“We all lived here. In some way. And wherever you live it leaves imprints on you.” – Matthew Erman, Loving, Ohio

In Loving, Ohio, four teens are dealing with the tragic suicide of one of their friends amidst the mystery of an overbearing cult in this supernatural horror graphic novel voted one of New York Public Library’s Best New Comics of 2024. As someone who devours any and all fiction and nonfiction about cults, Loving, Ohio was the top of my list. The cult in this book gave me strong Church of Scientology vibes, but with enough quirkiness that I was freaked out at points.

Sloane, Elliott, Cameron, and Ana are four teenagers trying to make it through high school while people go missing or are murdered in the town where they live, Loving, Ohio. Loving was built around The Chorus, a new age cult with members in high ranking positions of power and influence within both the cult and the community. Everyone in the community is enamored by The Chorus with it leaching into any and every business and family around. Sloane and her friends are not thrilled with The Chorus and have plans to hopefully make it out of Loving alive. When one of their close friends dies by suicide, the four decide enough is enough. When more murders happen, the four find themselves hunting down the murderer while dealing with normal teen things like finding out their place in the world. All of this loss is dealt with while The Chorus looms over them.

This book was incredibly well written. The art was gorgeous, the story was freaky and unsettling, and the horror was horrifying. While Loving, Ohio clearly has supernatural elements throughout, the characters are still dealing with the mundanity of life, albeit with immense levels of grief and nightmare mixed in. Highly recommend.