Hey, look! It's another graphic novel review! And it's another graphic novel that I requested from Netgalley! Except this graphic novel is so much different than to what I normally read in graphic novel format, and it definitely has a different artwork style than to what I'm used to. But hey. I like branching out when it comes to graphic novels, so I wanted to give Spectacle a go!

Pragmatic engineer Anna works as a psychic in the Samson Brothers Circus, but she doesn't believe in anything supernatural—until her twin sister Kat is murdered and comes back as a very demanding ghost. Sharing a room with her sister was hard, but now they're sharing a body while trying to identify the killer. With few leads, a troupe full of secretive folk, and strange paranormal occurrences popping up around the circus, solving the case seems near impossible. But the murderer in their midst may be the least of their problems...

I was definitely weary before I started reading this. I'm not a fan of the whole circus/carnival themed stories. I've read quite a few such as Caraval, Daughter of the Burning City e.t.c... and the only one that I can say that I have absolutely loved was Caraval. DOTBC was enjoyable but not as good as Caraval, and then the other carnival/circus books that I've read have been awful... So yeah. I was definitely weary when going into this, but it sounded interesting so I was intrigued. 

I actually really enjoyed reading this. I fell in love with the sisterly relationship between Anna and Kat. I know that the blurb that I've included says that Kat is murdered and just to let you know, THAT'S NOT A SPOILER! IT'S ALL GOOD, GUYS! It happens within the first couple of pages and the rest of the volume is about Anna trying to figure out who killed her. 

On top of this, Anna can actually see her sister's ghost and the banter between them is just brilliant. And because of the ghosts, there is such a good supernatural element of the book, because it turns out that Kat's ghost is not the only ghost that Anna can see...

When it comes to the artwork, it's not really the type of artwork that I'm used to; I prefer much darker types of illustrations. Spectacle definitely falls into the category of more 'cartoon' illustrations and reminds me of the fun type of artwork of Lumberjanes. 

The only negative that I have about this volume is that the ending was very abrupt. I didn't know whether it was just a formatting error - because that happened to me when reading Shadowman - or whether it just had an abrupt ending. I do think that this series has a lot of potential, and I hope that in the next volume, the abrupt ending has a little bit of an explanation because I was left so confused. It wasn't even that it ended on a cliff-hanger... It just... Ended...

If it wasn't for the ending, I probably would have given this volume 4 stars. But alas, the ending meant that I gave it 3.5.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review

This graphic novel might have been a little darker than I had originally anticipated (although, I am not sure what exactly I had expected when the blurb itself states that the heroine's twin sister is murdered), but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Anna is part of a circus, whose members are far more mysterious and secretive than originally assumed. And, after Kat's murder, this only becomes clearer and clearer. Because, the latter, might not have seen who her murderer was (stabbed right at the back, tsk tsk tsk), but she is set on finding out and soon. Recruiting Anna, of course. The plot just thickens from then on, with the heroine(s?) stumbling into more and more adventures almost by the page.

It was a nice introduction to a new series, and it definitely got me hooked right at the beginning. I was itching to know who the murderer was and what their motives could be, and I really hope this series develops into multiple volumes, following Anna and her ghost of a sister.

All in all, 3 stars to the very first volume of this graphic novel, which seems to be highly promising.

Nice enough little story. I didn't really like the art style, and the main characters were kind of annoying. Probably won't be continuing with this series.

The ARC ended with about 15 pages left to go, but the storyline is good.

The artwork isn't the best and I wasn't very fond of the font used for Anna's internal thoughts (it was very hard to read on a screen), but it's a murder-mystery set in a circus with a logic-loving fortune teller.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

A mostly entertaining YA tale about a murder with supernatural elements that takes place in a circus. I'm kind of annoyed there wasn't more to it since I was curious as to how the murder will be solved, if it ever will be. I'm not a big fan of the illustration style but I did enjoy the story.

*arc provided by netgalley*

This was actually... surprisingly good. It's a comic that follows a circus show, and specifically a pair of sisters. One of the sisters is killed and the other tries to figure out who the murderer is but its clear theres a lot of secrets that are keeping the mystery from unfolding. I do wish that the closeness of the sisters was demonstrated a bit better seeing as theirs was the central relationship of the story. I loved the secondary characters and I thought the writing was really good. The art is very child like (i don't mean that in a bad way), and whimsical, and engaging. I especially love how lots of the lady characters were not very thin! I would definitely read volume 2 just because theres so much going on at the end?!?! and the murder isn't solved yet sooooooo i wanna know whodunnit.

