Just higher than 2.5 stars, so I'm going with 3. I've read Vaughan's work before, but this was actually more interesting than the previous stuff I've read. There is a very good point to this story, even though I really never cared for the characters. Interesting take on what people's ghosts look like, and fantastic art.

My thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for an advance copy of this graphic novel that pulls out all the stops in its portrayal of why people like to watch, why people need to experience life through the actions of others, something that make up the lives and after lives of many.

Two genres in books that escaped me completely were romance and true crime. One I didn't believe in and one I didn't care anything about. I had read some books on mob, and famous assassinations, and even collections on crime Ian Fleming, Alfred Hitchcock books and some other titles. However the true crime moniker, the Ann Rule, the Joe Olsen books were of no interest. When I started in bookstores at the ripe old age of 16, I was stunned to see entire sections on True Crime. And honestly they all seemed the same to me, just like romance. As I have become older I am not as judgemental about books as I used to be. True Crime though, is something that I don't get. The books, the numerous podcasts, heck entire streaming services showing documentaries. I don't know if these are signs of the times, or the times have become what we watch. I know there are fans, enough to take true crime cruises, and it is big money. Living vicariously through the lives of the dead, and their murderer is big money, with a fan base that rivals Star Wars. A fan base that might keep watching, even past their own death. Spectators is a graphic novel written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Niko Henrichon which looks at the human love for sex and violence, and how this has shaped us, and how many can't let go, even if given the chance.

Val is waiting for her date in a movie theater sometime after COVID. The theater is pretty empty, and will be even emptier when her date bails on her. Val settles back to relax in her own way, when the sounds of gunfire is heard. A shooter has decided to beat the number of people shot in the Las Vegas shooting and has worked his way through the building, finally killing Val. Val becomes a phantom, meeting other phantoms, many who spend their time watching others. Val is told that anytime she wants she can go to Paradise, or some place different, but Val chooses to wait. Years pass, and New York is a technopolis filled with violence, and/or sex. Val is still a phantom, drawn to extremes in everything. Val meets Sam, a cowboy of a sort, who looks at the world differently, but has his own set of hangups. The two wander the world, watching and talking, as things so from worse, to armageddon-ish.

A dark book that is loaded with everything to titillate the readers, and yet the book asks a lot of questions. Why are readers reading this? Why are we drawn to bad things. What does this mean for us, and what will it lead to. The book is pretty explicit, and yet it really does show how desensitized we have become to many things. Some of the stuff I read I thought about how I hadn't seen that in the real world yet, and wonder when I will. Working retail does that to a person. What I enjoyed were the quiet moments, the talks that Sam and Val had, trying to make sense of the insanity they found themselves in, and realizing it might be more about them then they think. The art is excellent. I can' imagine how long it took to create this book, for Henrichon is an incredibly detailed artist. Numerous pages stand-out, gross, wrong, and yet oddly beautiful. A true melding of art and story.

Not for everyone. Though the questions that Vaughan asks should be. There is a lot here, pages, content, and what it asks of us as readers, and as humans. Another solid work from a team I would wait a long time to see more of.

A woman from the present, the victim of a terrible cinema massacre, enters the afterlife and meets a gun-toting man from the past as they watch all the terrible things happening to the world in the future.
This is provocative, explicitly sexy, and incredibly violent. It examines human voyeurism in a thought-provoking way that made for compelling reading.
Loved the story and loved the art.

Around the present day, a woman bored at the movie theater is murdered by a mad gunman. Years later she is still hanging around New York as a ghost, when she meets another ghost dressed as a cowboy who has been on the other side for decades longer. The two of them decide to travel together to see what they can observe as conditions in the human world deteriorate dramatically.

Brian K. Vaughn and Niko Henrichon have collaborated to create an interesting look at the voyeuristic relationship we have with sex and violence. The centerpiece of the book is the conversations that the pair of ghosts have about their desires, their old lives, the things they have seen since their deaths, and the meaning of it all. But these conversations all take place over Henrichon's gorgeous art, which makes great use of contrasting color and black-and-white imagery. The book is about sex, so there is obviously a lot of it depicted in the book, but for very good reason as the reader is asked why we may want to watch just as much as the central spectating ghosts in the story. A sweet love story full of sex and violence at the end of the world.

Thank you to Image Comics and NetGalley for a copy of Spectators in exchange for an honest review.

Spectators is an interesting mix of smut and extreme situations, in a big way, it's a good story presented in an even better artistic quality.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader's copy.

Perfect and everything i expected i had wanted to read this for years so jumped on the chance to pick this up and honored to have been given the chance by netgalley

This one is a bit of a mixed bag. The artwork is stunning throughout, and Vaughan obviously knows how to write a hook, but this did occasionally drag into monologuing and stating the subtext. Still, there are numerous arresting moments in both the story and art, and I will be picking up a copy for myself (though not the school library) when this is available.

