Literature & Fiction
![Hamish Steele - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B06X922DD4.jpg)
DeadEndia: The Watcher's Test (Volume 1)
From the creator of Netflix original series Dead End: Paranormal Park comes the graphic novel series that started it all!
"DeadEndia is immediately appealing with its colorful art, unique setting, and funny jokes, but I especially loved the complicated emotional arcs of the characters and the weird, spooky magic underlying everything!"
-Molly Knox Ostertag, creator of The Witch Boy
"Heart-warming, heartbreaking, heart-pounding, and heartfelt!"
-Marika McCoola, The New York Times bestselling author of Baba Yaga's Assistant
Barney Guttman's life has been turned upside down. His family is struggling to fully embrace his trans identity, but thanks to his best friend Norma, he's just landed a job at Phoenix Parks, a Dollywood-esque amusement park inspired by the long life and career of mysteriously youthful actress and singer Pauline Phoenix. Soon, Barney and his dog, Pugsley, secretly move into the haunted house attraction. Little does Barney know, the house contains a portal to the demonic planes of Hell. When Courtney, Barney's devilish new roommate, invites a demon king to Earth through the portal, they offer Barney and Norma as flesh vessels for the king, but in a strange twist, Pugsley is possessed instead! It's a race through the park to save Pugsley-and the world-from the demon king's reign of terror that leaves Pugsley with strange and magical side effects. With all of this chaos going on, Barney is also discovering he has crush on park employee, Logan, so he must face his biggest fear of all… talking to someone he likes.
Follow the lives of this diverse group of friends in this hilarious and moving graphic novel series, complete with talking pugs, vengeful ghosts, and first love.
Part workplace comedy, part supernatural horror adventure, with a splash of LGBTQ+ romance, The Watcher's Test is perfect for fans of author Hamish Steele's TV series Dead End: Paranormal Park who are in search of more adventures, for graphic novel lovers who want more diversity in their reads, or simply as an introduction to the zany, creative, and laugh-out-loud funny world of DeadEndia.
"DeadEndia is immediately appealing with its colorful art, unique setting, and funny jokes, but I especially loved the complicated emotional arcs of the characters and the weird, spooky magic underlying everything!"
-Molly Knox Ostertag, creator of The Witch Boy
"Heart-warming, heartbreaking, heart-pounding, and heartfelt!"
-Marika McCoola, The New York Times bestselling author of Baba Yaga's Assistant
Barney Guttman's life has been turned upside down. His family is struggling to fully embrace his trans identity, but thanks to his best friend Norma, he's just landed a job at Phoenix Parks, a Dollywood-esque amusement park inspired by the long life and career of mysteriously youthful actress and singer Pauline Phoenix. Soon, Barney and his dog, Pugsley, secretly move into the haunted house attraction. Little does Barney know, the house contains a portal to the demonic planes of Hell. When Courtney, Barney's devilish new roommate, invites a demon king to Earth through the portal, they offer Barney and Norma as flesh vessels for the king, but in a strange twist, Pugsley is possessed instead! It's a race through the park to save Pugsley-and the world-from the demon king's reign of terror that leaves Pugsley with strange and magical side effects. With all of this chaos going on, Barney is also discovering he has crush on park employee, Logan, so he must face his biggest fear of all… talking to someone he likes.
Follow the lives of this diverse group of friends in this hilarious and moving graphic novel series, complete with talking pugs, vengeful ghosts, and first love.
Part workplace comedy, part supernatural horror adventure, with a splash of LGBTQ+ romance, The Watcher's Test is perfect for fans of author Hamish Steele's TV series Dead End: Paranormal Park who are in search of more adventures, for graphic novel lovers who want more diversity in their reads, or simply as an introduction to the zany, creative, and laugh-out-loud funny world of DeadEndia.
