Blut, Splatter und sinnlose Gewalt - an sich ein gutes Rezept, womit ich immer viel Spaß hab. Doch so gut es mir gefallen hat, so hat es mich auch nicht ganz überzeugt.
Ich mag die Szenerie und Umsetzung, auch die Charaktere sind sehr interessant und haben Charme. Doch einiges war doch recht vorhersehbar für mich - etwas zu signifikant 🤔
Das Artwork fand ich gut - sehr markant und dynamisch. Die Charaktere sind anfangs noch ein wenig blass, bekommen aber relativ schnell Farbe. Die Panels sind interessant angeordnet und wirken dadurch sehr agil. Es gibt einen fortlaufenden roten Faden, so dass sich alles ineinander verwebt. Das Ende kam mir dann allerdings etwas zu schnell - da hätte man noch ein bisschen mehr machen können, meiner Meinung nach. Alles in allem hat's mir aber ganz gut gefallen 😊

First off thanks a lot to netgalley and mad cave studios for this arc.
This was insane, in the best way possible, the art was lovely.
I like how it ended and how kind of unpredictable the plost twist was to some extent. The characters of Riley shows you exactly how early trauma can affect people with how they turn out, and perhaps she was insane all along.
The character of the killer was so mysterious and honestly would love to read more about why he turned out like that and the story behind the mask and the scars.
Even though there were a lot of things that didn't make sense regarding why Riley is the killer, this was pretty solid overall.
Rating: 3.5 stars

2.5
This story fell completely flat. The premise was supposedly to be Riley learning the skills to become a serial killer to follow her favorite killer's footsteps, but...she doesn't really learn anything? The entire story is Riley trying to organize situations for The Hopton Valley Killer to commit various gruesome murders to regain his notoriety, but this time on social media. But she's never really learning from HVK; she's instead teaching him. This is honestly just a gore fest with a thin veneer of a story. There are several murders that are executed in particularly heinous ways that made me wince. But the "plot twist" at the end was so contrived, I guess it was coming from a mile away. The art was excellent, and I did enjoy the style and character designs. The writing just needed a lot of work to be compelling.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was so much fun! The Slasher’s Apprentice is exactly what I want out of a graphic novel. It was fast-paced, bloody, and completely unhinged in the best way. It doesn’t waste any time getting into the action, and once it starts, it does not let up.

The art? Absolutely stunning. Gritty and expressive. There were pages I just had to stop and stare at because they were that good and that gross. The way the gore is illustrated? Amazing. It’s graphic and over-the-top, and I loved every second of it. The story was sharp and twisted. There's a dark humor threaded throughout that balances the violence perfectly.

I had an absolute blast reading this. Horror fans (especially slasher lovers) are going to eat this up.

2.3/5
Quality of writing: 2
Plot development: 2
Pace: 2
Characters: 2
Enjoyability: 2
Ease of reading: 4

Riley is obsessed with horror and true crime and she wants to take it to the next level - she wants to become the apprentice of her favorite killer...

I will start with the positives - the art was fine.
Unfortunaltelly the rest fell flat for me. Riley as a character felt flat and empty, the comic was waaaaaay too short to make any impact and explore The Hopton Valley Killer. I saw the "twist" from page 2. It did not feel suspense, any danger... It was gory and the kills were well drawn but the rest just felt empty.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for this ARC.
I read this straight through. Kuddos to Richards for creating this story. This is what we call a beginner and complete door opener to a series. Riley is the main character and she is wickedly smart. For any mystery, horror, podcast thrill person, pick up the comic graphic novel and enjoy the story as well as its creativity! ENJOY!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for this ARC.

The Slasher’s Apprentice was a quick but enjoyable read. It’s perfect for readers trying to get out a reading slump, because once you pick it up, you can’t put it down. The art style is appealing and the storyline is engaging. The ending is somewhat predictable because the book is so short. l wish it had been longer. I would have loved to see the progression of the relationship between the main characters.

The Slasher's Apprentice is a quick read, but very entertaining. The cast of characters is quite small, which allows for a greater focus on their personalities, I really liked both of them and the way their relationship evolved. The artist's style fits well and manages to keep up with the story, even in the goriest parts, without fear of appearing too graphic. Definitely worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC!

This was an interesting idea, but it really fell short for me. There was no suspense, no twist, just cheap slasher gore.
The main characters were very flat and didn’t add any depth to the storyline. Especially the serial killer.
Maybe if this were longer with more tension and build-up it’d be more entertaining, but as is it’s really lacking.

The campy slasher vibe was good, but it's such a short story that everything happens fast, and the twists are predictable. It would have been a lot better with more pages and time for characterization.

