Thank you NetGalley for a ARC of Lamentation by Cullen Bunn
And Thank you Oni publishing for an advanced digital ARC

This is a great book all around. Beautiful art and imagery tied into a fantastic story. Highly recommend.

A graphic novel that picks at the fourth wall and upends reality. Full review here: https://bewarethescarylibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/11/graphic-content-lamentation-by-cullen.html

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. Content warning for suicide. This review contains vague spoilers.)

When she stumbles into the run-down Requiem Theater and is immediately cast as the lead in the troupe's latest production, Razide's Lament, Jennifer can hardly believe her luck. It's not Broadway, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? (That'll show the 'rents!)

Her dream quickly becomes a nightmare when real life begins to mirror the fictional (?) drama playing out on the stage. Jennifer plays one of three sisters who, caught in an almost otherworldly thunderstorm, seeks refuge in a creepy old castle. Once inside, she's conscripted to take the place of Prince Razide's would-be bride, who perished shortly before she was to be married, and under suspicious circumstances at that. As the onstage Jennifer rails against her plight, thespian Jennifer tries to escape the clutches of the ominous Requiem Theater.

I wanted to like LAMENTATION so much more than I did. (Cullen Bunn, hello.) The story idea is 10/10, but the execution is just so-so. Mostly I just found the plot confusing. Take the ending, for example - if the theater was able to rewrite Prince Razide's story into something more positive (at least on its face), wouldn't this break the cycle of performances?

The artwork is really quite lovely - in a deliciously spooky way - as is the coloring. The story just didn't quite do it for me, but I seem to be in the minority here.

This was a decent read. We love a graphic novel. Felt like a Dario Argento film from the 80s. And that’s a vibe I’m here for.

Another enjoyable read from Cullen Bunn. I enjoyed the characters and the story. The artwork was great also. Will always read a new book from Cullen Bunn. #Lamentation #NetGalley

I love horror comics and this one was good and strange. The Requiem Theater holds a lot of secrets that I hope we will learn more of with other issues. Almost instantly, we are introduced to a group of actors and actresses who don't seem to mind all the weirdness going on. We are given a little hint of what's happening, but but why. I honestly can't put into words what's going on- a lot was happening- but it definitely ends where it begins, though it would benefit to have more stories to come. So, here's hoping!

Thank you, NetGalley, for using a copy to me to review.

A lot of horror graphic novels don't really get me shivering like this one did.

This involves elements of of storytelling that made me fully chilled to the bone. For one, being stuck in the interdimensional theater where the devil runs his sick shows at the expense of a young, hopeful maiden. The world of reality blurs quickly with scenes acted in fervor, making the reader question if the world is shifting around the actors or if they are merely imagining the scene in vibrant detail (psychosis or...good acting?) The time loops endlessly, and the next actress awaits her call to the spirits play?

One of the most horrifying elements used is speculation. I'm left wondering what each aspect means, and what truly happened? Was Jennifer's experience real or simply a fever dream.

This was an incredible work, in terms of story telling. The art elevated it even further with energy akin to 80s cult horror classics but the mystery and whims of The Labyrinth, where nothing is quite expected or sensical.

My first literary job, way back when I was a journalist, was a contract position for a column where I would review graphic novels and comic books. So, despite the fact most of the stuff I review now is prose, I have read an exponentially large amount of graphic novels and manga of varying qualities. As such, every once in a while I like to return to my roots, and that was definitely what I was hoping to do when I picked up Lamentation by Cullen Bunn and Arjuna Susini—unfortunately, the book itself didn’t give me much more than that.
Speaking frankly, my problem with Lamentation isn’t that it was bad. It is that it was lukewarm. There is nothing outwardly wrong with it. The art was distinctly rough and sketchy, adding to its appeal in the horror genre, though it was inconsistent in its quality. Some panels looked great, others looked like the anatomy was rushed, but not in an intentional way.
The story itself… existed, and had a decent resolution. I liked the concept of having these people trapped in a theatre, but it kind of felt like that good concept was then populated with pieces from a choose your own adventure. Everything about Lamentation was just predictable and the characters all felt a little generic. Kind of like you could have changed the setting completely and the dialogue and plot could have easily melted into any other scenario.
For me, I can’t really recommend Lamentation because honestly it’s pretty forgettable, and I can’t see myself remembering I have even read it two weeks from now.

I love horror graphic novels and this one checks so many boxes for me. The story is compelling and the illustrations are fantastic. I can't wait to read more from Cullen Bunn

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this opportunity. This arc will be available November 7,2023!

