There's a lot to like in this tale of meddling kids who get the job done. (I LOVED that one of the girls depended on her dad to drive her places.) And, indeed, there is a fun Nancy Drew/Scooby Doo vibe to this. There are even crooks wearing masks!

BUT . . . the story vacillates between mystery and horror, and in this case, the two don't mix well together. The plot is confusing, and the art doesn't help. The townsfolk look a lot alike, and there are too many white haired and crazy looking people.

Then there's the fact that I finished this just two days ago, and can't remember whodunnit and why.

I'd certainly read more in this series, though I hope the next volume is a little more polished.

This is a combination of Scobby Doo and Eerie, Indiana, the tv show of the early 1990s. So, a small town that is plagued with mysterious events that the adults just brush away as not strange at all but teenagers from the local high school want to investigate. They even have a registered afterschool club to do just that. But they are delivered their first real case that includes murder, a secret society, local folklore and a teen's missing father.

The storyline is intriguing with lots of unanswered questions but that is deliberate because it is a continuing series. Some of it is completely unrealistic about what kids could get away with but there is at least some parental, school and police presence that does not agree with their poking around these mysteries and some of the club even ends up in jail for the night.

Some of the flow was a bit awkward that left me not quite sure what was going on at times. Overall, the illustrations were good but some were clumsy. I liked the characters who had the typical teenage clashes and also a few good moments of connection without it being too often or too sweet. This is an interesting mix of paranormal, Scooby Doo vibes, sci-fi, urban legends and just strange small town rituals that could use a bit of smoothing out.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

An interesting and compelling graphic novel with unique artwork that pulls the reader into the town of Hobtown and the mysterious ongoings shadowing the inhabitants.

I really enjoyed Bertin and Forbes' graphic novel. It was unique and fresh with a plot that twists and turns in unlikely ways, leaving me with as many questions as answers by the end. With a nostalgic feel, Hobtown Mystery Stories feels like it's set in a bleak shaded 90s, far from the neon disco lights many portrayals default to. The characters feel like high schoolers with a good mix of individuality, cliches and cringe, making them the perfect protagonists for the graphic novel. The other residents give the story a good amount of creepiness and disturbing looks that keep the atmosphere throughout the novel.

Overall, Hobtown Mystery Stories is a unique graphic novel with a complex story, an interesting cast of characters and a mystery that will make you question who the culprit is at every page turn. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy a mysterious tale told in graphic novel form.

Thank you, NetGalley and Oni Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.8/5

What a beautiful art this graphic novel had.
It's honestly one of my favorites yet.

Now onto the main part.
The story was a very interesting one, there is a very good mystery to solve and the pace is always very fast and can definitely keep you glued to the pages.
The set of characters was great, I had some troubles tho at the beginning indentifying who was related to who and who was friends with who etc, but that was a minor problem, it got solved pretty easily just going forward with the read itself.

It's not a perfect score for this, because for my personal taste, this story needed to be followed A LOT. It was way too easy to lose pieces here an there and literally every detailed mattered in here, making it a read where you had to be 100% focused on constantly, so not maybe the best one to just pass the time or to read when tired before bedtime.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I love to read a graphic novel after every couple of (regular?) novels. The artwork combined with a good story help making reading a graphic novel, a simple, relaxing, enjoyable experience. I enjoyed Hobtown Vol 1 & will likely read more volumes as I stumble across them.

Description
Perfect for fans of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Hardy Boys mysteries, The Hobtown Mystery Stories take the teen investigator genre to new levels as they explore small town identity and the surreal.

Welcome to Hobtown, a charmingly bleak village (Population: 2,006) and an easy place to get bored if you don’t make your own fun.

Hobtown Regional High’s top girl, Dana Nance, runs the Teen Detective Club—a registered after-school program that makes it their business to investigate each and every one of their town's bizarre occurrences including pagan secret societies, psychic assaults, and possible “wee man” sightings. Their small world of missing pets and shed fires is turned upside down when real-life kid adventurer and globetrotter Sam Finch comes to town and enlists them in their first real case: the search for his missing father. Something strange is going on, and no one in Hobtown will talk about it. It turns out Sam’s dad is the sixth man to go missing this year. The rot runs deep in Hobtown, and it’s up to the teen detectives and associates to stay alive long enough to crack the Case of the Missing Men!

Childhood friends Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes have built a truly unique and discrete universe in Hobtown—an exploration of small town identity drawing from the world of pulp, filtered through a lens of esoteric spirituality, skewed genre tropes, deft character work, and an incredible eye for detail.

