This is a strange little comic about two young kids who are into urban exploring and come across a strange house that disappears during the day. They keep seeing images of a man throughout the years in different moments of his life and want to know what is going on and why they keep finding him in all these places. During this time, the boy is lying to his mom and sister about what he's really doing and going out late at night to urbex, and the girl is fighting with her parents as they live in a rundown apartment and they refuse to do anything about it even though they have money. They're also being teased because they are a boy and a girl who hang out together all the time, and the boy is teased for not being athletic enough. There are also two ghost girls, who might be the same girl, that keep popping up to add more mystery. Overall the art is great and the story is okay, but it's left open for a second book that doesn't seem to be coming. The plot is too holey to really capture my attention.

This was decidedly ok. While the art is quite nice, as often happens with translated graphics SOMETHING is just lost in translation. I think the biggest issue for me was, this would have been perfectly fine if it had been a straight forward story about two creepy girl ghosts in an old house that vanishes in the daytime. But then you add magic powers that don't really tie in, bizarre family drama, visions and really pointless side characters... it's kind of a mess.

This book has a great art style and it is an interesting topic for some people. There's also a mystery and it is an easy short read!

'Urbex Volume 1: Villa Pandora' by Dugomier with art by Clarke is a graphic novel about a couple urban explorers who may be in over their heads.

Alex and Julie go to the same school. At night, they break in to abandoned buildings to explore them. This works fine until they run across the creepy twin girls and the scary dog. Now they are seeing things that aren't there and they have a mystery to solve that may involve ghosts from the past.

I liked this story and concept, but there was a lot of story for the page count and things felt a bit rushed. I liked the art and I'd read more in the series.

Urbex is a mystery / paranormal graphic novel released at the tail end of 2021 by Europe Comics that is unlike any other comic I've read. The main characters, Alex and Julie, spend most of their nights in the French Urban Exploration community seeking out the thrills of visiting places that should be off-limits to most people. They take pictures on message boards and document their questionable hobby online. One day they visit a huge villa and their fun and games change completely forever. Now faced with the possibility of ghosts and other monsters, this is an interesting story right off the bat.

While the premise for Urbex is very interesting, the execution is somewhat iffy for a few reasons. The book introduces a lot of concepts such as a pair of ghostly twin girls that may or may not be real in a derelict villa haunted by a huge snarling dog that only appears at night. Ghostly visions of the past and present start to obtrusively lead the characters somewhere as if fate is creating a way for them to be psychic problem solvers or something. I was hoping for some sort of closure as to what all of this meant, but sadly the overall plot of who or what the villa is all about is left unresolved and a small portion of the mystery is revealed that seemingly doesn't have much to do with the main plot. I have a feeling it all comes together in a later volume, but with only having book one, I was left somewhat confused as to what was happening at times.

The artwork is great and the plot has promise, so as long as the writer untangles some of the plot threads, this could end of being a pretty solid story. If I get a chance I wouldn't mind reading more of this book to see if it all comes together in the end. If you like weird mystery books with concepts you may have never seen before, Urbex - Part 1 - Villa Pandora by Dugomier & Clarke may be right up your alley.

This book was well and truly interesting. The art style was also gorgeous.

But the down fall is pacing, this both has so many ideas crammed into 58 pages, but somehow the middle seems to also drag.
I think what really makes the middle drag is that we are getting more plot ideas dropped, but we fail to get any really juicy tidbits that make it feel like the time was well spent.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this graphic novel. Sorry to post this review later than I would have wanted. I was looking forward to this graphic novel, but unfortunately, this was not for me. I have not written any reviews online, but happy to do so if you wish. Once again thank you for giving me the chance to read this graphic novel

Urbex has a beautiful art but a story looks like a looping, it takes a time to develop and the characters looks like round a round in the script. The protagonists couple has not chemistry enough to capture the attention of reader.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. While I really enjoyed the artwork and some of the concept, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters or understanding their motivations. Their actions didn’t seem to be believable at times. I also found the plot to be quite confusing and disjointed. I wish some things had been explained slightly more. I also wasn’t a fan of the sudden insertion of the sexual abuse portion, it didn’t feel like it was fully explained or built up, rather just thrown into the plot. I also didn’t feel like the book had a full resolution either, which was disappointing.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is a quick read for middle age readers as well as young adults. I enjoyed the plot and the characters.

