly pulled it off. This, coupled with Marco's art bringing the story to life, results in an incredibly unique and enjoyable graphic novel.

Beautiful, heartfelt, and incredibly compelling, this graphic novel is a must-read. As always, make sure to check Content Warnings to keep yourself safe, but if you're able to, I highly recommend picking this one up when you next crave an engrossing graphic novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a great story! I struggle with depression and anxiety, so I could connect with the mental health themes (especially struggling with going to school). I liked the message of not letting your depression win and accepting that you do matter and you have the place in the world. The only thing I didn’t really like was I feel the supernatural elements weren’t fleshed out very much. I think a little more backstory to the ghosts and how they tie into the main story would have made it better. The ending felt like it was wrapped up too quickly, but other than that I really enjoyed this book!

#1: The premise of this book drew me in. It was a bit spookier than I initially thought it was and the artwork made it even more creepy lol. But I enjoyed both. I’d read more in the series for sure. I actually did also like that the author used his own real life experiences to write this story. His daughter struggled with depression and other things. I appreciate that the are suicide hotlines and help info for mental health issues in the book.
#2: This series still has some really creepy artwork/ characters. I’m still liking the story. I want to hug Cleo so bad and tell her things will get better.
#3: Cleo is brave and I give her all the props in the world for going back to school when we all know kids are assholes. I feel bad for her but I’m also proud of her for not giving up. I’m really enjoying this series.
#4: This instalment has the scariest cover art and illustrations. But again I really like the story. Cleo is a great main character, she never gives up and is so brave. You can see she loves with her whole heart.
Thanks again to Netgalley and Image Comics for the complimentary copy.

I really enjoyed this, I liked the deeper message of being able to overcome depression and not let it consume you. I also loved how the subject was depicted with the apocalypse element.

Overall I did really enjoy the story but I do wish there was just a little bit more to it, but still would recommend

This was not what I expected from the cover and the title but it was so much better. The reasoning behind the comic made it that more special.

spoiler-ish
Cleo is a young teenage girl that has spent two months in a psych clinic after wanting to give up. Shes soon plagued with visions and dreams but little does she know she's the only one that can save the worlds.

I loved the little blurps about the writers daughter and how to find help if your ever in need!

copy provided by netgalley

Rating: 4.5

An absolutely gorgeous and yet horrifying graphic novel exploring some serious and important themes.
Despite a supernatural story with some very detailed beings, the author did not forget who and why he wrote this and accompanied each issue with support information regarding mental health, which is prevalent in society of recent times.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my e-arc.

This story is a subtle blend of horror and an urban setting made the book easy to read. The art style of the otherworldy creatures was so ethereal and beautiful, even if the character designs were more creepy.

The story does have a heavier premise, and I love the author's note at the beginning explaining how and why the mini series came about.

The series follows Cleo, who has depression and tried to commit suicide. We meet her in the hospital and follow her as she tries to go back to what "normal" was. It was satisfying to see her development over the four issues. However, I would have liked this limited series to be longer so we got more development about the otherworldly aspects.

Despite the heavy topics, it's mainly a story about hope and I enjoyed the ending and it's positive message. I would recommend this to someone looking for a short horror graphic novel with a hopeful message.