Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. I didn’t really like the art style or the colouring. I thought the colouring was dull in some places. The story was interesting but not that easy to follow. I liked the fact that it was horror but I was a bit confused about what was happening. So just not one for me but I am grateful to the authors and publisher for allowing me to read it.

This graphic novel described itself perfectly; Twin Peaks meets X-Files.

The art style really lends a lot to the story its telling and I really enjoyed it. I'm a fan of horror and mystery/thrillers so following along as the details of the plot began to unfold was really entertaining. Overall this is a great graphic novel with a story I'll easily be able to recommend to others!

It's time for horror, and it's the modern version, which is to say there are extended hallucinatory sequences, and there's a local drug, so it becomes more and more difficult to define whether what the characters are seeing is actually there.

Part of the story leans more toward classical horror - a small isolated town (the titular Silk Hills) with a lot of secrets, is everybody who they say they are, who can you trust, etc. Throw in a dash of cosmic horror, some monsters and gore, and here you are.

The story feels a bit all over the place, with a lot of characters, a lot of the aformentioned hallucinatory sequences, a main character that is trying to find a missing person, and I found myself finding it hard to care much about any of it.

The book has a real problem in its art. The art isn't bad, but it's very cartoony and it doesn't fit horror at all. Everytime a monster would appear, I found myself laughing out loud. Most of the monsters just look really silly and goofy, not at all scary. And so the horror never gets off the ground.

I don’t read enough graphic novels. There, I said it. Here it is March, and this is the first graphic novel I’ve read. Silk Hills is so good that I’m kicking myself for not adding more graphic novels to my TBR pile, and I’m going to remedy that.

The ad copy for Silk Hills mentions that it would be perfect for fans of The X-Files and Twin Peaks, and that’s right on. I would also add for Mothman aficionados. It has that vibe. Silk Hills is a hardscrabble Appalachian town fallen on hard times since the mines closed. When Beth, an ex-military private investigator, comes to town in search of a missing kid, she runs up against not just the grinding poverty of a town rotten at the core, but drug dealers and a potent, sinister new high made from moth dust.

Silk Hills is creepy and relentlessly atmospheric, anchored in grim reality while also delving in dark flights of fancy. Sherron’s artwork is loose yet detailed, packed with unsettling imagery that made my horror-centric heart happy. There’s great energy here. The words from Ferrier and Level dovetail perfectly with the art, telling a deeply involving story rich in Appalachian folklore. Beth is an especially winning protagonist, and a total badass.

Silk Hills will be released May 24th, 2022, and is well-worth a pre-order.

I would like to open my review by saying that I absolutely loved the art for this GN. I can see how it wouldn't be to everyone's tastes, but I thought it was great and worked really well for the subject matter.

Now onto the actual story/plot. this is a story about Beth Wills, who has been hired to find a missing man in the town of Silk Hills. There was some great elements here, and I really enjoyed the back and forth between Beth and Celia, but it did feel like a writer had taken ALL their ideas and threw them at one story, Which left it feeling a little bloated and at time a little confusing to follow.

I think they could have easily removed a couple of elements to the story and it would have felt a lot more streamlined and cohesive. Even so I did enjoy Silk Hills and would recommend you to pick it up and give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review! I saw that this was an Appalachian horror story recommended to fans of Twin Peaks and was immediately interested. Twin Peaks is one of my favorite shows, so I hoped this had similar vibes. It did not disappoint!

The moths are not what they seem! This story does have some parallels to Twin Peaks— someone new comes into a town to investigate a mystery only to find the actual town itself has something sinister and supernatural lurking beneath the surface (with nasty dreams/hallucinations and all). What’s real when horrific nightmares go bump in the night? The similarities mostly stop there, though. Silk Hills definitely diverts into a story of its own, which I appreciated.

I don’t think this graphic novel is for everyone, but I enjoyed it. I love weird stuff, so I am probably the target audience here. The story starts out grounded in reality, as Beth Wills, a veteran turned private investigator, visits a small town to locate a businessman’s missing son. Things quickly take a turn into the bizarre, though. She encounters strange moths, a haunting deer, drugs derived from the town’s special moths, and so much more. There’s never really a break to come up for air, with gruesome imagery and body horror thrown in, as well. The atmosphere is quite creepy. There are one or two moments that made me physically cringe.

The plot does not fall to the wayside amidst all the oddities, but it’s still very weird and sometimes hard to follow. I can’t quite rate this book 5 stars because of that (and the pacing is a little all over the place, too). I actually went back and skimmed the graphic novel again after finishing just to make sure I caught everything. It made a little more sense after reviewing some of the middle plot points again. Confusing stories don't really bother me, but I could see others having more of a problem with that.

