Concept and overall plot was interesting, but my problem with this was the dialogue and the pacing. At a certain point it just got a little ridiculous. Felt like the author was just having a conversation with himself and I’m over here thinking like…. can you please get to the point? Fifty or so pages worth of the author’s letterboxd ramblings and he could’ve gotten away with it if it had added anything to the story, but frankly, it did not. The timeline was also difficult to follow at times. Beside my main gripes, I will say the art was nice and I ate up the story. Picked this up and read it in one sitting, so if you’re looking for something like that, you may enjoy this. 2.75 stars from me. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

My first adult graphic novel and I thought it was okay. Big themes had the opportunity to shine through but it all felt very surface level and obvious. Maybe it’s the structure of graphic novels and I’m simply not used to it, but it didn’t wow me.

I requested this ARC as I love Brian K Vaughan's writing. In this case, I think his style comes through, but alas it's not exactly what I was looking for.

The beginning of the story is harsh and dark, and really showcases the way Vaughan does not pull any punches when it comes to subject matter. Very, yes he's willing to go there and you know what maybe someone should since it is a very real albeit tragic part of life, at least in America. Shying away from discussing or depicting it can be its own form of censorship, but I digress.

I do think this book delivers on its premise, I suppose I just wish it said more? His works tend to have this poignancy that cuts through to my emotions and pieces of my life that I've experienced. I can't say I felt that so much with this one but maybe I'm just not in the right stage of life to appreciate it. I truly do think that someone else picking up this book has the potential to take more from it than I did. And that's juts fine.

Regardless of it not hitting me as deeply as some of his other works, it's still a good story. It's unique in its premise and delivers what he always delivers, a slice of raw human life and ingenuity.

The ending was a little odd but maybe I should have seen it coming. I'll revisit this again one day and maybe there will be more lessons and insight than I had today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for the E-ARC!

Thank you net galley for the opportunity to read and review
I unfortunately was not able to finish the comic based on the small summary I didn’t realize it would be so graphic and what happens sits a bit to close to home so couldn’t continue.

This graphic novel was a quick read (less than a day for me), but not an easy read, so I suspect I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. It’s very different from Saga if that is your only prior experience with Brian K. Vaughan’s work.

This book is not for everyone, there is plenty of graphic sex and violence. You will know within the first ~20 pages whether it’s too much for you.

All that said, I generally enjoyed this book, in particular because of its commentary on human nature, voyeurism, and nihilism. It’s not simply a book that asks “what would you do at the end of the world?” and “what would you do if you could watch anyone unobserved?” It adds a gritty context, taking these questions out of their clean room so to speak, and pulling the readers in as voyeurs.

There’s a conversation about Terminator in the book, where the movie is described as not only an action, horror, or sci-fi movie, but primarily a romance. Whether or not you agree with that assessment, it happens to be an apt description for this book - there is plenty of action, horror, sci-fi, plus romance as well.

I quite liked the end of the book - it hammered home the themes quite nicely, and felt like a satisfying ending.

While it didn’t stop me from reading, I think the sex and violence was slightly excessive (other readers may of course disagree).

Wow. What a great story. I mean its definitely X rated with the images but the story and the plot line are fascinating. Super unique and interesting. Highly recommended!

saga by the brian k vaughan is one of my favourite worlds ever. the characters, the found family, the world building and power systems…. excellence.

i couldn’t definitely see parts of this in the writing style and overall message of Spectators but i’m not really sure who the target audience for this is? i think there is something to learn from this regarding voyeurism and desensitisation but i also feel like a lot of what was done well in this, was done miles better in Saga.

The team of Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon must be protected at all costs. Pride of Baghdad is one of my favorite graphic novels, so I was beyond excited when I saw that this duo would be reuniting for Spectators. I had the pleasure of subscribing to their paid SubStack, Exploding Giraffe, so I saw this story unfold in real time.

Brian K. Vaughan sure does know how to tell a story. I've been a fan of his for a long time, and whether he's writing for existing IPs or telling his own stories, he just has a way of pulling you in immediately. And though Spectators mostly takes place in the future, there is so much ripped straight from today: the fascination with mass shootings and people trying to outdo each other violently, both sex positivity and puritanical thinking, and our fascination with 'watching'. It is a provocative, sexy, voyeuristic, graphically violent, sometimes rage-inducing, and poignant story wrapped into one beautifully executed package.

Speaking of beautiful, Niko Henrichon's art is stunning, a perfect visual match for this story. I love the way the dead are seen in color, while the real world events unfold around them in black and white. It's a visual distinction that is usually reversed in media, with spirits or the dead being colorless, and I'm here for it. He doesn't shy away during the sexy times either, so be forewarned if you're looking to read this in public.

Ultimately, this was an incredible ride (pun intended), and I really hope Vaughan and Henrichon collaborate again soon.

Warning ⚠️ this graphic novel has sexual explicit material & graphic violence

This isn’t my normal material I would read but I am grateful for being given the opportunity to read this ARC. I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into reading this I honestly finished it feeling rather confused. It honestly felt like it was being graphic for the fun of it and not actually having no rhyme or reason. Maybe it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Image Comics , Netgalley & Brian K Vaughan for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

“Spectators” by Brian K Vaughan& Niko Henrichon

4⭐️/5⭐️

What a ride. This is a story focusing on a dystopian future through the eyes of ghosts who observe. The main character, a woman who is murdered in a movie theater, becomes a voyeuristic ghost continuing the ‘haunt’ earth. However, *every* ghost is a big voyeuristic, watching humanity spiral into extinction.

