Author Archives: Bizarre Brunette

The Best Reading Month Ever – July 2022

Posted in Reading/Books by

July was a busy month for me. I had a lot going on with my birthday and our trip to Austin. That’s why it was so surprising to me that I had read three books, three short novellas, and three graphic novels this month. I’m confident that this past month was the most successful reading month I have ever had! Instead of writing separate reviews, I wanted to group everything I read last month into this post.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Everyone knows Evelyn Hugo. A film star who made her breakthrough in the 1950s and built her career in Old Hollywood. In the present day, Evelyn picks Monique Grant to interview her. Evelyn will not let anyone else interview her but Monique. Monique is stunned. Why her? As Monique sits and listens to Evelyn’s story, she realizes so many things about her own life and how Evelyn’s life is imperfect and tragic.

This book captured me right away. The imagery of Hollywood in the 1950s, Evelyn’s story, along with how it’s played out in the press, and the truth behind all of Evelyn’s marriages. Evelyn reveals her one true love, and there was a purpose behind each marriage. Evelyn’s story is tragic and provides clarity as to how corrupt Hollywood was during her time period of being an actress. I rated The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo five stars on Goodreads.

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

Five friends make their way back to the illustrious Duquette University for their ten-year Homecoming tradition. As they socialize at the gathering, they are lured by an acquaintance who wants justice for Heather Shelby, a friend in their group who was murdered during their senior year. Secrets are unearthed, and they slowly realize that they clearly do not know each other as well as they thought.

Each character in this book is so conniving. I think it’s easy to hate them all, yet I find myself understanding why they are the way they are. I loved the setting! I kept picturing Asheville, North Carolina, as I read through the book. When the final reveal happened, I kept thinking back to Scream 2, as that slasher film takes place on a college campus. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is the dark academic thriller I have always wanted. I rated this book five stars on Goodreads.

Revolver Road by Christi Daugherty

Harper McClain is investigating the disappearance of Xavier Rayne, a local musician who made it big. Harper buys her trust with Xavier’s three friends, Cara, Allegra, and Hunter, to figure out if they had a motive to want Xavier gone. As Harper begins her story, she’s being hunted by an unknown person who might have something to do with her mother’s death. Revolver Road builds up to a terrifying conclusion, and finally, Harper gets the answers she’s looking for.

This is the third book in the Harper McClain series. Throughout the books, Harper has been investigating her mother’s murder. Revolver Road finally reveals what happened to her mom. Part of the appeal of this series is reading about Harper’s life in Savannah, Georgia. I went to Savannah in March on my first road trip this year, and it made reading this book so much better since I could truly picture Harper’s life. I rated Revolver Road five stars on Goodreads.

The STEMinist Novellas #1 – #3 by Ali Hazelwood

The STEMinist Novellas are written by Ali Hazelwood, who wrote The Love Hypothesis, a book I adored when I read it last year. While Ali is writing her second novel, she has released these three short novellas centered around three friends: Mara, Sadie, and Hannah. Each novella centers on one of the three friends. On average, I rated each novella three stars. I liked them; they were short and perfect to read while on vacation.

The Ice Cream Man Volume #1 Rainbow Sprinkles by W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo

The Ice Cream Man is a horror graphic novel that takes place in a typical suburban town. Each issue tells a different story, yet somehow the Ice Cream Man is at the center of it. It’s unclear where Ice Cream Man comes from. Does he come from a different planet? Is he a demon? I’m not sure if this will ever be answered.

The whole time I was reading this, the artwork kept reminding me of Beavis & Butthead. It’s not a bad thing; I just couldn’t get it out of my head that this was what the art was reminding me of. Some of the stories I liked more than others. I’m not sure if I plan on continuing this series, but I’m glad I read it. I rated The Ice Cream Man three stars on Goodreads.

For Goodness Sake Volume #2 and Volume #3

For Goodness Sake centers around Rayne as she travels in her makeshift bus with her dog, Copilot. She meets Thatcher and sees that he has a curse placed upon him. Rayne decides to help, and a friendship forms between Rayne and Thatcher. In Volumes #2 and #3, Rayne learns more about Thatcher, and Thatcher realizes why the curse was placed upon him, to begin with.

