Ever feel like people just don't understand you? Or maybe they just don't see things the way you do? Or that perhaps the restless spirits in their broken-down, forgotten towns don't torment them and try to kill them the way yours do? In that case, I've got just the book for you! Bizenghast is an eerie and engaging tale of Dinah, an orphan on the edge of insanity, and her chivalrous young friend, Vincent—two lonely teens on a mission to bring peace to a mausoleum full of lost souls...and to themselves!

~Aaron Suhr, Editor

Meet Dinah, a disturbed young girl who has been sent to the small town of Bizenghast to live with her aunt following the tragic death of her parents. She is thought by her aunt to have some sort of mental illness, as Dinah believes the house to be haunted. Only Dinah is aware of the restless spirits, which only feeds the doctor's and her aunt's suspicions about Dinah's well-being. The house was a mental hospital, then a school for juvenile delinquents. The ghosts know Dinah can see them and they won't leave her alone. A recluse, she sneaks out with her only friend, Vincent, and together they discover a lost graveyard. There they find a sunken mausoleum, where Dinah reads from a stone engraving. This act binds her to a contract requiring Dinah to release spirits stuck somewhere between an unhappy life and a peaceful afterlife. If she refuses, she will face an eternity of hell. So Dinah begins her quest of "cleaning" the vaults, crypts and graves of lost souls, all the while struggling with the haunts at home and suspicions of her growing mental illness.

Mary Alice LeGrow (aka Marty) spent much of her early childhood in Germany and other parts of Europe and later moved with her family to Connecticut. Much of her work is influenced by a combination of the German language, art and architecture, as well as the ghost stories and legends of New England. She attended the Savannah College of Art and Design and received a BFA in Sequential Art. She was a runner-up in TOKYOPOP's second Rising Stars Of Manga competition. Marty just turned 23 in 2004, and she isn't upset that you ate the last donut. She didn't want it anyway. Come visit her at www.bizenghast.com.

Dinah
Aged 15, Dinah is a young girl who lives on the outskirts of Bizenghast, an old mill town in New England. Having lost her parents in a car accident at an early age and now cared for by her aunt, Dinah is thought to suffer from schizophrenia and hallucinations. This year, Dinah has finally been allowed to leave the house at intervals under the supervision of her only friend and companion, Vincent. However, Dinah's summer takes a decidedly fiendish turn when she encounters what most people of the town have foolishly sought for decades: an urban legend known as the Sunken Mausoleum.

Vincent
Aged 16, Vincent is the main character's only friend. He has lived in Bizenghast all his life and has accumulated many more friends than Dinah in the neighboring city of Watertown where he attends high school. Vincent collects bicycles as a hobby, often making excursions to other towns on them, and hopes to one day race in the Tour de France. Although he tries to help Dinah cope with her "illness," Vincent remains an enabler who will lie for Dinah to keep her from being taken away to a hospital.

From ForeWord Magazine

In this superb offering, first in a trilogy, the author has combined elements from classic manga with Gothic art and architecture to create a style all her own—full of detail and feeling to match the pathos of her truly Gothic tale. Manga-style big-eyed characters in magnificent Victorian costume populate the pages as Dinah and her friend Vincent try to free the souls of the dead who linger everywhere, it seems...

The author, born in Germany, holds a BFA in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design; she was featured in the publisher's Rising Stars of Manga anthology. Her artwork here is truly extraordinary. Delicate lines, bold black accents, and incredible detail convey magic, emotion, and the ethereal. LeGrow's settings are magnificent, whether ruined, crumbling mansions, woodland glens, underwater grottoes, thin church spires, or weeping angels and tombstones. Costumes are inventive and beautiful, whether lace or brocade or elegant and simple. LeGrow's storytelling is just as inventive and enticing. Readers will be eager for future installments, as much for their eye appeal as for the continuation of the tale.

~Marlene Y. Satter

Copyright © ForeWord Magazine. All rights reserved.

From Manga Life

Bizenghast is a gothic-horror tale reminiscent in part of the high-adventure tales that are integral to British children's literature. Think The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe meets the original Hans Christian Andersen stories by way of Mary Shelley....

LeGrow carefully sets up the premise for the series. It is very clear that Dinah and Vincent will encounter a new, tragic soul in each chapter of the series, overcome some peril and/or adversity, and see the trapped spirit on their way. While simple, this formula works exceedingly well, and we anticipate the strengthening bond between the pair as the series progresses.

LeGrow's art is very atmospheric and expressive. She pays particular attention to the architecture of Bizenghast and to the costuming of her characters. I'm certain this will be a delight to cosplayers. Initially, Dinah and Vincent's age is somewhat indeterminate; they look very child-like but their reasoning, diction and vocabulary show them to be older than they are illustrated. This confusion is abetted by the fact that Dinah is referred to as an eight year old in the preface text, and nothing in the book indicates that a number of years have passed since the loss of her parents. However, this is a minor quibble, and a closer reading aided this reviewer's poor comprehension skills.

Where Bizenghast can be faulted is in its uneven pacing, which may have contributed to confusion over the plot point described above. Like traditional manga, Bizenghast is a real pager turner in terms of art, but the dialogue has to be read carefully. A number of times I had to skip back pages to make sure I'd taken everything in. I would have preferred a more even pace throughout.

...I am certain Bizenghast will be loved to bits by its core audience. The minor hiccups in storytelling can be overlooked; the book can be regarded as a very solid start to an entertaining series.

~Jason Brice

Copyright © Manga Life

From IGN Comics

Horror fantasy with a Tim Burton look and feel.
"Readers wanting to get in on the ground floor of the next great fantasy series don't have to look any further.... Bizenghast is by far one of the most interesting manga to come along in some time and one of the few for which I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment."

~KJB

Copyright © IGN Entertainment, Inc.