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The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn #1
The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn: Volume 1 [A Graphic Novel]
Follow the misadventures of the world's greatest paranormal investigator in this unearthly and heartwarming graphic novel, featuring extended artwork and exclusive behind-the-scenes content, from the creator of the popular webcomic The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.
Oscar Zahn is just like any other paranormal investigator—he’s working hard to make the world a better place, one exorcism at a time. So what if he’s just a floating skull wearing a trench coat? He’s still got a heart of gold!
In this first installment of the online webcomic sensation The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, join Oscar and his mysterious assistant Agnes as they embark on a terrifying yet heartwarming journey across ethereal realms, rescuing lost souls and solving creepy mysteries. Their travels take them across great distances and even through time, as Oscar sleuths out why the spirits he contends with are restless and malcontent. Yet the more mysteries he solves, the clearer it becomes that there's a greater game afoot, one that involves Oscar's own forgotten origin story.
Readers will love this beautifully illustrated paranormal graphic novel from Tri Vuong, the beloved creator of Webtoon’s The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.
This volume collects episodes 1–65 of the Webtoon comic The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.
Oscar Zahn is just like any other paranormal investigator—he’s working hard to make the world a better place, one exorcism at a time. So what if he’s just a floating skull wearing a trench coat? He’s still got a heart of gold!
In this first installment of the online webcomic sensation The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, join Oscar and his mysterious assistant Agnes as they embark on a terrifying yet heartwarming journey across ethereal realms, rescuing lost souls and solving creepy mysteries. Their travels take them across great distances and even through time, as Oscar sleuths out why the spirits he contends with are restless and malcontent. Yet the more mysteries he solves, the clearer it becomes that there's a greater game afoot, one that involves Oscar's own forgotten origin story.
Readers will love this beautifully illustrated paranormal graphic novel from Tri Vuong, the beloved creator of Webtoon’s The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.
This volume collects episodes 1–65 of the Webtoon comic The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2024
20 people are currently reading
5426 people want to read
About the author
Trí Vương
28 books32 followersMy name is Tri Vuong, a comic book author based in Toronto, Ontario. Sometimes I write stories that other artists draw and sometimes I draw stories that other writers write but usually I do both.
My notable works include: "Everyday Hero Machine Boy", "Ninjago: Garmadon", "Anchovie Akiyama", and "The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn" (now archived on this site!).
More importantly, I have two dogs: Digby, a giant-sized Corgi, and Leo, a Golden Retriever who thinks he is a giant-sized Corgi.
My notable works include: "Everyday Hero Machine Boy", "Ninjago: Garmadon", "Anchovie Akiyama", and "The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn" (now archived on this site!).
More importantly, I have two dogs: Digby, a giant-sized Corgi, and Leo, a Golden Retriever who thinks he is a giant-sized Corgi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
November 5, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up
This was a fun collection following a paranormal investigator who looks like a floating skull with a suit. It weaves in history, death, grief, and mythology in interesting ways. Sometimes I felt like information was missing and transitions between chapters could be a bit disjointed, but I liked it. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
This was a fun collection following a paranormal investigator who looks like a floating skull with a suit. It weaves in history, death, grief, and mythology in interesting ways. Sometimes I felt like information was missing and transitions between chapters could be a bit disjointed, but I liked it. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
July 31, 2024
The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, Volume 1 is a must read for fans of occult detective stories with a unique twist. While this feels unique, it also favorably evokes memories of Mike Mignola’s iconic Hellboy series. This is a volume full of episodic adventures that also tie into a greater, ongoing narrative. It has an alluring mix of dark fantasy, folklore, gothic horror and cosmic horror, with a smattering of science fiction. Both spooky and mysterious, readers should not be surprised if they don’t always get answers or understand exactly what unfolds in the stories. The sense of the unknown does add to the overall mood: intriguing and uncanny, leaving readers eager for more adventures.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com
Advanced Review Copy provided by Netgalley courtesy of Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press/Ten Speed Graphic.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com
Advanced Review Copy provided by Netgalley courtesy of Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press/Ten Speed Graphic.
August 27, 2024
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel chronicles the misadventures of the enigmatic (yet charming) paranormal investigator, Oscar Zahn. Who also just so happens to be a dapper floating skull with a heart of gold.
On the one hand, this graphic novel is absolutely stunning. The art is amazing! I loved the use of color in this, as well as the fun character designs (especially for more supernatural leaning characters like Oscar and the Hydronauts). I also really liked Vuong's use of more eery, Eldrich creature designs.
