Why did I read this book: Did you see that gorgeous cover?! And that deliciously creepy description? How could I resist? When I saw some of the interior art, it became painfully clear that I would need to read this book. Immediately. I am a bit torn on this collection. It is evident that Emily Carroll is a skillful artist and writer. The graphics for this collection are beautiful and striking. But, the stories left me feeling flat. They seemed rushed and because they seem rushed the setting that Carroll creates doesn’t have the buildup necessary for it to be effective. A Lady's Hands Are Cold": A woman enters into an arranged marriage with a wealthy man, but his fine manor holds a secret, one which may be very dangerous if discovered. In His Face All Red, a man grapples with his jealousy of his charismatic brother – a brother this man knows cannot be alive. When you finally learn the meaning of the title of this particular story, it’s a wonderful – terrible! – realization.

Minimalist Cast: Pretty much all the stories have an absolute bare minimum of characters who are depicted, named, or have spoken lines. E mily Carroll's Through the Woods mesmerizes and inspires; a Victorian gothic playground haunted by Mary Shelley & Edward Gorey, awash in the dream-like haze of Odilon Redon, and composed with the poetic elegance of Ukiyo-e. I loved it."--Craig Thompson, three-time Eisner Award-winning author of BLANKETS Beth wears red, her dress being dark red and her cloak being bright red. Of the sisters, it is she who later takes charge of looking after the family, considering Hannah is a young girl who can't fully grasp the situation and Mary is in denial over their father's death/disappearance. And when Mary goes missing after meeting the man with the wide-brimmed hat, Beth immediately searches all over the house for her. She also tries to brave the snowstorm while traveling to the neighbor's house alone, though by the time she reaches her destination, both she and the neighbor are already dead.

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Nameless Narrative: "A Lady's Hands Are Cold", "His Face All Red", and "In Conclusion" play this trope completely straight, as none of the characters get called by name. "In My Friend Janna", only Janna and the main character, Yvonne, get names. Other characters, such as Yvonne's sister or the people who come to see Janne the fake psychic go nameless. Only in "The Nesting Place" does every character who appears on screen get a name. Never Say "Die": The story itself never directly mentions death, only alluding to it via characters suddenly disappearing after meeting the man with the wide-brimmed hat. Only Sane Man: The middle sister, Beth. The older sister, Mary, is in denial about their father when he fails to return and refuses to leave their house, only to subsequently fall under the spell of the man with the wide hat and the big smile. The little sister, Hannah, is just a poor kid who doesn't know what's going on.

Break the Cutie: Happens to the second wife. Being nearly killed by the violently possessive corpse of the first wife and listening to her husband's dying screams as he is gruesomely murdered leaves the second wife with quite a bit of trauma. This is symbolized by her eyes turning into creepy dark eyeshadows and her previously immaculate hairstyle coming undone by the end. Phony Psychic: Yvonne and Janna have played at being able to talk to the dead for years. (Janna is the person who acts like a psychic, Yvonne makes sound effects and voices from an unseen location.) It started as a joke when they were kids and was a fun game, but they found they couldn't stop people from coming to them even if they tried. Yvonne, however, can actually see what might be a ghost (or might be... something else) apparently haunting Janna that nobody else can. Dying Candle: The "ghost" haunting Janna appears to kill her just as candle that Yvonne was carrying goes out. Don't Go in the Woods: In keeping with traditional tales and horror stories, going into the woods is a bad idea. Fittingly, the comic cover features a forest with a red moon, the trees' branches looking like Creepy Long Fingers.Through the Woods will dazzle you, seduce you, amaze you, delight and frighten and enchant you. What a talent. What a voice."--Mark Siegel, author of SAILOR TWAIN, OR THE MERMAID IN THE HUDSON Already revered for her work online, award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll's stunning visual style and impeccable pacing is on grand display in this entrancing anthology, her print debut. Gory Discretion Shot: We never see the husband's violent death upon meeting his first wife's corpse, only that one of the mansion's windows became heavily smeared with his blood after returning home from a hunt. Red Is Heroic: Beth is the middle-born daughter who wears dark red clothes, and the story is narrated from her perspective.