Customer Reviews

Sight Unseen

5 star:		(17)
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3 star:		(1)
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Conveying a palpable feeling of horror in a graphic novel is not easy. You obviously don't have the advantages of other mediums such as film where you can use music and special effects to set the mood, or in a novel where the author can use unlimited descriptive prose. That makes Sight Unseen from Image Comics all the more remarkable because a truly terrifying story is exactly what writer Robert Tinnell and artist Bo Hampton deliver in this hard cover graphic novel.

Frank Byron is a brilliant neuro-physicist and expert in bio-optics...he also happens to be blind. Frank and his research assistant Derek Cook and invented a unique pair of eyeglasses that allow Frank to see the dead, or more precisely the spirits of the dead. Frank's work is purely experimental until his friend Crawford decides to sell the old, decrepit family estate known as "The Birches". The trouble begins when a contractor inspecting the property disappears without a trace. We get to bear witness to the horror the contractor endures with the evil spirits that reside within the house. Hampton's eerie, skin-crawling art sends immediate shivers down the spine.

Frank and Derek begin to investigate the home, along with Franks estranged, and ever PO'ed daughter Molly. Crawford is obviously hiding something when questioned by Frank and soon more disappearances lead them into the sordid history of Crawford's family and of the Birches.

"Sight Unseen" is one of the few graphic horror novels that really succeeds in terrifying the reader. It does so by the deliberate pacing of the story and the gloomy art of Hampton. He manages to evoke images similar to recent Japanese horror films such as Ringu and Ju-On with a spectral villain every bit as evil and horrific as in those films.

The story is complemented by a feature on the creation of the book and comments by the creators. Sight Unseen is a book well deserving of the all the critical acclaim that it has been receiving and I give it my highest recommendation.

Reviewed By Tim Janson

Wow! What can I say about this masterpiece of terror? It is everything a horror graphic novel should aspire to be. It truly is flawless. It is a perfect template, in terms of execution, for writers and artists in this medium to follow. I recently read and reviewed the graphic novel "Cut" from Dark Horse Comics, and I gave it 4 stars due to the fact that it did scare me. The reason I didn't give it 5 is that it was so short. This book, on the other hand, both scared the daylights out of me AND had the length and depth that I am always looking for in a graphic novel. Perfection.

The story is basically a ghost story. I would categorize it as horror/suspense. Although I liked it more than "Cut", it really isn't fair to compare them due to the fact that they differ in the kind of horror/suspense story they each represent. "Sight Unseen" is, as I stated previously, a ghost story at its heart. "Cut" is more of a creature feature in a similar vane as the movie, "Jeepers Creepers". I relish both subgenres of the horror medium. But I feel that Robert Tinnell and Bo Hampton did a better job bringing their story to life than the creators of "Cut". But enough about "Cut". This is a review of "Sight Unseen". So I'll dish out a few more worthy compliments to Tinnell and Hampton, and then leave you to read the other reviews shown here -if you haven't already read them- that reinforce the praise I am about to give.

I can't really separate my critique of the writing and artwork, because they compliment each other and work together so seamlessly that I could only do them justice by reviewing them together. The brilliant pace at which these two geniuses weave this supernatural thriller flows along at the perfect speed. It creates a build up of tension that is so palpable that it felt like I needed to check my blood pressure. There is such a wonderful balance of dramatic storytelling(with realistic characters, a twisting and turning plot, and suspenseful situations that keep you riveted to your seat) and genuine scares that if chills were measured like the numbers on a guitar amp, they'd go to 11! I can't describe how close reading this graphic novel is to watching a first-rate horror film. Many horror graphic novels don't create the same ominous atmosphere and mood, nor the jump-out-of-your-seat scenes that movies are able to generate. Music and camera work, among other things, help produce these things in film. "Sight Unseen", however, accomplishes what many horror graphic novels fail to do - to exude those same qualities one finds while watching a seriously scary movie. Going back to "Cut" for just a moment; that book achieves this goal to a degree, proving that it is possible to have a movie-like experience whilst reading a graphic novel. But "Sight Unseen" achieves it in spades!