The biggest obstacle that kept me from loving this book was how nonsensical the plot was. The 1st chapter (Lost and Found) felt like its own complete short story, so The Last Soldier of the Somme arc (chapters 2-4) felt like a entirely different entity. The same happened with the Stardust and Soliloquies arc (chapters 5-7). The transitions between the different arcs felt a bit abrupt - if this were marketed as a graphic short story collection, I think it would have made the experience less jarring.
Overall, I think I liked the art and the characters more than the story itself.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review!
On the one hand, this graphic novel is absolutely stunning. The art is amazing! I loved the use of color in this, as well as the fun character designs (especially for more supernatural leaning characters like Oscar and the Hydronauts). I also really liked Vuong's use of more eery, Eldrich creature designs.
The biggest obstacle that kept me from loving this book was how nonsensical the plot was. The 1st chapter (Lost and Found) felt like its own complete short story, so The Last Soldier of the Somme arc (chapters 2-4) felt like a entirely different entity. The same happened with the Stardust and Soliloquies arc (chapters 5-7). The transitions between the different arcs felt a bit abrupt - if this were marketed as a graphic short story collection, I think it would have made the experience less jarring.
Overall, I think I liked the art and the characters more than the story itself.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review!
May 9, 2024
RTC …
May 16, 2024
Beautiful, spooky, action packed
September 9, 2024
A weird, but interesting graphic novel that manages to keep a light tone despite touching on some deep themes. Told in little short stories that seem unrelated at first but end up connecting to a bigger mystery just out of our reach in this 1st volume. I can’t wait to unravel it in the sequel.
November 9, 2025
At first I thought this was geared more towards younger audiences because of the cutesy floating skull over Oscar's body, but the content was pretty intense.
May 14, 2024
3.5 ⭐ The first volume of the horror graphic novel “The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn” by Tri Vuong follows the paranormal investigator Oscar Zahn on his mission to save lost souls while battling his own demons.
I really liked the illustration style! The colors enhanced the atmosphere and the panels were visually pleasing. The protagonist looks really iconic and I was intrigued by his backstory. The way it developed through the different episodes was great!
I also enjoyed the narration style with implemented flashbacks and the episodic character of the cases.
However I did not resonate with every story. Especially the story about the world war didn't have the same strangeness and tone as the other ones and didn't fit perfectly into the collection in my opinion.
Overall I enjoyed this graphic novel and would recommend it if you are in the mood for a paranormal read!
A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Clarkson Potter/ Ten Speed Press for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the illustration style! The colors enhanced the atmosphere and the panels were visually pleasing. The protagonist looks really iconic and I was intrigued by his backstory. The way it developed through the different episodes was great!
I also enjoyed the narration style with implemented flashbacks and the episodic character of the cases.
However I did not resonate with every story. Especially the story about the world war didn't have the same strangeness and tone as the other ones and didn't fit perfectly into the collection in my opinion.
Overall I enjoyed this graphic novel and would recommend it if you are in the mood for a paranormal read!
A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Clarkson Potter/ Ten Speed Press for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 17, 2024
Wow was the such a good surprise and had me SOBBING multiple times throughout the different journeys we take throughout this first volume of stories. There is so much covered in this first volume and the very first story has some of the most beautifully painful artwork I've ever seen. The depiction of grief and pain of different types is stunning. I honestly cannot believe how well grief was captured in this piece of work.
I am looking forward to the next volume and can't wait to continue learning about Oscar's story and the stories of others he feels that he's compelled to tell. At the heart of it, this is a story about a person trying to heal his their own grief through healing others. It's a beautiful piece of art.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am looking forward to the next volume and can't wait to continue learning about Oscar's story and the stories of others he feels that he's compelled to tell. At the heart of it, this is a story about a person trying to heal his their own grief through healing others. It's a beautiful piece of art.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
dnf
October 10, 2025I read through chapter 13 of the webtoon and then skipped around a few times to see if I definitely wanted to DNF.
The title is intriguing and the art is very charming and felt like a great fit for spooky season, but the comic just feels too simple and childish for me to engage with.
10/10 floating skull in a suit, though.
The title is intriguing and the art is very charming and felt like a great fit for spooky season, but the comic just feels too simple and childish for me to engage with.
10/10 floating skull in a suit, though.