This is probably like a 3.75 rounded up or something. Not quite 4 stars in that I didn't love it, per se, but I did enjoy it! The art style is not really my favorite, I'll say, and it doesn't quite match up to the cover art's style. The cover art is much more defined and has a lot more detail than a lot of the actual graphic novel does.

However, the mystery of what in the world was going on in this small town was definitely enough to keep me reading, even if it did seem like it wrapped up pretty quickly and even if I'm not 100% sure what exactly was going on and who all was in on it. The ending of the plot did feel a bit rushed, I have to say.

But on that note, this is only volume one of what seems to be a planned series, so maybe things will be made clearer as the story progresses! I think I'm intrigued enough by what's going on to keep reading the series, at least for now, but I do hope there's a bit more action and suspense in the next one (nothing seemed super dangerous in this one and wrapped up pretty quickly and neatly each time something started to get intense), and that we also get more answers.

Oh, also wanted to note that the timing got a bit confusing on several occasions. In the first third or so of the book especially, it felt like it we kept jumping back and forth by a couple of days to take a detour to see something that had happened previously in the case or something, but there was nothing to really denote those changes. You sort of just had to figure it out on your own.

Anyway, worth picking up still, though, if small town mysteries and graphic novels are both things you enjoy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Three stars.
I chose this book because of the interesting cover and the description of what this story was about. It kind of reminded me of the Nancy Drew of old. Though I had been hoping for the action and excitement to be better. I didn’t feel that this book has as much as I wanted. I did enjoy the illustrations, they added to the story in an enjoyable way. All in all this was good, but it could have been better.

Thank you Netgalley, for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself 🙂

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A nicely done mystery that gives this reader vibes of The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys. Sam is new to Hobtown, only at the High School because his father is among 6 men missing in the area. He falls in with Dana Nance and her Junior Detective Club as they try to figure out what is going on in town. Their search becomes dangerous when folks are attacked and the school cook is murdered while the adults in town seem to ignore what is going on while prattling about how bad it had been in various earlier times when similar events occurred. And then little men appear to be seen only by certain club members. The case is eventually solved, but not resolved leading to sequels! I enjoyed the spare artwork and how the artist used the landscape and a few lines to set the mood of this piece.

Thanks Netgalley and Oni Press for the chance to read this title!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. I was so drawn into this graphic novel by the cover, the art style reminded me of classic pulp fiction novel. The storyline was also giving the same type of vibe, I've seen the story compared to The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew and I so agree. I CANNOT wait to see where this story goes, the end definitely left me anticipating more! Fans of Twin Peaks are going to love this!!

If you’re looking for a darker version of Nancy Drew then look no further. Men have been disappearing in the small town of Hobtown, and teen sleuths are on the case.

This graphic novel didn’t have my favourite artwork but kept me interested enough. It’s a nice blend of mystery/ horror and I liked the characters. The plot was confusing at times. However, that could be the change from novel to graphic novel- maybe if I had read the book previously I’d have liked this more. Nonetheless I was invested. I needed to know what happened and while I wish I had gotten more succinct answers I don’t regret reading this. The characters were fleshed out well and I like their scooby-Doo like friendships.

All in all, it wasn’t my favourite but I’d read volume 2. It’s a quick read for any horror/ mystery lover.

*Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Entertaining enough but I felt like the story lacked some flow and was confusing at times. Probably wouldn't go out of my way to read the next installment.

This was a strange book.

I can't say I didn't enjoy it, because between the unique art style and the curious plot, I was exceptionally motivated to keep reading it. It felt like I was being drawn faster and faster towards the ending. But while the plot was bizarrely curious, I think that this book just wasn't for me.

The mystery was mysterious only in that I (and the characters trying to solve the mystery) had no idea what was going on-- or why-- for most of the book. Even now I'm left confused as to what was really going on in Hobtown. I mean, I know what was happening with the people, and I kind of get why it was happening, but there were so many things that just showed up out of nowhere and then disappeared again, and were never fully explained.

I'm a devoted mystery novel reader, and this didn't have any aspect of the solve-ability (I invented this word, probably) that murder mysteries and whodunits usually employ. I could not have figured out the ending of this story if I had tried. I was not given nearly enough clues. And that being said, I do not believe the author intended for this to be a whodunit. This was a story about weird creatures and strange magic and the bizarreness of a (possibly cursed?) small town. I find that this book leaves me with more questions than answers, and not enough endearment to the characters for me to continue with this series. Continuation or not, I'm glad that I read this book. It was quirky, and convoluted, and I loved examining each page for all of the small details worked into the illustrations.