The two main characters go exploring abandoned buildings. But one night they explore a villa and encounter twins. After they begin to see scenes from someone's pasts.

It's up to them to uncover the truth about the twin ghosts and the disappearing villa.
I really like the colouring for the graphic novel as well as the character drawing. It was quick and enjoyable as well as spooky for young adults.

I am always looking for new graphic novels to at to our school library. I haven't actually read this one, I just wanted to see what it would look like on my tablet. I will probably still get this one for the library. The art is good.

This is a really confusing story. And I'm not sure I'm the right audience for it or who it's target audience is even supposed to be. Is it paranormal? Or horror? I don't think I'll be picking up any possible sequels.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

This was a very slow read and was hard to get back into once I put it down for a few days. The plot had quite a few holes in it, and many things did not add up.
How were the characters able to figure out things about the ghosts in the places they visited without knowing anything about them? How were they able to see the "past-ghost" of someone alive and understand that they were supposed to help them in the real world? How do their supernatural powers work? I have more questions than answers about this story that it was not very enjoyable.

I did not understand how Alex was able to come to the conclusions he did with such little information to go on about who the ghosts were and their relationship to the sites.

I also has a problem with how Daniel's childhood trauma was addressed. The story wrote it off as plot device to give the main duo a "we did it, problem solved" ending but it felt very insensitive with how easily it was delivered and then wrapped up.

This graphic novel had such potential to be great but the ideas weren't explored enough in the book. I honestly feel like if this was longer, it would have been much better. Overall, great concept but poor execution.

It's fair to say that I am not the right target audience. Yes, I love abandoned buildings, I doubt there is a photographer out there, who is not in love with them, but to me the charm and adventure of the exploration was lost in this graphic novel. I did not get on with the characters and the plot, well, also not my thing.

Thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Urbex follows Alex and Julie, two high school students with a secret pastime - urban exploration. Their hobby unexpectedly introduces them to a mysterious abandoned mansion that seemingly only appears at night in their presence. Plagued by questions and an ominous pair of twins (à la classic horror stories), Julie and Alex begin to realize that they can see the dead. The narrative follows their perilous journey in uncovering this haunting mystery and perhaps even provides means to heal wounds of the past.

This plot of Urbex draws intrigue and also brings in interesting family dynamics for the respective main characters. However, I felt personally that the narrative was not compelling enough for me to want to pursue these character arcs. I did not find myself caring much at all about the main characters, especially the romance side plot that the writer is clearly pushing for. It felt a little forced and unnecessary, especially having taken a closer look and realizing there was not much to go off on. The only part of the graphic novel that perked my attention was the horror aspect and the way it tied into the history of other characters.

The subject matter of the graphic novel is certainly fresh and unique, but overall I would say that I don’t feel persuaded to seek out the continuation of this series.

This was a really fun adventure! I loved all of the urbandoned exploration vibes and the incorporation of some spooky happenings. I was a little lost on the fantastical element, and didn't entirely like the reveal of what the kids were seeing, but I would 100% pick up more in the series!

I would describe this comic as middle of the road - it's not bad but it's not great either. I found the artwork to be rather conventional but it worked well with the plot. The plot itself was solid but nothing outstanding (cheesy unrequited love story brewing) with some fairly intriguing aspects - the supernatural nature of the villa, the creepy 'twins' and the manifestations of the subconscious of people in need of psychological intervention. It's kinda fun - fast moving and engaging but it felt very 'teenage' and not that compelling. I doubt I'll read on.

