Through the Woods Paperback – July 15, 2014

Emily Carroll is a storyteller, in the most primordial sense of the word. All of her illustrated gothic/horror stories feel like a conjuring of campfire tales told with a dash of folklore, urban legend and heady doses of fright. What makes this a particular accomplishment is that many people (like me) would have first discovered Carroll via her webcomics, scrolling through the panels of her stories, which are made no less terrifying for their original screen medium.But now, for the first time, Carroll has gathered those webcomics in a book – ‘Through the Woods’ is her debut graphic novel collection of old and new stories.I’ve been a fan of Emily Carroll’s webcomics since first stumbling across her website many years ago. I remember finding and falling in love with her work, even before I really got into the comic scene with the likes of ‘Saga’ and ‘Ms Marvel’. I don’t think I even really understood that Carroll was a comic artist back then – when I thought comics were all Batman, Superman and not much in-between. I think I just thought of her as a writer-illustrator who scared the beegeesus out of me with the story ‘His Face All Red’ (which is still my favourite).There are five stories in this collection, plus an introduction and conclusion.‘Our Neighbour’s House’ tells the tale of three sisters left to fend for themselves when their father does not return from his hunt, and what happens when a man in a wide-brimmed hat starts visiting them in the dead of night.‘A Lady’s Hands are Cold’ has a ‘Bluebeard’ feel, when a young woman goes hunting through her new husband’s house for the source of a mysterious song.‘His Face All Red’ is my personal favourite, from Carroll’s original webcomics series. It tells the tale of a man who has it on good authority that the person claiming to be his brother is an impersonator.‘My Friend Janna’ is about two friends who get into the medium business; contacting spirits of people’s deceased loved ones.‘The Nesting Place’ introduces us to Bell, who is staying with her brother and his strange fiancée while she’s on school break … but discovers something terrifying in the woods near the house.Carroll is a great gothic storyteller, but more than that she’s a wonderful short-story writer. She knows how to pack a lot into just a few sentences, and has mastered the art of building to a climax – really hitting home with great one-liners in particular. All of her stories feel like they fit on either the folktale or urban legend spectrum – either seeming like something harking back to medieval times (like ‘A Lady’s Hands are Cold’ reminding of the French folktale ‘Bluebeard’) or they feel urban legend in that “a friend, of a friend of mine” sense (like ‘The Nesting Place’).The other thing I love about Carroll is that her illustrations often look like old-school children’s book illustrations, and that seems to make them feel all the more sinister. Some of them have quite a Miroslav Sasek or J.P. Miller look – but often the bright colours and round-faced characters are at odds with the creepy text. Not surprisingly, Carroll has cited children’s books as a big inspiration for her – from Charles Keeping to Andrew Lang (“Essentially any book that gave me nightmares when I was a kid is a driving force behind what I make now.”)Carroll has been published in anthologies and her webcomics have made her quite famous (in fact, Carroll is illustrating the graphic novel adaptation of Laurie Halse Anderson’s ‘Speak’, due out in 2016) but ‘Through the Woods’ is her graphic novel debut … but it definitely won’t be her last.

After reading the work on the author's website, I decided to buy this book for a horror-loving friend's birthday gift. But since I ordered it some time in advance I'll freely admit I read it all first! He, of course, loved it (and forced it upon other horror fans).People seem a little torn on their opinions of this, so all I can do is say what I think.First of all, the art is unique and great and very chilling. Of course it is a drawing but (and this will sound odd) it LOOKS like drawings, like somebody skillfully scribbling down their memories of the macabre. It's reminiscent of a dark and twisted fairy tale (which I believe is mostly the point). I quite enjoy the style. If you aren't sure you'll like it, try the 'look inside' function on Amazon or go to the authors website to get a better feel for her.As for the stories, I'm not going to take them one by one but rather a general impression. There's a short intro and epilogue and (unrelated) stories between. Although 5 stories may not seem like a ton you get quite a bit of content. I saw some complaints that the stories didn't really have an ending and I guess for the majority that is true. I personally felt like they ended, but it is correct that maybe only one (or two?) had a concrete "this is what happened the end" type of ending. The majority of the stories show a scenario, what happened, and a hint of what might (or might not) be the outcome and leave the reader to wonder or decide. I like that sort of thing. If you do not, perhaps you won't be fond of this book. Some people said the book wasn't scary. I thought it was plenty scary, although I can't recall having any nightmares over it or anything. It definitely brings a feeling of dread and I love creepy foreshadowing pictures where you're like "Eck, what's going to happen?!" and then reveal pictures where you're like "Oh geez, nooo! What and why?!" Gore is present, but it is not a gore fest. There is some body horror, but that's not what the book is. Perhaps I'd categorize it as existential horror, but that doesn't feel right either. Every story is different, so they don't fall into a clear category. All in all yes it was scary enough to please me and the intended horror-loving recipient. I know this will sound like I'm repeating myself but if you still aren't sure, check out the author's comics online.As a small side note, the book in hardcover is sufficiently hefty and good quality. There is a nice, textured dust jacket that comes off to reveal the regular cover, which is smooth and matte. The pages are nicely colored and a nice thickness as well. The first copy I ordered had a wrinkly manufacturer's defect on the cover but I sent it back and got a replacement from Amazon fairly quickly and without incident.