Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen follows Nissy (Nicnevin) a rebellious teenage girl who is whisked away to her maternal grandmother’s abandoned estate alongside her kid brother. Nissy is not a fan of her mom or of the estate or of the small town she is having to live in over the summer. Her days are filled with angst and her nights with dreams of something better. She finds this in stolen cigarettes, text messages, and an older man who takes an interest in her. However, not is all what is seems, and Nissy quickly discovers that the grandmother she never met may have left her a unique inheritance.
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Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen is a fantastic gothic horror, fairytale-esque story that draws in readers with an unnerving art style and a narrative that keeps you turning the pages. A coming of age tale quickly turns into a murder mystery that effects Nissy and her family, but also, the people who live in the small town to which she is confined. Otherworldly elements mixed with modern life blur the lines of reality, resulting in a world that is ruled by forces outside your control, but forces that have names and faces.
The last act of Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen left me breathless and the narrative was so strong that I was craving more. I could have read and consumed hundreds of pages based on this world presented by writer Helen Mullane. Which, by the way, this is her debut graphic novel and she did such an excellent job that I would happily consume more of her content in the future for the sheer entertainment value. Sometimes, graphic novels are not very precise or effective because of the limited space, but Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen makes the most of every page. In fact, the brevity leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth that makes me want to watch out for additional books in the future.
Catch Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen when it releases from Humaniods on March 10, 2020.
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