Editorial Reviews
Texas Library Association 2020 Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List pick
"With a madcap pace, off-kilter jokes, and an LGBTQ cast, this is perfect for teens who love macabre humor and heartfelt friendship." -Booklist (starred review)
"The art is imaginative and engaging, with rich, evocative color schemes. […] A wild ride." -Kirkus Reviews
"This quirky, heartwarming adventure by Steele (Pantheon) captures the awkwardness of early adulthood and the idiosyncrasies of power-hungry demons. [...] A Steven Universe–like aesthetic and a full palette of bold, contrasting colors grace a diverse cast of characters." -Publishers Weekly
"Complicated emotions, strong friendship, demons, and plenty of LGBTQIA+ representation. All that and bright, bold illustrations AND great writing? Total win. Sweet, funny, and enjoyably, delightfully weird." -School Library Journal's Teen Librarian Toolbox
"Joyful and weird, Hamish Steele's DeadEndia is a delight. The boundaries of Steele's colorfully crafted universe are as unlimited as his imagination." -Niki Marion, bookseller, Third Place Books, Seattle, WA
"With a madcap pace, off-kilter jokes, and an LGBTQ cast, this is perfect for teens who love macabre humor and heartfelt friendship." -Booklist (starred review)
"The art is imaginative and engaging, with rich, evocative color schemes. […] A wild ride." -Kirkus Reviews
"This quirky, heartwarming adventure by Steele (Pantheon) captures the awkwardness of early adulthood and the idiosyncrasies of power-hungry demons. [...] A Steven Universe–like aesthetic and a full palette of bold, contrasting colors grace a diverse cast of characters." -Publishers Weekly
"Complicated emotions, strong friendship, demons, and plenty of LGBTQIA+ representation. All that and bright, bold illustrations AND great writing? Total win. Sweet, funny, and enjoyably, delightfully weird." -School Library Journal's Teen Librarian Toolbox
"Joyful and weird, Hamish Steele's DeadEndia is a delight. The boundaries of Steele's colorfully crafted universe are as unlimited as his imagination." -Niki Marion, bookseller, Third Place Books, Seattle, WA
Readers Top Reviews
Rainstorm9Pop Bop
I bought this as a camp gift for an LGBTQ teen and he absolutely loved it. Based on the description I knew I would too and I can't wait to read it.
TaylorRainstorm9P
This was a fun, easy read. The characters are creative and the story is a nice balance of plot and humor. I love the art style, I have already read through the book twice, once for the story and again to take in the detail of the illustration. I'll be eagerly awaiting the second book!
Michael TaylorRai
What an incredibly creative and engaging world this author has created. Love these characters, love the story. Feels exquisitely plotted and charming executed. Art is somehow quirky and stunning at the same time. If you think you'll enjoy this YOU'LL DEFINITELY ENJOY THIS.
Michael Taylor
This wacky LGBTQ+ graphic novel has it all, deamons, dolly wood like theme park, the struggles of young love life, stunning art style, and a talking pug. Really what more could you ask for. Its diverse cast of characters is wonderful. You really get such depth and character development that you dont always see in graphic novels. Within a few panals I was quickly invested in our characters and could not help but root for them. You really got to see and feel our characters go through some tough situations that were beautifully portrayed. The zany theme park is just such a fun setting as it just so happens that it to also houses a hell portal, that things creep out of from time to time. It created a unique backdrop for these scenes to play out. Give it a read!!! I'm off to go get the next one in this series!
Glen & Kayla Mi
Second Read - 12/12/2020 Stand by it! 5 stars all the way, this is a HIGHLY underrated comic, y'all need to try this out! Also, going to be a Netflix show in 2021, so excited to see this adaptation and expansion! First Read - 10/15/2018 HOLY SCHNIKES. This was so freaking good! Some young 20 somethings work at DeadEndia, a "haunted house" in the middle of a theme park. Oh, and it is also a portal into hell. This comic has everything: Amazing artwork Humor Diversity Demons Time Travel The series starts out as a "monster of the week" type formula as we get to know the main ensemble, but little do you know that this wild story arc is woven in the whole time. I'm just so impressed, this series has so many layers