A horror comic with an excellent plot and cohesive storyline and the artwork is good too.

Cullen Bynne's Lamentation tells the story of a young actress who joins a very... unconventional theatre troupe. The story reminded me a bit of the side story that many crpgs have about acting troupes involved in strange circumstances, which may be a bit too much of a deep cut. Instead I'll compare this to At the Mouth of Madness. Or Lost.
Most Lost imitators miss the most important thing about Lost; incredibly compelling human drama which the supernatural mystery takes a back seat to. This did okay, but not great at that.
It's worth a read and is pretty breezy but can get a bit muddled and hard to follow. Some of this is down to trying to play the cards close to vest. A lot of this is done to art that is muddied and often confusing. It's not terrible but its not clear and is often very unclear.

I received an arc of this through netgalley.

A good horror story about theater. The heroine takes part in rehearsal for a strange play, and suddenly finds out, that the actors can't get out of the theater, untill the play is ready. Not all things are clear, but it's ok for a mystical tale. The atmosphere is good, the art fits the story well.

I love Gothic stories and this graphic novel delivers. Lamentation is about an actress, Jennifer, who saw an ad for a part in a three act play called Razides Lament. Unfortunately, she gets the part without even auditioning. This was an enjoyable graphic novel with excellent illustrations.

What a refreshing read on the idea of grief tethering you to one place. I truly enjoyed this comic and thought it was unnerving enough at some points that I didn't feel all that safe about reading in the dark.

The parallels between the play and real life playing out simultaneously was beautifully done and made the story so much more enjoyable, and the ending was a solid twist of the knife. A fun time, and great read for the spooky season!

Beautiful art and intriguing ghost story that harkens back to gothic horror classics.
I read it in one sitting then flipped back and re-read it to make sure I caught everything. The characters and the story certainly illicit strong emotions from the reader. I wanted Jennifer to succeed even when I, like her fellow actors and crew, had given up hope early on.
Loved the twists and turns it took and how disorienting the flipping between the play and the reality was.
Well done.

From the mind's eye of master storyteller Cullen Bunn ( The Sixth Gun, Basilisk ) and rising star Arjuna Susini ( Made Men ) comes a darkly glamorous tale of bone-splintering terror at the intersection of shadow and light . . . dream and nightmare . . . life, and the grim specter of Death himself.

Cullen Bunn doesn't miss. If you love horror comics and you're not a fan of Bunn, you're wrong.

I just wanted to quickly skim over the first few pages and ended up reading the whole thing, so it definitely caught my interest right off the bat - no wonder since I'm a sucker for theater settings.

While Lamentation started off strong and intriguing, I think it simply lost steam as the story progressed. Fewer and instead more nuanced characters could have helped render the plot more emotionally engaging, and the pacing grew more rushed during the second half. On the other hand. the sets looked really nice and interesting, I loved the back and forth between the play and reality (I'm also a sucker for collapsing fiction and reality within narratives, hence my Perfect Blue profile pic) and I had a lot of fun during the first half. Since the second half grew increasingly confusing and wasn't paced as nicely, I'll give Lamentation three stars. It could've benefitted from being longer and taking a little more time developing its characters and atmosphere, but I see a lot of potential in the story.

Also, I wouldn't say the art was completely outstanding, but Arjuna Susini's style fit Lamentation's narrative REALLY well, so I appreciate the direction he took to bring the story to life.

- ARC provided by NetGalley -

Our main character Jennifer goes to an audition for a play and gets far more than she ever bargained for. Cullen Bunn takes spooky horror themed and twists to create a unique story perfect for the season. I found it a bit surface level character wise but it kept me wanting more until the end. I overall enjoyed this and it was a quick breezy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I actually surprised by how much I liked this graphic novel! It managed to instantly draw me in and kept me hooked from start to finish. I read it all in one sitting, that's how much I liked it! It's fast-paced and keeps you guessing right up until the end. The way the story kept changing from the present to fully immersing you into the play, and leaving you wondering which one was real, was captivating. The way it's written feels like an episode out of the Twilight Zone, and I mean that in the best possible way. This graphic novel would make an excellent movie or perhaps a mini-series. The art style is classic American comic, but oddly I really loved it. The artist really nailed both modern and gothic horror styles, while also nailing subtle horror.

I really like this comic, I found it very interesting and the art was really good. I would definitely recommend it and I I am definitely buy a copy