What a start to something super insane. The artwork kinda had a The Walking Dead vibe to it so that I enjoyed. It was graphic, action, death, obvious drug usage but definitely not the kinda you’d be thinking it was... I don’t want to give any spoilers just know the concept is super fresh and new, a deep mystery lies underneath for you to seek once the story unfolds, it’s a bit chaotic and leaves a massive punch in the face. Can’t too pick up the sequel and continue to see where this all unfolds.

Definitely a 4.5 star rating simply because I wanted a bit more understanding and story design.

Bone Parish is a gritty comic book series. It’s about drugs and family. You can smell the Crescent City as it wafts from the page. It’s filled with crawfish, alligators, dealers, bad cops, and grave robbing. Highly Recommend.

Not enough groundwork was laid & the plot moved a little too fast but the original idea & superb illustrations have piqued my interest. There is great potential for this series.

Cullen Bunn has created a new dark and dangerous graphic novel series, and this necromantic horror story grabbed me on the first page and never let go.

A quick synopsis: “A new drug is sweeping through the streets of New Orleans—one made from the ashes of the dead. Wars are being fought over who will control the supply, while the demand only rises.”

The Winters family of New Orleans has discovered how to manufacture the ashes of the dead into a powerful hallucinogenic drug that lets the person snorting the drug to experience everything the dead person lived through when they were alive. In charge of this operation are Grace and Andre, with their four adult children. The oldest, Brae, is chomping at the bit ready to take over the enterprise and questioning his mother. Brigitte is the scientist who is the only one who knows how to turn the dead into ash properly and won’t reveal to others how to do so as to keep her position in the family safe. Leon and Wade end up doing much of the grunt work for the family, with both of them questioning the morality of it all.

As the popularity of the drug grows in the Big Easy, other drug cartels realize the scope of the operation and want in on the action. Several contact Grace with offers of buy-outs but she refuses. Not surprisingly they don’t take it well, and put a target on the family’s back. Some dirty cops are also involved, with Brae trying to control that aspect, but double crosses are part of the game.

There are a few twists and turns in the narrative, with a surprising revelation that will make you back track to look for clues. The story has potential for a thought provoking moral debate about drug culture and the sanctity of life and for the body after death. My excitement for this new series rivals what I felt for Briggs Land, another layered crime saga with an intriguing family led by a strong woman.

The art by Jonas Scharf was perfect for the story, and was reminiscent for me of Gabriel Rodriguez who illustrates the Locke and Key series, which is high praise indeed from me. He establishes the Winters family in a distinct manner, showing a welcome diversity within the family, in addition to when he draws other characters and realistic crowd scenes. The colorist Alex Guimarães really sets the tone with the coloring with an earthen palette for the everyday life, and vibrant pinks and purples to signify the hallucinogenic effect.

As much as I loved the story, I have a few criticisms. The big one: how is the drug controlled by the user? How do they tap into the specific memory of the deceased, as they would have a lifetime of memories to choose from? How do memories from the past physically manifest in those who are taking the drug? Will this be explained, or do we just have to have suspension of disbelief and go with the flow? Also, while I love that Grace is portrayed as a powerful and still sexy matriarch of the family, she looks too young to be a mother to her children, especially Brae. I, myself, am a mother to three teens and I still want to be thought of as a hottie, but Grace should be realistically aged just a tiny bit more.

I believe this new series has a lot of potential for growth and I absolutely will be reading future volumes, as I wish to find out what consequences are in store for the Winters family and those who choose to take the drug. Thank you to NetGalley for approving me to read this novel early, as I believe this series could really take off after it’s release in March. (Actual review is 4.5/5, but I rounded up)

I requested this book thinking it would be more of a supernatural horror story (Cullen Bunn + drug made from ashes of the dead = promising). While there are a few supernatural elements to be sure, that's not the direction it takes. Bone Parish ended up being a family crime drama with nothing really to hook me or keep me coming back for more since I didn't care about the family or the ins and outs of starting up a drug operation. If you do then give it a go, but this was not my cup of tea.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

The concept is pretty interesting (highly addictive drug made of bone dust of the dead people, nice!) but the more I was reading - the more I was bored. I started losing my interest half way through actually, I expected something scary and maybe a little disturbing story but except few scenes during drug effect I got just bunch of threatening dialogues and „macho men“ killing each other. Art was good. I am interested to see where it goes though, 'cause it was not bad, I just didn’t get what I wanted.

Looks like Bunn has another winner here. The Winter family of New Orleans controls and runs the "ash" trade--a drug made from the remains of the dead. Users who take it can experience bits and pieces of the life of the dead person, but there's only a finite amount to be made from each corpse. Use it up and there's no more. The drug has become very popular, so much so that a couple of other criminal organizations are thinking about muscling in on the family's operations. This was a great mix of crime and horror, with a number of different characters just waiting to be further fleshed-out, particularly older son Brae and daughter Brigitte, the brains behind the chemistry. Nice artwork throughout by Jonas Scharf. Looking forward to more of this.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this volume. The artwork is wonderful and the lettering is very consistent. The drug that is the centerpiece of this comic is an interesting concept (essentially bones of dead people that when consumed allows you to take on the aspects of those people through their memories). What didn't work for me was the numerous perspective changes and characters throughout especially in the first couple issues.