Very short and campy slasher read. I had fun reading it but I wish there was more build up for the plot twist. It didn’t hit as right because I didn’t have time to even process it.

Cool dark comedy about true crime and the serial killer obsessed. If you like gore and satire this one might be for you. The comic felt a bit rushed though, I would have liked to see a bit more of the relationship between Riley and HVK because their banter was quite funny imo.

The plot twist was quite predictable but it lend itself to a nice enough ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC copy of The Slasher's Apprentice. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

In "The Slasher's Apprentice", we meet Riley, a podcast-er obsessed with serial killers and slashers, recounting their horrible deeds to her audience, while she looks for her favorite legend: the Hopton Valley Killer. Antique, dangerous and impossible to catch. She wants to learn, be like them and, hopefully, help regain their long lost notoriety.

I finally found a Mad Cave comic that I loved! Not "mildly enjoy" or "be lightly entertained" by it. No. Fully loved, be enthralled by the story and characters to the point that I sided my other activities until I finished this. Really, I don't I went so fast through their other comics, and not because they weren't good, but they didn't pick my interest and attention so deeply. Congratulations to the author for it, it's not always easy.

Riley, the younger generation, a talker, a learner, in search of something, a place to belong to, and she's about to find it. The Hopton Valley Killer (HVK), the older generation, slowly loosing its charm, a legend, a shadow, in need of a new public image. I was anticipating the moment these two met, because I knew they were going to clash, and the tension bleeding from their relationship, Riley always suggesting new things, never quieting down and HVK not communicating properly, created a fun and complex dynamic to watch unfold.

A strong point of TSA is definitely its characters, but more importantly, in my opinion, the personal stories they share and the mystery surrounding the HVK, anonymously killing people for the past decades. I loved how the author decided to developed it and the point it brought up to towards the end. Literal chills when it all unraveled! Same with Riley's backstory and how her love for slashers came to be.

I'm not the most committed fan of slashers, I'll be honest, but when I find a gem, I admit it. And The Slasher's Apprentice took my hand and frayed me, kept me on my toes until the end. Not because of killing teens and young adults (where's the old people, huh?), but because of the emotional aspect it dissected and presented to us on a silver plate. I would follow Riley everywhere, honestly.

So, definitely recommended if you're a fan of slashers, of course, all the action and the blood stains laced with an emotional tale, complex characters and with incredible art that doesn't shy away from showing the nitty gritty of it all. I definitely need more stories like this in my life, funny and serious, with characters to root for and amazing ends

I hope people reads it when it comes out in October so I can have someone to discuss it with, 'cause there where plot points and events that left me gasping, and I'm in need of venting with someone who knows👀

I really liked the idea of this story and the art was well-suited to the plot, but I found the characters to be pretty flat and the twist predictable.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. I really enjoyed this graphic novel the cover really caught my eye i willl say i wish it was a bit longer but it had a lot of story to it and i enjoyed the plot a lot we first see our main character hosting a podcast about true crime and notorious slashing that occurred and our main character decides to befriend one of the killers and be an apprentice and they decide to go around trying to make him famous again because she feels as people forgot about him this novel had great horror and slasher elements to it and i think if you enjoy true crime / slashers this one would be for you. Was great from start to finish i read it so fast!

The cover is awesome!
I saw the twist coming a mile away, but it was still fun to follow!
I was even disappointed that it ended so soon. It was a little too short, even though it was well-paced and efficiently written. I would have gladly signed up for a few more chapters, or even a sequel.
It was a good read, bloody with brutal and trashy deaths, perfect for a fan of horror movies and slashers.

This is a fast paced and bloody graphic novel. If you can't handle gore, then this isn't the book for you. Overall, the story was new and interesting. The only major downside this novel has is in it's length. It is way too short. Because of this, it feels like we miss a considerable amount of plot and characterization. Despite this, it is worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slashy, humorous, and quick read. The story is pretty much the title, the main character becoming an "apprentice" to a serial killer. Though very simplistic, it was still entertaining, and I would like to continue on with the series to see where it goes from here.

Now this was a book I love like 4.5 stars from me. It was a great slasher story. It was engaging, gory and well one f’ed up ride. I will say I wish our slasher talked and engaged with the main character so we could actually feel shock and emotions at the end.

Imagine that as a small child, a serial killer took out your family, but didn’t notice you. Fast forward around two decades, and now you run a podcast about killers. You had two choices: turn away from killers or become obsessed with them. It’s clear which path you chose.

You’re specifically obsessed with the serial killer who murdered your parents. He’s old school, wears a lion mask, and never speaks. You’ve got a plan to change all that, though.

This book was a lot of fun and had the ending I was hoping for. I wasn’t a big fan of the newer killer, though. Sometimes, things are classic for a reason.

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