I LOVE this series. It’s easily one of my favorite graphic novel series of all time. I love Rayne and Thatcher’s friendship. I think it would be easy to pair these as a romantic pairing, but I think at the heart of this is their friendship. I’m a big fan of K. Lynn Smith’s art. I have said this before, but I like her style. I can pick out her art because it’s unique. I rated For Goodness Sake Volumes #2 and #3 five stars on Goodreads.

I’m impressed if you made it to the end of this post. I had to take multiple breaks as I wrote this. As for August, I’m focusing more on fantasy novels, but my TBR is a lot smaller since I have a few weekends booked up as it is.

Making Apocalypses Fun – Doomlings

Posted in Gaming by
Image is a bird's eye view of the card game, Doomlings. It says on the box: Doomlings Your Guide To The End Of The World 2-6 Players / 20-45 Minutes / Ages 10+ Welcome to Doomlings! On your first playthrough, you might overthink your hand, like there's some hidden, perfect path to take. But when is this ever the case in life? Rest assured, there is no perfect card to play. So for now, play something cute, try some things, and trust that the cards will help you find your way.
Doomlings Box Cover

My friend sent me a message a few months ago about a game she backed on Kickstarter. Based on what she told me, I thought the game seemed interesting but wasn’t wanting to back the campaign until I played it. After driving to visit her a few weeks ago, she finally broke out her copy of Doomlings, so I could try it out. I was a big fan. Doomlings is a simple card game about outlasting the end of the world.

Doomlings has a fairly simple concept. The goal of the game is to earn the most points at the end of the world. Certain cards have a number on them indicating how many points the card is worth. Some cards are ability cards with no points, or if there is a really good ability card, it might provide minus points because the ability is that good. Several rounds are broken up by catastrophe cards. Catastrophe cards have outcomes on them, so they provide unpredictability to the game. Some catastrophes can help players, while the same catastrophe could harm another player’s board. Each game takes about twenty – four five minutes, which is perfect for a quick game.

Image is a card from the game Doomlings. This card has a red border. On the card it says Tiny Arms and the description says, Reach out and touch prey. It shows a chubby, red dinosaur like cartoon creature. Below the image, it says, +1 for each Dinoling (picture of an egg) in the discard pile. The card has a -1 on the left corner.

Doomlings has some of the cutest art. This reminds me of Unstable Unicorns, the normal edition (not the NSFW edition). The art features these cute creature cards. I found myself taking a picture of a few of my favorites that came up during gameplay.

I had such a time playing Doomlings. I regret not backing it, to begin with. However, Doomlings does have its full selection on the website to order. I’m tempted to order my own copy because I can see my brother really enjoying this game. Doomlings is perfect for anyone who wants a short game that’s extremely easy to learn and teach.

Oklahoma City – Austin Road Trip

Posted in Life Lately by

I’m back from vacation! My husband and I drove to Austin, Texas. Initially, I was going to schedule posts to release while I was out, but I ended up scrapping that idea and taking a week off instead. Similar to other vacation posts, I’m going to write three posts that summarize my trip. The first post is dedicated to a city we stopped in, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Leaving from Minneapolis, the fastest driving route to Austin is to cut through Oklahoma. You may be thinking, “Why would you want to visit Oklahoma?” Oklahoma, like many states in the US, has the stereotype of being a “fly-over state”. As someone who eventually wants to visit all the US states, I was excited to cross off Oklahoma from my list. Whatever expectations I had about Oklahoma, I was pleasantly surprised. Oklahoma City (abbreviated OKC) was a city where I had a great time exploring.

Image is a photo of me standing next to a sculpture that has three big letters "OKC" next to each other. I'm standing next to the C. Behind me to the left is a Ferris Wheel and to the right, you can see the OKC skyline.
Wheeler District – Downtown OKC

One of the first things we did was visit the Wheeler Ferris Wheel. The Wheeler Ferris Wheel was the original Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel. It was purchased and now resides in a park outside of downtown OKC. The Wheeler district was neat. There was a full park with numerous trails on the border of the Oklahoma River. The area was in a warehouse district with a full view of the OKC skyline. The Wheeler district reminded me of northeast Minneapolis, which is our artsy area of the city.

Photo is a picture of the Oklahoma City Museum and Memorial. The museum is behind, but in front is this park that serves as the memorial.

Besides taking pictures at the Wheeler Ferris Wheel, we walked around the Oklahoma City National Memorial. For those who are unfamiliar, on April 19th, 1995, a bomb went off at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in OKC. I wasn’t even a year old when this happened. I’m learning as an adult what happened that day and how horrific this event was. The memorial was beautifully crafted, but haunting. Several chair sculptures represented everyone who died that day. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go through the museum, but if I’m ever back in OKC, I will make this a priority.

That’s OKC! I was not expecting to love OKC as much as I did. There’s a lot of history here, and local businesses to support. Sometime next week, I will post my Austin, Texas travel recap.

Writing Tropes That Aren’t For Me

Posted in Reading/Books by

CW: Sexual Assault. One of the tropes I mention references sexual assault in books, but I don’t discuss it in great detail.

As a voracious reader, I am coming to terms with the types of books I like reading. I tend to read more thrillers and romance books than any other genre. I have been paying more attention to the types of tropes I have been seeing in the books I have been reading. Tropes aren’t always bad, as there are certain tropes I tend to gravitate to. Instead of sharing the best tropes, I wanted to share a few tropes that aren’t for me.

Thriller & Mystery – Unreliable female protagonist with a drinking problem (Examples include: Girl on a Train, The Woman in the Window)

This is so commonly used, and I’m over it. It’s usually a woman drinking red wine, and she mixes her wine with Xanax. She somehow can get up and do productive things after a night of binge drinking. I’m not a fan of this trope as it’s always the same. There has to be a better way to convey to the reader that something isn’t what it seems without the use of alcohol.

Romance – Love interest stems from cheating (Examples include: Anna & The French Kiss, One to Watch)

I despise cheating in romances. To me, it cheapens the romance. There’s a lot of emotional damage that comes with cheating, and I can’t fathom why you can’t break up with that person if you are interested in someone else. It still hurts, but at least it’s honest. Part of the thrill of romance books is that I want to root for the couple to last. When a romance is built on cheating, I have a hard time believing the romance will last, and it ruins it for me.

Thriller & Mystery – Using sexual assault as a twist (Example: The Good Daughter)

I wrote about this topic a few years ago, but I think the use of sexual assault is overdone. Sometimes it’s thrown into a backstory of a character for no good reason. In The Good Daughter, there’s a “plot twist” where it’s revealed that one of the characters was sexually assaulted. It felt gross to me. I would rather it had been revealed right away, rather than in the middle of the book. I think sexual assault can be used in a story in a powerful way, but when it’s so overused, it starts to become a bit too much.

Non-Fiction – Not having reference pages (maps, character lists to reference, etc. (Example: Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition)

This isn’t a trope per se, but a preference. I’m reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent. While I’m enjoying it, this book is detailed. There are so many key players in passing the prohibition amendment, and there aren’t any reference pages. It can be difficult to remember everyone who’s been introduced. It’s a stark contrast to League of Denial: The NFL Concussions and the Battle for Truth. In League of Denial, there was a full character sheet with important people who were discussed. It was nice to be able to reference throughout the book.

While I’m not a big fan of these tropes, I try not to let them ruin the book I’m reading. If anything, it has helped me narrow down or eliminate books I’m not interested in reading because they contain these tropes. This helps me find books that I know I will love.

My Favorite Roleplaying Memories

Posted in Gaming by
Image is a photo of a bird's eye view of a terrain. It shows a grassy map with two buildings. To the right, is a grassy, hilly terrain. Our minis are to the right off the map.
Zehiri & Hellish Rebuke

Last weekend, I was playing Adventurer’s League with my Tiefling Paladin, Zehiri. This was the first game where Zehiri was a level #5, meaning she could attack twice. I had a blast being able to not only attack twice but also incorporate a smite into one of my melee attacks for extra damage. As I reflected on the session, I realized I have had quite a few memorable role-playing moments from various sessions I have played in. I wanted to share a few of my favorite roleplaying moments from various types of roleplaying games.

Using a Saxophone as a Weapon – Call of Cthulhu

I played in a one-shot Call of Cthulhu game where our characters were trapped in an “abandoned” asylum. Our characters had nothing as far as weapons, money, or accessories. Our group was investigating the music room before being attacked by supernatural beings. I asked our keeper (Call of Cthulhu terminology for a Dungeon Master) if there was a saxophone in the room. He agreed that there would be. I picked up the saxophone, slung it on my back, and prepared to use it as a club against these beings. It led to a fun conversation about how much damage a saxophone could cause, and it led to our group escaping with our lives. It shows how roleplaying can bring out creativity in both the keeper and the players.

