I did not love this, but it's definitely a graphic novel I think a lot of people will find a lot to resonate with. The artwork alone is stunning and I was interested to continue reading throughout but I struggled with the story. Had to get halfway in before it started to really make sense and come together. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Three students go to a strange and seemingly never-ending night school in the new horror graphic novel, Shadowplay: Midnight School.

At first, this book seems like a fevered nightmare. The main protagonist is a music student plagued by relentless self doubt. The school is full of shadowy villains, quick to beat down the unwary, or even just the unlucky who happen to get in their way. Eventually, a plot stirs to life about midway into the book. And what an intriguing plot it is.

It is best to go into Shadowplay: Midnight School without a clue to what the plot is. The inherent confusion of the beginning mirrors the protagonists’ feelings completely. The dark charcoal looking artwork perfectly evokes the disordered mind of the characters. Color is used to surprising effect. This tale is well worth reading. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Top Shelf Productions for providing me with an advanced review copy.

I have to say first off that the art in this comic is absolutely stunning. It is dark and horrible in a great way. This is a horror comic done right.

The midnight school is no normal school. Punishment is severe and disturbing. There are beings that live around it that shall not be questioned. The memories of students are fuzzy and it seems to be a perpetual cycle of studying for a graduation that will never come.

This was such a cool comic to read and it is definitely my favorite so far this year. If you love horror and art combined this is the comic for you. You will not be disappointed. So many pieces of art in this story had me in awe. I highly recommend it!

This class is a nightmare. Violent teachers, barbed wire fences, torture devices, and gruesome suspensions... How did these students get trapped here? Why can’t they remember? And once they realize the truth, are they strong enough together to escape?

I wasn't sure what to expect with this graphic novel, but it sure wasn't what i got. I'm not sure what to say, I'm still translating what I just read to myself.
This was a surreal and amazing story of torture, helplessness, low self-esteme, and redemption.

The art work was just as dark and disturbing as the story, which is high praise from me.

Definately worth your time, if for no other reason then to have your expectations blown out the water.
Recommened and expected to be punlished 2/11/2025

Thanks to @netgalley and IDW Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Shadowplay: Midnight School is a mind-bending horror story about a group of children trapped in a school alongside vengeful teachers and bloodthirsty classmates. The students have no memory of how they ended up in this nightmarish situation, but as a few of them uncover the truth, the ordeal turns into a harrowing battle of wills and resolve.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK
The art is at times surreal and mesmerising. The style fits the theme and conjures up feelings of dread and hopelessness.

WHAT I DISLIKE
It was a struggle to get through the first 80 pages. The plot unfolds like a fever dream — at times incoherent, with sudden, disjointed shifts. While the payoff is ultimately satisfying, reaching it feels like a slog.

WHO IS THIS FOR?
Lovers of psychological horror will enjoy reading this one.

*damn. At first i didnt like it and was so confused. But thats part of it. To be confused and slowly figure things out.
.. we find our mc in a nightmarish hogh school with brutality and shadow monsters and stuff happens. Saying anything beyond that is a spoiler and its one of those that just needs to be experienced rather than explained
... loved the way colors were played w. Black and white most of the time and when color was used, it was very purposeful to evoke non-monster existences and 'the light in the dark'
... highly recommend. You just gotta trust me here
You might feel like it's a slow start but it's really worth it

Did not read for not downloading the ARC before the archive date. Which breaks my heart because I was incredibly excited to read this book. Nevertheless, here's a 5 star rating for compensation. I do apologise for the inconvenience and the unprofessionalism; best of luck.

A truly unique, gripping, eerie graphic novel centered around 3 friends, each grappling with mental health issues and general life problems.

Throw them into a setting with vibes of cult classic movies and what you’re left with is this truly mesmerizing debut.

The artistry is stunning and the story profound, and this is only the first volume. I can’t wait to see what Sam Fonseca gives to us next.

Shadwoplay was definetly one of the most original comic I've read this year!
This incredibly dark and poignant story starts in a very dream-like and dystopic classroom setting.
Something that feel like it was straight out of a Pink Floy The Wall moive, with teachers, hall monitors and a principal that are all more monsters than people. The students seem stuck perpetually repeating the same day and the same mistakes... until the main character gets a glimpse behind the curtain and chooses to face his fears, his pasts, and with the help of new friends, stikes back at the darkness.
I loved the way the tone of the story and the art are in perfect sych and get darker and scratchier as things looks bleak and more colorful and beautifully rendered as the story start getting hopefull. It was so subtle and masterfully that I didn't realize until I noticed all the colors were back and I could breath a bit easier. Perfection!

