This was creepy as hell and knowing it’s based on real life events makes it even more creepier.

I do think I prefer watching his videos more to reading about them, the videos make the stories more scary.

I know my brother wants this book as a gift, I’m definitely going to be pre ordering this now!

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc.

MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious is the highly anticipated graphic novel from YouTube star MrBallen, offering nine chapters of mysterious tales—though four were held back from the review copy.

While longtime fans may recognize these stories from his channel, the stunning, atmospheric artwork brings them to life in a fresh way. As I read, I could almost hear MrBallen narrating each tale.

This graphic novel is a must-read for fans of the strange, dark, and mysterious, and a perfect introduction for anyone who's new to MrBallen.

Thank you Ten Speed Graphic for sending me a free copy for review consideration via NetGalley.

Mr Ballen has a great storytelling power. Not only did I enjoy the retelling of these spooky and eerie stories but I went online to search for more of his retellings. I also loved the art, the illustrations were spooky and eerie.

A vivid, frighteningly illustrated graphic novel collection of nine strange, dark, and mysterious stories, based on true events, from the mind behind the YouTube channel and hit MrBallen Podcast.
In MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious, Allen reveals the creepy underbelly of the human experience, charting bizarre and downright terrifying instances of the paranormal, the horrors of the natural world, and the danger of our own minds.

A fantastic collection of stories. Tales that are not commonly known or over told like most anthologies of strange occurrences.
Some of these are creepy as all heck.
My favorite was "Thorns". A story of a camp councilor who dreams she is being tortured. A crown of thorns forced deeper and deeper onto her skull, until she awakens with screams of pain and fear.
What really happens is an even greater nightmare.

All the stories are well told and beautifully illustrated. I enjoyed every one and may have to check out his podcast.

Highly recommended. A perfect book to read out loud at an autumn campfire or during a trip through the corn maze.

Thanks to@netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased option.

So to be upfront, I don't do the whole YouTube thing, so had zero clue who this was, I just really like story collections and horror!

I was not too excited to realize this wasn't the full book and only a excerpt, as it's missing some of the graphics.

Now into the meat, this was wild, and I think I may need to check out the YouTube.

The stories and graphics that were there, were absolutely gripping, and couldn't put it down.

4 stars for content

2 stars for it being an ARC and not being able to review the full item.

I've been a fan of MrBallen's YouTube channels for awhile now. I kept hearing about the upcoming graphic novel and was excited.

I couldn't help but read this and hear his cadence and timing. Especially since I've watched most of these stories in video form on one of his channels. I loved having new original artwork to go with the stories as I read them at bedtime. (Horror stories are a comfort at night.)

I love that even MrBallen got illustrated for this graphic novel. The stories are always perfectly detailed, and just the right amount of creepy.

If you loved Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a kid (or even now still), you'll love this as an adult. It feels almost like an older sibling sequel to that series, but with allegedly true tales and a more adult tone.

I can only hope that he works on a Run Fool! graphic novel next. (In addition to more tales that he has told.)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.

Unfortunately, I don't feel like I can fully review this book. The digital galley is missing 4 chapters (on purpose) and I have never encountered this before. I'm not sure how the publisher thinks anyone can review a book that they haven't fully read. None of this is the fault of the author or illustrator, so I went with 3 stars. The stories are entertaining and the art is superb. But I haven't read the whole book and do t feel comfortable fully reviewing something I haven't really read all of.

While I was a bit upset to discover this wasn't a complete ARC of the full GN, I enjoyed what was included immensely. In true MrBallen style, the whole thing was done in narrative form without any speech bubbles, just the story made graphic -- and graphic it was! The art style could not have better matched MrBallen's own style of storytelling plus his personal rugged looking brand. It included some brand new content as well as stories we know from the YouTube channel now presented graphically, and we got to read a strange, dark and mysterious story of his own! Interwoven is some details of his past as a Navy SEAL which gave it a personal touch. The language was so clearly his own style it really made it easy to feel like I was back listening to MrBallen narrate the stories himself.

The only downside I found was the switching between present and past tense didn't seem to follow any pattern that made sense to me and took me out of the stories a bit.