March 25, 2025
(4.0) This paranormal investigator helps lost souls find peace in the after life. The artwork had a slight gothic feel and any reader can see how acquainted the characters are with deathly themes throughout the book. Very quirky story that supplies a lot of background.
October 16, 2024
Occult cryptozoologist who is also a cool skeleton dude? This was made for me! Lots of fun, spooky mysteries and beautiful artwork. Sign me up for volume 2!
May 5, 2025
In The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, we find ourselves dropped in the middle of a mysterious and magical world with a strange main character with no real introduction. Somehow, it works.
On our first adventure, we follow Oscar as he exercises a ghost out of an abandoned house, learning just enough to keep following: Oscar is a paranormal detective, he's a floating skeleton head with a strange Lovecraftian entity inside him, and his personal assistant, Agnes, is a witch. We don't get much more than that throughout the three adventures we follow, but instead of being frustrated by the mystery/vagueness surrounding the main character or confused by the increasingly more bizarre plot points, we're entertained and intrigued
While I was reading, I kept being reminded of Over the Garden Wall, but honestly I think this book did an even better job in executing an outlandish story.
Over the Garden Wall has a great vibe to it, it's mysterious and spooky, bucolic and fantastical, and even nostalgic. The world and side characters fit neatly into that vibe but the story itself is a bit absurd and disjointed (which is the point, I know, but not exactly how I like my stories).
In comparison, this book doesn't have the strongest vibes to it (which I attribute to the inherent differences between a 2D publication and a show with a score and effects) even though the colors and art style are really visually pleasing and create a great tone and atmosphere throughout the work. What it does have is excellent character building and exploration. Side characters are bizarre and singular but they have such substance to them it makes them one of the best parts of the book. Their interactions with the main character are so meaningful and wholesome too, which is the biggest reason this book received a high rating from me.
I didn't expect this to sound like a heavy critique of Over the Garden Wall, seeing as I do love the show/story, but I did find myself thinking "I wish Over the Garden Wall had been more like this..." while reading so a comparison of the two had to be made. If you loved one I really think you'll love the other, though, much like I do.
On our first adventure, we follow Oscar as he exercises a ghost out of an abandoned house, learning just enough to keep following: Oscar is a paranormal detective, he's a floating skeleton head with a strange Lovecraftian entity inside him, and his personal assistant, Agnes, is a witch. We don't get much more than that throughout the three adventures we follow, but instead of being frustrated by the mystery/vagueness surrounding the main character or confused by the increasingly more bizarre plot points, we're entertained and intrigued
While I was reading, I kept being reminded of Over the Garden Wall, but honestly I think this book did an even better job in executing an outlandish story.
Over the Garden Wall has a great vibe to it, it's mysterious and spooky, bucolic and fantastical, and even nostalgic. The world and side characters fit neatly into that vibe but the story itself is a bit absurd and disjointed (which is the point, I know, but not exactly how I like my stories).
In comparison, this book doesn't have the strongest vibes to it (which I attribute to the inherent differences between a 2D publication and a show with a score and effects) even though the colors and art style are really visually pleasing and create a great tone and atmosphere throughout the work. What it does have is excellent character building and exploration. Side characters are bizarre and singular but they have such substance to them it makes them one of the best parts of the book. Their interactions with the main character are so meaningful and wholesome too, which is the biggest reason this book received a high rating from me.
I didn't expect this to sound like a heavy critique of Over the Garden Wall, seeing as I do love the show/story, but I did find myself thinking "I wish Over the Garden Wall had been more like this..." while reading so a comparison of the two had to be made. If you loved one I really think you'll love the other, though, much like I do.
October 21, 2024
Thank you to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this graphic novel.
Unfortunately, this was not it for me. From the cover art and description, I expected a very different vibe for some reason? The description is not wrong by any means but had I known what the content of the book looked like, I would've not picked it up.
The art style was a bit too messy for my taste and the writing was not precise enough for me to actually understand what was going on half the time. The stories were very disjointed and context-less because of its structure - every chapter has kind of a new story but also not always because sometimes there is an over-arching theme/story. A bit of weird choice ngl and I am still wondering why the decision was made to make this into one singular book because there is potential for multiple books within this collection.
Most of the stories, I was not interested in at all. The characters were pretty cool though! I wish we could've had more time with the stories and characters in general.
My favourite story was the last one before the Epilogue with the old lady and the cat ^-^
Unfortunately, this was not it for me. From the cover art and description, I expected a very different vibe for some reason? The description is not wrong by any means but had I known what the content of the book looked like, I would've not picked it up.
