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Looking to add fresh reads to your queue? We've selected two compelling options this time around: the profoundly disturbing novel Persona by Aoife Josie Clements, and the debut installment of Bleeding Hearts, part of the revived DC Vertigo line.
This novel left me profoundly uneasy yet utterly engrossed. Persona delivers a disturbing and occasionally terrifying narrative centered on themes of personal identity, solitude, manipulation, and interpersonal bonds amid the distorting effects of online culture and an economy that pushes many into survival mode. The writing alternates between dreamlike confusion and stark, intimate realism, evoking a nightmarish atmosphere. To avoid revealing plot twists, here's an excerpt from the summary: A transgender woman stumbles upon explicit videos featuring herself that she has no recollection of filming, drawing her into a far more sinister conspiracy.
The story unfolds across four sections, each escalating in its bizarre intensity. It's essential reading for fans of LGBTQ+ horror, though pairing it with a breezy follow-up might help unwind afterward.
The Vertigo imprint returns with a promising kickoff in Bleeding Hearts issue one, crafted by Deniz Camp and Stipan Morian. This tale features a remorseful zombie duo navigating a landscape where living humans have largely vanished. Blending grim intensity with whimsical elements, it begins with graphic violence intertwined with comedic camaraderie, unveiling one lead character dubbed Mouse-Pokes-Golf-Ball-Out-Of-Head-Hole, alongside the fungal-covered Mushrooms-Grow-Up-All-Over-Like-Little-Forests.
This opening chapter offers just a glimpse into the larger arc. According to DC, the storyline tracks two scarred individuals linked by an inescapable past wound, pulling them into a gradual unraveling that merges romance, fixation, and horror.