Cover Image: The Watcher

The Watcher

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Member Reviews

Beautyful illustrations and solid story, This was an entertaining read and would love to read more from the writer.

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"A Catholic Deacon and his family relocate to a suburban New England home that's long been rumored to be haunted by an evil entity. As his teenage daughter, Erica, begins to adjust to a new school and new friends, her ongoing bouts with sleep paralysis worsen and she begins to wonder if there really is a presence inside the home. Meanwhile, when two of Erica's high school friends are brutally murdered, she begins to suspect the creepy neighbor who she's noticed watching her through his window.

Check out this tense three issue thriller that blends the fun of Disturbia with the scares of The Conjuring from the minds of Zenescope Entertainment"

The Watcher is FINALLY out! I think I've been rescheduling this for over a year now!

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The Watcher is a graphic novel that has a Disturbia kind of vibe - a teenage girl who moves to a sleepy New England town is plagued by haunting nightmares and murders of high schoolers, and suspects her neighbor of the crimes.

To be completely honest, I read this back when I first got the ARC and I don't find it super memorable, but I did find it entertaining when I read it and I remember there being a pretty shocking twist that hints at a potential continuation. If there are more, I will give them a shot.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

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'The Watcher' by Ralph Tedesco and Victoria Rau is a horror graphic novel and not a bad story.

Erica and her family move to a new town for her father's new deacon job. The house starts having an effect on Erica right away, as does the creepy stranger who seems to be watching the house. Before long, gruesome murders start happening nearby and now Erica and her friends are out to figure out what it is. The killer might be closer than Erica can even guess.

I liked this story of horror and a young girl. The art was pretty good. I've not been the biggest fan of the publisher, Zenescope, in the past, but this was a good effort.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Zenescope and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

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Teenage Erica has an ultra-religious family. She also has night terrors and/or sleep paralysis, where she imagines a demon is after her. When the family moves to a new town, Erica has The Watcher as her next-door neighbor. Is he just a pervy peeper or does he want something more? And is it true that their new house is haunted?

The atmosphere here is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The dread is palpable. The plot is the typical 1980s movie tale. Unfortunately, nothing new is added. The artwork shows diverse ethnicities and life styles. However, I just couldn’t get past that Erica’s dad and her boyfriend, Chris, looked almost exactly alike. No wonder her parents liked him so much. He could be their child. [Don’t worry that’s not a spoiler.]

Due to these pluses and minuses, The Watcher gets a modest 3 stars from me.

Thanks to Zenescope, Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This graphic novel was a shockingly unique story about a catholic family who moves to a new town and strange things unfold from there! It has a religious aspect to it and I do feel like that aspect was very strong in the plot line. It was addictive and the graphics were pretty great too! I need more of this storyline but, I’m not sure if there will be more to come.

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Erica has nightmares. Intense, disturbing nightmares. Trying to fit into her new surroundings, her new school.

Unfortunately for Erica, two of her friends are murdered. Her night terrors become worse. She is beginning to figure out there is definitely more going on than appears. No one else seems to be making any connections so Erica begins to investigate. What she finds changes her life forever.

She begins to realize that something or someone is trying to harm her. She suspects the neighbor, and with further investigation, finds out he is innocent of any wrong doing. As a matter of fact, he has some idea of what is happening in her home and gives her a very ominous warning. The one person taking her seriously, no questions asked, disappears. And her loyal boyfriend is a wolf in sheeps clothing..

Can this become anymore twisted? You bet!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Ralph Tedesco/Victoria Rau for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The story line and illustrations in this book were amazing, I most liked how the characters interacted with each other which made it easy to follow the story line. This was definitely a quick read for me. I highly recommend.

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Pretty basic origin story and one with shocks and twists that are just around for shock value. Not to mention there are some cliches abound like anti-LGBT clergymen who are more of bad joke. Just characters readers want dead because they're bad characters. It would be good if this leaned a little more into that slasher territory from the initial issues. In fact, most of what goes on just feels rushed. It's not a bad story but the potential just feels wasted.

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I really liked the storyline and illustrations in this book. It was a quick read for me and I would love to read more.

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First of all, the art on the cover is noting like the art inside. I really loved the coloring of the book, but not so much the drawing. Still, it's a personal preference and I'm sure there's others who can find it beautiful. The story feature a Christian girl who is haunted by nightmares which turns out being more than that. It was a pretty basic story with a lot of classic things. It could have been worth it to slow the pace and develop more the characters and the atmosphere. For those interested, one of the secondary character is a bisexual unicorn, but we don't see a lot of her story. I would recommend if you want a little horror graphic novel, but don't set your expectations too high.

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Many thanks to NetGalley, Ralph Tedesco, Victoria Rau, and Diamond Book Distributors for a chance to review this trade paperback book. I was given this book for free in exchange for my fair and honest opinion. I have not felt compelled, in any way, by the author, artist, the publisher, or NetGalley to alter my sincerest thoughts on this book. Every word of this review is solely and completely mine.
The story is about Erica, a high-school student who has been moved from place to place by what seems to be overprotective parents, but Erica has horrible nightmares which probably has something to do with their over protection. Her father’s a deacon at the church where she also goes to school. Dad does not like her lesbian friend and her handsy boyfriend. Yet beneath the surface of what really amounts to minor real-life drama, the pall of a serial killer looms. Gorgeous artwork on this graphic novel with serious gore and horror throughout. This is a superb, quick read that will leave you wanting more.

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A horror graphic novel in the vein of the Exorcist, following a teenager, the daughter of a deacon, in the new town they moved to, and the weird house where she suffers from sleep paralysis and other horrific happenings in the town.