I am interested to see where this title goes, but the more of Cullen Bunn's work I read, the more I wonder about the frequency with which he adopts a black perspective. Not to say that this isn't possible for fiction writers, but this particular title verges into mystical practices that seem to verge close to Voudon and I'd be extremely curious to see a take from an actual practitioner. I enjoyed the story, but that particular aspect has left me with some concerns.

Bone Parish is one of those series that I went in not really too sure what to expect, only to be completely blown away with the results. I can’t say for certain if this series is my favorite read of the year, but it surely is high up on the list (a purely theoretical list, since I am too lazy to write one out).
The series follows one family as they try to become the new drug lords of the land. Only thing is, unlike many other drug families out there…they can’t expand the same way. There’s a limit on the drug they’re selling…but at least they’re keeping it in the family. Meanwhile the city can’t seem to get enough of the stuff – literally.
Bone Parish is from the minds of Cullen Bunn (The Empty Man, Harrow County) and Jonas Scarf (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, House of Waxwork). The two work shockingly well together. Jonas Scarf’s darker art style perfectly portrays the disturbing elements of Cullen Bunn’s story.
Bone Parish is as enthralling as it is bone chilling. I know that sounds blasé, but I honestly do mean it. Every new twist and revelation had me on the edge of my seat. I honestly was surprised by many of the scenes I was shown, while still being eager for more.
The Winters family is not what you’d expect for a family of drug dealers (and makers, for that matter). I liked that they were different. I loved how different each character ended up being. Everyone in the family had their own motivations and their own skeletons to deal with. It made for a disturbing family telling…but it worked so well.
The mother and the daughter are by far the most interesting characters, in my opinion. Their experiences and actions being put in direct comparisons of one another, showing the different ways of handling loss and inspiration.
As for the drug itself…wow. I know it’s probably something that has been seen before, but the way it was handled here was pretty brilliant. I love the different forms it can take, depending on the…ingredients. I also love the concept of its production being constantly capped. It raises all sorts of questions about supply, demand, cost, and value. This made for a refreshing change of pace, in my opinion.
I honestly can’t wait for the next volume to come out. I’m actually tempted to switch over to reading this issue by issue, just so I can get back to it sooner.

The concept of the Bone Parish is amazing. I am completely hooked! It's dark and creepy and I really want to get my hands on the second volume.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

YES YES AND MORE YES!!!!!! I really enjoyed everything about this, kind of surprised that I hadn’t heard of this before now, considering the level of AWESOME this is! You’ve got grave robbing, drugs, sex, and violence! What’s not to love?! All centered in the most mystical city in America, The great New Orleans! I can’t wait to read more, we currently have single issues available through our ebook collection but we absolutely need the volume, preferably a physical copy if we can get our hands on one!!!!!! I have a feeling I’m going to love this series deeply! I can’t wait for more!

A crime family has discovered how to make a highly addictive drug from the bone dust of the dead. But while New Orleans is smitten by it, users are starting to hallucinate. Visions of he dead coming back to life fill them. And they're coming to life through them!

Gore and horror mixed into one, Bone Parish is a story that I neither loved nor hated. This is certainly an atmospheric story, and the illustrations certainly help along that line. The dialogue is quite good, and it will certainly be appealing to fans of zombie-like stories.

WOW! This was super intense!

Right from the start I was hooked on the story of the Winters, a family of drug dealers from New Orleans. They peddle ash, a substance that causes hallucinations and other interesting side effects. It is made from the remains of dead people. The Winters matriarch Grace is addicted to the ash, the only thing that keeps her husband by her side. Grace has three sons, Brae, Leon and Wade who were in charge of the operations and her daughter, Brigitte, the only one who knows the secrets of ash. I liked how these characters were flawed but also deep and strong. The backstories were very intriguing.

Bone Parish is part family drama, part mob politics, part supernatural horror. The Winters have conflicting opinions on the future of the business but as long as Grace is alive, what she says goes. There were other gangs who were very determined to buy them out but Grace is holding on to the reins even as her supply of ash and her hold on her husband dwindles. Meanwhile, the brothers continue robbing graves to supply the demand but they were ambushed by a rival gang with tragic consequences.

There were graphic scenes of violence, drug use, etc. That is to be expected given the premise of the comics. However, the artists avoided being gratuitous without sacrificing the visceral impact of the scenes. I've read some reviews saying that the pacing is jumpy but for me, I had no problems with the flow and I was able to follow the story without any difficulties.

