The Crumrin Chronicles Vol. 1 by Ted Naifeh
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I zipped through this. The art is utterly gorgeous. It is has a creepy look using eirie purples and blacks to sublime effect on many pages. The colouring does much of the tone-setting and there is an elegant use of shading that adds heft to both the action and emotional scenes. The comic is gracefully laid out, and I especially liked the thickly inked panels that added to the horror tone.
The characters are well written. Flawed yet likeable in the way the best young protagonists are. I found both Will and Tucker to be charming. Their relationship is well observed. The small and not so small sleights that strain a friendship seem natural despite the supernatural circumstances that the pair find themselves in. The dialogue is flowing and works harmoniously with the images on the page. There was a great balance between the two.
A very well written supernatural teen mystery with pleasing artwork.