Charles Burn crafts a methodical masterpiece about self-discovery and main character syndrome that’s cast against Super 8 science fiction and the power of cinema.

“I didn’t know it would be like this. I thought making a movie would be a lot more fun.”

It’s hard to compare to the euphoria that’s experienced from a good graphic novel horror story. Expressive, disturbing images linger on the page and proceed at the viewer’s discretion as they set the pace, rather than vicious visuals that flash across the screen in a movie or television series. It’s easy to get lost in a graphic novel’s artwork and almost become haunted by its imagery. It’s a form of possession that can even feel otherworldly, as if the reader has left their body or become inhabited by something foreign. This isn’t an experience that’s felt with every graphic novel or comic,...