I was very unsure about this book at the start. It was compelling in its way and I found myself drawn to continue reading it. It was confusing at first. Fonseca jumps right into the middle of the story. The confusion for the reader mirrors the confusion of the main character who has no idea what the heck is going on. Slowly things start to make more sense as the main character pieces things together. The art is perfect for the story being told. The choices Fonseca made worked extremely well.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*



At first I thought that this book will be all about metaphors and having a strong message about society. In the end, it still was, but it was shown in an interesting story which isn't finished yet and still continues. Honestly, even though I had a somewhat idea what I would see in this book I was a bit confused at the start what is going on, but I think that this was done on purpose as the whole atmosphere while reading isn't just eerie but also mysterious. One starts wondering sooner or later: What is going on in the midnight school? And I liked this, as I was really trying to find out with the characters in the story what is happening and how to change it.

The art style really fitted the whole concept and I also really liked the bigger creatures and how one even had more than just two eyes. The protagonist is relatable on many ways and no matter how much life experience one has, I think everyone feels somewhat connected to the story and not just to the relatable characters but also moments.

This story isn't just about depression and school stress, but also about friendship and following your own path instead of following someone else's.



Thank you IDW Publishing for the advanced reader copy of Shadowplay (Book 1): Midnight School by Sam Fonseca

My thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for an advance copy of this graphic novel that builds on the fears we have of being controlled, being manipulated and being educated, told in a black and white dreamscape filled with unsettling images.

The older I get the more I realise that my dislike of school is something that is shared universally. I learned this years ago, I like to learn, I hate to be taught. School for me was never something I look back on with fondness. Especially in our small town. Everything seemed designed to get us in and out, with the least amount of work and effort. Sure some teachers cared, but they cared in that sense of the nail that sticks up should be hammered into place. I had no interest in anything outside of what I needed to be in school for. At the time I thought I was alone, but I find that there was a lot more of us than I thought. And creative types at that. Hmm, I am sure that means something. As arts are phased out in school in favor of propaganda, coding for jobs that will be lost to AI, and complacency, comics like this stand out, for what they say, what they show, and the way we feel. Unsettled. Shadowplay (Book 1): Midnight School by artist and writer Sam Fonseca is a modern work of horror about students in a school the darkness around them, and what forces are trying to educate them, and why.

The book begins in a classroom with a student losing his mind. Maybe. There is a lack of identity in the class, one the character we begin to follow shares. Somehow he can remember he has a dog, maybe a family, but names are unimportant. The school days goes on and the student finds he can't trust anything around him. Not his peer group, not the guy who was nice, to him but talks about making good and getting out. And the girl who he knows something, but can't remember. At one point he sees his dog, and earns punishment trying to save it from beng killed. He thinks. At one point he is sure the school day ends, but while waiting for a bus, the bell rings and everyone reenters the school. As he deals with hazing, and increased punishment, including a loss of voice, the student begins to remember something from the past, something that might help him now.

A story told in darkness, about control and the hardship of being a teen. The story roams freely in a landscape of horrors, shadows, voices, punishments, blades, a day that never seems to end. And people who seem trustworthy, but betray. One could imagine that this is what life must be like for children who are medicated for being over-and or under-excited, a Ritalin fog that makes everything seemed removed. The story is horror, but more disturbing than jump scares, and does take its time setting up the narrative. Though this does add to the feeling of being trapped in a place that one can't wake up from. The art is really, really good. Dark, nerve racking shadows, images that float on the page, images that remind me of school events, that I couldn't have cared less about. Words without bodies, and words that say something but don't reach the person they are for. There is much about being a teen in here. Finding oneself in the machine that wants bodies for the system, being taught what Texan educators want taught which might not be the truth, but that is the school system we have, which seems to be only getting worse.

A mix of Lovecraft, Pink Floyd's The Wall, the movie If..., and maybe a touch of Breakfast Club. One might get confused, but the art really does a great job of sharing the story, and showing what is going on. And a story I want to know more about.

While I love the art here I ended up not really caring much about the story going on around it. This art is really freaking good though and I hope the artist continues with his work there.

Sometimes a graphic novel's illustrations can elevate a good book to an awesome book. That is exactly what is happening here with Shadowplay (Book 1): Midnight School. Sam Fonseca, a graphic novelists out of Brazil, takes you on a surreal and absolutely bonkers at times trip into a school that is not what it seems. Without giving too much away, just know that not everything is at it seems and the journey you take with the MC will open your eyes to a world that lives just underneath the surface of a reality that is, at times, all too similar to our current reality.

I went into this graphic novel with incredibly low expectations. It was by a person I have never heard of before and the blurb didn't really sell it to me, but I went in with an open mind. I started the book and before I knew it, I had finished it in one sitting because I had to know where the story was going. The journey of these schoolmates and the sinister undertones that bleed through in every image absolutely blew me away. The only downside to finishing the book was that part 2 isn't available to see where this series is going.

