The Awakening

by Neal Shaffer, Luca Genovese (Illustrator)

Francesca, the only child of an affluent family, is excited to be attending one of the most prestigious boarding schools in New England. Unfortunately, things go horribly wrong when shortly after her arrival, she finds one of her classmates brutally murdered, sending her into a deep shock, rendering her mute. Even worse, immediately following the tragic incident, Francesca begins to have visions of which girl will be slain next, and she is unable to tell anyone about it. Is this a new horror being visited on the longstanding institution, or is it something much more, going to the core of the school itself, to an evil that defies description?

Genres: Graphic Novels

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2004

Reviews

[Gord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the hell out of this little hidden gem. Firstly Luca Genovese's art is spectacular , you could've taken all the words out and the story would've been told with just the art. The story itself is nothing mind blowing or crazy out of this world but its done well and has its moments. The script is a tad formulaic for the experienced reader I guess but doesn't mean you can't enjoy it still. Comic book story telling has its limits and there are clearly some scenes where getting some spooks would've worked better live action wise. All in all it was a steady , fun little murder mystery.

Its worth a borrow, either from the library or a friend. Its a 'lunch break read' , you can have this one and done during a lunch break or two. Then pass it on.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beh, che brutte robe!

Un tipo strano va in giro a uccidere studentesse di college ma non si capisce perché e non viene spiegato alla fine.

Nell'edizioni originale c'era la dicitura "Vol. 1" che è stata tralasciata in italiano. Se questo era effettivamente il primo volume di qualcosa, da solo non ha senso di esistere.

Disegni un po' così.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read as the illustrations are beautiful, and the story was engrossing. My only gripe is that it's pretty short and the ending feels rushed. It's almost like it should have been a lot bigger to fully explore and build the story, but it's been squished down to a third of what it should have been.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gialli inspired comic with heavy Phenomena (Dario Argento) and Aenigma (Lucio Fulci) vibes, especially considering the girl's school location.
The ending is a bit rushed and doesn't make sense even by gialli standards, but this is still an excellent read for fans of the genre. I'll definitely be rereading it in the future and would love to see a movie adaptation.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intriguing mystery, but the conclusion is rushed and leaves too many questions unanswered. It says "Volume 1," so maybe there's more to come, but it's unsatisfying on its own.