The art style was a bit too messy for my taste and the writing was not precise enough for me to actually understand what was going on half the time. The stories were very disjointed and context-less because of its structure - every chapter has kind of a new story but also not always because sometimes there is an over-arching theme/story. A bit of weird choice ngl and I am still wondering why the decision was made to make this into one singular book because there is potential for multiple books within this collection.
Most of the stories, I was not interested in at all. The characters were pretty cool though! I wish we could've had more time with the stories and characters in general.
My favourite story was the last one before the Epilogue with the old lady and the cat ^-^
February 19, 2025
Oscar Zehn is a paranormal investigator, which makes sense since he's just a skull. Well, a skull with a weird Ectopus living in it. Which wouldn't be so bad I'd the Ectopus didn't want to eat the very spirits he's meant to help.
This was weird in the absolute best of ways. Oscar's got some serious issues that he is clearly avoiding (he is called out for this several times) while helping the spirits of the dead or those who have wrong spirits to cross over. Both stories were incredibly heartwarming. And absolutely laugh out loud funny at times. But what made this great is they are just ghost stories. Not scary ghost stories, mind you but ones that make you want to hug your family and remind you that courage is always doing the scary thing. It's a throwback to ghost stories from the last century. Plus, there are some serious Lovecraft style Elderitch horrors.
Overall, it was definitely a great read and a throwback to a time when horror stories had a purpose and weren't just all hack and slash.
As always, thanks to Clarkson Potter and NetGalley for the eArc!
This was weird in the absolute best of ways. Oscar's got some serious issues that he is clearly avoiding (he is called out for this several times) while helping the spirits of the dead or those who have wrong spirits to cross over. Both stories were incredibly heartwarming. And absolutely laugh out loud funny at times. But what made this great is they are just ghost stories. Not scary ghost stories, mind you but ones that make you want to hug your family and remind you that courage is always doing the scary thing. It's a throwback to ghost stories from the last century. Plus, there are some serious Lovecraft style Elderitch horrors.
Overall, it was definitely a great read and a throwback to a time when horror stories had a purpose and weren't just all hack and slash.
As always, thanks to Clarkson Potter and NetGalley for the eArc!
May 6, 2024
I loved the atmosphere of these short stories. They are dark and spooky, but not without people who are good. I always enjoy a dark but not like necessarily harmful world and characters. The author did a great job designing and making characters that weren’t just tropes. The stories were also very well done but a bit too short. I know this is a collection of short stories, but some of the characters introduced for the short story didn’t have a very satisfying ending in my mind. Also, this is a little nitpicky, the text boxes were too small on my phone so I had to do a lot of zooming in. It’s not bad but definitely didn’t make the experience as enjoyable. This is a great dark but not evil book with minor pacing and/or character development issues.
Received an advanced copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Received an advanced copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
July 10, 2024
Oh, this was absolutely phenomenal. I'm utterly in love!
A fantastic mix of horror, comedy, adventure and sorrow. I found myself laughing one minute and tearing up the next. Every character felt so full of life (the irony!), every story felt full of emotion. A fantastic story that I desperately need more of. Plus the art itself is beautiful, such a great style. Truly amazing, I'd love to see more!
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
A fantastic mix of horror, comedy, adventure and sorrow. I found myself laughing one minute and tearing up the next. Every character felt so full of life (the irony!), every story felt full of emotion. A fantastic story that I desperately need more of. Plus the art itself is beautiful, such a great style. Truly amazing, I'd love to see more!
ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
January 6, 2025
charming and fun :) now I need this to be a serialized comic book with a several year long run featuring recurring characters and episodic mysteries, followed by an animated series where oscar is voiced by stanley tucci thank u
April 13, 2025
Lovely art but very boring
October 24, 2025
Makes me want to get working on my own comic !!!
So BUSSIN good. Love all the robo guys and the monsters and mechanical elements.
So BUSSIN good. Love all the robo guys and the monsters and mechanical elements.
September 2, 2024
Art-wise, this graphic novel is absolutely stunning. I loved the atmosphere the color palette created. The character of Oscar is very original and the premise intriguing. "The Last Soldier of The Somme" absolutely gutted me.