Urbex creates a unique spin on the paranormal, focusing in on the environments that create suspense and threading the intrigue from the perspective of exploration.

In this first volume, we follow Julie and Alex, two school mates who have become friends over a shared passion for Urbex, a social media channel and the practise of ghost hunting in abandoned locations. While their fellow school mates can't seem to understand their connection, the pair keep their hobby secret (much like Alex and his growing feelings for Julie). Instead, they meet under the cover of darkness to explore these hidden places.

Upon finding a dilapidated villa, the pair encounter something deeply strange and far more paranormal than ever before - twin girls, in period dress and a surprising tenacity for violence. Following this episode, other strange events link themselves to Alex and Julie's urbexing, pushing them to uncover the mysteries afoot and decide how to help the people of their town.

I liked Alex and Julie from the off; they have an easy chemistry that made them likeable, and their conversation felt organic, slowly slipping in clues about the world for the reader to catch up to speed. I also enjoyed their reactions to the unknown - a little bit of trepidation, a lot more bravery - and how this led them on a journey to helping other people through their exploration. The physical starts to mimic the psychological the more you read.

The art style is super energetic, providing the motion to the urbexing that elevates the narrative tenfold. I also really like the posture and positioning of the Alex and Julie when talking quietly or on the phone to one another - the sharing of secrets and intimacy is really well captured. And clearly is enough to make Alex's family suspicious!

Overall, I felt this was a really enjoyable first installment and I'd love to read more. The ending felt a little abrupt, largely because I was really in the swing of reading, so my only complaint is that I would have liked more! I feel there is a lot to unravel about Alex and Julie's connection to the supernatural and the truth behind the twins so I hope later volumes have the same pay off as this first one.

This comic had all the potential to be good: a fun scooby-doo-esque mystery gang, an intriguing introduction, and just the right amount of creepy to keep the reader interested but not uneasy. Yet all of that is buried beneath overly-complicated subplots and confusing not-explanations. The reader is thrown headfirst into the story, so much so that it feels like the first few pages of the comic are missing. The phrase "urbex" isn't even explained, despite it's constant use.

The characters are by far the most off-putting aspect, simultaneously playing to every trope there is despite being two-dimensional. The "bad guy" is, of course, a german psychiatrist, because THAT hasn't been to an offensive level before. The "nerdy" boy who sucks at sport has a crush on his pretty best-friend who's "not like other girls" because she's tough and macho, which we can see by her constant teasing whenever the male character admits to having feeling. Toxic masculinity, anyone? Alex's mother are sister are cringe-worthy in their completely unrealistic flatness. Their obsession with how he spends his time just screams "inverse Freud" and it's creepy how they try to follow him (and not in the good kind of creepy that this story is aiming for, either). Julie's parents don't even speak, just sit there silently when their teenage daughter screams at them to act like adults.

Outside of Alex and Julia, everyone else's interactions feel fake and forced, as does the plot. Things conveniently happen just to avoid massive plot holes. The main characters get "supernatural powers" that are genuinely never explained and only appear when there's no other way the author could get the duo out of the mess they've made. Both Alex and Julie know things that no teenager in the world would know, all for the sake of advancing the plot in the easiest and quickest way possible. Even serious and delicate issues such as consent and sexual assault are simply thrown in to add some drama without even being discussed properly or even used in a vaguely respectful way.

The end of the comic leaves dozens of questions unanswered and no answers in sight. This isn't done in an intriguing "I can't wait for the next book!" kind of way, but rather "what did I just read and why did I waste my time finishing it" way. The twin ghosts somehow know who Alex and Julie are, they age up and down without any explanation, Daniel tells two strangers (and children at that) a horrible secret he hasn't even told his parents, Alex's great grandmother's portrait randomly appears in the non-existing-yet-kind-of-existing mansion, Julia just happens to have that exact portrait on the living room table at home, and all of that is only barely scraping the tip of the iceberg in this incredibly cliché and and completely unrealistic comic.