Climber on a wintry Denali falls off – which would probably be partly to do with him worried about his livestream more than anything – and suddenly finds a unique entrance to a unique cave. End of livestream. When his girlfriend turns up to check what happened she finds a complete horror story of – well, that would be telling.

Although this book hardly does any 'telling' when 'showing' is available – it is as subtle as a ton weight on your toes. Said girlfriend and a second female that wants to rescue her from a dodgy Cthulhu-type evil thing spend the rest of the book cussing tiresomely, meaning nobody is really that great and likeable a character, and nothing about the intrigue, from the main monster to the whole concept, ever begins to hang together. It is a narrative full of WTF moments and ideas, all leading to very little, especially given that ending.

a dark and horrifying urban legend inpired story with a twist
internet streaming adventurist, hooky hidalgo, goes missing mid stream after falling off a cliff into a dark tavern of mysterious ancient drawings
hooky fans and gf becca who are watching the stream rush to alaska to save him
becca the only one who actually cares for hooky, tries to look for him but is stopped, detoured and endangered by the townsfolk, leaving a mysterious and dangerous secret unanswered to becca
teaming up with local theorist shailene they uncover a monstrous secret and disturbing monsters

I thought this was going to just be the story of an influencer that gets lost in a mountain and finds a cryptid or some other conspiracy theory creature. Straightforward but creepy. Oh boy, was I wrong.

I'm not sure if I can even remotely describe the plot without some major spoilers, so I will contend myself with saying that I love how much personality each character had and that this is some insane world-building. I desperately need to know more.

The main monster has of the creepiest and most interesting dialogue (internal monologue?) that I have ever seen. Something about it chilled me to the bone.

I am docking a star because I am really not a fan of the “solutions” that were found and the ending. I wish it had gone in a different direction. There was more chaos to be had.

Thank you to NetGalley, Paul Tobin, and Mad Cave Studios for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

Trigger warnings for: gore, violence, animal death

The premise — a missing vlogger, a mysterious cave, a suspicious town and things that go bump in the night — are right up my alley. Add in solid artistry, Eve having a good day and the goats, and it’s all just one colorful, chaotic conspiracy theory of a book. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

I'd have loved to read this but was unable to read it before July 7th.
This publisher has a really good rate of fantastic graphic novels and I am sad.

Dark Pyramid is a creepy story about a dark pyramid hidden in a mountain. The creatures are creepy looking and the artist does a great job making them that way. It's a page-turner since you really want to see what happens to the character next. The atmosphere is creepy and dreadful as you the characters feel trapped and you wonder how they survive and escape their situation. If you like horror graphic novels, definitely check this one out!

Thank you NetGalley and Dark Cave Studios for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Hooky is a famous vlogger who disappeared on a hike on a mountain during a livestream. The whole world is looking for him but we mainly follow his girlfriend who is continuing to vlog the experience. She makes it to the town but gets tied up in something more sinister than just looking for her boyfriend. This was a well done graphic novel. I enjoyed the artwork and storyline a lot. There is a creepy undertone and lots of gore. I plan on buying this when it goes to print and I highly recommend you give this a chance

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

Dark Pyramid scratched an itch for a pulpy cryptid story. While I didn't love the dialogue, the overarching concept is a good one. With a different writer this series could thrive. As it stands, I'm undecided on if I would read a Volume 2.

Oh, I loved this. I'm all about secret ancient pyramids buried for millenia in ice. Becca and Shailene go on the run in Alaska, hiding from all manner of monsters in the search for her missing boyfriend. Ancient mysteries live up in this region of Alaska and our main characters are in the middle of all of it.

The art was fun and fine, I especially liked the monster work a lot. It had some beautiful coloring in it as well.

The story itself is more action-horror than monster-horror though, and I was really wanting ancient monster, Lovecraftian Eldritch horror stuff. Dark Pyramid is not that, or well maybe it's like if Underworld were cosmic horror. Lots of gunplay lol I wanted more mystery, BUT we do get some answers here, enough to tantalize and make me want more.