I was just a bit confused by the storyline, not knowing if the chapters are meant to be interconnected in an overall arc or if they are more like short stories because it seemed they were separate but then they started blend into each other. I guess we will get to know more in the following volumes but as an introduction, it was perhaps too confusing. I'm definitely intrigued to read more though, so perhaps it worked as intended :)
Thank you NetGalley and Ten Speed Graphic for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I was just a bit confused by the storyline, not knowing if the chapters are meant to be interconnected in an overall arc or if they are more like short stories because it seemed they were separate but then they started blend into each other. I guess we will get to know more in the following volumes but as an introduction, it was perhaps too confusing. I'm definitely intrigued to read more though, so perhaps it worked as intended :)
Thank you NetGalley and Ten Speed Graphic for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
September 29, 2025
'My name is Oscar Zahn, and this was not my tale. But it was a tale for me to tell.'
And what marvelous and charming collection of tales Oscar has, for him to tell and us to enjoy. Not to mention one day we'll get to hear his own story, and it sure promises to be a good one.
I absolutely adored the art in this graphic novel, and the whole thing is full of a whimsical charm evocative of Mignola's universe, but with its own personality and distinctive traits.
Fun, entertaining, full of heart, 'The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn' surely deserved to jump from webtoon to paper, and I, for once, would be more than happy to get my hands into volume 2, whenever possible.
And what marvelous and charming collection of tales Oscar has, for him to tell and us to enjoy. Not to mention one day we'll get to hear his own story, and it sure promises to be a good one.
I absolutely adored the art in this graphic novel, and the whole thing is full of a whimsical charm evocative of Mignola's universe, but with its own personality and distinctive traits.
Fun, entertaining, full of heart, 'The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn' surely deserved to jump from webtoon to paper, and I, for once, would be more than happy to get my hands into volume 2, whenever possible.
November 23, 2024
Oscar Zahn was a dynamic character, the storytelling was very unique and I loved the gritty atmosphere of the world- I did lose the thread of the story a couple of times where it was a bit harder to follow the story but all in all I found this an enjoyable read.
I’m always on the lookout for new graphic novels to read in the fall and even though you could read and enjoy this one at any time I do think it fits fall/Halloween vibes perfectly. The second volume's release date hasn’t been announced yet but I fully plan on picking it up when it does come out.
I’m always on the lookout for new graphic novels to read in the fall and even though you could read and enjoy this one at any time I do think it fits fall/Halloween vibes perfectly. The second volume's release date hasn’t been announced yet but I fully plan on picking it up when it does come out.
September 11, 2024
I received a copy from Ten Speed Graphic through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow Oscar Zahn as he tells the stories of the souls he’s doing his best to help. While avoiding his own demons, this floating skull with a heart of gold does everything within his power to help his friends, ghosts who haven’t realized they’re dead, and even those who have been long forgotten.
I really enjoyed reading this book. In this volume, we get to know Oscar through the stories he shares with us. We start with the story of a young soldier. Long dead, he and his fellow soldiers have been trapped on the battlefield that took their lives for decades. This story was probably the saddest out of the stories we see by the end of this volume. It was easy to almost forget that these characters weren’t ghosts reliving a version of their final days.
The first story really pulled me in, so by the time Oscar moves onto the next soul in need, I was fully sucked into the book. I like that the first story is more about the souls he helps than him, and then we slowly get to know more about Oscar once we already know about how important his work is. It’s surprisingly character driven and manages to have a lot of depth no matter what’s happening. It’s truly an intriguing story full of wonder and mystery. The artwork helps tell the story beautifully, and I’m really looking forward to eventually learning about the memories that Oscar has been running from.
Follow Oscar Zahn as he tells the stories of the souls he’s doing his best to help. While avoiding his own demons, this floating skull with a heart of gold does everything within his power to help his friends, ghosts who haven’t realized they’re dead, and even those who have been long forgotten.
I really enjoyed reading this book. In this volume, we get to know Oscar through the stories he shares with us. We start with the story of a young soldier. Long dead, he and his fellow soldiers have been trapped on the battlefield that took their lives for decades. This story was probably the saddest out of the stories we see by the end of this volume. It was easy to almost forget that these characters weren’t ghosts reliving a version of their final days.
The first story really pulled me in, so by the time Oscar moves onto the next soul in need, I was fully sucked into the book. I like that the first story is more about the souls he helps than him, and then we slowly get to know more about Oscar once we already know about how important his work is. It’s surprisingly character driven and manages to have a lot of depth no matter what’s happening. It’s truly an intriguing story full of wonder and mystery. The artwork helps tell the story beautifully, and I’m really looking forward to eventually learning about the memories that Oscar has been running from.
