Halloween is the season for spooks, scares, and unexpected surprises. Graphic novels based around Halloween have come and gone, but one book that caught my eye while browsing is a new story titled "Hellaween.” After doing some research, I found the graphic novel was written and illustrated by Moss Lawton, who is known for working in the animation industry and being a part of such projects such as “The Lego Movie 2” and “Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus.” with the Halloween season around the corner, I was more than excited to read something to get into the Halloween spirit, and the results are as follows.
Gwen is a half-witch, half-teenage human living in the mortal realm. Gwen’s Friends, a werewolf named Sloane and a vampire named Miles, come out from the Hallowlands to hang out with her during the Halloween Season. Gwen finds herself armed with a new grimoire that can be used to cast all kinds of spells with the help of her homemade wand. She often uses it to convince her friends that she can join them in the Hallowlands. While the trio goofs around, a kid named Hiro, obsessed with hunting the supernatural, discovers Gwen’s Secret and ropes in his reluctant companion, Beatrice, to find and track what they think are monsters.
The story completely engulfs itself in the spirit of the Halloween season and simultaneously captures the feeling of being a teenager. A good chunk of the leading adventure is about Gwen, Sloane, and Miles goofing off. They often have fun shopping in the mall or scaring unsuspecting jocks, and it's pretty infectious as it really feels like I’m watching teenagers being teenagers, only they have paranormal abilities. The story is also not afraid to be a little twisted and edgy, as some scenes will show blood or mild swearing, which helps add a little realism to the teenage characters and how Halloween is presented in the created world. At times, the central conflict of Gwen wanting to be taken more seriously can feel a little forced, but it can also lead to satisfying payoffs toward the end. Also, it is a bit disheartening that we never get a glimpse of what the hollowlands are like. Though, to be fair, they may be setting that up for another book in the future. Overall, this is an entertaining story to read every Halloween; it captures the spirit of the holiday while nailing down the fun and struggles of being a teenager.
The characters define what it means to have a youthful spirit. Gwen is the character that most people will be able to relate to because her constant optimism and endearing impatience make her a fully fleshed-out persona. Gwen’s friends Sloane and Miles are entertaining as they occasionally enjoy cracking jokes and supporting Gwen regardless of her emotions. I was admittedly nervous about Hiro being the nerdy outcast who would love to prove his theories correct. After a while, though, he does become rather enticing and, like the previous characters, fully embraces the feeling of being an awkward teenager at his age. Plus, many unexpected twists in Hiro’s character seem more attractive than when I first read about him at first glance. These are fun characters to read about, and it would be nice to know more about them if any more graphic novels are planned for further character development.
The Illustrations immediately nail down the feel of Halloween and all that comes with it. Our leading trio of characters are all designed very well and have a lot of personality in their designs and how they are posed. Expect to see many places you’d usually find during Halloween, such as haunted houses and pumpkin patches, made even more attractive for the eyes thanks to their distinct color palettes. I adore how many panels amp up the scariness of some of the situations and do not hold back on the creativity to make them decently memorable. One of my favorite moments has to be when the leading trio has to scare a bunch of jocks in a haunted house which can lead to some weird and goofy scary imagery. These visuals intrigue me to reread the book the following Halloween and have also made me wonder what else the author can do with her visual style presented in this graphic novel.
“Hellaween” is a beautiful graphic novel perfect for reading during the Halloween season and delivers a fun story with great visuals to put the reader in the mood for everything spooky and twisted. Although, it would have been nice to have some satisfying closure from some of the characters. It's also disappointing that we never see what it is like in the Hallow Lands, where Sloane and Miles come from. Still, the book makes up for all that, as the visuals instantly nail the feel of Halloween. The characters have a ton of expression from their faces and postures, and the story is fun and even a little warped and weird sometimes. I don’t know if Moss plans to make any follow-ups or new stories with her own art style, but from what I’ve seen so far with “Hellaween” I can tell she’s got talent, and I’ve only just begun to see what she can do.
(Final Grade: B+)