I’ve always loved stories where someone can see things others can’t, especially when it involves preventing death or uncovering dark secrets. In this graphic novel, we follow Yoon-Sook Namgung, a 25-year-old with a unique ability: she can see invisible strings connecting people. Black strings mean death or murder, and blue ones represent sexual relationships. Thanks to this gift, she’s been able to solve several cases… until she discovers a black string connected to herself.

This was a super quick read, and I really enjoyed the art style. It matched the tone of the story well. Some of the dialogue felt a bit off at times, but it didn’t bother me too much. Overall, it was a short and intriguing adventure, and I’m actually curious to see where the story goes next.

While the plot is good, the art and colours give off a harsh light vibe like the old marvel/dc comics making it hard to read especially the neon colours. It would have been easy on the eyes if subtle shades were included and spacing of panels as well like today's modern webtoons. But I do like the art style and the abundant usage of the colour pink.

String by Paul Tobin is a supernatural crime graphic novel that centers on Yoon-Sook Namgung, a sharp, sarcastic 25-year-old girl with a strange gift: she can see invisible strings connecting people. Blue and Black string that signify that you are either a murder or were just intimate with the other person. Funny.

Yoon helps the Seattle police solve murders using this ability, but things get personal—and terrifying—when she discovers a black string connected to herself. That means she's either going to be murdered or become a murderer. Surprise. Surprise.
Desperate to prevent it, she teams up with Detective Luke Mayfield to uncover the truth behind the string and stop what's coming.

The story mixes dark humor, suspense, and a bit of romance, all wrapped in stylish, expressive artwork

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the concept for this graphic novel! It was an interesting read, and I found Yoon to be an interesting and fairly well-developed character for such a short graphic novel. I also appreciated the masc nonbinary representation with Luke, although I don't feel like his character stood out as much as Yoon did, both in design and in story.

The art style was gorgeous, and I would gladly read more comics from this illustrator!

Fun little surprise of a graphic novel. Cute retelling of the red string theory. Kinda loved that the strings our FMC can see are sex and murder. What else does a girl need? Some of the dialogue was a bit of an eye roll but that's always gonna happen. Not everything lands.

Art style was fantastic. Loved the use of colors.

Review – String by Paul Tobin
⭐ 4 stars

String by Paul Tobin was a fast-paced, engaging graphic novel that instantly hooked me with its intriguing concept. The story unravels in a way that keeps you curious, and the pacing makes it an easy, enjoyable read from start to finish. What really stood out to me was the blend of clever storytelling and dynamic artwork—it complemented the narrative perfectly and added depth without overwhelming the plot.

Paul Tobin’s work continues to impress me in the graphic novel space, and String is no exception. I could easily see this being adapted into a longer series or even a screen adaptation—it has the potential to expand, and I’d definitely be here for it. The balance of mystery, sci-fi elements, and sharp pacing makes this a solid recommendation for anyone wanting a quick but satisfying read. Looking forward to exploring more of his titles!

This was a fascinating idea, and I thought the way the story progressed was very intriguing. I would love to learn more about this world that the author has created, and this power Yoon has.

I was excited to check out String, because superhero stories not from the two big companies are a lot of fun. It’s cool! I want more.

This was a fun story with a cool super power.
Yoon-Sook Namgung has the remarkable ability to see “strings” that connect people. Blue strings connect people that have had sex. Black strings connect a murderer to their victim. The darker the strings are the more recent the connection.

It’s an unusual but cool superpower that I really liked. I’m here for more stories featuring Yoon-Sook!

The art work was really solid.
I thought the art style was really awesome, and the colors only enhanced things.

I really dug the art work from Carlos Javier Olivares. All the characters were distinct and easy to tell what was going on. I want to check out more from him.

Sara Colella’s use of the colors on the strings to connect people did a great job of differentiating the differences in the connections. With it being explained once in the book, the colors really helped clear things up and I loved it.

"String" has a very unique concept and the art was amazing but other than that there wasn't much going on.

The main character has that "I'm not like other girls" attitude and she says multiple times that she is "weird" and "special"

The author constantly reminds us throughout the entire novel about her powers and how they work.
It is honestly very simple. She sees blue and black strings that tie people to other people. The blue is for people who have hooked up and the black are for people that are about to die or kill someone else.
It is an easy concept to grasp yet every person the main character meets she hashes out every single detail all over again about her powers and how they work.

Another thing that felt odd was how the characters talked and reacted to things. It felt so unrealistic and unnatural that I couldn't connect with any of the characters. They were all so childish and cringey and all of them were open book. There were no secretive or bashful characters which just felt odd. It was like every character had the exact same personality.
All in all it was average writing, but the art was very well done. It was very colorful and detailed and it did help the story come to life.

Our story is about a young woman named Yoon-Sook Namgung. She has the amazing ability to see connections or "strings" between people. The catch is she can see only two connections. The Blue string that connects people who have been together romantically and The Black string that connects a victim with the one who will murder them.

Being able to see these connections is very handy with solving infidelity problems or a murder case. However, this also brings massive drama in her personal life and gives a tad bit to much information to her about those she is close with. This is also a problem when a black string is found on herself.

This is such a cool story, and the art is absolutely fantastic. Following Yoon-Sook to find out if she is the victim or the murderer is a wild ride. This is wacky and humorous in ways you wouldn't think a story like this would be.

I don't recommend for a younger audience, for fairly obvious reasons.