I'd happily read so much more of this story, even if the ending did annoy me just a little bit. I need to know more about Eve.

Overall though I really super enjoyed this. This hit a craving I had, or always have, for frozen monster horror. It was a fun story with fun art!

Okay, so Paul Tobin's Dark Pyramid was a weird one for me, but in a good way, mostly. Honestly, it was a lot stronger than I thought it'd be. The dialogue was solid, the characters were fun, and the monster designs? Seriously sick. That main creature, the big ass woman demon monster, was especially great. So yeah, it had a lot going for it right out of the gate.

But man, the story just went in such a bizarre direction. The first two issues totally sold me, but after that, it just kept getting weirder and odder. By the end, I wasn't really sure how I felt about the plot. Also, while the pacing worked well for a lot of it, there was this needless back and forth between some characters that got a bit much.

Overall though, it was a fun little twisted horror story. Despite the plot getting a bit out there, those strong points really carried it. I'd give it a 3 out of 5.

My thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for an advance copy of this new graphic novel that tells of what goes on in the far wilderness of Alaska, where nature has been changed, secrets are being kept, secrets that are worth killing over.

When I was a lad I was a Cub Scout,maybe a Webelo Scout. My troop went on a jamboree I think it was called, in the woods. There were a lot of other scouts, and the peaceful time in the woods was anything but. I was coming to end of my interest in scouting, and probably people. Instead of going to some celebration I went for a walk. Where I promptly got lost. At the time it was scary, I will admit. Now I find it fascinating. The trees seemed different, the night sky unfamiliar. And the creatures that were stirring were not ones I knew. Their sounds, their smells even seemed wrong. As I am writing this, everyone knows the story ended with me getting back to our crowded camping area. However it stayed with me. and gave me a respect for nature. Nature is wild, and maybe for all we think we know, there is a different set of animals that come out at night, maybe creatures that shouldn't be. And creatures that really can't be controlled. Dark Pyramid written by Paul Tobin and illustrated by PJ Holden, is a story about nature going in different ways, dark ways, and how efforts to control it, can only end in tears, and violence.

Hooky Hidalgo is a influencer with a lot of followers and a love of adventure and going off the beaten path. Hooky's latest money maker is a ascent of Mt. Denali in Alaska, with only his streaming fans as company. Things go wrong when Hooky falls down and finds himself at a cave with all sorts of strange writing. Suddenly the stream ends, and Hooky is considered missing. Becca his producer-girlfriend makes her way to Alaska to find Hooky. There she finds the locals mysteriously cold, and a lot of Hooky fans getting ready to look for him. Becca is awoken by a mysterious woman, one who claims to be a scientist, but seems to be a bit crazy, who tells Becca the town is going to kill Becca, so no one goes looking for Hooky. Escaping the killers Becca and Shailene cross paths with something that should not be, along with a whole lot of others things that tells Becca something odd is going on in the mountains. And a lot of people are willing to kill to keep it silent.

A fun dark little story, a mix of moden conspiracy thought, H.P. Lovecraft and of course X-Files. With a lot of body horror, violence and cursing. Lots of cursing. The story starts strong, with Hooky's travels, and never really lets up, though the ending is a little more talky than I expected. There are a lot of red herrings, and things going one way than another, enough to keep the reader engaged. Plus the body horror and violence work well in the story. The art is good, bright colors, lots of action, with characters who stay consistent in look and styling.
Horror fans will enjoy this, and though it says the story is over, there seems to be a volume 2 planned. A good story, with enough ick to get most people, and a plot that never lets up. A fun read.

This started off strong. The atmosphere was creepy and tense, and the art style was really great. The violence and gore was captured well. However, the ending was a huge info dump and pretty anticlimactic.

