Wraith

I’m hosting a giant readalong on Instagram with a friend (#manxcarpooltochristmasland!) of N0S4A/R2 this month, and since it’s a reread for me, I had to snag a copy of Wraith to go with it for something new!

We’re only about halfway through the book, so I took some time this week to read through Wraith and really loved it. I always enjoy reading more behind-the-scenes stuff about villains, especially “why they’re this way” types (The Killing Joke is one of my fav comics, let’s not argue if it’s canon). I didn’t know that’s what Wraith would be going into it, and was very pleasantly surprised!

A whole new cast of characters is introduced in this, and I really enjoyed them all – or, maybe I just enjoyed the bad things that happened to the bad ones? 😛 Christmasland is amazing and terrifying all at once, and I loved the demented quality the art style lent to the story itself. I really enjoy backstories that make me feel a little bad for the antagonist, and WRAITH managed to do that for me with Manx. Some of the other characters had that same quality – Joe Hill knows how to make me feel conflicting emotions!

I would note a bit of a trigger warning for those sensitive to strong language, violence, and mentions of sexual abuse. While these things don’t deter me from enjoying a story, I do understand that they would for some people, so I thought I’d include the mention.

Overall, 5 stars from me – I loved this little visual journey to Christmasland, and will likely revisit it again in the future!

Originally written for the Comic Book Review Column at the Fantasy Literature Review Site.

The Wraith is a horror comic book based on Joe Hill's novel NOS4A2, and I can't tell you how much I dislike horror as a general rule. However, this book is absolutely brilliant, and I loved it. I have not read the novel, and probably won't, so you don't need to have read it to appreciate this comic book. I went in as a resistant reader, but since I've learned over the past few years that I do like some horror comics such as Hellblazer (but never horror movies because of the sound) and since I've read enough Locke and Key to have a good opinion of Joe Hill, I gave The Wraith a chance when it showed up as review book. I'm glad I did.

The story is about Charlie Talent Manx III, a man who suffers a series of major disappointments in life. The final blow is being taken in by a scam that leaves him destitute: He is told that he is investing in Christmasland, a theme park that will make him a ton of money. He buys a nice car, the Rolls Royce Wraith of the title, and dresses as a chauffeur to drive his two daughters and his understandably angry wife to the theme park. When he gets there, he finds two large candy-cane decorations acting as an entrance to an empty lot with all the trees chopped down. But Charlie mysteriously connects with the Wraith: They have a combined power capable of imagining into existence a Christmasland theme park that is so creepy I imagine it would scare even the Joker. Artist Charles Paul Wilson III really shines in his visual creation of Christmasland. The creepiest part of the theme park, however, is not the physical aspect: The inhabitants are all the children Charlie "saves" from around the country. They change into little monster kids with white skin and razor-sharp teeth, and they don't age, nor can they die apparently.

If Christmasland and Charlie Manx were the most important of the book, it would merely be a book to shock, and I wouldn't like it at all. There's another set of characters that make this a rich, compelling story. Two police officers are transporting in a van three prisoners. Through a series of insane mishaps, they end up in Charlie's car, and he takes them to Christmasland where they must figure out how to escape a theme park hell (though I'm of the opinion that most theme parks are hell). Joe Hill's excellent story really takes off as he interrupts this main plot with backstories of the various prisoners, one with whom we empathize and one with whom we definitely do not.

The book starts off more text-heavy than I normally like in a comic book. I want the images to convey a good portion of the narrative information so I don't feel like I'm reading an illustrated story, which to me isn't the best type of sequential art. Eventually the images become more essential to the story as the text is reduced to conversational exchanges between characters, and the comic picks up its pace. Every now and then, Hill returns to reliance on text, but it's spread out in a nice balance through the rest of the book. The final chapter of the graphic novel, however, is almost all text: It's a short story with a few images spread out along the margins of the story. I think it works well, and by the time the reader gets to this final chapter, she knows enough about all the characters to want to read the short story. This final short story took the comic from a four-star rating to a five-star rating for me. I don't want to spoil anything, but this story ties together characters throughout the comic by giving us the backstory of a character we think is very minor early in the comic. I loved this short story and the way Joe Hill provides all these connections.