The future earth is bleak, filled with excessive violence and crude displays of sex. It goes without saying, the story contains graphic and explicit scenes. I found the commentary on violence persisting, in almost a repetitive manner, to be interesting. In addition to sex, voyeurism, and humanity’s indifference to surviving.

The original title of the pitched pilot version of The Muppet Show was "Sex and Violence." That serves as a fitting subtitle for BKV's Spectators, which is all about how we like to watch. How we've always liked to watch. How we'll keep on liking to watch until we blow ourselves up in the process.

Please be advised that both the sex and the violence are graphic and explicit. Prince Robot IV would blush at some of the pages, but then he'd just go on looking.

My thank to Image Comics and NetGalley for this review copy.

Note: I received access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Spectators is a very shallow story. If it weren't for the mass murder this would be a very light read. While the stakes are low, the shock value is high. In the end the subplots felt underdeveloped and the main relationship wasn't very deep.

A beautifully constructed but deeply cynical book. I’ll likely be pondering it for quite some time, hard to say I enjoyed it but it certainly glad to have experienced it

Spectators was interesting. Some of the content may be triggering for people, but the social commentary was thought provoking. The book is beautifully illustrated and adapted surprisingly well to the online format in a way many graphic novels do not.

The kind of bonkers ideas you come to expect from a Brian K. Vaughn book filled with sex and violence and also fascinating concepts and interesting commentary on the world that we live in now through the prism of supernatural science fiction. It doesn't quite reach the highest levels of some of his past work, but it's pretty darn good.

Special Thanks to Image Comics and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

Honestly speaking, I didn't feel that much of the gratuitous nudity and sex was necessary - if only because I personally felt it detracts from the story and the message. As someone who deals in bookselling and acquisition, I know that many of the people that pick this up will either look at it for the graphic scenes and ignore all else or see the graphic scenes and put it down because they are uncomfortable. Personally, I like Brian K Vaughan's work, so it wasn't a surprise that I was still able to enjoy it. Of course, I am also not a prudish person, so that helps. Still, in my line of work, the layman's opinion something I have to consider.

Spectators is an adult graphic novel about two ghosts, or “spectators.” Stuck in the limbo between life and death, these spectators spend their time observing humans at the end of the world.

This novel explores sex and violence, two things it can be hard to look away from. This story feels like a realistic version of what our world could look like in the not so distant future. While mass shootings and world wars take over, people are still obsessed with media and technology. The spectators, a voyeuristic woman and an old cowboy, see humanity shift through the years and as the end of the world seems truly near, they get down to what it means to be human and have desire in a world set on destruction.

This graphic novel is NFSW, there is lots of nudity, sex, and violence. With that content warning out of the way, I really enjoyed this story. I loved the idea of ghosts in a futuristic setting. Instead of ghosts that haunt a story, it was interesting to follow two characters who died long ago, but are just floating around watching humans live across time. This story was unlike anything I have read before. I was deeply sad when I got to the end. This was such an interesting, albeit scary/sad world. Vaughan’s characters and storytelling never disappoint and Henrichon’s illustrations are incredible!

Brian K. Vaughan is an American comic book and television writer, best known for the comic book series Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways, Pride of Baghdad, Saga, and Paper Girls. His newest book, Spectators, is a violent, sexual exploration at a voyeurism set against an apocalyptic nightmare.
A woman is murdered in a movie theater in present day. Her murderer is playing an online game, in which participants attempt to kill the most people at once. After she’s murdered, she becomes a ghost, and haunts the city. Years later, the city, indeed the world, has descended into a pleasure-driven chaos. Deadly fight clubs, mechanically aided pornography, and public orgies are the rule of the day, and Vaughan pulls no punches in presenting this lawlessness to us. The woman’s ghost eventually meets another ghost, one much older than she, but with a shared interest in voyeurism. The rest of the novel proceeds through the final days of the world as observed by these two ghosts, who are on the hunt for one last voyeuristic thrill before humanity dies.
The book is as intense as the description implies. Niko Henrichon’s rich, colorful illustrations are as blood-stained and pornographically salacious as the plot demands. While some readers might be put off by such graphic displays, the whole plot of the book and the moral queries it asks necessitate violence and sex to such magnitude. The book is designed both to thrill and disgust readers in equal measures, and forces them to question the direction of their own gaze.
Spectators is a bizarre sci-fi horror graphic novel. Set in a near-future society that has descended into a madness of violent power and sexual pleasure, the two protagonists seem a rational, even sane, counterpart, despite being specters. The rich art of Henrichon coupled with Vaughan’s sense of tension driving the story create a compelling tale. Adult fans (this book is DEFINITELY 18+ Only!) of body horror, sexual horror, and apocalyptic horror will thoroughly enjoy this morally introspective graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC.

This had an interesting concept with a lot of sex and violence.

More than that is this what we as humans (especially now more than ever) to be Spectators! A political and philosophical look into darkest human exploration and the need to spectate.

As a fan of Brian K. Vaughan's, I was sure I would be in for a treat.....and boy was I ever! Sexy, shocking, propulsive, and as addictive as your favorite snack. A must read for BKV fans and anyone who loves a great graphic novel.