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The Secret
"I know your secret." Tonight is Tommy Morris's big he's been invited to party with the social elite of Franklin High and maybe even hook up with Pam, the girl of his dreams. But when a prank call turns sour, Pam goes missing, and Tommy gets sucked into her disappearance deeper than he bargained for. The Secret is a chilling coming-of-age mystery from Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson and Eisner-nominated artist Jason Shawn Alexander (Damn Nation, The Escapists).
112 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2007
About the author
Mike Richardson
345 books19 followersMike Richardson is an American publisher, writer, and Emmy-winning producer. In 1986, he founded Dark Horse Comics, an award-winning international publishing house located in Milwaukie, Oregon. Richardson is also the founder and President of the Things From Another World retail chain and president of Dark Horse Entertainment, which has developed and produced numerous projects for film and television based on Dark Horse properties or licensed properties.
In addition, he has written numerous graphic novels and comics series, including The Secret, Living with the Dead, and Cut as well as co-authoring two non-fiction books: Comics Between the Panels and Blast Off!.
In addition, he has written numerous graphic novels and comics series, including The Secret, Living with the Dead, and Cut as well as co-authoring two non-fiction books: Comics Between the Panels and Blast Off!.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 2, 2021
un fumetto che ci porterà mano nella mano in una storia semplice, dai tratti adolescenziali e dalle pennellate horror è proprio the secret; se ti chiamassi e ti dicessi "io so il tuo segreto" quale sarebbe la tua reazione? questa è la frase clou che fa scattare la molla a tutta la trama che ho trovato scorrevole e ben delineata, anche se avrei preferito forse un qualcosa in più; sebbene il finale sia un po' scontato è comunque giusto se si vuole tentare un continuo di storia che leggerei più che volentieri; le tavole illustrate sono davvero notevoli, soprattutto per quanto riguarda le ambientazioni più che i personaggi in sé che come disegni non mi hanno entusiasmato; il pezzo forte è il contrasto tra le scene horror, ovviamente più cupe, e quelle di tutt'altro genere che si colorano e prendono vita, sembra che ogni emozione e situazione si palesi tramite i colori usati creando quindi una sfumatura emozionale che va dal giallo al nero più minaccioso.
December 29, 2018
2.5*
A decent but in no way amazing thrilling tale-the by-the-book construction up to the final twist kinda spoiled it all- holding up thanks to JS Alexander's impressive art.
Would probably be a dud if not for him.
A decent but in no way amazing thrilling tale-the by-the-book construction up to the final twist kinda spoiled it all- holding up thanks to JS Alexander's impressive art.
Would probably be a dud if not for him.
August 5, 2017
Decent horror comic that I think would work better as a movie. The art was painted which added to the atmosphere. Nothing groundbreaking but much like a horror movie it's cool entertainment. Teenagers prank call the wrong person and things go downhill from there...
July 26, 2017
Read like a bad B movie. Very cut and dry, no life or passion to it at all. Even the art was somewhat messy.
April 26, 2020
Starts out as a promising thriller, then its plot relies too much on coincidence, and it ends on a very predictable note - even though how we get there makes little sense (a character makes a choice that doesn't characteristically follow out of anything we know about him or her), and what happens itself makes even less sense.
If there was a sequel, the ending would be at least more interesting, but as far as I know, there isn't.
I did like the painterly art a lot, even if it's mostly covered in crime-grime.
2.5 stars
(Read as four single issues)
If there was a sequel, the ending would be at least more interesting, but as far as I know, there isn't.
I did like the painterly art a lot, even if it's mostly covered in crime-grime.
2.5 stars
(Read as four single issues)
February 10, 2013
Bunch of people got in to the troubles, when prank hone calls made one young lady very nervous then lost with certain maniac who decided to make good old slasher comics.
December 8, 2023
Another random library read that I wouldn't have encountered otherwise.
Mike Richardson's writing is decent and John Shawn Alexander's grim ink and watercolour style art is really nice and effective, but being a graphic novel can't do anything to hide the fact that this is just another trash 'trauma horror' movie in the vein of Jeeper's Creepers, albeit without the supernatural elements.
A prank call to the wrong person ends up in kidnap and abuse of the fridge girlfriend birthday girl of the protagonist who is a troubled kid doing his best and trying to save the day.
Generic plot with a generic villain and a cheap morally grey ending with the most obvious final twist.
Everything about this other than some of the dialogue and Alexander's art are pointless, male hero, fridged girlfriend tropes that have been done to death and weren't spellbinding begin with.
I'm being really harsh again, but I thought this might actually be something. Whereas, it is just tropes and the trauma of women for tension. Fuck that noise.
Mike Richardson's writing is decent and John Shawn Alexander's grim ink and watercolour style art is really nice and effective, but being a graphic novel can't do anything to hide the fact that this is just another trash 'trauma horror' movie in the vein of Jeeper's Creepers, albeit without the supernatural elements.
A prank call to the wrong person ends up in kidnap and abuse of the fridge girlfriend birthday girl of the protagonist who is a troubled kid doing his best and trying to save the day.
Generic plot with a generic villain and a cheap morally grey ending with the most obvious final twist.
