Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I found this graphic novel while browsing on NetGalley, and I thought the premise was very interesting. Unfortunately, I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would.
To me, the storyline and the writing style are a bit confusing, and although I loved the art style, I found the illustrations hard to follow through the story.
I would still recommend this graphic novel to horror and cyberpunk fans.

Many thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with this digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own, honest thoughts about this book.

Blink is a "found-footage" horror graphic novel about Wren Booker, a journalist who was found wandering the streets of New York City covered in blood when she was three years old. No one knows where she had come from or whose blood she was covered in.

Haunted by her past, Wren stumbles upon a CCT feed from a cryptic website setting off suppressed memories of her childhood. Determined to learn what happened to her and her parents, Wren travels back to where she was found in search of answers.

Blink tries to tackle the social dilemmas of technology, surveillance, freedom of choice, privacy, and the mob mentality but fails to have anything poignant to say about any of it. We go on this journey with Wren but get held up in the narrative that at times became too heavy-handed. It forced me to glean from the graphics what was going on, rather than both the art and text working together to tell a cohesive story.

In addition to a very clunky plot, the artwork was extremely diluted throughout most of the novel. I was expecting the artwork to be in line with the cover page: vibrant and alive, but instead, it was dark and even indecipherable at times. I understood some of the stylistic choices that were used, especially the choice to make it look grainy as if looking at it through an old camera feed on a box set tv, but still, the dark colors, the inclusion of small panels, and only having my iPad as a way to read this, I had a hard time even seeing what was on the page, but in the end, the illustrations were superior to the story.

2 out of 5 stars

I'd like to first thank Netgalley and Oni Press for giving me access to this copy of "Blink" by Chistopher Sebela.

Don't let my star rating fool you, I did enjoy this graphic novel for what it was. The artwork is rather beautiful, but as other reviewers here have mentioned, it's a little harder to follow. I found myself confused by the layout more than once, but maybe that's just a reader issue. I personally adore abstract narratives, but this one didn't grab me as well as others have.

This graphic novel felt like an episode of Black mirror that found its way into Paper Girls. This alone should be a slam dunk, but not for me. I felt detached from the narrative and disinterested in the plot. I really do wish it was more my taste, but alas, it was not. Imagine a RedditNoSleep brought to life, the issue here is that I'm shown too much of the terrifying other within the narrative, and therefore have no mystery left to unravel myself...

Aspects I did enjoy:
The artwork
The atmosphere
The main character's vibes
Monster design

Aspects I didn't like:
Confusing plot
Showing more than telling in regards to plot

Pick this up if you like:
Pulse
Black Mirror
Paper Girls

I found Blink to be an interesting idea, but it was never able to deliver an entertaining or coherent story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy of the book.

If I'm going to be honest, which I am, I hate cyberpunk. The futuristic, mechanical, doomsday vibe has never, and will never, be my style. I don't know why I requested this, even from the cover you can see that it's all cyber punk and futuristic dystopian. Nonetheless, she persisted....until 50% when I just said screw it and stopped forcing myself to read a book I didn't understand. I thought maybe it was my lack of love for the genre that made me confused about this story and what was supposed to be going on, but after looking at other peoples reviews that DO enjoy the genre, I see I'm not alone here. One minute we're in normal present say (or so it seems/ what I think it is anyway) and then the next we're underground. I have no idea how we got here. The backstory was never explained, I really thought it was a dream. Maybe it was. regardless, I never knew what was happening, and instead of trying to finish it, I didn't.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sending and allowing me to read this book.
I will say it did take me a while to get into this comic/graphic novel because the way the artwork is set up is very confusing. The story on the other hand is very enjoyable. I would recommend this but only the physical copy because it can be pretty hard to understand on a phone or kindle.

Art was amazing! The story was kinda hard to follow at times. If this continues, I will read it. I do think if it was twice as long there could have been more time for the story to breathe. We are dropped into the story a little too close to the ending. There’s just a lot going on, and there are no breaks for the reader to catch up. I don’t mean to say there aren’t interesting things going on, but it starts off one way, quickly goes off the rails and then it’s over. I think the fights could have lasted longer, and that would have helped stretch out the story.

