Review: Schoolbus Graveyard Volume #1 - Red

 

Review: Schoolbus Graveyard - Volume #1 - Red - June 2026

There's a particular kind of tired that makes a proper novel feel like too much. You want to read, your brain just isn't up for heavy lifting. That's when I reach for a graphic novel, and Schoolbus Graveyard turned out to be exactly the itch-scratcher I was after.

Ashlyn is a loner, and she's perfectly happy that way. Then a school field trip goes horribly wrong, and suddenly she and a handful of classmates can see a monstrous phantom that nobody else can. The good news is it can't hurt them. The bad news is that at midnight the sky turns red, and everything changes.

What I loved most is the pacing. Volume One collects episodes 1 to 32, and it moves along at such a clip that I kept telling myself "just one more chapter" while my tea went cold beside me. The story doesn't waste your time. Each episode nudges you along with a new scare, a new clue about the curse, or a new wobble in the group's shaky alliances.

That last part is the real heart of it. I have a soft spot for a rag-tag group of misfits forced together, and watching Ashlyn slowly learn to trust people she'd normally avoid was surprisingly touching in between the murderous ghosts. She doesn't become a different person overnight, which made her feel real to me. Anyone who found high school hard enough already will recognise that feeling of being thrown in with people you'd never have chosen.

If you enjoyed Stranger Things or the Nightmare on Elm Street films, you'll feel right at home here. It has that same spooky, slightly nostalgic teen-horror atmosphere, though it's more thrilling than truly terrifying. It's the sort of scary I can happily read curled up on the couch under a blanket, not the sort that has me checking the locks at night.

The red-sky sequences are a highlight. The colour shift makes the danger feel properly otherworldly, and it's a clever way to build tension.

Is it deep literature? No, and it doesn't pretend to be. But it's fun, fast and full of heart, and sometimes that's exactly what a tired reader needs.

I finished Volume One wanting to start the next straight away, which is about the highest praise I can give.

Perfect for: cosy evenings, tired brains, and anyone who likes their horror with friendship on the side.

Amazon:https://link.amazon/B0bUj0LUu