Everything about this other than some of the dialogue and Alexander's art are pointless, male hero, fridged girlfriend tropes that have been done to death and weren't spellbinding begin with.
I'm being really harsh again, but I thought this might actually be something. Whereas, it is just tropes and the trauma of women for tension. Fuck that noise.
September 9, 2020
Story is ok. Subpar by closing.
Art is painted stylings and a real treat to look at it. Splashed with speckles and scary. Very good framing and composition. Easy to recognize characters and see/understand their eyes. Sometimes a little too dark. Very pleasing.
This story started out great with a good thriller premise, teen horror archetypes, and some actually creepy/scary compositions. But then the story becomes dull, not a lot of character or plot development happens, and oh look, I happened upon SPOILER by complete chance.
I don't think the creators had the time or interest to give this piece more of themselves. It really could've been special. Instead it's very hollow.
Think that cop being suspicious of so and so will develop into a subplot or a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g?
Think we'll learn why so and so is treated poorly by students or why so and so is a major prick?
Think we'll learn anything about anything?
No.
Art is painted stylings and a real treat to look at it. Splashed with speckles and scary. Very good framing and composition. Easy to recognize characters and see/understand their eyes. Sometimes a little too dark. Very pleasing.
This story started out great with a good thriller premise, teen horror archetypes, and some actually creepy/scary compositions. But then the story becomes dull, not a lot of character or plot development happens, and oh look, I happened upon SPOILER by complete chance.
I don't think the creators had the time or interest to give this piece more of themselves. It really could've been special. Instead it's very hollow.
Think that cop being suspicious of so and so will develop into a subplot or a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g?
Think we'll learn why so and so is treated poorly by students or why so and so is a major prick?
Think we'll learn anything about anything?
No.
February 23, 2022
A completely formulaic teen mystery / horror, in the vein of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. It could have been better, but sadly there is never enough room for it to become more interesting than a classic example of a specific trope combination. I suspect they might have been angling to ride the wave of such movies from the mid-90s to the mid-00s, and have it end up as a movie as well, but it really adds nothing to the genre.
October 16, 2017
A really awesome, tense graphic novel that left me thoroughly engrossed the entire time, the art was amazing and added to the horror, and the writing was exceptional. It was a great read, and good for anyone who enjoys horror and comics.
July 17, 2017
A very dark read. Left open fora sequel. Not sure if there is one.
October 29, 2017
A by the numbers "I know what you did last summer" kinda thing redeemed by some pretty art.
March 20, 2018
decent enough story with the right level of suspense however it was quite Gappy in parts and jumped back and forth quite a bit, but not bad overall
July 21, 2018
It gained a star because I found the art creepily atmospheric. The story was okay, nothing too original and the ending was predictable (and almost knocked it back down to 2 stars).
November 3, 2018
Mike Richardson does a credible job as comics creator on this horror novella. I've had this on my Kindle Fire for ages, and am glad I finally got to it.
September 12, 2020
Atmosphere is good, artwork is great but that's about it. Ending is too vague for my taste.
May 11, 2015
It was nice but honestly not as good as I expected it to be. The graphics are amazing that's for sure and that's the main reason why you should go through this comic but even if the base of the story is nice and interesting it's not very well used. For me the story should have been longer and more developped, with more investigation, more details on the characters, situation,...Here it just goes over important things so you can't really get into it...you don't really have the time to. Before you really get attached to any character the story is over already and you don't get to know anything about them. It's just like "Here are the characters / Oh no this happened / That's how it finishes" and nothing in between which is quite frustrating. But it's still worth reading at least for the beautiful graphics and the storyline which is interesting even if just flew over!
November 24, 2012
The art is quite cool, but everything else in the thing is just so completely bad. The story is a collection of teenage horror clichés, as are the characters. And the values enforced are also very typically harsh and celebratory concerning double standards.
November 22, 2011
The story is just ok, not overwhelmingly original, sort of in vein of "I know What You Did Last SUmmer" and similar genre. The art however, is amazing, definitely the best part of the book. Quick read. Decent suspense.
February 16, 2012
This would have been amazing, but it just needed to be fleshed out more. I know that sometimes less is more, but I've seen b-movie slasher flicks that had more backstory than this one. Well executed, just not enough.
October 4, 2011
It's pretty much a prequel to something like "I know what you did last summer".
November 19, 2011
Not something I'd need to own. Story is kind of a classic, but nothing particularly mind blowing. Graphics were decent.
June 6, 2014
Just the right amount of thrill. A typical follow-the-villain-to-its-killing-grounds sort of story, a not so typical ending.
December 21, 2012
A quick read. Like one of those B-Horror movies of a secret kept and continues to circle. Not worth owning.
June 17, 2013
beautiful artwork. generic story.
April 13, 2014
Really creepy. But Now I'm hoping there's a second one so I can see what happens!
August 14, 2016
There is nothing remotely original about this comic--and that's okay. It is dark, twisted and genuinely suspenseful despite those flaws. The art is amazing as well.
June 19, 2014
Not a shocking story line. The graphics are great! It's a fun, quick read.
May 10, 2015
I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I enjoyed the art.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews