Je n’aurais jamais lu cette bd si elle ne figurait pas dans la sélection d’un prix bd auquel j’ai l’intention de participer. Les films d’horreur, ce n’est pas mon truc, les livres d’horreur, ce n’est pas non plus mon truc, donc bien évidemment, les bd d’horreur, ça n’a pas de raison d’être mon truc. Mais il est parfois bon d’essayer de nouvelles choses, alors je me suis lancée.
La bd commence par une sorte de tangente, on n’entre pas dans le vif du sujet tout de suite, ce qui est une bonne façon de mettre le lecteur à la hauteur des personnages, et de faire monter la tension dans l’attente de quelque chose qui ne vient pas tout de suite. Mais une fois arrivés à Comfort Notch (l’entaille confortable, entaille au sens de l’entaille du bücheron dans le tronc d’un arbre, drôle de nom pour une ville) avec Kat et Syb, on sent tout de suite que quelque chose ne tourne pas rond. Une tragédie qui remonte à il y a quelques années, des habitants au comportement étrange, une propension à ratisser les feuilles mortes (ah oui, parce que ça se passe en automne bien sûr…), une espèce d’arbre particulièrement lucrative qui pousse ici et nulle part ailleurs, cela fait beaucoup pour une seule petite bourgade américaine. Et peu à peu, l’étau se resserre...
Le scénario m’a paru assez classique. J’y ai retrouvé des accents de Lovecraft notamment. Mais l’intérêt de cette bande dessinée réside principalement dans son traitement graphique, qui oscille entre des couleurs d’automne riches et chaudes et les mêmes couleurs qui se font tout à coup menaçantes et encerclantes.
J’ai peu de références dans le domaine, mais cette bande dessinée me paraît réussie. Je ne suis pas le public qu’elle vise, elle m’a mise mal à l’aise sans raison et d’habitude j’accepte qu’un bouquin me mette mal à l’aise, mais à condition que cela m’apprenne quelque chose, ici, mais c’est le genre qui veut cela, le fait de mettre mal à l’aise est une fin en soi et non un moyen. Et puis il n’y a qu’à voir, le lendemain de ma lecture, j’étais au volant de ma voiture et ça soufflait bien. Une petite feuille inoffensive aux jolies couleurs rouges et or s’est collée sur mon pare-brise et j’ai eu, littéralement, un mouvement de recul, avant de me reprendre et de sourire de moi-même. Une bd réussie, vous dis-je...

This edition of The Autumnal is a beautiful compilation of the series. The storyline maintains interest throughout and it's quite creepy, which is perfect for an October read. The art is stunning! The warm golds and oranges combined with the cool blues really play well together to create the autumn atmosphere that is the setting of this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is hoping to capture a feeling of fall through their reading.

There is some foul language, violence and nudity in this book, so keep that in mind when considering whether or not it will be a good fit for younger readers. ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Trigger warning for sexual assault.)

Kat Somerville is a single mom with an axe to grind - literally and metaphorically. A self-destructive musician with a penchant for cheap alcohol (and even trashier guys), Kat's mom Trudy banished her from an idyllic childhood in Comfort Notch, New Hampshire - without so much as an explanation! - when she was just nine years old. Kate has spent the intervening two decades nursing a wicked - and seemingly well-deserved - grudge against Gertrude. So it comes as no small shock when Kat inherits the family home after Trudy's death.

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Having just bailed on a crappy landlord, and down to her last few bucks, Kat has little choice but to relocate her family to Comfort Notch, and a home she barely remembers. But there's something sinister lurking below this utopian New England facade: Missing children that no one dares mention. More than its share of mass tragedies (ugh, what a sentence to unpack). A cemetery full of empty graves. And an unhealthy preoccupation with lawn maintenance.

The more Kat digs, the closer she comes to unearthing the Somervilles' own role in Comfort Notch's misfortunes. But can she save her daughter Sybil from their shared fate?

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THE AUTUMNAL is a pleasing - if somewhat predicable - horror story. It's main strength/weakness is its heavy fall vibes; if the title didn't already scream "AUTUMN!" (and "TRICK OR TREAT!", "PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE!", "COZY SWEATERS!", and "BLACK CATS!"), the artwork sure as heck would. ("Strength/weakness" because fall would be my favorite season, but for the dreary winter depression that inevitably follows it. The real horror of THE AUTUMNAL is that winter is right around the corner.)

Which is to say it's just lovely and yet delivers lots of creepy goodness.

The storyline is a little less impressive - it's the kind of plot that's interesting enough to keep you going, but which you'll likely forget within a week. I was hoping for better from Kraus (THE SHAPE OF WATER, holla!), but, you know, it happens.

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Kat's an interesting enough character, the sort of scrappy underdog who you just love to root for. Ditto: Carol, who really deserved more page time. I don't especially love what the authors did with the legend of Clementine Biddle, but it does make for a rather satisfying, ecofeminist-eque ending.

Perfect for: readers who put their Halloween decorations up religiously on September 1st. ( )

The Autumnal is such a perfectly eerie read for an autumn release. This is a comic best read while sitting outdoors, wrapped in a blanket to ward off the chill in the air, with a mug of something hot near at hand--but not too near, so you don't spill it when a leaf skitters by and, because you're reading The Autumnal, that leaf scares you.

This is a comic for people who like when things get dark, for people who believe that small town life just can't be as rosy as it looks, for people who are ready to see their worst imaginings come to pass. The lovely, spooky art supports and enhances the script exactly as it should, evoking just the right shudders in just the right places. There were just a few places where I felt the writing stretched my willing suspension of disbelief to the point of breaking, but the pervasive creepiness helped me keep reading and enjoy most of the story anyway.

If you like horror comics, autumn leaves, and/or familial tragedy, this is a comic for you!

I received a free e-ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review. ( )