Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for this arc!

5/5 stars

This was a really interesting take on the killer imaginary friend idea, and I was riveted from start to finish. Melba and Agent Crockett's partnership growing from start to finish was nice to see, and their character growth both individually and together was well thought out and cohesive. The artwork was very well done, the imps were quite creepy!!! I hope this will be a series, as I'd love to see Agents Li and Crockett investigate more of these creatures. Also, I love the X-Files reference with the poster in her office! 👽

Holy sh*t. Loved this graphic novel. The concept of imaginary friends being not only real but potentially real dangerous was insane. Seriously loved every second of it. The dynamic between Melba and Polly was one of my faves. I really hope we get to see more. Very well written and the illustrations were phenomenal.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you love creepy as hell best friends? You will love Polly and Melba. I was drawn in by the gorgeous, detailed art, and stayed for the plot and ass-kicking. I loved everything about this and would recommend it to anyone who is into the macabre. This story will stay with me for a while and I'm excited to reread it in the future.

Slight spoilers ahead ‼️

Melba was accused of murdering her best friend when she was 10 years old. But she insists that it she was forced by her imaginary friend, Polly Peachpit, a giant invisible spider demon. 8 years later, Melba is given the chance to work with the FBI to help with crimes related to IMPs (Interdimensional Mental Parasites), but she has to bring Polly with her...

Thank you to Netgalley and Image comics for this title!

I loved this book. The art was great, the story was great, it was creepy and gruesome and uncomfy in the best ways. Definitely recommend!!

Imaginary Friends Are TERRIFYING!

Imaginary Fiends by Tim Seeley is such a chaotic, twisted blast that takes the idea of imaginary friends and turns it into something monstrous. Following Melba Li, who’s fresh out of a mental institution and trying to rebuild her life as a faux FBI agent. The story wastes no time throwing her right back into the orbit of Polly Peachpit, her imaginary friend from childhood. However, in this universe, imaginary friends are wholly dangerous. Like a terrifying combination of the monsters from Something Is Killing The Children and supernatural creatures from our worst nightmares. Polly is violent, manipulative, and weirdly charismatic, and watching her clash with Melba as she attempts to save a missing child, makes such a deliciosu tension. These fiends are around every corner and things get BLOODY! It’s bloody, darkly funny, and a little feral in the best way, blending over‑the‑top horror with something sharper underneath about trauma and control. Honestly, it’s the kind of graphic novel that just grabs you and doesn't let you go until the very end! I hope we get more stories in this universe, because you count me in to be the first to read them!

Perfect for Fans of I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200!

First off, the art is incredible. Stephen Molnar absolutely killed it. Everything is dark, moody and vibrant, with a style that perfectly suits the story. The IMPs (Interdimensional Mental Parasites) look fantastic, and the whole world feels carefully designed rather than just being weird for the sake of it.

This edition collects all six issues into one 144-page graphic novel, and it reads really smoothly that way. There's always enough happening that it never feels rushed, but it also doesn't overstay its welcome.

The story itself is creepy, fun and surprisingly clever. It slowly unravels as it goes, peeling back layers and revealing that there is far more going on beneath the surface than first appears. It has a nice balance between horror, mystery and humour, and there are definite shades of The X-Files and late 80s and 90s monster stories throughout.

What I really appreciated was that, despite dealing with some dark themes, it never loses its sense of fun. The weirdness is embraced rather than explained away, which made me want to keep turning the pages just to see where things were going next.

And a special mention has to go to the "I Want to Believe" poster in the FBI office near the end. That got a big grin out of me. Not exactly subtle, but when you're already getting strong X-Files vibes it felt like a little wink to the audience rather than fan service.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. Great art, memorable monsters, and a story that manages to be creepy without losing its sense of adventure. I'd happily spend more time in this world.

Tim Seeley writes horror well and knows how to shape the comics world. Stephen Molnar’s artistic approach to this book was also amazing to see. I highly recommend this book (and anything else by Seeley).

I LOVED this graphic novel. The art style is unreal and the story itself was fun. A lover of all things dark, and this was truly a whirlwind of an experience. After finding more books on Goodreads following Polly Peachpit, I would love to see more.
Thank you for sending this to review!

