THE NEFARIOUS NIGHTS OF WILLOWWEEP MANOR

A spirited teen returns to a gasket universe—a protective pocket universe drawn from our collective unconscious—to unravel a mystery.

After a clever recap of the previous volume (in the form of the protagonist’s physics class puppet show presentation), Haley and Montague journey back through a portal into the universe of Willowweep. They discover an imperiled band of survivors whose own universe has imploded. Haley recognizes that this group, comprising a butler, a colonel, a spinster, a dog, a fop, and a “capable young lady,” are straight out of an English cozy mystery. As the new guests make themselves at home, Willowweep Manor begins to change, with various rooms appearing to suit its new inhabitants. When the colonel is found murdered, Haley and the crew know they cannot trust their guests, and when the original denizens of the manor begin to disappear, Haley must pivot from gothic heroine to detective. Can she suss out the murderer’s identity and save her beloved friends? Garrity’s sophomore offering is an utter delight, mashing up gothic and mystery tropes (plus a smattering of science fiction) through a metafiction lens in an alluring graphic format. Brown-skinned Haley, who wears her hair in cornrows, is both appealing and unforgettable in this story of belonging and found family. This series is both wildly inventive and compellingly quirky; expect readers to wail on the moors as they wait for new adventures. The supporting cast is diverse in skin tone.

Thoroughly clever and delightfully weird.