Hellish Rebuke – Takedown of an Ogre – Adventurer’s League

During one of our Adventurer’s League sessions, we were going to rescue hostages from some ogres. As I ran into battle, I was face-to-face with an ogre champion. She swung her club at me and dealt close to twenty damage. I was ready. I had Hellish Rebuke lined up. Hellish Rebuke is a reaction spell that forces the enemy to hit you to make a saving throw. No matter what, the opponent will take damage. The ogre failed her saving throw, and I ended up rolling extremely well. This dealt the last remaining damage needed. One of the items the ogre had was the “Gauntlets of Ogre Power,” which gives the wearer a strength score of 19. The group agreed that I could have the Gauntlets, which have proven useful in future sessions.

Successfully Punching a Nazi – Call of Cthulhu

In this one-shot, our setting was the 1940s, and our characters were on a ship. As our group was investigating disappearances in the crew, I noticed a group of Nazis at the bar. I immediately beelined to them and told our keeper that I wanted to slap one of them. Everyone in our group didn’t think this would go well and was preparing to defend me if needed. I ended up rolling a critical success, much to the keeper’s delight. I was able to slap a Nazi and get away with it.

As I was writing this post, I was flooded with memories of memorable sessions. I’m going to save a few of them for a potential part #2 post.

Traveling to Texas – Road Trip!

Posted in Life Lately by
Image is a photo of Austin, Texas. It shows the walkway to the capital building. It's a sunny day and the grass looks really green.
Austin, Texas – image from Pixabay

I love how I posted about my travel plans, and then they changed. My original plan was to fly to Seattle in August for Emerald City Comic Con. However, when I went to book my flight, I couldn’t find a round-trip flight cheaper than $900. With flights being canceled left and right, I felt it was too big a risk to make such a big purchase. I contemplated driving to Seattle, but it was twenty-four hours one way, which would mean four days of driving there and back. It would leave barely enough time to explore Seattle, plus attend Emerald City. In the end, I decided to go somewhere else. After much deliberation, I decided to plan a road trip to Austin, Texas, as it was a city I had on my list to visit.

I’m thrilled to leave for vacation! My last trip was in March, so about three to four months ago. I was craving another trip. I find I get the travel bug every few months, and it’s satisfying to plan a vacation and have something to look forward to.

If you’re planning a vacation, let me know where you’re going in the comments section down below.

Columbine + Civil Rights – Nonfiction Reading Month

Posted in Reading/Books by

Last month, I devoted my reading month to non-fiction. I read two books and one non-fiction graphic novel. One of the books I read, Missoula Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, was a book review I posted a few weeks ago. I wanted to discuss the other book and graphic novel I read this month, as I felt proud of myself for sticking to non-fiction books.

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Columbine is a non-fiction book about the Columbine school shooting in Colorado on April 20th, 1999. Dave Cullen paints a picture of what happened during the shooting with an emphasized focus on the school shooters and why they committed this atrocity.

I originally read Columbine back when I was in high school. Reading Columbine now versus ten years ago was a different experience. This is partly due to the world that we live in, but also, I felt that my opinion about this book is different. Columbine puts a huge focus on the school shooters, which I wasn’t interested in. In these violent acts, the media often talks about the killers and less about the people impacted by the shooting. I still cannot name all thirteen of the victims, and I even looked at the back of the book and saw that one of the victims wasn’t listed at all during the book. It could have been because Dave Cullen might not have had permission to interview his family. However, I don’t see why there wasn’t a page included of all the people who were killed.

I think this book was extremely well written, but I just think it emphasized too much on the wrong portion of this event. I rated Columbine three stars on Goodreads.

March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

March: Book One is a non-fiction graphic novel detailing Congressman John Lewis’s story and how he became an active member of the Civil Rights movement. From being raised on a farm in rural Alabama to sneaking away to school, and how he was trained for nonviolent protesting, John Lewis is most certainly a hero.

