Night Cry by Borja González

Night Cry by Borja González
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Europe Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In a small town, Teresa runs a little used bookstore that sells anything from rare to obscure books, including ones that cover the occult. She’s bored, lonely, and just wishes for something different to happen. One night, Teresa uses one of the books in her store to summon Laura, a demon who will grant one wish before returning to the pages of the book. The problem? Teresa has no idea what to wish for, so the pair are stuck together until she finally thinks of something to wish for.

I found this slice of life story to be cute yet sad. We follow three different characters starting with the protagonist, Teresa, who seemingly wants something more than the small town she lives in can give her. Then we have Matilda, a frequent customer of Teresa’s shop who also buys copies of all of her fanzines that no one else is interested in. Finally, Laura the anime obsessed demon who just wants to go to Japan rounds out the story with a paranormal aspect. The three characters develop a friendship of sorts, and while Matilda has no idea that Laura is a demon, they seem to get along very well.

The artwork is the true stunner here because it’s absolutely beautiful. None of the characters are given faces, which makes the artwork itself very unique for a graphic novel. Borja González manages to make the characters very expressive through their body language and the colors of the panels. Facial expressions? Those are thrown out the window, which I found very interesting and different in a good way.

That said, the story itself is a slice of life that lets us have a glimpse into these character’s lives for a short period of time. There’s an air of terror throughout, as girls and women are going missing in town. None are found throughout the pages, and we’re left with an open-ended conclusion that leaves many questions unanswered. We’re given bits of information that allow us to come to our own conclusions, and I have a few ideas of what I think happened, but I don’t think we’re meant to have a conclusive answer. I don’t think this story is for everyone, but I really liked it.