I gave the story this rating because the art was fantastic. The composition was captivating. The graphic novel does a lot of really interesting things with point of view and perspective. The world building is intriguing, if at times confusing. I think the story leaves a little to be desired, but they may change upon reflection. It’s packs a lot into a small dose.

Wren was a small child when she was found alone, never having memories of where she came from except small snipets. She becomes obsessed with finding where these snipets are from. Wren finds a website full of surveillance that features some of them. She finds a warehouse where lies the truth.
The art is absolutely beaitiful for the graphic novel/comic, but the story was very confusing for me. The pacing was a little off as well. The disorientation might have been intentional due to the fact Wren was also thrown into the situation. The concept of social experimentation and 24/7 surveillance was very cool. Just wish it was a little more coherent.

I was offered Blink as an ARC via NetGalley and was intrigued by the premise. I admit that I am fairly new to the realm of graphic novels but found that the artwork was incredibly detailed and, at times, downright creepy! The premise is that Wren is hunting for answers but I did find myself ending the novel with as many questions as I started with. I can only assume that there will be another volume as it leaves you with nagging questions and the desire to understand what is really going on. Amazing artwork matched to an engaging horror story.

Beautiful art, creative paneling, interesting and gripping story.

This graphic novel felt like it could have been stretched into at least 2 editions to include more details and character development. I would have loved to know more of wrens backstory and would have loved to see her obsession and trauma more fully fledged out before she dove headfirst into the Blink mystery.

Overall, this graphic novel felt about 75% of the way there, I just wanted a deeper look into the characters.

I picked this up from the available NetGalley pile solely because of the cover art, which is striking, right?. Looks like cyberpunk horror. And if you skim through it, you are struck by the creative paneling. But the art, as with the story, is ultimately a bit confusing, hard to navigate. The story is this: Wren Booker, a young journalist, is obsessed to find out why she was found alone and covered in blood and wandering the streets of Manhattan when she was a kid. Her obsession, illustrated with visible anguish throughout, leads her to an abandoned building that isn’t what it seems. Maybe it should be hard to navigate for us as it is for her? Um, maybe, but you lost me at times

The building is tied to surveillance and cryptic websites and a social cyber experiment named Blink. There's all these screens with images in the building, and she’s seen these images in nightmares, so it’s PTSD territory. We don’t know why this bad stuff happened, but we know surveillance and social experimentation is bad. We don’t do a deep dive into characterization. I kind of got the feeling that the art is the basis for the project, a loosely defined trauma/horror story, an opportunity to make dark mysterious art about a future where people are trying to take over our brains, which could happen, I know. Her obsession driving everything. Not my jam, as they say.

What can I say? Maybe if it were all drawn out into a series where things were better explained and we go to know the characters better and the world-making was grounded in more than just images?

(Thanks to Netgalley and the pub team and especially the creators for an early look)

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

A horror comic that aims to tell big truths on surveillance culture but gets lost in a traumatic backstory to the point it loses its narrative focus. Creative panelling and orientation really added to the feel of the setting that defied logic but the overall narrative didn't grab me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the advance copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

"Blink" is a thrilling dive into a dark world of madness and voyeurism. I was intrigued to follow the journey of Wren Booker as she travels through the mazes of Blink to discover the truth behind the terrifying social experiment she escaped as a child. The highlight of the novel were its visceral illustrations and panelling, but the story itself was a bit lacking. The premise has a lot of promise, but everything is so vague and flat that I found myself sorta shrugging by the end at the lack of any resolution or explanation. Worth picking up for the art but the story left me wondering at the point of it all. Perhaps a second volume would uncover more, if another is released I'd be interested to see what's next for Wren.

