Atmospheric tale from Louisiana. Everyone on the Park Rangers team is sick. Well, except one. And she is pregnant. I mean P.R.E.G.N.A.N.T. She receives a call saying there is some trouble, and boy, does she find trouble, and she must handle it all by herself. That’s just the beginning of this sordid tale.

This is a crazy story that just keeps spiraling out of control. The story is excellent.

The artwork is oddly sketch-oriented, and it works for this tale. It adds to the gritty feeling of the story. I don’t think it would have worked being drawn clean.

As with most graphic novels, it is for adults. But if you are an adult and like good stories, check “The Voice Said Kill”.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.

Between moonshiners, drug runners, crocodiles and mushrooms, this pregnant park ranger isn’t having a good time. This is a gory, heavily atmospheric story about a woman with no gun, no knife and no backup having to out think people who have … well, all of the above. She’s not a genius, she’s not angry; she’s alone and afraid and doing her best.

The art is raw and saturated in dark, murky colors filled with unpleasant characters and — in my opinion — a few too few crocodiles. It’s a little grim, but it’s a quick story with strong pacing. Well worth the read if you’re looking for something with that gothic flare.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC, and I really hope you give this one a try. It’s well worth the read!

The Bayou, Babies, Gators, and Shrooms!

The Voice Said Kill is a graphic novel that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let you go. This book grabs you by the collar from page one and drags you through a razor-sharp blend of psychological horror, paranoia, and pitch-black humor. Spurrier builds this creeping, relentless tension as a pregnant cop attempts to just make it through one of the most vicious days of her life. There are Bayou Matriarchs, drug runners, and shroom laced beverages galore in this story. The characters feel raw and the violence hits hard. It is supposed to be shocking and gory and devious and it succeeds. The pacing is so fast you won’t know what happened until you have devoured this whole story in one sitting. . It’s unnerving, grimly funny, and deeply unsettling, the kind of story that burrows under your skin and whispers long after you’ve finished. This one is a mind-bender with teeth, and Spurrier absolutely sinks them in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for an eARC in of this graphic novel in exchange for my review!

I really loved this concise mystery/thriller! I found it a bit difficult to get into at first, the art style was a bit too sketch-like for my taste, I prefer cleaner lines so I can tell what is going on exactly. With the wildness of the swamp though and the rough and tumble story, it does make a bit of stylistic sense.

I loved all the plot twists, It is so nice when I can't predict something all the way through and I really enjoyed the excitement of trying to figure out what was happening next. I hope that there are similar style mystery graphic novels that come out or that are similar to this.

Very glad I had the opportunity to pick this up on NetGalley. I get why the cover and title are what they are - it’s hard to hook comic fans early, even if you’re working on a storyline that can be wrapped up in 4 issues/one volume. However, that title/cover combo doesn’t convey the hefty matriarchal themes here. Sure, the white guy tripping balls out in the swamp is important to the story, but he’s a plot point. Come for the coonskin cap, I guess, but stay for the women’s character development —even in the space of 140 pages with sparse dialogue.

In the Louisiana bayou, a very pregnant wildlife agent shouldn't even be on active duty. But everyone else is out of action after someone spiked the punch at the departmental barbeque, so looks like she's doing everything, no matter how horrifically dangerous and unappealing it would be even to someone not about to pop. And it really does go from bad to worse. This is real journey into the heart of darkness stuff, a vision of the wetland so knotted and trippy it makes those old Swamp Thing issues look like a tourist brochure. Perhaps to excess; Spurrier characters are always such rats' nests of deceit and occluded motivation that I tend to like him best paired with a more open artist, whereas collaborating with del Rey et al here is really doubling down. Certainly can't deny it's a fuckin' mood, though.

(Netgalley ARC)

My Selling Pitch:
A swamp gothic thriller for fans of Ozark.

Pre-reading:
Love a graphic novel.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Oh, the art is really blurry.

Swamp justice is wild to me. I’m up in New England. It’s such a different way of life.

This is gritty and atmospheric.

It reminds me a bit of that Ozark show.

Poor mama gator.

I’m loving this!

Sometimes it’s hard to tell what the art is doing. Like I can’t see what’s in their hands.

The trippy art is wild.

That was fun! I liked it.

Post-reading:
This is a twisty little crime thriller. It’s well-paced. The characters are easy to differentiate. It’s voicey and atmospheric. The story’s great. The art, while gritty, is kinda ugly. It’s intentional, but it wasn't my favorite style. The colors are moody 90% of the time, but they're occasionally too murky when coupled with the thick lineart, and it can be hard to decipher what characters are holding. The trippy art is well executed. It melts on the page. This is worth reading if you like the genre. I think you’ll enjoy it. If you read graphics for gorgeous art, I think this might leave you a little wanting.

Who should read this:
Swamp gothic fans
Ozark fans

Ideal reading time:
Summer

Do I want to reread this:
No, I'll remember it.

Would I buy this:
I wouldn't turn down a copy, but I wouldn't seek it out either.

Similar books:
* Mama Came Callin’ by Ezra Clayton Daniels-graphic novel, swamp gothic, thriller, family drama
* Pig Wife by Abbey Luck-graphic novel, thriller, family drama, trippy art
* Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez-swamp gothic, psychological horror, queer

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Voice Said Kill is a crime thriller that captures and revels in the essence of the Louisiana Bayou. The plot is rather straightforward (to be expected for a comic series consisting of only four volumes), following a pregnant park ranger as she accidentally gets caught in the maternal instincts of a moonshine queen and a drug deal. Oh, and there are also hallucinogenic mushrooms involved. This sets the stage for a wild ride.

I found that I was invested in Marie, the aforementioned pregnant park ranger, fairly quickly (a feat for a story so short it took me a combined 30-40 minutes to read), and was actively concerned for her and her unborn child (though the concern for her child continues past the books end. Marie consumed so many substances throughout this book). She presented as fairly clever throughout the story, and it kept her from becoming an annoying protagonist, which was certainly a risk with this type of story.

The art was a bit muddy at points, but it honestly adds more to the overall story rather than takes away. There were some moments in the last volume where I think the art style really got a chance to shine, which was nice to see.

Overall, I recommend it if you’re looking for a quick read to satisfy the crime thriller itch with an extra helping of brooding swamp aesthetics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for the advanced copy.