The plot and the images both kept my attention. Speaking of the images, this graphic novel is beautiful! I loved the color choices. It was neat to watch the art get more vivid as the story got stranger and stranger. The art is pretty stylistic, so again, it might not be for everyone. I thought it was so well done, though! I also loved the queer representation— there are numerous non-straight couples throughout the story, with different races and body types visually represented.

I’d recommend this if you’re into horror and don’t mind gruesome imagery. It’s spooky and fun! It’s a quick read; I imagine it’d be perfect for Halloween. I’d definitely read another book set in this universe.

4 out of 5 stars.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve read a great graphic novel in the horror genre! This book is not for the weak of heart! It’s very graphic and some of the images are actually quite frightening, which I thoroughly enjoyed! The storyline kept my attention the entire time and I would’ve finished it in one sitting if I hadn’t started it so late last night. I appreciated that the main character was a female private investigator, but wasn’t super feminine or girly looking and that it’s only romantic relationship was between two polar opposite girls. If you’re into horror and graphic novels, you don’t want to miss this one!

I think this was just entirely too 'trippy' for me because I had absolutely no idea what was going on half the time and I also really disliked the art style. There were some good gore and body horror moments but for me they were really divorced from all context since I was unclear was actually *happening* and also feel like they would have looked better in a less exaggerated style. This might be more enjoyable to people who are less picky about art than me and also more able to just go with the flow when a story has a kind of convoluted storyline but I found it incredibly hard to concentrate on and incredibly unsatisfying.

The art was great, loved the style. The story was creepy and weird as hell, so all in all it was pretty good.

I think I have decided to give this graphic novel a 2.5 rounded to a 3. Not because I find it average, but because I find it to be uneven. Some of the imagery was interesting from a horror perspective. Overall i liked most of the concepts. However, the plot just roves in fits and starts. I’d find the trail of a storyline and then lose it immediately in the imagery. I don’t think transitions were handled with any care at all. There is no explanation when moving between time periods and hallucinations/real world. I think the authors wanted to present something modern and so they included an LGBTQIA+ main character. However, they relied on outdated stereotypes about an entire region of the country.

Silk Hills was a very intersting graphic novel. Some parts were genuinely creepy added by the artists insanely cool drawings. I found the story a little wonky and rushed at times and the dialogue was interesting too. It did take me a bit to get into but once it got into the meat of the story I could not put it down. Ryan Ferrier obviously has a dark imagination that I think others will love. It definitley did remind me of Twin Peaks/Wayward Pines atmosphere but entirely its own thing. Overall really enjoyed it and look forward to what Ferrier will come up with next! Thank you so much for this copy to honestly review.

"Silk Hills is changing, and I'm not sure into what."

Gosh, did I love this book. The art is simply spectacular. I love the angle-y, spindle-y character designs and the rooms, houses, and streets composed of sharp corners, dark shadows, and impossible angles. The look of the comic perfectly expresses its dark tone, themes, and plot. I requested this NetGalley because its description compared it to Twin Peaks and The X-Files, two of my very favorite tv shows and supernatural stories, and the comparison is quite apt. Silk Hills is a town full of mystery, secrets, and complex motivations. Fans of horror, mystery, and the supernatural will love finding out what happened to Abel Partridge.

This is such a trippy, creepy graphic novel!
Even though it isn't my personal preference, the art style matches the tone of the story perfectly. I knew within the first few frames exactly what sort of book I had picked up (even if the cover and description hadn't already been pretty obvious). The storyline was a bit confusing for me - I think I expected one big plot, when it is really several smaller plots that loosely intertwine. While I didn't find this book exceptionally gory for something in the horror genre, it certainly isn't free from disturbing images. I would describe the art as disorienting and grotesque, in the best possible way. Consider this your final warning: that horrific deer will haunt your nightmares.

Thank you to Oni Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Silk Hills by Ryan Ferrier and Brian Level is a horror-mystery graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Twin Peaks or Bates Motel. The story revolves around Beth, who moves to the titular Silk Hills in the Appalachian region. Cue scenes of hotel rooms and diners. Silk Hills has gone downhill, but how bad is it really? According to the description, Beth runs into "the local drug trade, too-friendly creepers, a very sinister deer, and psychoactive moth dust."