I’m thrilled to see more non-fiction graphic novels being published! Reading non-fiction can feel like a chore depending on the author. I loved everything about March: Book One. It is an easy-to-follow story. The graphic novel opened with John Lewis attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration. It shows how far history has come, but also how much change still needs to happen.

One of the most interesting parts of the story was how John talks about training for nonviolent protesting. John works with Jim Lawson, one of the leaders of nonviolent protesting. During this training, each person had roleplays where they practiced yelling awful things, so the people participating in the sit-ins were practicing sitting in peace. It’s awful that the world was this way, but how brave these individuals were for standing up for equality.

The artwork in this completely coincides with John Lewis’s story. Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell use black & white to tell the complete story. I think it works for the imagery that they are working with. I thought the images were interesting to read and helped portray the darkness of the time period.

March: Book One was such an engaging read. I rated March: Book One five stars.

It was such a successful reading month for me! I have one more non-fiction book I’m reading now that I plan on finishing by the end of the year. As far as July, I’m sensing it’s going to be a mystery or thriller type of mood for me, but we shall see.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
Image is a promotional poster for the series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. It shows Obi-Wan from far away walking on a desert planet. The sky is cloudy and the sun is in the distance.

The Star Wars prequels hold a special place in my heart. As such, I was ecstatic that Obi-Wan was getting his own series. Every time I re-watch Revenge of the Sith, I always tear up. Seeing Obi-Wan (played by Ewan McGregor) spill his heart out to Anakin (played by Hayden Christiansen) about how he was his brother and how he was supposed to destroy the Sith and not join them. It’s heart-wrenching. Like many other fans, I was nervously waiting for Obi–Wan Kenobi to drop episodes on Disney+. This series was well worth the wait. I wanted to talk about some of the highlights of the series instead of writing a full review of the show.

Young Leia

I was not expecting a young Leia to appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi. I liked this aspect of the show because I felt it helped link Revenge of the Sith to A New Hope. It gives more background as to why Leia requests Obi-Wan’s help. Little Leia is portrayed as this sassy child who wants to see more of the world. I thought she complemented Obi-Wan’s journey and helped provide levity to the series.

The Environment

Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place ten years after Order 66. Jedi are being hunted by Inquisitors and are driven into isolation. I liked that Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals what this post-Order 66 galaxy is like. There isn’t a lot of Star Wars canon content that talks about this part of Star Wars history. There were a few scenes from Order 66, and how some of Obi-Wan’s allies didn’t survive because they were hunted by the Inquisitors (RIP Tala, played by Indira Varma). The whole aesthetic of the show was intriguing.

Fan Service

There is so much content within the show that feels like it’s for the fans. Obi-Wan meets Luke and says his infamous line, “Hello There”. There’s a scene where Anakin and Obi-Wan are fighting in a training session. There’s the cameo of all cameos! Obi-Wan finally being able to see the Force ghost of Qui-Gon (reprised by Liam Neeson). The show felt like it was created for the super fans of the prequels, and I was here for it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was so worth the wait. Episodes can be streamed on Disney+

Animal Crossing First Anniversary – Photos

Posted in Gaming by

I felt myself missing playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I go through a spurt where I play daily, and then I don’t play for a month or two. I decided to return to MaplePeaks and continue working on beautifying my island. As I logged in, I was reminded that it was my first anniversary of starting Animal Crossing, and I wanted to celebrate by posting photos I had taken in-game.

Image is a screenshot from the video game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It shows my character with brown hair. Behind her is a tent and a wooden mailbox.
The first photo I ever took! Screenshot taken by me.

Before building a full house, there’s a starter tent. I took this photo on one of the first or second days I started playing Animal Crossing. I didn’t have any cute clothes, and my island is filled with weeds. My island has come so far!

Image is a screenshot from the video game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It shows the main character with brown hair. She is holding a yellow and black butterfly. Behind her is her net that she uses to catch the butterfly.
Screenshot taken by me.

One of the most significant aspects of Animal Crossing is catching insects, diving for underwater treasures, and fishing. There’s an encyclopedia that can be filled in, and badges are earned for catching everything. I still have a long way to go to complete the encyclopedia, but I’m for sure halfway through.

Image is a screenshot from the game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It shows the town coming together celebrating building Nook's Cranny, a building in the town. Everyone is smiling and there's confetti everywhere.
Screenshot taken by me.