Lastly, I'd just like to echo what novelist/critic Tim Lucas writes on the back of the book. And that is how this story reaches its place at the top of the horror graphic novel totem pole - scaring us witless in the process, by understanding that fear is based on the following three levels: what is seen, what is not seen, and what is partially seen. Tinnell's excellent writing and Hampton's gorgeously terrifying panels are an example of superb storytelling of the highest order. This book is truly frightening. Unless you have a weak heart, buy it and prepare to sleep with the lights on!

I picked up this book solely to enjoy Bo Hampton's wonderful artwork, but I was surprised at how well written the story was. You don't think that you'll be spooked by a Graphic Novel, but I read this lengthy book before bed and I have to admit that when I turned the lights out I could have sworn I was hearing things. Incredibly creepy.

No doubt, what draws you to this story is the masterful artwork by Bo Hampton, but the entire book is a treasure. Even the format of the book and it's extra behind the scenes section at the end fit in perfectly. The only thing I have to say negative about it is that I found a few mispellings and grammatical errors in the book. Strange. Usually you don't see that in a Graphic Novel. But that really doesn't affect the intensity of this book. My highest recommendation.

It's disappointing how unreadable some comics and graphic novels are today. Pretentious, patronizing, overwrought, and often boring. It's a shame how art-driven the medium has become. That sounds a bit odd when you consider I'm talking about COMICS, but it's true nonetheless. If the book has a plodding script with flat characters, cheap lines and horrible pacing, then no artist of any caliber can save it from an inevitable demise. No artist worth his lead should have touched it in the first place, but unfortunately they do, and we the buyers often let ourselves be lured in by big names and lay down our hard-earned cash for worthless drivel.
But this gorgeous little book is worth every penny I laid down for it. Sight Unseen is everything I want my comics and graphic novels to be. Original without being pretentious. Intelligent without being patronizing. Thought-provoking without being overwrought. The characters are believable, likeable and thoroughly fleshed-out. The relationship dynamic between Frank, his daughter Molly, and his research partner Derek couldn't be more spot-on. Every page of this book is perfectly done, by both Bob and Bo. Speaking of which, Bo's artwork is really something to behold. Loose and organic at just the right moment, yet clean and tight right when it had to be. Not to take anything away from the guy, but a few of those panels gave me very Templesmith-esque shivers! That's definitely a compliment in my book. The complete lack of dialogue or narration in certain sequences is nothing short of brilliant...and terrifying!
Truth be told, I was hesitant at first about the glasses. While I'm familiar with some of the research done regarding the paranormal, I feared that the scientific aspects would be delved into far too much for the average reader, and would threaten to overtake the amazing ghost story that was evolving. I was quite relieved and very pleased to see that wasn't the case! Just enough information to keep the reader up to snuff, nothing more. The build-up and climax is a crash course in Horror How-To. My pulse hasn't pounded that hard in a long time.
Kudos to Bob and Bo on this amazing book. I'll be passing it on to everyone I know that loves a great ghost story. I truly hope that there is a script treatment in the works and a studio smart enough to pick it up!

"Sight Unseen" is a gripping adventure in terror. Once you pick up and start reading this delightfully scary graphic novel, you won't be able to put it down. And why would you want to?
Robert Tinnell has crafted an intelligent horror tale, with well-realized characters and crisp, smart dialogue. A plausible story about seeing the dead with frequency-enhanced glasses is the back-drop for a carnival mirror reflection of the intense relationahip between Frank Byron and his daughter Molly, and the sinister relationship discovered at the Birches. Bo Hampton's art is terrifyingly sublime. His art invokes a sense of the real in unreal situations. He draws as if each frame is his artistic rendition of an actual photograph, while the very shadows seem alive.
"Sight Unseen" is a great and wonderful read: a page-turner until the truly satisfying conclusion.