Before I start this digital-ARC review, let's acknowledge something. I am a fan of Mr. Ballen! I have binge-watched enough episodes of his YouTube channel, that I read this graphic novel in his voice!

Speaking of graphics, these were superb, the renditions of Mr. Ballen on the cover, and throughout the book as he narrates, were spot on. I especially seem to like all representation of trees in various creepy stages of death throughout the book. I do believe that my most enjoyed story was his childhood trip to the mountains, "What I Saw In My Room Still Haunts Me." I must say, I was on edge, primarily because this was 'his story' and not something he'd heard about. My heart also melted for the Mom and Dad who undoubtedly loved each other immensely, even in death.

Well done Mr. Ballen!

**Disclaimer:  I received a free advanced readers copy of Strange, Dark & Mysterious by MrBallen through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious: The Graphic Stories by MrBallen is a horror graphic novel collection of short stories of spooky encounters.  I think it would be appropriate for young adult and adult audiences.  It is set to be published on October 1st, 2024.  I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

A vivid, frighteningly illustrated graphic novel collection of nine strange, dark, and mysterious stories, based on true events, from the mind behind the YouTube channel and hit MrBallen Podcast
John Allen, known popularly as “MrBallen,” has been enthralling audiences with his unique brand of storytelling ever since he burst onto the scene, covering strange and mysterious phenomena ranging from the unexplained screaming heard in parts of Nahanni Valley, the Kandahar Giant found in Afghanistan, UFOs appearing at a cattle ranch in Utah, and Allen’s own brush with the paranormal. Deeply researched and seriously compelling, the show rapidly gained a devoted fanbase for the raconteur himself and for the rarely-before-covered unsettling occurrences and true crimes that have taken place throughout the world.
In MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious, Allen reveals the creepy underbelly of the human experience, charting bizarre and downright terrifying instances of the paranormal, the horrors of the natural world, and the danger of our own minds. With new, exclusive stories and in collaboration with New York Times bestselling graphic novelist Robert Venditti and acclaimed comic book artist Andrea Mutti, this is a haunting collection filled with twists and surprises that will leave you thoroughly spooked.

I have to admit that I have never seen a video by MrBallen, but I was in the mood for something spooky when I requested this graphic novel collection and it definitely followed through.  I will say that the digital galley that I read is not complete compared to the finished volume as they were saving four of the short stories for the final copies.  I was a little disappointed by this because I prefer complete galleys, but I guess I don't read too many short story collections through NetGalley, so maybe this is standard.

That being said, I did really enjoy the stories that were included.  They were all spooky and creepy, and while not all technically ghost stories, they did leave the reader with something to think about.  I think my favourite story in the collection was the first one where gold prospectors kept dying under mysterious circumstances in this one particular remote valley.  It really displayed a certain sense of human stubborness and perhaps a degree of human stupidity.  Either way, I totally enjoyed it.  It was great for a little scare before bed when you're in the mood to get a little scared.

The real star of this was the art though.  I really loved the way the illustrator was able to bring the stories to life with the designs and way they were illustrated.  The use of colour was great, and a lot of information was passed along visually.  The art was really atmospheric.

Overall, I highly recommend the collection.  If this is the kind of content MrBallen makes, then I might have to actually check out a video.

Are you a fan of the strange, dark, and mysterious then this graphic novel is for you! YouTube sensation, podcaster, and master storyteller John B. Allen has curated a truly haunting collection of stories to keep you up late into the early morning hours listening to every bump in the night.

When I first heard that Mr. Ballen was releasing his first graphic novel filled with an assortment of mysterious and chilling phenomenons such as UFOs, giants, and all the eerie paranormal hauntings I immediately knew I had to read it! Upon reading this it is abundantly clear the amount of time, dedication, and passion that has went into this project and to say I was blown away by this graphic novel is an understatement. I absolutely devoured every bone chilling tale! The formatted short stories are just the right length, making reading one story at a time an easy addition to your nightly pre-sleep reading. I also loved the decision to make these short stories into a graphic novel as it added an extra immersive layer to the hauntingly mysterious tales with the amazing illustrations of Andrea Mutti’s bringing them to life. Truly the star of the show tho without a doubt is the way in which Allen weaves these terrifying stories in such a way that you find yourself easily at the edge of your seat completely invested, waiting to see what horror is lurking on the next page. Bottom line whether you choose to share this with friends around the campfire or alone hiding under the covers consuming late into the night this is an absolute must read for spooky season!