This was very depressing. The violence was a lot. I liked the themes that were briefly discussed but overall this just felt grim.

This wasn’t for me. It is a story about ghosts who float around watching people live, watching them having sex, murdering others etc and the ghosts remember their own lives. They watch the human experience in all its beauty and ugliness. It has pornographic scenes, so it is a mix of porn and sci fi. I have to be honest I don’t think I really got this story. The artwork was good but I don’t really think I understood the novel. Oh well, can’t win them all.

OH FFS, I got so wrapped up in the fact that this was glitching in the reader, I didn't realize which Brian it was! I was like "This is really far from Powers" and now that I'm writing this up...okay, okay, I got it now. BKV, not BMB.

This book is alternately horny and horrific, using that juxtaposition to highlight the strangeness that is life. Our main character dies in a mass shooting and becomes a ghost, someone who watches Manhattan like her own private, pornographic television show.

It's fascinating how much this touches on: from film to orgies to murder to what shapes people and what gets them off.

This is an interesting concept, but I didn’t love it. It’s a bit darker than what I typically prefer to read. I definitely think it will resonate with many readers, but it was not for me.

a full circle reader moment as one of my first ever comic books was The Runaways by Brian K Vaughan and it is an honor to be an adult reading his newest graphic novel for adults
100 years in the future, NYC is haunted by ghosts
a voyeuristic woman named Val, who died in present day time, follows live souls as the indulge in the explicit joys of humanity in its darkest moment
meeting a mysterious gun man named Sam, they journey together bearing witness to the decay of humanity and its relentlessness to find solace in obsession, the fine line of watching people live vs living, sexually explicit and gorgeous in this violently beautiful story with a bittersweet ending that will stay with you for a long time

Spectators is indeed about sex and violence, but more specifically, it is a philosophical, political and artistic exploration of our propensity as a human race to be spectators. We largely stand by and watch as the planet dies, we watch sports, we watch movies and other media, including pornography, we party, we engage in sex, as Rome burns. We are passive and largely disengaged from meaningful interaction with each other and the issues that threaten us with extinction.

Religion, Marx said, is the opiate of the people; in other words, it inhibits our political will to revolt against the class system. It’s a means of distracting ourselves from existential crises. Movies, sports, porn, as mcuh as we globally engage them, are similar opiates, though the idea here is complicated.

So Spectators is a dystopian graphic novel. On the very eve of the nuclear destruction of the planet--yes, the bombs have begun to drop--two ghosts--spectators of the living world--a woman who was scrolling porn as she died in a mass shooting, and a cowboy who died of syphilis--muse on what they might like to be their final act, and they decide they want to either view or in some way participate in a (sexual) threesome! So in one sense, the book becomes a kind of quest for that ending.

Clearly, facing the end, others have chosen similar acts; at one point, the two ghosts encounter an orgy, which they watch. And to be clear, this book is about and depicts very explicit acts of sex and violence, though (spoiler alert) it does not celebrate these acts. Well, it’s the nmarvel of Vaughn’s wizardry that we very much like these two, we see a akinship with them, sure, to die copulating might be the best wat to go, and so on, so we are implicated in Vaughan’s critique, but this book is not porn and not gratuitous in the usual sense of the word.

We like these two as in the middle of the apocalypse they swap stories of their favorite movies, including the cowboy’s original viewing of The Great Rain Robbery, but I have to say, if you are a film lover, you love the talk, as does movie maker Vaughan. These films are great art, they are a comforth, they make the world better AND as a form they are a distraction, too! Vaughan gets to have it both ways!

A found this book to be more than ever over-the-top Vaughan, hilarious, outrageous, shocking, and deeply reflective, so I say it is brilliant, and the ending, which I have studied for awhile now, I think is thought-provoking.

Many people--because it so graphic, sexually and violently--have found this book not to be for them, and I get it. Be warned. It is not Saga, it is not Pride of Baghdad or Runaways. This is adult-themed. But ultimately, this book is takes a traditional artistic and literary stand against (mere) escape (great films are never merely escapist, in Vaughan’s view) and isolation and random acts of violence. But embraces love and engagement with the planet most of us know is in freefall crisis but worth saving.

Thank you Image Comics & NetGalley for a chance to read this graphic novel (my first ever)!

This was an quick & entertaining story about sex, violence, voyeurism, and the afterlife; I thought it was very clever. There was a lot more uhhhhh como se dice ✨sexual content✨ than I was expecting (and I was expecting approximately zero going into this), but that's probably on me. I thought the art style was beautiful, it even made the violent scenes interesting to look at.

