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.

A mystery and thriller with a pinch of humor and magic in a graphic novel, that's what readers would find in this amazing first installment of the Spectacle comic series. I didn't expect much when I've checked the synopsis, but I was really amazed at how great the story was written. It is not perfect but reading this reminds us of several things, such as loving our siblings and respect.

****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.

* I was provided with a galley of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel, but I'd have a hard time recommending it.

This book combines murder, mystery, magic and the circus in an Old West Victorian setting. Our protagonist, Anna, is a fortune teller who doesn't believe in mysticism. When her sister Kat is murdered, Anna sets out to find her killer. "Spectacle" superficially delves into spiritual topics, including religion and the after life, but ultimately fails to satisfy. I read part one of book one and feel like it's lacking. Hopefully the three volumes of book one will be published simultaneously so readers aren't left with so much hanging in the balance in the end.
This book contains violence, profanity, alcohol and sensitive religious questions. While I like it for myself, I don't think it would fit well into the middle school library I work at. It's definitely a more mature title, but would be appreciated in upper grades.

This is a really good start to a graphic novel series. It begins with a murder in a circus. Anna and her twin sister Kat are part of a circus act; Anna is a fortune teller while Kat is a knife thrower. One night her sister gets murdered and becomes a ghost. It is up to Anna to root out the murderer in their midst.

I liked the art and how the narrative flowed. It introduced characters and provided background stories to the members of the circus. I think there are hints of what to expect from the series; there were details that I think would be explained in the latter volumes. I like the whole supernatural murder mystery part of the story, and I cannot wait to read the next book.

This is a graphic novel that follows the story of Anna and Kat who are twins that work at a circus, Kat is a knife thrower and Anna a psychic. However, Anna has no real psychic ability until one night when her sister Kat is killed and Anna is able to see her ghost, they then team up together to fin the culprit. Overall, this was a really fun and quick read. I enjoyed the characters of Anna and Kat and how they are so different from each other even though they are twins and I also liked finding out the backstories to the other circus members. I loved the artwork in this as it really adds to the circus feel of the book. While I enjoyed this book I wasn’t swept away by it and I felt that the ending was very abrupt.

This book contains murder, circus, ghosts, unique characters. It is a unique story to me. Artworks are amazing. I love it. I really want more.

Title: Spectacle Vol. 1
Author: Megan Rose Gedris
My Rating: 3 Stars

What it's about:
Anna works as a psychic for the Samson Brothers traveling Circus. She knows it’s just for show, though, as she doesn’t actually believe in the supernatural. This puts her in a bit of a predicament, however, when her twin sister is murdered and comes back as a very insistent ghost. It’s up to Anna to figure out who killed her, before the rest of the Circus workers find out what happened.

What I liked:
I really loved the idea behind this story. It’s a circus book, so naturally I was interested. It also had the mystery element that tends to draw me in, not to mention all the artwork throughout. (Half the fun of a Circus is the sights after all.) I liked that it was so fast paced. It jumped right into the story, introducing you to the different characters as you went along.

What I disliked:
The artwork wasn’t as amazing as I wanted it to be, it could have been so much more magical. But what really got me was the ending. It was very abrupt and definitely a cliff hanger. We’re set up to get some information and suddenly nothing. Now we’re stuck waiting an entire year for Vol 2 to come out.

Overview:
I enjoyed this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I weren’t catching the series right at the beginning. This is a story that I’d like to sit down with and spend some real time reading, so I wish there were more of it, and that the wait was shorter between volumes.

This graphic novel was a beautiful change from the influx of superheroes we're seeing these days. I love the different body types and differences in the characters, very refreshing.

Poor Anna finds her sister Kat dead, Kat promptly haunts Anna and also takes over her body. Anna, someone who doesn't even believe in the paranormal, has a rough time taking it all in. Despite her disbelief, she gets the chance to help other ghosts, as well as helping the living communicate with their passed loved ones.

All in all, a beautifully made book, with characters you definitely want to see more of!

I loved that book very very much!
I am amazed at the writing of the author and I loved the action and the characters.
The first thing that got to me was the title and I immediately decided that I wanted this book ad that I wanted to read it ^^
I am not disappointed and I hope everybody else gets to enjoy it as much as I did.