This is the 1st volume but I don't think I'll be continuing with the rest of the story, as the art style isn't really my type and the horror is typical and nothing new.

I thank netgalley for the digital copy.

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OMG! This was so dang good! Rated R for mature audiences because of the insanely graphic illustrations. There are body parts, blood, gore, and all the stuff you want in what I consider to be the best graphic horror novel so far.

Not to be outdone, the storyline really shined as well. You'll get hooked and drawn into the book's macabre narrative that will keep you guessing till the end.

For you graphic horror fans, this one is a keeper. Five stars -- it was amazing!

Thank you NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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The Watcher focuses on the soon-to-be eighteen year-old daughter of a church deacon. The family - mom, dad, daughter - recently moved into a creepy house with a strange neighbor. The daughter, Erica, struggles with normal teenage stuff before several horrific murders send her and her new friends in search of answers.

This is basic teen horror stuff. There are haunting dreams that get steadily worse, handsome all-American boys, naughty school girls, pious religious leaders, demons, ancient curses and a mysterious fortune teller.

The art is good, the story is pretty standard. If you're into slasher films with supernatural elements then you'll probably enjoy it. If not? Meh, there are worse ways to spend your time.

***Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Zenescope for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5 stars

The plot of The Watcher is nothing new—creepy neighbor watching teens, teens end up killed in a demonic sacrifice-type murder—but fortunately for me it's a trope that I tend to enjoy. Erica has just moved and started attending the strict Christian school where her Deacon father works. She becomes friends with a couple of girls (that her parents immediately dislike) and even starts dating the boy she likes, but despite her happiness, her sleep paralysis and night terrors grow increasingly severe. When two of her friends are murdered in a sacrifice straight out of her nightmares, Erica decides to see just what the watchful neighbor is hiding.

I'm pleased that I liked this graphic novel more than a lot of other reviewers. I thought the story was pretty interesting and I liked the art style. But sadly it wasn't good enough for 5 stars. My main critique is the pacing. There are three issues, but about 80% of the plot progression took place in the last issue. I think that not only could it have been paced more evenly, but there should have been a fourth issue to really flesh everything out. The ending was pretty rushed, and it wasn't very clear what was happening. [***spoiler hidden on Goodreads*** Like once Erica finds out her mother is demon, she suddenly realizes she has power too and knows the incantation in Aramaic or whatever to defeat her. How? And how was Tamra okay after getting hit in the head with a hammer so hard Chris thought she was dead? I don't like the it just happened like that explanations. ***spoiler hidden on Goodreads***] You're given a lot of clues to figure things out before the end, but I didn't see that as a negative, and there was one little shock that got me. I wish the Watcher had more presence in the story; his role was quite small considering the title of the novel.

While I liked the art style, I agree with the criticism that the characters' ages seem off, because they do all look similar in age. There is little to differentiate the teens from the adults, mostly just a little gray hair at the temples. Without that, Erica and her mother would both look like they're in their late 20's, Chris and the Deacon looking 40ish. The color palette is entirely autumnal (something I really liked), which might be preferable for people who dislike monochromatic graphic novels or garish tones.

I think I'd recommend this to someone who likes Silent Hill (the movie, but maybe fans of games too) and fans of Wytches by Scott Snyder. The end was left open for a continuation, which I would pick up if they decided to create another novel.

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Decent illustrations and coloring. The story although not an original demon coming of age story, is still interesting and entertaining. Reads like an early 2000 horror film. Like a lot of trilogies in the graphic novel genre I do feel the story was a bit rushed in the end. The story starts out at a good pace and then in order to werr ap it up, things start moving more rapidly. Although the story doesn't end exactly on cliff hanger, it does leave it open ended what could possible be out there and to come.

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Hmmm… A book that descends from a decent start, and ends up being a mess that brings more grand guignol to parent issues than is common, but does nothing else. We start wonderfully, with a daughter of two religious nutjobs sharing her bedroom with what might be an incubus. Meanwhile the guy over the road might just be a serial killer. But in three decent-length episodes we find the truths behind it all to be much less satisfactory. A decent enough fist at modern horror, and at least the kids involved have a bit more intelligence than they're allowed in slasher pics, but it doesn't leave one with a very memorable conclusion.

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When a church Deacon and his family move to a house that's been rumored to be haunted, his daughter begins experiencing nightmares and sleep paralysis. She with her friends begin to wonder if there really is a presence in their house. Things take a nasty turn when two of her friends are brutally murdered in the manner of an occult.

I was so happy to land another graphic novel that's right up my alley. Ok, first things first, this is a 3 issue in one, and the graphics are super cool and eye popping, really do justice to the paranormal themes of the novel. This offers everything that you'd expect from the blurb, religious undertones, horror overtones, high school angst, and friendship. The plot was a bit cliched but what I really loved was the pacing of the story, never a dull moment in there and I read it all in one sitting while on the edge of my seat. Oh and it's not just horror, there's a bit of mystery in there too, a know-it-all creepy neighbor. the ending was a bit rushed but just perfect imo, surely has the potential for a build on. But I just keep going back to the graphics, just COOL (maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but my eyes feel rn :)

#TheWatcher #NetGalley

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Has potential, left me wanting more.

The Watcher has a great plot (albeit a few classic horror tropes; virgin protagonist, religious undertones, weird neighbour, etc) but the execution was weak. The pacing was rushed to where I thought I had skipped over a few pages by mistake. The Watcher would've benefited from a slow-paced build up and further developed plot. Overall, I'm just left wanting more. However, if you're a fan of horror and are looking for a quick evening read The Watcher is perfect.

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