The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor

May 24, 2021
Contemporary high schooler Haley, a Black teen who wears a choker and flowing skirts, is unbothered by her classmates’ open mockery but desperately resists her English teacher’s attempts to shut down yet another essay on Wuthering Heights—or any other gothic romance. After Haley spots a drowning man while standing “wistfully in the rain,” she attempts to save him, then washes ashore beneath remote Willowweep Manor, inhabited by handsome brothers Laurence, Cuthbert, and Montague and gruff housekeeper Wilhelmina, all white. Though Haley revels in the gothic setting of her dreams—complete with secret passages, a menacing forest, and a forlorn ghost—she learns that it’s actually an internally anachronistic pocket dimension meant to protect Earth from “an all-devouring sapient miasma.” As cracks form across Willowweep, Haley wields her extensive knowledge of gothic tropes to help the brothers regain control. If character development feels lacking, Baldwin’s expressive full-color art—reminiscent of Kate Beaton’s Hark! A Vagrant—and Garrity’s text both delight in their humor, conveying accentuated reactions, ranging from shocked to stoic, that lean into gleeful absurdity. A romp made especially enjoyable by Haley’s indulgent delight in Willowweep’s ability to make her literary dreams a reality. Ages 12–up.

July 1, 2021
Grades 7-11 Brooding heirs, a castle, a ghost, and a whole lot of rain make for a silly Gothic adventure in Garrity and Baldwin's new graphic novel. Haley, a plucky Black teen who reads nothing but Gothic romances, winds up in a place called Willowweep Manor (and a new universe) when she attempts to save a drowning man. Willowweep Manor could be something out of Jane Eyre, except for the fissures tearing apart the multiverse. Haley was hoping for something less complicated, like a lost heir or a hidden relation in the attic, but maybe she's not the true heroine of this Gothic tale after all! Baldwin's dark color scheme and wide shots of the castle and landscape give it a conventional feel, while tumbling frames and quirky page layouts create movement amid the fast-paced story. The wide-eyed and expressive characters bring out the tongue-in-cheek visual humor and laugh-out-loud dialogue, and the combination of Gothic romance and sf multiverse plot is charming. Hand to readers who appreciate the cheeky anachronism of Noelle Stevenson' Nimona (2015).

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August 6, 2021

Gr 9 Up-A teen is caught in a "gasket universe" in this blend of science fiction and period drama. Haley is obsessed with gothic romance-her classmates refer to her as "extra-nerdy goth," and she's written countless essays on Wuthering Heights. One day, as she walks home in the rain with a stack of books, she sees a cute guy floundering in the river below and dives off a bridge to save him. She drags him toward a manor in the distance. Unbeknownst to Haley, her travels have taken her to another universe. At first, she feels as though she's living out her gothic fantasies. But cracks in this world reveal that things aren't what they seem, exposing an existential threat not only to the manor's universe but also to the one Haley calls home. Can she be the gothic heroine the story needs? Webcomics creators Garrity (Skin Horse) and Baldwin (Little Dee) team up for their first original graphic novel. Baldwin's moody, full-color cartoon art is cinematic in its layout, including a few inventive panel overlays. While the majority of characters are light-skinned, Haley is Black. Garrity's witty writing is loving, genre-bending parody, and Haley's commentary about gothic tropes, fashion, and architecture will amuse readers regardless of their background knowledge. VERDICT Bront� lovers and sci-fi fans alike will find common ground in this delightfully bizarre romp into the multiverse.-Alec Chunn, Eugene P.L., OR

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