I found this a little confusing at first, like I jumped into the middle of a story but eventually the narrative began to make sense. In a world where constant surveillance is a hot topic of discussion, Blink has managed to twist it from a question of privacy to one of survival. It was interesting to see technology melded with mythology, and to see the fear of surveillance become a corporeal monster. I wouldn't say I loved this, but it was a quick and fun read with an unique plot, that really makes you think about thr effects of technology.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Amazing graphics with a storyline that will keep you guessing. Trigger warnings: childhood trauma, kidnapping and forced experiences. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, it blew my mind.

I’m so sad, but I really couldn’t get on board with this one. The art style is stunning, but the story was a tough read. The plot and its delivery are very confusing and unsatisfying. This wasn’t for me.

I absolutely loved the art style and the idea behind this one. Reading it felt like dreamwalking, where you have little idea what comes next nor how to get back and your only option is to push forward. Wren was an unwilling participant in the grand scheme of her life and I enjoyed that. The puzzle pieces were all put in place without her knowledge and no matter which path she chose, it was already decided upon.

That ending though? Cruel! I need you all to see it through! What happens now?

Beautiful graphics, horrible story. Took a long time to read. Cared nothing about the characters or the actual story. Which was sad, cause the synopsis was eye-catching. At the end I was confused and so disappointed with what I read. It was about 20 pages to long. Even still, if you were to shorten the story, it still wouldn't have helped. The way the story was laid out, made no sense. The saving grace was the graphics. It was done beautifully.

#BLINK #CHRISTOPHERSEBELA #NETGALLEY

Really cool art style that blended well with the genre and the story. The art style really aided the story telling and the whole plot was engaging.

I received Blink by Christopher Sebela in exchange for my honest review. Its been a while since I read a horror comic and this one had an eye-catching, interesting art style. Then I saw that it was found-footage horror and I needed to give this a shot.

Content Warnings:
Blink is a horror comic and contains horrific themes including childhood trauma, cult-like scenarios, monsters, murder, war, stabbing, blood, extreme body modification and mutilation (both voluntary and forced), kidnapping and imprisonment, suicide, obsession, depression, agoraphobia, and more. Take care of yourself and remember, its just a story.

5 Star Read

Found footage is not my favorite horror genre but there are some real gems in this sub-genre. I'm always intrigued when I see a book or comic book written as found footage because its so often linked to movies or tv that translating that feeling of shaky camera and glitchy feed to paper is a task worth looking at. Blink certainly was able to do that and more!
Honestly, the first pages made me think of the first found footage movie I ever saw, Fear dot com. This movie was not great but it scared me as a teen and seeing the early pages of Wren staring at her monitor at the CCT feeds unlocked that memory so hard for me. It was great.

I couldn't put it down. Once I started reading Blink, I was glued. Like the main character, Wren, I couldn't leave until I had answers. (Note: I read Blink on my phone when my house lost power during a wind storm. This likely effected my mood and attention. While power outages are stressful, this was a great mood for reading horror.) The pace was steady and didn't let up. Each page dragged Wren and the reader further into the labyrinth of camera feeds and shadows.

The story is both unique and uses horror tropes that any fan will recognize. I was a particular fan of the way the story isolated Wren. It felt both frustrating and believable. Other tropes like obsession, childhood trauma coming back up, the monster in the closet (in this case, paralysis demon), and a twist that really jars the main character are all there to enjoy.

As far as artistry, I loved it. Not just the illustration style but the way the page twists and turns with the characters - it really helped to give the sense that the reader is tagging along with Wren as she makes her way through this labyrinth that is obviously tunneling and ripping its way into our world but doesn't follow our world's rules of physics and geography. It added to the tension as I turned my phone here and there to follow the words and characters. I felt afraid I would miss something, a phrase or clue and somehow missing that would mean that Wren also would miss it and that neither of us would figure out what was going on. It was great.

Recommendation

I highly recommend Blink for sci-fi horror fans who are into found footage and want to see how that translates to paper and/or are into psychological horror. Also fans of the darker side of American Gods by Gaiman or modern eldritch horror wherein gods aren't exactly benevolent.