Overall, Silk Hills is a mystery graphic novel that will creep you out. Definitely do not read this alone at night! One highlight of this book is the nice and almost-psychedelic artwork. The artist's style complements that creepy, violent storyline very well. I did take off 2 stars, because I wasn't a fan of the gore and horror in the book. I just couldn't handle it. I'm sure there are many horror fans who will enjoy this though. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of horror graphic novels, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

The description of this book compared it to Twin Peaks, which was what drew me to it. I have to say, that comparison was very accurate: a small town, a mystery, an outsider coming in to solve the case, and getting wrapped up in something other-wordly. It mixed horror and thriller and supernatural elements and the ambiguous ending gave it some definite Lynch vibes. As a big Twin Peaks fan, I LOVED it, but just like Twin Peaks isn’t for everyone, I can see how this book wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea either. If you like horror, small towns with big secrets, and endings that leave you going “…WTF??” then Silk Hills is for you.

Beth Wills takes a job looking for the lost son of one of the oldest, and richest names in the small Appalachian town. Right away she can tell something is not right, more than the usual small-town attitude toward outsiders.

Beth has a few things going against her before she even starts sticking her nose into the town’s business. She’s a black, female, lesbian vet. She stands out just a bit. But she’s looking for more than Abel, the some of the local tycoon. She’s looking for the Beth she left behind when she was discharged.

Silk Hills is a nice take on the small town with a secret trope. Silk Hills is known for very little these days. The mines that kept the town alive, collapsed years ago and they rely on what little tourist trade comes through looking for Moth Man.

Like most local lore, there is a grain of truth running through it, though you may not want to find it.

There is a lot to like about this graphic novel. The story is strong and just creepy enough to remind me why this half-black, Yankee lesbian doesn’t like going into the deep mountains of the South. It’s either banjos or monsters in those places.

The art style was not my favorite, but that is not to say it isn’t well done. I just like a little more realism and definition in my comics.

Worth giving a try, but I warn you...it will stick with you for a while.

Thanks to @netgalley, Oni Press, Ryan Ferrier, and Brian Level for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Brian Level is a cartoonist, tattooer, writer who has contributed premiere comic books including Star Wars, Batman, Spider-Man, Avengers and Deadpool. His work has been internationally recognized for over 15 years. He was born from dust and to the dust he shall return. Until then, he lives with his family in the greater Cincinnati area where he makes stories and operates Illuminaut Tattoo. Ryan Ferrier is a Canadian comic book writer, published by every major North American comics company, and best known for his original comic series' such as Kennel Block Blues, Death Orb, I Can Sell You A Body, the highly celebrated D4VE trilogy, and the acclaimed graphic novel Criminy. Ryan has also written for some of pop culture's most beloved properties, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel's Deadpool, DC's Batman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, and Planet of the Apes. He is an avid fan of black coffee, hardcore music, professional wrestling, and fat pets. Their newest graphic novel is Silk Hills, a really strong paranormal horror story that is sure to entertain readers.

Beth Wills is a veteran, eight months home from Afghanistan, working as a private investigator. She gets a case in Silk Hills, a rural town with a haunted history, looking for the lost son of one of the richest families in the area. She thinks this will be a typical case where a young man got mixed up with some problematic people, but once she starts learning about the history of the town, the kinds of trouble young people can get into, and the monsters that are behind all of it, it becomes very serious.

Level and Ferrier have created a really solid paranormal story. Beth Wills is an intriguing heroine, and the friendships and relationships she develops with the townsfolk really support the narrative and show the magnetism of the town, despite its dying exterior. The pacing of the story really works well, and what starts out as a mysterious disappearance with some procedural buddy cop elements quickly becomes something darker and more haunting, with elements of the paranormal thrown in for good measure. Overall, Silk Hills is a solid horror mystery with great storytelling that is sure to engage readers looking for an accessible and quick but equally entertaining story.

I was really interested in this book from the description of it before downloading. However I was disappointed. I found it very confusing, the story/plot seemed non existent. I appreciate this is more of a horror and therefore it was going to be gory, however I felt I was unnecessarily gory throughout most of the book, and it just added to the confusion.

That wad disgusting for no good reason. I couldn't find the plot with all the unnecessary gore.
(arc from netgalley)

I absolutely did not love this. The premise is utterly up my alley, with the small town/Appalachian horror, but this did not come together for me at all. I also really, really didn't enjoy the art, but I can (kinda) see how it went with the vibes. If you like Junji Ito-style body horror with somewhat similarly half-baked plots, this might be for you. Props for the queer representation, at least, though, which was refreshing in this kind of traditionally masculine/male-protagonist dominated genre.