Shadowplay (Book 1): Midnight School - by Sam Fonseca (Paperback)

About the Book

"This class is a nightmare. Violent teachers, barbed wire fences, torture devices, and gruesome suspensions... How did these students get trapped here? Why can't they remember? And once they realize the truth, are they strong enough together to escape?"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Jaw-dropping artwork illuminates a mind-bending work of psychological horror about creative souls struggling against oppression and depression.

This class is a nightmare. Violent teachers, barbed wire fences, torture devices, and gruesome suspensions... How did these students get trapped here? Why can't they remember? And once they realize the truth, are they strong enough together to escape?

In his astonishing debut, Brazilian graphic novelist Sam Fonseca presents a mind-bending work of psychological horror about creativity, self-doubt, and the battles we all face to endure a world where shadows only grow stronger.

Review Quotes

"Shadowplay is a raging fever dream that burrows down into the fears that haunt all of us. Sam Fonseca hits the ground running and never lets up." -- Patrick Horvath (Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees)

"As surreal as it is nightmarish. A definite must-read for fans of things that go bump in the night." -- Dave Baker (Mary Tyler MooreHawk)

"Filled with haunting imagery, Shadowplay: Midnight School straddles the line between abstraction and linear narrative. Readers are provided enough background information to piece things together, but ultimately the book's lasting resonance lies in its ability to deal with a number of social and personal anxieties without ever feeling like the author has taken on too much." -- Rue Morgue

"Shadowplay may be Fonseca's first foray into horror novels, but he writes it like a seasoned pro. The concept, the monsters, the yearning for freedom and escape, the conflicts, and the fleeting hope, make a true horror story and he has them here in spades. All of that is accompanied by jaw-dropping art and masterful use of color (and an even more masterful non-use of color) making Shadowplay an absolute must-read. 400+ pages feel short, and I cannot wait for volume 2." -- Monkeys Fighting Robots

About the Author

Sam Fonseca has been drawing comics since he discovered that the anime he watched on TV as a child came from manga--and that it was possible to create all that stuff by himself using paper and pencil (still his tools of choice). Nowadays, he alternates duties between art direction, storyboard art, script writing for animation and TV projects, and creating comics. His comic project Age of Rust was nominated three times for the HQMix Prize, and his other title, Dynamite & Laser Beam, won in the "best webcomic" category. Sam also has the strange hobby of creating soundtracks for his comics.