Spectacle is a really interesting, fast-paced read, full of ghosts and steampunkery and circus freaks. It's got bucket loads of atmosphere which is gorgeously expressed in the quirky lines of the art - the artist has a real knack for facial expressions. The full-page cover art of each of the collected issues is beautiful, particularly that of Issue 5 with the ghosts overlapping the landscape. The story itself is witty yet dark - I love the characters of Anna and Kat - and there's enough humour to keep what's essentially a story about the death of a loved one enjoyable. Overall, this was a very cool read, and I'll be looking out for further issues - what a cliffhanger!

This was a gripping and exciting graphic novel. The art style has an old fashioned feel to it which suits the subject of a travelling circus. The cast of characters are fascinating and have time invested in building them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and can't wait to read the next volume.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this unique graphic novel!

When I first read the synopsis for this, I was very intrigued. Circus themed settings are one of my favourite kinds, add in a murder mystery plot and I am sold.

I really enjoyed this short graphic novel, I was hooked from the start. The artwork was stunning, I loved the relationship between the sisters and also the added comedy was a bonus.

Why I didn't rate it 5 stars: The story dragged in the middle and the ending was slightly weird and abrupt (I am, however, very curious to see where this goes).

A unique story with a diverse set of characters, I would definitely recommend giving this a go if it sounds like something you would enjoy.

I will be posting my review on Instagram within the week.

This graphic novel held so much promise; a circus setting, a psychic main character, and an unpredictable murder mystery - what more could you ask for? Not only that, but the art style was stunning and the way the narration intertwined into the graphics was really unique.

However, the deeper I got into the story, the more problematic it became. Religion became an important aspect to a chunk of this novel but it just didn’t seem to fit with the overall tone and ultimately wasn’t needed. The use of heroin was brought in as a comedic relief towards the end, but it just doesn’t seem morally right to promote using hard drugs in the way the author did.

It feels that the conclusions to both small and larger plot points of this story really need to be worked on. Just when you think you understand that parameters of the magically realistic setting, a character is completely torn in half by apparitions. It cautioned on the side of ridiculous and lowered the value of the overall work of art. The actual ending wasn’t so much of a cliffhanger, but more of a ‘WTF’ moment. Readers didn’t receive any closure to the story which is frustrating when there isn’t even proof of a sequel yet.

I had such high hopes for this graphic novel and hope that others will be able to enjoy it more than I did.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the advance readers copy for my honest review.

 So, I'm going to be honest. The first couple of panels of this comic book were kind of meh for me, but I pushed through and am glad I did!  This comic is filed with Murder, supernatural things and what else could make it perfect? The circus in the 1800’s!  Twin sisters Anna and Kat are performers in the Samson Brothers Circus, so what happens when one twin is murdered and the other now sees dead people and scary things? This story is filled with awesome vibrant characters and great story telling.  The story has lots of twists and turns….and that ending! Ugh leaves you wanting more! -Also, I hate how some reviews giveaway the whole dang story!

 The art was by far my favorite thing about Spectacle. I loved how it was unique in its own way. I couldn’t get over how pretty it was! The artist/author started with a webcomic! http://www.spectaclecomic.com/  check it out and see where it all began!  

  The story was oddly engaging and I hated that I read it so fast! So, I did what any good bookworm would do…I read it two more times!

We are rating this book a 3.5/5 stars!  The book comes out on May 22nd!  Make sure you pick it up!



-Angie

I was pleasantly surprised by this graphic novel. Sometimes, graphic works are just too short or too simple to connect with properly, but it certainly wasn't the case with Spectacle. The story revolves around a murder mystery in circus settings which is a cool and refreshing concept that works really well. Our main character, Anna the fake psychic, is trying to find the killer in a world of "freaks" and acrobats where everyone seems to have a past and secrets, they're not willing to share. Although I didn't like the drawing style I got used to it and I appreciate the humor that is put into facial expressions and awkward situations. A solid graphic novel that I would definitely recommend and I am for sure going to read volume 2.