I really enjoyed reading Spectacle and flew through it. The art work is great and I loved the colors that were used. The art is very colorful and that fits the circus theme very well.
This graphic novel has an incredibly diverse cast and a lot of interesting characters. Kat and Anna are our main characters and we do get to know them a little bit. However there is still a lot to discover! Same with the rest of the characters, I would like to know more about them in future volumes. I did really enjoyed the look we got at Carl and Lucy's backstory.
There are a couple of mysterious things going on with the circus and nothing is predictable. It really keeps you guessing which is great. However the story ended on a cliffhanger but also in a bit of a weird moment. I actually thought my digital copy was missing a page or two, but every review seems to mention the cliffhanger so that might just be the graphic novel ;) I will definitely continue reading this series, but I hope we get a bit more character development in the next volume.

Perhaps interesting for some but I was not able to engage with this narrative despite myself. Perhaps improving the structure could help.

Seems cool, and based on the other reviews I’d give it four starts, but it didn’t download. Oh well.

I found this a really compelling read with a twisty plot and some fantastically surreal artwork. It tells the story of Anna, a fortune teller with a circus. When her twin sister is murdered, Anna must investigate the crime while dealing with her sister's ghost, which is now inhabiting her body. When I first started to read, I found the artwork a little jarring. It employs a really quite abstract style, with heavy line work and splashes of bright colour. Once I got used to it, however I thought it was an inspired choice. The narrative is quite a simple one, but Gedris inserts tantalising threads here and there that suggest many hidden depths within the story world. Some of the scenes are quite trippy and I found myself really getting drawn into the world. The characters are well fleshed out and there is a sense of menace hiding just below the surface. I am intrigued to see where this series will go next and thought that this was a really great new world to spend a little time in.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was interesting. I was intrigued by the world-building and the story, but I honestly wasn't as invested in the characters as I could have been. Maybe it was that there wasn't enough space in the pages for me to really get to know the characters. But I really appreciated the diverse cast, and would have loved to really gotten to know them more. The writing is also smart and at times funny. Though, I did not appreciate that the ending is a massive cliffhanger and ended abruptly - at first, I thought some pages got cut off in my review copy. I think there's a lot of promise here.

Beautifully illustrated graphic novel, coming of age story about the nature of friendships and how much of an influence they have over you.
I found this harrowing, melancholy but really really lovely.
Would recommend to graphic novel readers.

I can't wait for the next installment of this fascinating mystery series about a sister and her ghost with a circus backdrop.

Unusual artwork is used effectively in a murder mystery set in a traveling circus. Spectacle Vol 1 is good until the unsatisfactory conclusion.

Twins Anna and Kat are members of a traveling circus. Anna is the fortune teller. Kat is a knife thrower. When Kat is murdered with her own knives, she appears as a ghost only to Anna. Anna investigates the crime.

The artwork within Spectacle Vol 1 promises to be controversial. It is in the style of Picasso's blue period but uses mainly dusky reds, lavenders and chartreuse. The faces are almost cubist in their non-linear perspective so noses sometimes appear on the sides of faces.

I liked the mystery at the heart of the plot. I would have liked to see more backstories of the other circus performers. Many seemed like only a stereotype like the conjoined twins and the bearded lady. It took me about a third of the book to get used to the art style. Once I did, I enjoyed its uniqueness.

Spectacle Vol 1 collects issues #1 through 5. My problem with the collection is the abrupt ending. There is no resolution to the mystery here—only an inexplicable transformation that could mean anything. I actually purchased issue #4 because I thought that the last few pages of my Advanced Review Copy were missing. $1.99 later, I realized that issue #4 ended as suddenly as Vol 1. However, issue #4 included a page imploring the reader to purchase issue #5 in July 2018. While issues frequently employ cliff-hangers, it is rare and frustrating for collected volumes to do so. Because of this slight-of-hand, Spectacle Vol 1 receives 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, Oni Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This is a murder mystery graphic novel set in a circus traveling through the mid-west. Anna is the circus fortune teller, and, somewhat hilariously, also analytical and scientific to the core. She’s so convinced in the power of science over anything supposedly supernatural that she’s built a future-predicting Babbage machine – and then her sister is murdered, and she starts seeing her ghost. This volume revolves around Anna trying to come to terms with Kat’s death (and subsequent reappearance as a ghost) and find the murderer. Of course, it’s not just that simple – the murderer has to be someone at the circus, someone they’ve known and interacted with. Plus, there’s a fire, a power-happy sheriff, and signs that Kat’s ghost is not the only paranormal thing happening at the circus.