If you enjoy dark graphic novels or horror in general, you will find a lot to like here. The attention to detail, even down to the protagonist's difficulty with language and simple commands, just flies off the pages and into your own psyche. There were times where I was questioning what I was reading and seeing on the page based on the unreliable narrator, which only added to the thrill of this book.

I can say confidently that I will be looking for additional books in this series and Sam Fonseca as officially made my list of can't miss authors.

Thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for providing me this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise of this book caught my attention, but after reading some reviews, I worried it might be too complex. In my opinion, it wasn't at all and I loved this thing. I enjoy a bit of strangeness in my books and movies, so this is far from the weirdest thing I’ve encountered. The story had more action than expected, with some really creative ideas (a unique magic system?) and lovable main characters. I'd recommend it to fans of horror, YA, and Kafka, which is a unique combo, but it fits.

Much appreciation to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC copy.

We follow three students as we enter a dystopian and dark school full of nightmares brought to life in dark charcoal sketchesque style.

Whilst the story was slightly disjointed and harder to follow I still enjoyed it and really loved the artwork.

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy. The following opinions are my own.

4.25 stars

Reading Shadowplay Midnight School feels like being a kid who's just stumbled upon some bizarre, violent anime on a late-night block, leaving you thinking, "What am I watching? Should I even be watching this?" You're confused at first, but the sheer coolness draws you in, and you can't look away. That was my exact reaction to this graphic novel! There's horror, nonsense, over-the-top fight scenes... It really does feel like an anime at times, which isn't so strange if you think about it: there's an actual anime inside the story (as a "cartoon," but Arcadia is definitely an anime, with an OP, cheesy lyrics, and everything!). 
As the plot unfolds, things start to make more sense, but the author doesn't make it easy... I think this could be a real treat for those who enjoy "peeling back layers of symbolism" in media (not my forte, but I definitely figured some out—fun stuff). I would say that if you like quirky, mind-bending stories, you need to give it a try. However, those who prefer something more straightforward might want to look elsewhere!

Sam Fonseca has been drawing comics since he discovered that the anime he watched on TV as a child came from manga—and that it was possible to create all that stuff by himself using paper and pencil (still his tools of choice). Nowadays, he alternates duties between art direction, storyboard art, script writing for animation and TV projects, and creating comics. His comic project Age of Rust was nominated three times for the HQMix Prize, and his other title, Dynamite & Laser Beam, won in the “best webcomic” category. Sam also has the strange hobby of creating soundtracks for his comics. His newest collection is the dystopian nightmare, Shadowplay.

Shadowplay focuses on three students who are simply trying to survive a brutal school. One could easily describe this world as Kafka-esque, in that students are routinely tortured, insulted, assaulted, and punished, seeming meaninglessly and randomly. There are students in the classrooms that seem to have the system figured out, but our three protagonists struggle and simply want to escape the daily nightmare of the education and classrooms. By night, they are trapped in small prison cells, seemingly at the whim of the school. This graphic novel is a dark nihilistic struggle for freedom.

What makes the book even more spectacular is the artwork. The opening is a near monochrome, and hints and bits of color come sneaking in, slowly and surely, as the tale proceeds. Everything is extremely stylized and distorted, almost tapping into early expressionism and magical realist painting techniques, which further intensifies the extreme plot and surreal narrative.

Samuel Fonseca’s Shadowplay is a really intense read. While not exactly torture porn, the physical and mental abuse the students in this graphic novel face are extreme and violent. This violence only escalated by the contorted and hyperstylized illustrations. As a whole, this book is a dystopian nightmare critiquing both the modern education system as well contemporary power structures, one that any horror reader will want to read immediately.

I really liked this comic, even though I don't think I've understood everything. Even so I liked the main character, he seems like a good guy and I wanted to be his friend lol. I also loved the dragon ball Z reference something I wasn't expecting.

Just... wow!

I love when a book makes me feel like I'm piecing something together. Often, it's about solving clues to murders or kidnappings, but in this case, I felt like finding clues to the characters' psyches.

This graphic novel tells the story of three students trying to escape from this horrible school where there seems to be a time loop that keeps them trapped inside. There are also weird teachers and instruments of torture that certainly shouldn't be part of a healthy school environment.

But what intrigued me most about this book was Fonseca's subtext and his unorthodox approach to storytelling. The black-and-white horror parts of the school are mixed with colorful sessions full of surrealism and symbolism. These were my favorite parts because they're packed with several elements that delve into the minds and pasts of the characters, and I had a blast unraveling these.

The artwork is also very interesting. It's expressive, but different from what I normally see in this type of book.

I don't want to spoil anything about this graphic novel, but I have to say: the ending left me wondering, “Okay, what happens now?!” 

Shadowplay Midnight School is one of my favorite graphic novels of 2024 so far, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!

I thank IDW publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.