One Great Volume: Loving, Ohio

Welcome to One Great Volume! Here, I’ll provide a spoiler-free exploration of the first volumes and standalone stories (an entire story collected in one regular sized book) in comics, manga graphic novels, because I feel they make for some of the most accessible entry points into the exciting world of panels and pages. The recommended prior reading for these books will be nothing, or optional. This is a positive space, so I’ll be covering the books I have personally read and love, and hope that my thoughts on these stories will help you to find your next favourite.  

Please note: I will be discussing a range of titles, including both all-ages and adult-only content. Always check the recommended age ratings to find what’s right for you.

With that said, on with the story!

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Loving, Ohio (Vol 1 of 1)

Author: Matthew Erman | Artist: Sam Beck  |

Book Type: Standalone Story | Publisher: Dark Horse | Ages: 14+

Note: This story (not this blog) include reference to suicide. If you need help, please seek help. https://mhaustralia.org/need-help 

Loving, Ohio is a haunting, suspenseful and heart-filled coming of age story featuring themes of friendship, loss and community - the good and the bad. This book depicts a piece of not-quite reality that feels really lived-in, even when it is blended with the supernatural and occult, and deals with tough themes such as loss and the power and consequences of choice in a mature and caring way. A group of teenagers grapple with feeling a shared need to leave their small town and struggle with the loss of one of their friends during their final years of high school. Amidst the very real teenage angst, the cult horror that resides within their small gossip-ridden town is just another reason to get the heck out of Loving, Ohio. 

Coming from a small town myself, the theme of growing up amongst the gossip and cliques which can thrive and fester in a small community, and feeling like you’ve just got to leave is a feeling that really resonated with me. Erman, the author, demonstrates the powerful storytelling technique of ‘show, don’t tell’ which I feel is key to hold up the air of mystery and suspense that is required to pull off a horror story such as this. Throughout the book, there are almost no thought-bubbles, succinctly explaining exactly what a character might be feeling or thinking, but at all times I felt prompted by the silence within the panels to consider what they might be going on internally for each character, and why they might be making certain choices. 

What initially pulled my attention towards this book was the stunning cover art, pictured to the side here. The dark green background really makes the figures on the front of the book pop, in their mixes of warmer, brighter colours refusing to mix, like coloured oil and water. Upon reading the first few pages, I was delighted to see that these colours made up every. single. page. of this beautiful book. I’m sure that I could re-read this book and write an essay about what these colours could symbolise, and how Beck cleverly utilises these to instil comfort, mystery, suspense and fear. There are panels in this story that almost melt into each other remind me of that famous painting (The Persistence of Memory) where objects that should be solid and rigid are melting and bending. The linework is another subtle aspect of subtle storytelling to influence mood, and whenever I saw the lines get scratchy, or the linework start to blur or melt, I sat up straight and tried to blink as little as possible. 

This was my first real horror type graphic novel, and after reading Loving, Ohio, I feel myself being pulled more towards that genre of comic books and graphic novels. Being set in a realistic country town, having no superpowered goodies and a lack of community emergency services resources within Loving, there is a real fear that follows each character as they move throughout the town. I am a big fan of a monster, ghost or eldritch horror in a real-world setting, as it sets a real challenge for the characters and how they will deal with their extraordinary circumstances. While this book is certainly a scary story, it does take the time to rest between the more intense scenes, and in that ‘down time’, you really do get a sense of who these characters are, and does help to build a sense of hope - these characters are scared, but not helpless, and are most certainly the masters of their fate. 

Loving, Ohio is a story filled with heart and care, both the author and artist work together to create an engaging story that blends the coming-of-age dramas with supernatural horror. In its visual presentation and storytelling, both Erman and Beck create a completely fictional town so immersive that you cannot help but share in the character’s fears, hopes and heartbreaks. Not only is this story about the more unrelatable elements of supernatural horror, but about the more real idea of what it can be like to growing up in a small town, how that can shape and scar you, and how the characters figure out their own ways forward. Loving, Ohio was a chance find which left me wanting more from these creators, and I cannot wait to pick up anything with their names on it.