April 17, 2024
I wanted to like this graphic novel, but I felt there were a lot of holes in the story. I wasn't exactly sure what I was reading about. Each chapter is a different tale, but I needed more background information to follow what was going on. This just wasn't my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good graphic novel, it just wasn't one for me. I can't even give a proper summary so this is from GoodReads.
Follow Oscar and his mysterious assistant Agnes as they embark on a terrifying yet heartwarming journey across ethereal realms, rescuing lost souls and solving creepy mysteries. Their travels take them across great distances and even through time, as Oscar sleuths out why the spirits he contends with are restless and malcontent. Yet the more mysteries he solves, the clearer it becomes that there's a greater game afoot, one that involves Oscar's own forgotten origin story.
Follow Oscar and his mysterious assistant Agnes as they embark on a terrifying yet heartwarming journey across ethereal realms, rescuing lost souls and solving creepy mysteries. Their travels take them across great distances and even through time, as Oscar sleuths out why the spirits he contends with are restless and malcontent. Yet the more mysteries he solves, the clearer it becomes that there's a greater game afoot, one that involves Oscar's own forgotten origin story.
May 12, 2024
Get your fill of fantasmagoric ghost tales in this graphic novel.
Blending Chtulu myth with more traditional apparitions and wondering souls, this volumes sets the base of an interesting universe and a main character haunted by his past.
While the first story was probably more conventional, it was also better built in terms of creating tension. The second story, much longer was very meandering, with many new elements thrown in, never used later, and not really adding anything except pages to the story, which is sad because the whole memory element was very interesting.
The illustrations remind me of the recent Canadian cartoons, colourful, very professional and roundish. It was very pleasant to follow.
Blending Chtulu myth with more traditional apparitions and wondering souls, this volumes sets the base of an interesting universe and a main character haunted by his past.
While the first story was probably more conventional, it was also better built in terms of creating tension. The second story, much longer was very meandering, with many new elements thrown in, never used later, and not really adding anything except pages to the story, which is sad because the whole memory element was very interesting.
The illustrations remind me of the recent Canadian cartoons, colourful, very professional and roundish. It was very pleasant to follow.
May 19, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. The details in the imagery were really colorful and beautiful. The paranormal investigator Oscar Zahn and his many adventures were really intriguing and captivating.
Read
May 15, 2024RTC!
September 18, 2024
9/17/2024 Was all "why am I crying?!" until I realized this was written and drawn by one of the savage geniuses behind Everyday Hero Machine Boy. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
9/18/2024 Me while reading this book: Why am I crying?!
Me reading the artist's bio at the end: Oh, because this is one of the creators behind Everyday Hero Machine Boy, which was another extraordinary graphic novel that I also did not expect to make me cry.
If you've read my last two reviews, you'll know that this has been an unsettlingly emotional week for me, not helped by my eldest interrupting my reading of The Strange Tales Of Oscar Zahn last night to show me the latest PSA from Sandy Hook Promise. Poor kid didn't expect me to be openly weeping by the end of the announcement, as he gave me consoling tissues, hugs and an "I'm sorry, Mommy!" Nothing for him to apologize for, I told him, even as the mantle of anxiety and sorrow that comes with living in 21st century America weighed me down. And good thing, I told myself, that I'd taken ninety minutes out of my afternoon earlier to go get a spa pedicure, which definitely helped work at least a little of the prior tension out of my body.
And while we're at it, it's time for a little PSA of my own: if you, dear reader, have been thinking about doing some self-care -- a nap, some yoga, a spa treatment, whatever you've been wistfully wishing you had the time to do -- take this as your sign to go for it. We live in a stressful peak-capitalist world that overemphasizes productivity and appearances at the expense of internal health and I have no doubt that you deserve a break.
Interestingly, most of TSToOZ is set well before capitalism sank its talons shanks-deep into the zeitgeist (which I ascribe to the mid 1980s onwards, for obvious reasons.) While much of the book takes place in an amorphous modern day, the formative eras of many of its characters lie in the beforetimes, whether in the seas of the 1970s, the battlefields of World War I or the academic halls of the turn of the 20th century. Our hero Oscar Zahn is a paranormal investigator who was once fully human. Nowadays, he's a floating skull in a trenchcoat, trying to help lost souls move into the afterlife while defeating greater evils that prey on the dead. With the help of his grumpy assistant Agnes, he is mostly successful, even if the secrets of his own origin continue to haunt him.