"Hobtown Mystery Stories, Vol. 1: The Case of Missing Men" by Kris Bertin invites readers into the peculiar world of Hobtown, a small village with a big mystery lurking beneath its charming facade. Through the eyes of the Teen Detective Club, led by the determined Dana Nance, readers are taken on a journey filled with strange occurrences, secretive societies, and the quest to unravel the truth behind a series of disappearances, including that of Sam Finch's father. The blend of ordinary teenage struggles with the extraordinary events unfolding in Hobtown creates an engaging backdrop for the central mystery, drawing readers into a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

"Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1" by Kris Bertin presents readers with a collection of interconnected tales set in the small town of Hobtown, where mysteries abound and secrets lurk around every corner. While the anthology showcases Bertin's talent for crafting atmospheric narratives, it falls short in delivering fully satisfying resolutions to its mysteries.

One of the anthology's strengths lies in its vivid portrayal of small-town life and the quirky characters that inhabit it. Bertin excels at capturing the essence of Hobtown, infusing the stories with a sense of nostalgia and whimsy that will resonate with readers. The town itself becomes a character in its own right, its streets and alleys teeming with hidden dangers and enigmatic secrets.

However, where "Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1" falters is in its execution of the mysteries themselves. While the setup for each story is intriguing and engaging, the resolutions often feel rushed or unsatisfying. Many of the mysteries are left unresolved or are resolved in a manner that feels too convenient or contrived, leaving readers with a sense of disappointment.

Additionally, the anthology's episodic format can sometimes work against it, as certain stories feel disconnected from the overarching narrative thread. While each tale is entertaining in its own right, there is a lack of cohesion that prevents the anthology from achieving the sense of unity and purpose that is often found in the best mystery collections.

Despite these shortcomings, "Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1" still offers plenty of entertainment for fans of the genre. Bertin's writing is sharp and engaging, and the stories are filled with memorable characters and intriguing plot twists. While the resolutions may not always satisfy, the journey itself is often worth the ride.

With art that's Nancy Drew Mystery Series done in the style of Archer if the artist had a penchant for freehand linework, and a storyline that could believably have been intended for the Weird Mysteries vintage pulp comics but rejected because the writer had dropped too much acid, this is a strange and unique graphic novel. Alternatively, picture a Gravity Falls episode that's rated R for violence and was illustrated by Russell Tandy, and you're starting to picture what this is all about.

I love the art style. It has an unpolished, raw feel that captures a lot of the 'imperfection' that was so common in vintage pulp novel covers. You know what I'm talking about - where the artist did a great job overall, but couldn't quite render the angle of the arms correctly, or the face feels a bit flat, or the perspective is a bit off. Somehow that makes all the more engaging and enjoyable, probably because it evokes that feeling of reading an old comic that you found forgotten in a trunk of your grandparents' attic. I'd love to read more graphic novels from this artist. Based on the credits at the back of the book, I believe this is Jason Fischer-Kouhi.

The story was a bit hard for me to follow at times. I think this is because the writers (Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes) had so many different ideas/themes/characters they wanted to include, they ended up jumping around from place to place in the process of trying to get it all in there. I recognize this because I suffer from this same tendency too when I get excited about a lot of fun, crazy ideas. I wish that an editor had helped them hone in on a few specific themes, and encouraged them to save everything else for their future books. Because all the ideas/themes/characters are good ones...there's just a whole lot of them and it's hard to keep up. (At least, it was hard for me to keep up. As always, your mileage may vary!)

Heads up: It's visually very violent, with a lot of imagery of blood, bodily injury (like fingernails being pulled off), dead bodies, people getting shot with guns/crossbows, severed limbs, animal attacks, and so forth. This all actually works well within the framework of the story but I mention it here for anyone who is particularly sensitive to such things.

This book gets an entire full additional star for the absolutely amazing map at the front. It's rendered in the style of an old map you might get when visiting a small town, complete with advertisements for local retailers around the edges. I love maps in books, and this one is one of the most creatively and enjoyably executed that I've seen in a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review. This review will be cross-posted to my social media accounts closer to the book release date.

It was an Okay read for me. I wouldn't hype it so much because I was expecting a novel. I misread the genre and I still gave it a chance. So, a three star from me.

this was a great graphic novel and enjoyed the detective element. It had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the art style for this book. It was a great start to this type of book and I can't wait to read more.

I’m having trouble finding the right words for this one. I wasn’t able to finish it by the deadline. Life happened and got in the way. It was an interesting read, though. I will finish it someday.

This book was so confusing from the beginning that you feel like nothing is ever complete. I feel like there’s so much missing that the “mystery” doesn’t even make sense.