Similar to The Midnight Club, but with frightening vibes akin to Creepshow or a John Carpenter film, The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #2) is perfect spine-chilling frights.
The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #2) is a mouthful of a title, and it’s chock-full of hair-raising, chilling tales of terror for kids to enjoy. Not only children. Adults can sink their teeth into this graphic novel and feel the same shiver crawl up their spine. Still, the focal point is the children, with Black children’s scary stories taking center stage. Similar to The Midnight Club, but with frightening vibes akin to Creepshow or a John Carpenter film, The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #2) is perfect spine-chilling frights.
Written by Roseanne A. Brown with illustrations by Shazleen Khan, Bill Masuku, and Gigi Murakami, the story follows twin sisters, Izzy and Grace. As they’ve grown distant, Izzy decides to follow Grace when she sneaks out to meet her friends for the Midnight Society. After arguing, the rest of the members decide to help them settle it with a scare-off. What follows are three frightening tales by the fireside.
The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales Starts With School Pressure
Akin to Disturbing Behavior, “The Tale of the Bushwalkers” touches on the pressures children feel to be at the top of the class in school. Taking place in Accra, Ghana, Blessing Tamakloe is the top scorer on every test. It touches on the fear and stress parents place on their kids, refusing to see who they are, and placing unreasonable demands on them. But here, there’s the added threat that a monster will snatch them up. The illustrations are colorful, and these panels really feel like Creepshow, upping the terror and making it a great start!
Be Careful What or When You Wish
Now, the second story, courtesy of Izzy, “The Tale of the Spirit Drum,” is a tale that builds up to the frights. But the one gripe with this one is, why would a family member give it to a kid? Joey’s Aunt Margaret is not out to get him. And a child with the opportunity to grant almost any wish will abuse it. However, it does touch on the adage, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The illustrations for this story are grainier with more lines. But the payoff at the end of the story is well worth it.
Respect the Land
The third story in The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #2), “The Tale of the Sinister Sisters,” has a family moving into their newly built home. Unfortunately, the gods of the land are not pleased. Plus, the twin sisters are home alone while their parents go back to their old house to retrieve the rest of their stuff. As the story unfolds, it’s much grosser than the others, given the bugs and insects. The illustrations make it feel alive on the page, making you cringe looking at it.
The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #2) balances scares withimportant lessons for kids to learn and adults can remember. The different illustrations for each story make them more unique. Also, they complement each tale, emphasizing their differences while weaving an underlying thread of similarity. It’s fun and scary. The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #2) is wonderfulfor fans of horror but also focuses on Black stories in horror, creating something more impactful and distinct.