The best part of the story is that Joe Hill uses all this horror to tell the backstory of one particular prisoner and to put him in a hiding place in Christmasland with one of the officers, a tough, sixty-five year old woman whom we learn to greatly respect, as does the prisoner. They make a human connection that is incredibly moving. It feels real, not contrived, and the horror of Christmasland heightens this emotional connection, showing us something about the best in humanity.

This book is a must-read for horror fans, but I want to make a plea to those of you who may have a negative reaction to horror. For most of my life, I never liked horror much beyond some Poe. But I've started to appreciate Lovecraft and pulp fiction horror writers. More importantly, my reading of comics has allowed me to understand what all the fuss is about horror: Reading Hellblazer, Swamp Thing, The Walking Dead, The Darkness, Preacher, and certain story arcs in Sandman has shown me how good horror is capable of artistically communicating ideas not open to other genres. Though I will never be able to watch horror movies because of the sounds and because I can't control the pace of the narrative, I get a chance to experience the visual elements of horror through comic books. As long as I keep running across well-written horror comics like Joe Hill's The Wraith, I will continue to keep giving horror comics a chance. So, if you are someone who doesn't like horror films, know that horror comics may be an excellent alternative, or at least a more accessible entry-point to the genre.

THIS. KICKED. BUTT. !!

The story, the artwork, it's all top notch. It's a deliciously evil tale which reels you right in, especially if you've already read NOS4A2.

If you want to know more about Christmasland, (as I did), or if you want to know more about the Wraith's history, (as I did), grab this graphic novel compilation. It's a visually stunning book and I know I'll be reading this and gazing at the evil Mr. Charles Talent Manx over and over again.

My highest recommendation!

I'm sure you know by now that Joe Hill is the son of the master of terror Stephen King. I think it's great that Joe is not resting on his father's laurels, but chooses to prove himself without dropping names. I've enjoyed all of Hill's work, including his graphic novels. If you have read his excellent horror romp NOS4A2, and you enjoyed it, then stop reading this and order Wraith. Wraith is a fantastic graphic novel that serves as a prequel to the novel. This is one area where Hill has really shown that he is more than just the son of Stephen King. He has chosen to not only publish novels, but to also publish fantastic graphic novels like Wraith and his Locke and Key series. Joe Hill has branched out and created some truly memorable works in horror fiction. With the combination of the artwork in Wraith and the fantastic story, you have a truly delicious book to devour. While it really is a prequel, I do think it's more enjoyable to read the novel NOS4A2 first, then treat yourself to Wraith. If you're not familiar with Hill, just go ahead and order both at the same time and same some on your shipping.

I've powered through all of Joe Hill's novels this past month. The Wraith graphic novel was the perfect "cherry" on my Joe Hill sunday. The writing and dialogue in this are top notch, the story connects well with NOS4A2, and the illustrations really deliver when translating Hill's work into a visual medium. I am truly blown away by how modern and enjoyable Hills novels are. I look forward to much, much more from this guy.

To appreciate this imaginative work the most, I recommend reading the Joe Hill's brilliant NOS4A2 novel FIRST! That way you're eased into Christmasland & it all makes sense. As he says, there's only reality & ideas...

As with the Cape this is not a book but a graphic novel,and I prefer real books. Also, as with the Cape print was too small for me to read.

Description did not indicate this was merely a graphic novel of N0S4A2, not a sequel.

I usually like Joe Hill but I am having trouble grinding through this. Hopefully NOS4A2 will be better.

Didn't realize it was in "comic book" form. Still no sure if I like this. It seems to distract from the story itself. The reason reading is enjoyable to me is you can interrupt the author in your own mind, not be spoon fed someone else vision for the story.