This is such a cool, well executed horror graphic novel!

The artwork is insane and the story is so clever.

At some point I suddenly realized Polly Peachpit was my favourite character. I absolutely loved her dialogue.

Thank you to NetGalley, Image Comics and Tim Seeley, Stephen Molnar, Quinton Winter for this eARC.

*for anyone having issues accessing this title, I was able to read it via Thorium Reader on my PC. After downloading the file to my computer, I followed the steps from NetGalley’s “help” section with the links found under “Computer”.

A horror graphic novel with some great illustrations! Kinda reminded me of the style of SIKTC. Which I’m a huge fan of!

Amazing artwork, and Amazing story telling skills!!
I really enjoyed this graphic novel!
Melba Li grew up in an mental institution for something her imaginary fiend made her do.
She can see imaginary fiends and she has been asked by the FBI to help fight an invisible battle with the help of her fiend Polly Peachpit.
I definitely want more!

Oh, this is so good! I really loved the artwork and the idea behind this graphic novel is so imaginative (see what I did there) I was pulled in immediately. Loved this, can't wait for more!

Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I’m always looking for more horror graphic novels to read and I was very excited to be given the opportunity to read this one! First off, I really enjoyed the art. It was incredible and creepy! The story is interesting. Melba Li, who just came out of the jail, is thrown into an investigation right off the bat. She seeks her imaginary friend, Polly Peachpit, for help. The imaginary friends in this world are not as cute as we think they are. They are monsters, but Polly was probably one of my favorite characters in this story lol.

The characters were likeable. The world in this story was super eerie. Overall, I will recommend this graphic novel for anyone that’s trying to dive into horror.

Thank you to NetGalley, Image Comics, and the authors for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Imaginary Fiends takes the childhood imaginary friend concept and twists it into something wonderfully creepy, violent, and bizarre.

I absolutely loved the concept behind this one. The idea that imaginary friends could actually be supernatural parasites attached to humans is creepy enough on its own, but the story takes it even further by exploring the complicated relationship between Melba and the creature that essentially destroyed her childhood. Polly is unsettling, grotesque, strangely funny, and easily one of the highlights of the comic.

The artwork fits the story perfectly. The creature designs are wonderfully weird and disturbing, and there’s a great contrast between the darker horror elements and the more absurd, darkly comedic moments. It has that slightly unhinged horror/comic energy that makes you want to keep turning the pages just to see what bizarre thing is coming next.

Melba also makes for a compelling protagonist. After spending years being told that what she experienced wasn’t real, suddenly discovering that she was right all along adds an interesting layer to her character and makes her reluctant partnership with Polly even more complicated.

Overall, Imaginary Fiends is a fun, creepy read with a fantastic premise, memorable monsters, dark humour, and just the right amount of weirdness.

I wanted to read Imaginary Fiends because the concept sounded exactly like my kind of horror: imaginary friends that are not imaginary (or friendly), childhood trauma, FBI weirdness, and monsters that are basically walking emotional damage.

Originally published by Vertigo from 2017 to 2018, Imaginary Fiends is now getting a new Image Comics trade paperback edition on September 30, 2026. So yes, this felt like the perfect excuse to finally talk about it.

The series is written by Tim Seeley, who is already one of those names that makes me pay attention. He wrote Hack/Slash, Revival, and he is currently writing Inglorious X-Force. He also wrote Rogue: The Savage Land, which we reviewed before, so obviously I was curious to see him in full creepy imaginary monster mode here.

WHAT IS IMAGINARY FIENDS ABOUT?

First of all, I love how direct this story is. We know very quickly that Melba Li stabbed her friend Brinke when they were kids. She blamed it on Polly Peachpit, a spidery phantom only she could see, and ended up spending seven years in a mental health facility because of it.

Then Melba turns eighteen, and FBI Special Agent Virgil Crockett shows up with a very strange offer. He tells her Polly is not just an imaginary friend. She is an I.M.P., an Interdimensional Mental Parasite. Basically, these things attach themselves to human hosts, feed through them, and grow out of fear, trauma, need, hunger, guilt, and all the messy stuff people carry around inside.

