The Golem of Venice Beach Volume 2 HC (2025)

Clover Press launches a creator-owned graphic novel line, The Fourth Leaf

The Grievling #1 Clover Press 2020 Written by Steve Niles Illustrated by Damien Worm Lettered by Robbie Robbins    As Lily Baxter returns from the grave after she's killed by a gang of teenagers on Halloween night. However, now she's no longer just a teenage girl struggling to fit in, now she has the powers of The Grievling, and when she figures out how they work, the people who've done her wrong may live to regret it.    I do so love a story that makes you FEEL something when reading it.  Add into the mix Steve’s uncanny ability to bring chills to table like no other and you’ve one heck of a great read.  Though with only two issues in store the only minus is just that it is two issues.  I have no doubt that the story will feel complete while also more than likely leaving the door open for a future one right now this is the story you need to find.  I really like the concept here while it’s a true longshot at some point I felt a kinship with Prom Night, you gotta love Jamie Lee Curtis!  That is something I felt and connected with and I have absolutely no doubt you’ll find one unique to you while reading this.    The way that this is being told is extremely well done.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is perfectly presented.  When we see Lily for the first time you think to yourself that something with this girl is off.  Then we see that group of kids and thanks to some truly amazing character development we see right away that one of them is going to deserve everything coming her way.  I love how we see the characters face the situations and circumstances that they run into and how that affects them moving forward.  The pacing is sensational and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story we see how everything works together to create the books ebb & flow.    With how Steve has structured the book, how the information flows and how much we see from introduction to uh oh troubles a’ brewin is phenomenally done.  This is why the man is a master of his craft and I just wish we’d get to see more of it.      Oh how the interiors here fit the story and enhance it for us.  The linework we see is really nice to see and how through the varying weights it’s able to showcase the attention to detail is marvellous.  I really like how we see the faces and facial expressions throughout the book as with the body language we get that extra boost to the characterisation.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling.  We also see some creative utilisation of backgrounds here.  By showing the night sky resplendent with clouds and such make things really pop.  The colour work is phenomenal and how we see the various hues and tones within the colours utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is extraordinary.   ​    Okay so just the sheer fact that we see what this girl and her posse have actually done and what the price of being a nice person gets you.  Actually that last part is pretty freakin amazing when you see it play out because that’s something that I wouldn't have thought of, certainly hadn’t expected and yet it is so typically Steve.   The concept and how this has been executed is really well thought and delivered.  I want more of this, even if it isn’t this title these two need to make more stories like it.

Stan Lee and John Romita’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ newspaper strips return from Clover Press