I do wish this story was a tad longer so some parts didn't feel as rushed, but overall, it was well told, kept me engaged and i did very much enjoy it

Thank you Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the Digital ARC.
#String #NetGalley

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this eBook.

First of all, I would like to acknowledge the art style, which was very vibrant and amazing. The concept of the book was very intriguing and original. Ii read the whole book in a single sitting.

I was really intrigued by the concept of String.
Plus, the cover art grabbed my attention.

The story was very well-paced. The team did a great job with layout, text, plot, art - all the elements were done so that there were not any distractions.

I would definitely call this one gritty fantasy. Emphasis on the grit (for me). Like gravel with strawberry frosting, which I genuinely think they were going for.

Some violence, but not as graphic as other comics. Appreciated the pronoun diversity. However, one of the drawbacks for me was the overt and repeated sexualization of only the female characters, as well as a lot of tropes.

Overall, a very imaginative concept.

Thank you to Mad Cave Studios for providing me with a ARC through NetGalley.

This is a great surprise! I really liked my reading. The two strings plot was pretty original, with the sexual one and the death one. I loved how they didn't go fo the easy plot "two dudes working together and ending together". I really loved the dynamic between Yoon-sook and the cop. I felt myself attached to what was happening to them, plus the cute animals they were taking care of.

I enjoy reading graphic novels for adult audiences, and String has a fascinating premise: a woman who witnessed her parents' murders when she was young can see strings running between people. Blue for sexual ties, black for death; usually past events, but occasionally the future is seen in those strings. So when Yoon sees a black string appear on her own body the clock is immediately ticking down until death comes- either for her, or the person on the other end.

String's primary cast was limited to pretty much just Yoon and Detective Luke, the police officer who tags along to help solve the mystery of the black string. Each chapter in this first volume shows the two of them chasing down leads over the course of a single day, which feels like a very long day since SO much happens. Since each of the leads is based on an open job Yoon has taken, readers meet a revolving door of eclectic individuals that she speaks to briefly (usually with a bit of an info dump on the context of the job and the people involved) before solving the case and being forced to keep hunting down her would-be murderer. Since Yoon operates on both sides of the law, we see characters of varying moral stances and get extra commentary from her cop sidekick, but most of them don't leave a lasting impression.

The main twist wasn't all that surprising, but there were some details I hadn't guessed that gave it a more unique spin than expected. It's only one volume, so it would be hard to weave a more intricate plot with that page limit, but it did give us another mystery that could be explored in future volumes beyond this one. The art style is vibrant and dynamic, especially the way the strings are illustrated, and I was impressed by the variety of character designs contained in the short story. Ultimately, this was a bit forgettable, but I would be interested in reading more from this author and this world.

I absolutely love this! Not only because of the unique magic structure of Yoon's ability, but also the twists and turns the story took.

Highly recommended to those who like witty banter, well drawn action sequences (the paneling was great, i really must say!), and a protagonist who has been through the roughest life, but didn't let hardship take away her softness and compassion.

It presented well rounded characters that had full agency in making decisions that made sense considering who they are, what they do and what they've been through. Each of the characters' decisions also moved the plot forward in a way that was exciting and action packed and it didn't feel contrived at all.

I love so many things about this comic book and I want a part two please!

First a BIG thank you to NetGalley, the Author, the Artist and the Publisher for this ARC.

This is gorgeous from start to finish.
Both the art and the story.
It's complex, funny, mysterious and a little romantic.
All in all, it's an enjoyable rollercoaster of a book.
The idea that someone could see "strings" that lead to a "murderer"(black string) or a "sexual partner" (blue string) is an intriguing concept.

I would love a friend like that in my life!

The plot moves quickly so there is no dilly dallying.
It's action packed from start to finish and it has a way of surprising you.

Also, I want there to be a next volume.
I need there to be a next volume!

10/10 recomend.

String is a unique take on the red string story, which leads to an interesting protagonist and story. Yoon has a rare ability to see blue and black strings linking people together. The blue strings link sexual partners while the black strings link murderers and their victims. Due to her power, Yoon works as a private investigator (somewhat like Sherlock Holmes) and takes multiple cases to help others, including homicide detectives. One day, however, Yoon finds a black line leading to her with only one question to answer: Is she a murderer or a victim? I liked 'String', it was interesting, and Yoon was great. The dialogue was witty, although sometimes some seemed a bit winded, and I like the vibrant colors and art style.

Overall, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Loved the concept of the story, it’s very diferent from anything I’ve read before.
The art style is gorgeous and complements the story nicely.

I was so happy when I was told I could read this. I really liked the plot of the black thread for deaths and the blue thread for sexual partners. It's a twist on the classic story of the red thread.
I really liked the energy between the two protagonists, and the gossip everywhere she went.
The story lacked a bit of construction, what happened with her parents is weird, there's no context. You can't just throw something like that and not give it a logical explanation, but I guess it will be something that will be developed in the next volumes.
The color palette of the drawings is beautiful.

This was such a different story concept compared to what I'm used to, so I was really looking forward to this. It is a graphic novel and fits the standard format/structure. The illustrations were good, but they weren't fantastic--overall, they fit the story though. Yoon's ability to see these two different strings (blue and black) was interesting, and how she uses the view of the black strings to solve murders. The story was good, overall.

String is both thought-provoking and thrilling, delivering a story that feels cinematic and intimate at once. Fans of Black Mirror, Jessica Jones, or supernatural noir will find this a standout read. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy dark mysteries with a speculative twist. Thank you to Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.