In Animal Crossing, there are several buildings you can build. One of those is Nook’s Cranny, a general store of sorts. Right next to Nook’s Cranny is the Museum run by Blathers, an owl wearing a brown sweater. The buildings provide heart to the island and help generate bells, along with donating all the items that can be collected.

Image is a screenshot from the game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The character is on the beach. She has bright teal hair with two braids. There's an egg crown on her head and she's wearing a lime green, teal, white and green striped dress with green boots.
Screenshot taken by me.

Animal Crossing has an Easter event where you can run around the island and collect eggs. The eggs can be used to craft Easter-themed furniture and outfits. I was wearing a green egg dress and shoes while I collected eggs. I hope Animal Crossing has a Halloween-type event because I missed it last year.

Image is a photo from the game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It shows the town folk coming together for a recently built red brick incline that was built. Everyone is smiling and there's confetti everywhere.
Screenshot taken by me.

To help navigate my island, I can build bridges or inclines to make it easier to hike. This is a photo I took pretty recently. There are several options, but since I want a fall-themed island, the red brick fits my island’s aesthetic. I created a brick pathway to help match the brick stairs to the brick path.

Image is a photo from the game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It shows my character sitting on a couch in her bedroom. The wall has green ivy on it while the flooring is this mint, white, checkered floor. There's another person from my village sitting on the floor. He appears to be a bunny, with brown ears and a white body.
Screenshot taken by me.

One of the most memorable parts of Animal Crossing is the animal villagers. Genji is featured in this screenshot I took today. Genji is one of my favorites. Genji was one of my first villagers and, for whatever reason, is the villager who most often visits my home.

Image is a screenshot from the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It shows the main character holding up a Great White Shark and it's huge! You can't even see the character behind the shark.
Screenshot taken by me.

The last photo is the one that makes me laugh. I love how in Animal Crossing, you can carry whatever you catch in your pocket. I caught a Great White Shark, and I’m just holding it, absolutely no big deal. Every time I look at this photo, it makes me laugh.

Animal Crossing never fails to make me happy. It’s a game that I always get completely lost in.

True Crime Podcast Exposing a Crime – Fog Line

Posted in Reading/Books by

I browse Kickstarter every now and then, usually in the graphic novel or comics section. I like how Kickstarter and other platforms have helped fund projects that may not have existed otherwise. In one scroll, I noticed the campaign for Fogl Line. Fog Line immediately piqued my interest. The premise of a True Crime podcast exposing a crime that a man committed 40 years ago and seemingly got away with was enough for me to officially back the campaign. Fog Line was everything I hoped for and reminded me to check Kickstarter more often.

Image is the photo of the package that the comic came in. It mimics an Evidence bag and lists the case number and the victim along with other identifying details like phone number, time etc.

Before I talk about the graphic novel, I wanted to comment on the way it was shipped. Fog Line was packaged in this white envelope. The packaging made it seem that the book was “evidence” that was collected at a crime scene. How neat is this?? I was surprised by the attention to detail. I’m for sure planning on keeping the package as a way to store Fog Line, versus simply throwing it away.

Image is a photo of Fog Line

Fog Line focuses on Henry, a retired trucker living with his daughter and grandson. Henry wakes up from nightmares consistently. His dreams are always the same; he is on a shift and accidentally hits and kills a woman. Henry, instead of calling the police, drags her body into a cornfield and buries her. As Henry plays with his grandson, he discovers his grandson is listening to a True Crime podcast that’s investigating her disappearance. Apparently, she was the daughter of a mob boss, so her death led to additional violence during that time period. Henry is horrified and realizes that maybe he should confess after all.

I love this whole concept. Henry is experiencing major guilt; however, I was anxiously awaiting how he would be caught. The art is told entirely in black & white, which I felt fit the style of the graphic novel. The only critique I would have is that Fog Line was much shorter than I anticipated. I wanted more story! I wanted to see more of Henry and this True Crime podcast. I felt the story was skimmed over. It could be because there will be a second volume and they’re preparing the campaign now, which I will happily support.

Fog Line by Mario Candelaria had an interesting premise, and I’m happy to have helped bring the project to life. It’s an important reminder to check Kickstarter because there are a lot of creative people out there making content that’s worth investing in.