There are few things scarier, in my experience than meeting the In-Laws, especially when you know your partner doesn’t have the best relationship with them. We have all been there; your father-in-law gives you a judgy look while your mother-in-law smiles why too hard. It’s uncomfortable, unpleasant, and nerve-wracking. But things could be worse…so much worse.
Eat my Flesh, Drink my Blood, the new graphic novel from Dauntless Stories, tells the story of John and Lisa, an engaged couple that one day receives a letter from John’s parents. He hasn’t seen them in a long time, but the letter says that John’s father is dying, so Lisa convinces him to see them, to which he agrees with the condition that she must accompany him. What follows is an absurd and scary journey that will make you think twice about going to dinner with your partner’s family.
What Eat my Flesh, Drink my Blood does spectacularly well is that the creative team, conformed by Frankee White, Adman Markiewicz, and A. H. G., manage to combine romance, horror, and even absurdism successfully. There is never a moment it feels that there’s too much of one, it’s always balanced, and it combines perfectly. The reader simultaneously feels sympathy for John and Lisa’s relationship, absolute horror at the gory situation, and probably laughs at the absurdity of it all. It’s is an emotional rollercoaster, but one you will surely enjoy.
The writing and the art combine perfectly and give the graphic novel excellent timing and shocking scenes (the ending, in particular, left me with the mouth open). It feels like the comic flows just the way it is intended to, every scene hits just right, and by the end of the book, you will be wondering how it all happened so fast.
One thing that surprised me in the best way possible is the number of themes explored in the book. As I was reading, I got to think about the scary parts of a relationship, the implications of some catholic rituals, and the implications of mortality (no, this is not an exaggeration). While in the beginning, this might feel like a short and fun horror story, the more you think about it, the more you will find out how deep the story has settled in your brain and, most importantly, in your heart.
If you are a fan of absurd kinds of horror, I recommend this book. If you are a fan of catholic horror, I recommend this book. If you love romance stories set in a horror frame, I recommend this book. But most of all, if you, like me, love when horror stories take a page of the terrorists hiding in everyday life, I definitely recommend this book.