Dark Pyramid starts off strong. The first issue really pulled me in. It’s eerie, exciting, and full of mystery. The idea of a missing live-streamer, a dark pyramid hidden in the Alaskan mountains, and strange monsters lurking around had me hooked right away.

The art in is also really solid. The snow, the cold, the wide, empty spaces - it all looks great.

But, after that, things started slipping.

The story got more typical. You know, characters making dumb choices, monsters popping up just because, and some of the mystery kind of falling apart. Parts of it felt rushed, like they skipped over important stuff or expected you to connect the dots with barely any clues. Some things honestly didn’t make much sense.

There’s also humor in there - sometimes it works, sometimes it really doesn’t. A few jokes completely pulled me out of the creepy atmosphere.

It’s not bad overall. It’s a fun, quick horror comic with monsters, conspiracies, and cool ideas. But I kept thinking about how good that first issue was. It gave me hope for something more unique, something that would really stand out. Sadly, the rest never quite lived up to that.

Worth checking out if you like modern horror comics and don’t mind some clichés. Just don’t expect the brilliance of the beginning to last all the way through.

What a turn of events. I really enjoyed the story buildup. This story had a very eerie vibe straight from the beginning and it only got more eerie as the story continued. I loved how creative the concept was and how descriptive the story telling was! I would recommend this for any fan of horror!

Great artwork and an amazing story i got this one after release date but i really did enjoy it alot and i thought it was super fast paced and had such a great creepy element to it as wel

Nice graphic novel about an influencer in search of her missing friend. But instead she ends up somewhere that is very dangerous.
I liked the illustrations and all the color in this cold place. It's dark but still filled with humor.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Pyramid tells the story of Kooky, who went missing on a mountain, Becca, his girlfriend who goes to find him, and Shailene, who has been obsessed with the idea of a dark pyramid for years.

As Becca will soon discover, there are a lot of things to be frightened of on the mountain, including a group of sadistic U.S. military members and a bunch of monsters. Who can she trust, if anyone, to help her and Shailene?

This comic had a few scenes that really resonated with me. I felt similar to how I did when I first started reading Something is Killing the Children. Although this book says, “the end,” it’s definitely set up to continue. And honestly, I really hope it does. Otherwise, the deal that was made at the end of the book doesn’t provide a satisfactory ending to an otherwise fine comic. Due to the uncertainty of a better ending, I’m giving this one four stars, rather than five.

I've been a little less keen on basing fiction around real-world conspiracy theories since [gestures despairingly at the past decade], but if nothing else, this riff on the notion that there's an ancient structure hidden within Denali* in Alaska seems unlikely to lead to anyone turning up at a pizzeria with automatic weapons. We open with the modern version of found footage horror – a live streamer goes offline in mysterious circumstances – and then follow as his girlfriend and others go to find out what's up. The next couple of issues are the obligatory scary runaround, and if PJ Holden's art ensures they look good, it did also remind me that 2000AD would probably have been a lot pacier with this material. Still, once we get the big reveal it's agreeably bonkers (in more ways than one), and I genuinely did not expect the ending, while still accepting that it followed fairly enough from the characters Tobin had established (and, as in Bandette, he is solid on that, even with the minor roles).

*Hearteningly, even representatives of the inevitable murderous government conspiracy refrain from calling it Mount McKinley. Allyship!

(Netgalley ARC)

Dark Pyramid follows Becca, who goes out looking for her missing adventurist and live-streamer boyfriend Hooky after he goes missing while climbing Mt. Denali. She teams up with Shailene, a local conspiracy theorist. Together, they fight off monsters and uncover the town's secrets!

I enjoyed this dark horror story. The artwork was beautiful and gory at the same time. My favorite artwork was when they went into the dark pyramid. I liked the creature Eve’s character design. The story kept me engaged and wanting to find out what happens next! I didn’t like the ending much because they teamed up with the enemy (and I’m not talking about the monsters!). Overall a quick, fun read.