As soon as I found this book, I realized that I’ve always wanted to see the combo of baseball and vampires. This one definitely whetted my whistle, but it didn’t give me as much as I wanted. Still, it’s a decent take on what I hope will become more of a subgenre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

As someone who doesn’t normally follow baseball, Past Time grabbed me from the first panel. Told through Ronny’s eyes—this former ballplayer—you get swept into Henry Hayes’s world right away: the mysterious player with a “dark affliction” who only shows up when the game is under lights, and whose presence seems to bring fire, violence, and bodies.

From the moment Ronny encounters Henry—hiding with one of the team’s balls—every chapter built tension in such a vivid way. Henry’s lurking feels almost vampiric, grounded in a supernatural realism you can feel. The setting shifting between the 1920s Midwestern barnstorming games and a gritty late-’80s Chicago frame gives it a sweeping scope while staying intimate.

Artist Russell Mark Olson’s visuals? Stunning. His period-accurate gear, the haunting cornfields under moonlit skies, the contrast between shadowy night scenes and sepia-toned flashbacks—it all feels cinematic . And those chapter-opening newspaper clippings? Such a smart touch to anchor the supernatural weirdness in a pseudo-realistic context.

It blends baseball authenticity with horror in a way I’ve never read, weaving themes of legend, memory, and the monstrous hidden beneath. Even without prior sports knowledge, I found myself hooked, uneasy, and eager for more.

A baseball graphic novel with a supernatural bent, set during the 1920s barnstorming era of semi-pro ball? I was so in, and it was a thrilling ride from the opening pages to the end and like any good story, it kept me guessing that whole time. I usually come to Mad Cave for their IP books, but they have continued to put out such good original stories that I love coming back again and again.

Special Thanks to Mad Cave Studios and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

“Henry Hayes. The greatest player nobody remembers.”

I can’t help but feel a bit sad for Henry, he def badly wants to play ball. Him reemerging here and there with new identity, oh my fragile heart. Solid introduction and def craveable.