Mr. Ballen Presents: Strange, Dark, & Mysterious: The Graphic Stories comes out October 1st, 2024. Thank you NetGalley and Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun one. As a fan of the Mr Ballen YouTube channel the stories and cadence of these were familiar to be but having heard the stories before did not detract from my enjoyment of the graphic novel. The images were well done and it was written in a way that seemed like you were listening to someone tell you the stories, rather than reading them.

A great graphic novel just in time for the Halloween season!

MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I didn't care for the stories, I wasn't super impressed with the art work, I found some of the stories to be incoherent.

But I'm sure this will work well for others. I know MrBallen has a large fan base that'll appreciate this much more than me.

I don’t know about you all, but I’m a big fan of @mrballen ’s podcasts and YouTube videos. He tells some really gripping stories, so when I spotted this on NetGalley, I had to grab it. Reading this graphic novel was a blast. If you’re used to his voice, you’ll probably hear it in your head while reading, just like I did! The artwork by @andreamutti9 was seriously impressive. The only downside was that some chapters were missing from the digital copy, as they’re being held back until the official release. Still, the chapters that were available were fantastic. If you’re into MrBallen’s content, you’re in for a treat with this one.

I enjoyed reading the tales in this graphic novel. Horror fans will like reading this book. The artwork is also good. I look forward to reading the tales that were excluded from this ARC.

Having been a big fan of the Mr Ballen you tube channel (the original) when I saw this book on netgalley I jumped at it.

Its a graphic novel that tells the tales of people like the videos, but now with images to follow along.

I cant really get into the stories that were available (there are missing chapters in the arc, which was weird as I have not run into this for an arc before) as they are not long and can be spoiled.

There is of course a chapter talking about "What I saw in my room" - those who have seen his videos mostly likely will remember that one.

I have to say that this was not really for me. I love horror, I love graphic novels, but I do not want to see real life stories setup this way. That is a me thing, if you like it then that is wonderful.

It also did not have his wonderful way of telling the story. Without that - it was just another set of random stories.

All in all, if you have not seen his videos, then this is a good intro.

Rating: 3.5 leaves out of 5
-Art: 3.75/5
-Story: 3.75/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Horror
-Horror: 1.5/5
Type: Graphic Novel
Worth?: Yeah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

First off so proud of how far MrBallen has come! Was super excited for this GN and still am. The stories we were given some I had heard of already and some not. I took off points for the fact that some stories were missing, though I do understand why I just don't care for when books do that, and for some of the stories I had already listened to before.

Other than that if you have watched him for a while you can easily hear his voice when you read this. It is like he is talking to you! I took my time with this one (started in early May, if that helps) because, like his actual videos, I just can't get enough of them!

MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious: The Graphic Stories Was a solid 5/5 ⭐️ for me! I have been watching Ballen for years now on YouTube and I can’t get enough of his stories. The way he describes each story with such detail is incredible!! The pictures of these one were so dark and unsettling too. I loved it! The only thing I was bummed about was the fact that we didn’t get all of the stories in this arc!

If you're a fan of horror graphic novels, "MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious" is an absolute must-read. This book is packed with spine-chilling stories that will give you goosebumps from the very first page. The combination of eerie tales and captivating graphics creates an immersive experience that horror lovers will appreciate. Although the review copy I received didn't include all the stories, the ones I did read left me eager for more. I can't wait to get my hands on the full version once it's released. Whether you're new to horror or a seasoned fan, this book is sure to deliver the thrills you're looking for.

This was a great little compilation of stories. Spooky vibes all the way and it was great.
The publishers knew what they were doing holding 4 stories out of this copy. I will definitely probably have to grab a copy to read the other stories that were missing :)