Senseless deaths always make me cry, whether in school shootings or on battlefields where combatants are ordered to kill one another because their superiors lack the combination of imagination, patience and compassion required to solve conflicts without wanton violence. But Trí Vương's book isn't just about the horrors of death-dealing: it's also about spurning fear and finding peace in courage and self-sacrifice. His illustrations here are, of necessity, gloomy, in a predominant palette of greys and blues, with the occasional splash of red and yellow for both warmth and emphasis. This sombreness counterweighs the linework, which has a tendency to lean cute, sort of Tintin by way of Hellboy. It all works well together to tell this utterly gripping and thoroughly humane story.
After reading this graphic novel, I won't be able to pass up a Trí Vương book ever again. Thoughtful, witty and impossible to put down, TSToOZ has cemented my respect for this creator and his ability to tell an extraordinary tale.
The Strange Tales Of Oscar Zahn: Volume 1 by Trí Vương was published September 10 2024 by Ten Speed Graphic and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
9/18/2024 Me while reading this book: Why am I crying?!
Me reading the artist's bio at the end: Oh, because this is one of the creators behind Everyday Hero Machine Boy, which was another extraordinary graphic novel that I also did not expect to make me cry.
If you've read my last two reviews, you'll know that this has been an unsettlingly emotional week for me, not helped by my eldest interrupting my reading of The Strange Tales Of Oscar Zahn last night to show me the latest PSA from Sandy Hook Promise. Poor kid didn't expect me to be openly weeping by the end of the announcement, as he gave me consoling tissues, hugs and an "I'm sorry, Mommy!" Nothing for him to apologize for, I told him, even as the mantle of anxiety and sorrow that comes with living in 21st century America weighed me down. And good thing, I told myself, that I'd taken ninety minutes out of my afternoon earlier to go get a spa pedicure, which definitely helped work at least a little of the prior tension out of my body.
And while we're at it, it's time for a little PSA of my own: if you, dear reader, have been thinking about doing some self-care -- a nap, some yoga, a spa treatment, whatever you've been wistfully wishing you had the time to do -- take this as your sign to go for it. We live in a stressful peak-capitalist world that overemphasizes productivity and appearances at the expense of internal health and I have no doubt that you deserve a break.
Interestingly, most of TSToOZ is set well before capitalism sank its talons shanks-deep into the zeitgeist (which I ascribe to the mid 1980s onwards, for obvious reasons.) While much of the book takes place in an amorphous modern day, the formative eras of many of its characters lie in the beforetimes, whether in the seas of the 1970s, the battlefields of World War I or the academic halls of the turn of the 20th century. Our hero Oscar Zahn is a paranormal investigator who was once fully human. Nowadays, he's a floating skull in a trenchcoat, trying to help lost souls move into the afterlife while defeating greater evils that prey on the dead. With the help of his grumpy assistant Agnes, he is mostly successful, even if the secrets of his own origin continue to haunt him.
Senseless deaths always make me cry, whether in school shootings or on battlefields where combatants are ordered to kill one another because their superiors lack the combination of imagination, patience and compassion required to solve conflicts without wanton violence. But Trí Vương's book isn't just about the horrors of death-dealing: it's also about spurning fear and finding peace in courage and self-sacrifice. His illustrations here are, of necessity, gloomy, in a predominant palette of greys and blues, with the occasional splash of red and yellow for both warmth and emphasis. This sombreness counterweighs the linework, which has a tendency to lean cute, sort of Tintin by way of Hellboy. It all works well together to tell this utterly gripping and thoroughly humane story.
After reading this graphic novel, I won't be able to pass up a Trí Vương book ever again. Thoughtful, witty and impossible to put down, TSToOZ has cemented my respect for this creator and his ability to tell an extraordinary tale.
The Strange Tales Of Oscar Zahn: Volume 1 by Trí Vương was published September 10 2024 by Ten Speed Graphic and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
June 23, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, for an advance copy of this supernatural graphic novel dealing with a mysterious man, his witch companion, and the many unsettled dead who continue to move around this world.