It’s a bit slow-going, at first, until Anna finds her twin sister Kat murdered in their train car. The pacing is pretty uneven, as there’s lots of backstory and side plots. The other circus performers are certainly characters, to make a silly pun, and I liked learning about their backstories. The art’s different than what I’m used to, but it grew on me, and I think it suits the story very well. It seems like all of the issues end on cliffhangers, even if they’re small ones, and the cliffhanger at the end of the book is a doozy. It was so abrupt, honestly, that I went and checked to make sure the file wasn’t corrupted.

Overall, I think this comic shows a lot of promise, and I’ll definitely be picking up the second issue!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

****The digital copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you :)****



I enjoyed this graphic novel. I liked the story line and it left me intrigued to keep going with the rest of the series. I really want to know who the killer is and why that happened to Ike.

In a steampunk world two sisters live and work in a traveling circus-type thing, until one of them is killed. That’s not the end of her story, though; she hangs around as a ghost to help her sister find the murderer.
Both funny and poignant how one sister was born at sunrise and the other at dusk. “The trend continued throughout our lives.” The dialogue is in bubbles, but the introspection and background is written throughout the page. I like it.
The older, more mature sister built a precursor computer. Very steampunk. But sometimes she can’t get out of her own way. “I have higher. . . er, different standards.” Yeah, when something happens to her I’m not the least bit surprised.
Wow, that literal ringleader. . . down to the curled shoes.
“The spirit world is closed right now.” That was an interesting twist.
“Wash your face more often and love will come your way.” Wish she’d told me that sooner.
I love mermaids, but not when they’re mean.
If there’s one downside it’s that it cuts off right in the middle, which tells you there’s more to come, but you gotta wait.
The artwork isn’t anything to write home about, but I really enjoyed the interplay between the sisters, and even if I felt more sorry for Anna than anything else, she was still my fave character.

First let me Thank Netgalley for this advanced digital copy. I really loved this graphic novel. I love circuses and mysteries and this one was awesomeness! I can not wait to read the next book. This follows twin sisters Anna and Kat. They both work for the Samson Brother's Circus and when the story begins their train is stranded in the desert. I do not want to go into the story more as to not spoil it but let me just say that something really bad happens and one of the twins must find out "who done it". I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is like me and loves circuses and all graphic novel fanatics. I have to add that I just loved that mermaid!

Anna and Kat are sisters working with a seedy and run-down circus. Anna is a fortune teller and Kat a knife-thrower. The circus gets stranded in the desert after a breakdown. After a few days in unrelenting heat, Anna finds Kat dead, stabbed in the back with her own knives. Soon after, she sees Kat's ghost and is possessed by it.

Circus owner Jebediah Tetanus asks Anna to keep the murder quiet and to investigate on her own. She does so, with the aid of her sister's ghost and of her own hand-built computer. Snake charmer Flora also insists on getting involved.

There is a lot going on in this story, and the climax of volume 1 hints at even weirder things to come. I found it very engaging, and Gedris' lurid artwork is very appropriate for the circus setting. This is a strong start to what promises to be a very interesting series.

Spectacle Volume 1 is mysterious. It's full of secrets, full of characters with their own different personalities and motives, and full of questions when it comes to those characters and their motives.

Anna is practical, she leans more towards the scientific things in life. Like her conjecture engine. Like sense and reason. Not the tarot cards and fortune telling she does as her role in a travelling circus. She's not like her twin sister Kat, a knife-throwing night owl who sometimes leaves a mess in her wake. But they're family. They're all each other has, and so they tolerate each other. Until one night when Kat is murdered, leaving behind a rather demanding ghost for Anna to see. With this sudden death, Anna is on the hunt for the murderer, but Kat's still keeping secrets from her sister. Everyone in the circus keeps secrets, and it's up to Anna to sort through them in order to find Kat's murderer. But something else is going on around the circus.

The art style is rough and charming, it didn't take long to grow on me. The different shapes of the circus cars and tents. The wild mass of Anna's hair, her and Kat's outrageous expressions when the find out Kat's dead and sticking around as a ghost. The different people who work in the circus, like owner Jebediah Tetanus, squeaky-voiced Flora, and Kat's show partner Carl. They all have their own look, all have a way of standing out.

To be honest, when I started reading this I wasn't sure where it was going to go, what I was going to find. What I found was a story full of secrets, of people running and hiding and finding a place where they can feel safe. But safety only lasts for so long, those hidden skeletons stay hidden as long as someone doesn't let them out. Considering how this volume ends, I'm rather interested as to where the story will go. What secrets Anna will uncover, what secrets Kat is still keeping to herself. What's chasing after them.