This is my first Cullen Bunn comic. So far, I'm pretty impressed. And I have questions. What happens if they ran out of graves to rob? Do they start killing people just to keep up with the demand? Can Brigitte keep all her secrets? Would Leon make a move? Who else is after the family business? And how long would Grace be in control?

Volume 2 please!

P.S.

I received a copy of Bone Parish from Boom! Studios via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

SOUNDTRACK
The Nerve
Mutemath
Armistice

I really liked this book. The setting was good. The character descriptions was very well written. The pace of the story was good. I will be reading more by this author. I would recommend this book.

A family in New Orleans has learned how to make a psychedelic drug from the ashes of corpses, allowing the user to feel as though they are living that dead person's memories for a time, or revisiting a scene with them.

I would say to go into this graphic novel knowing as little as possible, because it's a really cool plotline that takes well to readers going in blind. The artwork isn't my favorite, but it's got a nice, grungy feel to it that fits the mood well enough. My only issue with the graphic novel is the same issue I've had with other works from Cullen Bunn: I found the storyline and pacing to be very jumpy and hard to follow at points. That said, I'd still definitely recommend checking the story out if you're intrigued by the synopsis and don't mind a bit of gore and murder.

Thank you so much to BOOM! Studios for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The worst thing about this was how short it was! A strong beginning for what will hopefully be a great series. I'm not personally very interested in crime stories about drug cartels but like necromancy! We don't yet how the Ash is made other than it's made from the corpses and how the hallucinations manifest. So far it seems to take different forms and I'm guessing it depends on how it's made. The Ash that is sold taps into the memories of the dead, which the user can experience. Sight, sound, feelings, everything! I think?
Very little about how the Ash works it explained. There is a lot of showing and very little exposition. A lot of the story, the emotions and subtext are conveyed through the beautiful art. I really liked how the 'real' world is kind of washed out while the hallucinations are vibrant. It's gorgeous, honestly more than the actual drawings the colors left a greater impact on conveying tone and feel.
I'm excited to see what happens next and how the Winter family can deal with pressure put on them from competing drug cartels as well the police. The Ash itself is also very versatile so I want to know what more it can be used to do and how that will affect the typical crime aspects.
I highly recommend if you’re into crime stories with a supernatural twist.

Cullen Bunn’s cornered the market on shitty horror-themed comics – you wanna read something mega-dull with the superficial genre trappings of horror? He’s your dude! He’s like a one-man Hammer Horror of comics except his stuff isn’t even entertaining on a campy level.

Bone Parish is his latest crud-bucket of images and words. Set in N’Orleans, some family has magically puzzled out how to make an addictive street drug from corpses that makes you hallucinate said corpses’ life experiences: if they was a rock star, you get to experience being a rock star, if they was a porn star, etc. Some other crime family is muscling in on their hustle and bang bangs happen. Sound meet Fury and signify one big Nuthin!

It’s not even worth pointing out how such a drug could possibly work (how do you select the experience you’re after?), not least because this is a fantasy, but because the book has much bigger flaws. The premise might’ve been interesting in the hands of a more capable writer but Bunn fluffs it up. There’s barely any horror or crime – the piss-poor story is basically a shitty family melodrama peopled by instantly forgettable, unlikeable non-entities. I cared about these nobodies so little that when some started getting bumped off I barely noticed let alone felt anything! The art – whatever.

Boring Parish is the comics version of some bland, sub-Netflix TV show you’ll never watch and couldn’t imagine the audience for - in other words, Cullen Bunn does it again! He has written some quality horror comics in the past though and I recommend Death Follows or his Night of the Living Deadpool series for Marvel instead of this drek.

I‘m impressed. As a long-time graphic-novels’ fan I look for fresh and exciting reads in the genre, but I rarely find something worthwhile. Cullen Bunn’s Bone Parish engaged me from the start and never let go. The story blends surreal horror, narcotic visions, stunning art and solid writing.

Ash, a hallucinogenic made from the remains of the dead, allows to experience not only visions but also gain powers of the deceased used to prepare a batch (like combat skills, knowledge, insights). Winters family produces and distributes Ash on the street. Their business develops and bigger players want it for themselves.

Winters don’t want to sell their business, but they struggle to manage it properly. Family’s head, Grace, abuses Ash as it allows her to spent time with visions of her deceased husband. Her son Brae shares trade secrets with wrong people. Maintaining control of the operation has a high cost.

Ash allows to experience life events of the dead, show thoughts of the living, and gain skills of the deceased. It transcends life and death, but it seems Winters still don’t understand the potential of what they’re selling.

Bone Parish is a brilliant supernatural crime thriller that displays a lot of spooky creativity. It combines a gritty crime drama (conflict between police and drug dealers) and gothic horror. Jonas Scharf‘s art captures gothic aesthetics and formidably blends it with modern urban setting. Every single page is a work of art.

If you’re into horror graphic novels, read this one and thank me later.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read this book very suspense