A graphic novel aimed at the "mature" audience from Brian K Vaughan which has an extremely interesting and unique storyline. Hard to give a summary of the plot without dropping spoilers so I'll just say that our titular "spectators" find themselves in this situation after a random meeting having come from very different times and embark on a bit of a quest to watch a particularly moment while everything around them goes to shit.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the artwork was exceptionally good. Well worth the read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my review copy

We can always count on Eisner Award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan to deliver something truly unique and thought-provoking. This goes for his latest graphic novel, Spectators, illustrated by Pride of Baghdad artist Niko Henrichon.

Hundreds of years in the future, New York City is haunted by many ghosts, including a voyeuristic woman who died in our present day and a mysterious gun-toting man from the distant past. Normally solo travelers, these two specters meet each other just in time to observe what might be the end of the (living) world.

Vaughan has created some fantastic stories over the years and Spectators is no exception. This unconventional supernatural tale dives into the lives of sex and violence from the point-of-view of the life beyond the grave. While ghostly figures are often imagined as passive onlookers, but it never really crossed my mind on when they are viewing in–are they watching us all have sex? Vaughan answers this in the bold and thought-provoking style he’s known for.

While Spectators doesn't aim to be the most exciting comic on the shelves, it does offer a distinctive experience. Through reflective narration, the story touches on things such as childhood trauma, sexual beginnings and politics. There is also a strong connection to films as the story progresses, a nice connection to spectating. These discussions create a somber yet insightful lens on the fleeting moments that make up our lives. The pacing may feel a bit slow, but it's an intentional choice that allows the story to sink in and take root.

Henrichon puts the graphic in graphic novel with Spectators. Henrichon's exceptional and vivid illustrations bring Vaughan's script to life without holding back. The use of black and white for current time and color for those spectating makes for a visually special comic. The book wastes no time grabbing your attention with a very violent opening sequence, setting the tone for the rest of the story. This is definitely a graphic novel that you might not want to read while sitting in your doctor's waiting room...

Spectators is a bold exploration of a few taboo topics, wrapped up within a supernatural romance. Brian K. Vaughan constructs a slow but powerful tale, while Niko Henrichon injects this story with intense and emotional illustrations. Together, this pair creates a thought-provoking graphic novel that challenges our notions about viewing, living, and, ultimately, being human. Spectators is a truly spectacular graphic novel.

Vaughan does it again! Seriously - I don't think I've ever read something from him that I didn't enjoy. The themes in this one were so relevant to the world we live in today that it was actually a bit unnerving to read and look at the artwork. Plan to go into this one and come out very reflective. There is graphic violence, nudity, and sexual activities - just as a heads up - but I did not find it gratuitous at all, it fed into the overall story and themes well.

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

This was a gritty, explicit look at the afterlife, from the perspective of the ghosts that don't move on after they die. It brings up many good points about toxic masculinity and the dangers of social media, which I was not expecting, but was pleasantly surprised by. It also asks many questions about voyeurism, human sexuality, and violence, and is thus DEFINITELY not a book suitable for young audiences.

I felt that the ending was a little rushed, but otherwise greatly enjoyed this book, both in its style and content.

Publication date: Sep 23, 2025

Spectators by Brian K. Vaughan is a truly unique read, captivating despite its seemingly simple premise: two ghosts, one a victim of a mass shooting, the other of a bizarre sexual mishap, simply chatting.

The book kicks off with a bang (literally). A woman, bored at the movies, starts scrolling porn and is about to masturbate when a gunman opens fire, killing everyone. Years later, as a ghost, she encounters a cowboy-esque figure, and their unlikely conversation begins.

Their discussions, spanning from childhood traumas and sexual awakenings to politics and favorite movies, offer a somber yet insightful walk through life's fleeting moments. It's a testament to the power of everyday talk, set against the backdrop of humanity's twilight. This out-of-this-world premise largely succeeds due to its focus on the intimate, human connection.

While I found the middle section could occasionally drag, with some conversations feeling like filler, these moments are thankfully infrequent.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Spectators and would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a truly different and thought-provoking reading experience.

Definitely a 'mature' title, and 'newly-friended dead duo try to find a threesome before the world ends' is one of the stranger plotlines I've read, but it certainly kept me going until the end to see how it finished up. More an entertaining story than anything hugely deeper (unless you're particularly drawn to thinking about the afterlife and what we've left behind), it's got all of Brian K Vaughan usual excellent writing, coupled with illustrations that are mostly-excellent. If you don't like your illustrations graphic then I'd avoid this because it has them in abundance and they really don't hold back at any point, but if you're happy with a bit of erotic fun then you'll be just fine.