George A. Romero's The Amusement Park

by Jeff Whitehead, Ryan Carr (Artist), Marshall Dillon (Letterer)

Two titans of horror come together for the first time ever, in John Carpenter Presents George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park, the graphic novel adaptation of George Romero’s lost 1973 film of the same name, presented by John Carpenter and Sandy King’s Storm King Comics.

William Lincoln, an impatient businessman in his 20s, casually asks a small-town coffee shop barista about a carousel horse atop its roof. Within earshot, an elderly man asks William if he would like to learn about the history of the sprawling amusement park that once stood on that spot, the carousel horse the final reminder of its existence. They settle into a conversation that immediately disturbs young William. It is the story of an elderly man hoping to experience the amusement park one last time to recapture childhood memories, to relish the rapidly fleeting remaining moments.

Instead of pleasant memories, each attraction becomes a surreal microcosm of aging and its inherent challenges as bodies and minds begin to break down. The elderly man is abused, pushed in a seemingly endless throng of elderly people through attractions that mimic the final stages of life. Finally, he winds up right back where he started, battered both mentally and physically. Instead of being able to leave the park, he realizes he is trapped in a loop, forced to relive the harrowing experience over and over. At the end of the elderly man’s tale, William is puzzled, concerned, and annoyed, irritated to have had his time wasted on such a story.

William quickly realizes that not everything in the coffee shop is as it seems. The elderly man with whom young William has been conversing shares his name. It is William Lincoln. Perplexed and scared now, young William attempts to leave, fleeing through the coffee shop’s front door. When the door closes behind him, William is back in the amusement park, transformed again into his elderly self, still trapped in the loop, forced to reconcile the reality of aging and ultimately, his own mortality.

120 pages, Paperback

Published June 10, 2025

Reviews

[Mona Kabbani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The use of color and perspective depicts doom so perfectly. I loved the movie but reading this comic after further solidified the horrors for me. We need to be more mindful of our elders in this highly individualistic society.

After all, we all end up in the amusement park.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was borne of some sort of PSA George Romero was originally commissioned to make back in the early 70s about elder abuse, or so I gathered from the intro. The comic as presented is a lot of awful situations older people may be subject to, shown in the form of things at an amusement park. Sort of. There's so much that's abstract and/or a lot of symbolism that it ultimately mostly feels confusing and dull.

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

George Romero's family took a terrible film of his from the 70s and restored it, then adapted it into a comic. Unfortunately, it's terrible. It feels like experimental film. It's about an old man who goes to an amusement park and is treated more and more poorly. It doesn't make a lot of sense if the story is taken literally. It's more a metaphor on how society doesn't value old people. It just doesn't do it very well when you have dumb things like a cop show up at a bumper car ride and try and write one of the riders a ticket for rear ending another car. Then he doesn't believe her that it was the other guy's fault because he didn't use a turn signal. This whole thing was just stupid.

[Joshua Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old age comes for all of us. We can’t fight it, nor can we hide from it. George A. Romero was once asked to write a public service announcement about how society treats the elderly—and in true Romero fashion, he transformed it into a chilling statement no one anticipated. Unfortunately, the project was shelved and left to gather dust.

Thankfully, its time finally came. The talented team of Jeff Whitehead, Ryan Carr, and Marshall Dillon brought Romero’s vision to life with care and creativity. What unfolds is a haunting reminder that what goes around comes around—and that one day, we may face the same stereotypes and treatment we once cast upon others.

A powerful story, beautifully executed and paired with incredible artistry.

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

this made me tear up and 2 fell. :( <3

[Linda]

The movie made me want to kill myself
The graphic novel made me want to kill myself
That’s what you call a good adaptation!

[Wolverinefactor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really hated the art and it’s more depressing than anything else.. did not enjoy this in the least