My Grandmother, Nan, was a witch. Everyone in the family, even the stronger Catholic ones always said it, and even after all the time she has been gone, still feel that way. Any get together has a story featuring my Nan, doing something different, something that man might consider odd, but to us was just Nan. Tea readings, aura readings, telling the sex of babies to pregnant woman, she did it all the time. Even my nephews talk about her. My youngest nephew says she talks to him all the time. I believe it. Nan talked a lot about the dead, probably more than one should talk to a child about dying. Nan always said that being dead made people look at their mistakes, and made them angry or sad. Sometimes they talked just to make themselves feel better. Nan would always listen. Nan also introduced me to comics, not that she read them, she just knew. And this graphic nove made me think alot about her. All the restless dead, and a person who was willing to listen, and lead them home. Or fight them if he had to. The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, Volume 1 is a collection of webcomics written and illustrated by Trí Vương, dealing with a man with facial problems, his guilt about past mistakes, and the hauntings he tries to alleviate, physically and in his own mind.
Oscar Zahn has just a skull without a face, one that floats free over his body, and a ton of stories why this happened. Zahn accompanied by his companion, a witch by the name of Agnes, tries to help the dead, the haunted or creatures trapped with spirits, to a better place. Sometimes this works, most of the time it does not. Oscar has an enemy, a woman who lives in lighthouse but she might be more of a frenemy than anything else. Oscar's adventures include trying to un-haunt a house, with dramatic results. Clear a church yard of ghosts, but these ghosts are World War I veterans and the have tanks. The longest involves sea monsters, and survivor's guilt, and leaves our hero battered in both mind and skull.
For a webcomic these collect quite well, none of that awkwardness that I notice in a lot of collections like these. The story is good, a little bit of Hellboy in story and art, but done so well, with a lot of thought and some strong emotion, that one gets lost easy in the story. I liked the mystery of Zahn, what happened and why, and enjoy that it is not solved easy. Agnes doesn't get much story time, but her tale is kind of funny and enjoyable. The stories deal well with survivor's guilt, what happens to us when we die, and are spooky and funny. And full of really amazing ideas. The hydroauts are probably my favorite, and I would love to see more of them. The art is very good, and adds a lot to the stories. Eerie, spooky, with a lot of steampunk mixed with Lovecraft.
This is my first exposure to the work of Trí Vương, but I really enjoyed this and will have to look out for more. Horror fans, Mike Mignola fans, people who enjoy very good art and stories will enjoy this.
My Grandmother, Nan, was a witch. Everyone in the family, even the stronger Catholic ones always said it, and even after all the time she has been gone, still feel that way. Any get together has a story featuring my Nan, doing something different, something that man might consider odd, but to us was just Nan. Tea readings, aura readings, telling the sex of babies to pregnant woman, she did it all the time. Even my nephews talk about her. My youngest nephew says she talks to him all the time. I believe it. Nan talked a lot about the dead, probably more than one should talk to a child about dying. Nan always said that being dead made people look at their mistakes, and made them angry or sad. Sometimes they talked just to make themselves feel better. Nan would always listen. Nan also introduced me to comics, not that she read them, she just knew. And this graphic nove made me think alot about her. All the restless dead, and a person who was willing to listen, and lead them home. Or fight them if he had to. The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, Volume 1 is a collection of webcomics written and illustrated by Trí Vương, dealing with a man with facial problems, his guilt about past mistakes, and the hauntings he tries to alleviate, physically and in his own mind.
Oscar Zahn has just a skull without a face, one that floats free over his body, and a ton of stories why this happened. Zahn accompanied by his companion, a witch by the name of Agnes, tries to help the dead, the haunted or creatures trapped with spirits, to a better place. Sometimes this works, most of the time it does not. Oscar has an enemy, a woman who lives in lighthouse but she might be more of a frenemy than anything else. Oscar's adventures include trying to un-haunt a house, with dramatic results. Clear a church yard of ghosts, but these ghosts are World War I veterans and the have tanks. The longest involves sea monsters, and survivor's guilt, and leaves our hero battered in both mind and skull.
For a webcomic these collect quite well, none of that awkwardness that I notice in a lot of collections like these. The story is good, a little bit of Hellboy in story and art, but done so well, with a lot of thought and some strong emotion, that one gets lost easy in the story. I liked the mystery of Zahn, what happened and why, and enjoy that it is not solved easy. Agnes doesn't get much story time, but her tale is kind of funny and enjoyable. The stories deal well with survivor's guilt, what happens to us when we die, and are spooky and funny. And full of really amazing ideas. The hydroauts are probably my favorite, and I would love to see more of them. The art is very good, and adds a lot to the stories. Eerie, spooky, with a lot of steampunk mixed with Lovecraft.
This is my first exposure to the work of Trí Vương, but I really enjoyed this and will have to look out for more. Horror fans, Mike Mignola fans, people who enjoy very good art and stories will enjoy this.
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