So Melba gets pulled into helping the FBI hunt other I.M.P.s, starting with the case of a missing boy. And from there, the story keeps opening up. The missing boy case becomes bigger than expected, Virgil and Melba keep finding pieces that do not quite fit together, and the monsters are not just random scary things. They are tied to people. To fear. To damage. To the way people survive, or fail to survive, what happened to them.

POLLY PEACHPIT IS EVERYTHING

I was already invested in the story, but Polly Peachpit is what made me fully obsessed. From the first panel I saw her, I was like: oh, she is the moment. Her design is insanely good. She is beautiful in the scariest possible way. The way she moves, the way her body bends around the page, the way she talks almost like she is singing creepy little nightmare lyrics. I could not stop looking at her. And she is awful, obviously.

Polly is manipulative, dramatic, hungry, mean, funny, and completely unhinged. But that is what makes her so good. The deal Melba makes to force Polly into helping the FBI is brilliant because Polly needs a host to survive. If she does not cooperate, she dies. So now this nightmare creature that once controlled Melba has to work with her. That dynamic is fantastic.

Melba is usually the only one who can see Polly, which means Polly can say the most insane things, do the most unhinged little monster poses, and generally be a menace while Melba has to stand there and pretend she is a normal person having a normal day. She is a monster, yes. But also, unfortunately for my common sense, I love her vibe.

THE I.M.P.S MAKE THE HORROR WORK

The I.M.P.s are easily one of the best parts of Imaginary Fiends. They are not just “spooky creatures from another dimension.” The book makes them feel connected to the people they attach to. They come from fear, obsession, guilt, loneliness, anger, and whatever else is rotting inside someone’s head. That is what makes them interesting.

Charlie Chokecherry is a great example. He is Polly’s husband, which already made me pause because excuse me, these nightmare things have relationship drama too? Amazing.

Charlie feels betrayed because Polly chose Melba, and because Polly has this hunger for power. So when he is abandoned, he attaches himself to Brinke’s brother, who has his own pain. He hates Melba because he needs to understand why she tried to kill his sister, and he carries guilt because he was supposed to be babysitting them when it happened. That is what I liked. The monsters are scary, but they are also tied to very human emotions.

Then the book adds Fraid Cat, another terrifying I.M.P., and things get even weirder. Polly, Charlie, Fraid Cat, they all have such distinct designs and personalities. I was obsessed with all of them, but Polly is absolutely the queen of this nightmare circus.

The fight between Polly and Charlie was probably my favorite sequence in the whole book. It is creepy, emotional, messy, and visually wild in the best way.

THE ART MAKES THE INVISIBLE FEEL REAL

Stephen Molnar’s art is fantastic here. One thing I really loved is how clearly the book shows the difference between what normal people see and what is actually happening with the I.M.P.s. To everyone else, Melba might look like she is reacting to nothing. But we see the truth. We see Polly crawling around the page, twisting herself into impossible shapes, saying terrible things like she is having the time of her life. That contrast works so well.

The real world has this FBI procedural feeling, with cases, questions, missing people, and clues. Then the I.M.P.s crash into it with full nightmare energy. The art balances both sides without making the story confusing.

And again, the monster designs are the star for me. Polly is iconic. Fraid Cat is horrifying. Charlie is creepy and weirdly tragic. They all look like they crawled out of someone’s worst coping mechanism. Respectfully, I love that.

THE COVEN’S VERDICT

Imaginary Fiends was exactly my kind of horror comic. It is direct, weird, creepy, and full of great monster designs. I liked Melba, I liked the FBI case structure, and I liked how the mystery around the missing boy kept getting bigger. But what really made the series work for me was Polly Peachpit and the way the book treats fear.

The I.M.P.s are scary because they are not random. They manifest through people’s pain, guilt, hunger, and fear. They feel personal. And that makes every monster in the story more interesting than just “look, scary creature.”

Tim Seeley gives the story a strong horror hook and a really fun mystery, while Stephen Molnar makes the invisible world of the I.M.P.s feel strange, physical, and impossible to ignore. The ending worked for me too. It was satisfying, it pulled the pieces together, and it still left me thinking about this whole creepy world after I finished. Also, I know Polly Peachpit is a monster, but she is also Mother.