When I sat down with Sight Unseen I planned to read a few minutes and turn in for the night but, before I knew what hit me, I was on the last page and craving more. The dialogue just pulled me in and the artwork by Bo Hampton is so amazing that I found myself intently studying each frame. The whole idea of a blind scientist who can see ghosts (and only ghosts) with special eyeglasses of his own design is such an original and fun concept that it just begs for another installment and I'd love to "see" it as a motion picture.

Sight Unseen has one of the most thought-out and gripping plots I have ever read. The artwork itself is of such high quality that you are tempted to buy Sight Unseen just for the horrifying images Bo Hampton created. However the story is equally well crafted and when combined with Mr. Hampton's work produces a novel that will leave you looking over your shoulder out of paranoia. Sight Unseen is definitely a must-read.

Horror fans tend to fall into two camps--those who want their shocks as visceral as possible and those who prefer to have their chills suggested. Fortunately, mavens of supernatural mayhem can find liberal amounts of both in Sight Unseen, a new graphic novel from Image Comics.

A collaboration between writer Robert Tinnell and artist Bo Hampton, Sight Unseen tells the tale of Frank Byron, a blind neuro-physicist, whose experiments into artificial vision yield results that are both unexpected and horrifying. The plot, however, is only half the fun. Equally compelling is Hampton's imagery, which evokes uncanny comparisons to Italian shockmasters Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Deliberately paced yet undeniably disturbing, Sight Unseen displays more imagination than most contemporary horror films.

Mention should also be made of the story's solid character development, especially the troubled relationship between Frank and daughter Molly, who nurses a major chip on her shoulder. Give credit for this to author Tinnell, whose previous graphic novels include The Black Forest, The Wicked West and the critically acclaimed Feast of the Seven Fishes. Tinnell, who honed his storytelling style in feature films, has developed a knack for making his stories and characters seem "real" even when set in a fantastic scenario.

Weighing in at an impressive 152 pages, this full-color hardcover publication is a value by any standards. If you are hungry for something new in a graphic novel, cast your eyes in the direction of Sight Unseen.

S.C. Ringgenberg
(602) 621-6439 /sringgenberg1@cox.net



Sight Unseen Brings Terror to Light


Sight Unseen, a 2006 graphic novel from Image, written by Rob Tinnell, and illustrated by Bo Hampton is quite simply, one of the best graphic novels of the last two years, and at the same time, the scariest ghost story I couldn't put down. Tinnell and Hampton's collaboration has produced a genuinely scary and original fearfest, with one of the creepiest villains ever put on paper. Tinnell's script is atmospheric, crackles with believable dialog, and provides a number of good shocks along the way to its melancholy conclusion. Some of the protagonists survive, but this brush with supernatural forces scars them forever.
Bo Hampton eschews his usual realistic, cleanly rendered style (always reminiscent of Al Williamson and Michael Kaluta in good ways) for a moodier, computer drawn style that gives him a broader emotional palette to work with, especially in the darker range of the spectrum. Hampton captures the mood of Tinnell's script so well that I can't imagine another artist drawing this. I give Sight Unseen my highest recommendation. If you haven't read this book, don't waste any time tracking down your own copy! And while you're reading it, you'd better leave the lights on. Pleasant dreams, readers

When I originally found out about this book it was at the Philadelphia Comic convention in 2005. I met Bo Hampton who gladly shared some of the pages and concepts to Sight Unseen. I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Tinell and together they crafted a story that frankly scared the hell out of me. The art was riveting. The fact that there were so many panels with no dialouge left the reader to truly study the panel and after looking past the obvious, the minor nuansces are what left the reader frightened. Great concept! The writing is top notch. I could not put this book down. I am not a fan of horror but this ranks with 30 Days of Night as a book that will only fuel the flames of the horror comic book comeback. If this is not made into a film it would be a travesty. This is as chilling as the Sixth Sense and makes the Ring seem tame. I would recommend this book to anyone whether a fan of horror or not. My hope is that Bob and Bo will continue to spin tales of horror and suspense for many more years to come. Dare I say that if I had a few million dollars I would find a way to make this book into a movie. That's how good it is! Read Sight Unseen.