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Imaginary Fiends
It's horror, mystery, and nostalgia all wrapped up together to create one perfect miniseries in Imaginary Fiends.
"Polly Peachpit." Those were the words ten-year-old Brinke Calle said when she was found covered in her own blood by the woods in rural Cannon Falls, MN. Her best friend, Melba, had just attempted to murder her because a spider girl named Polly Peachpit told her to.
Since that day, Melba has spent seven years in a mental health facility. Tomorrow is her eighteenth birthday. Tomorrow, she'll be transferred to a federal prison. Tomorrow, her real sentence will begin.
That is until she receives a visit from FBI Agent Virgil Crockett. Crockett explains that there is another world beyond ours, where hungry spectral aliens stalk the minds of the impressionable and weak. These things, called IMPs (Interdimensional Mental Parasites) feed on compliance. They convince hosts to do things for them, and the more they feed, the stronger they become. More IMPs stream into the world each day, invisible to everyone but his or her hosts.
After years of drugs and counseling, Polly and Melba have developed a unique relationship--and to Crockett, this relationship represents something her people can work with. In exchange for release from prison, Crockett asks Melba (and Polly) to serve as IMP hunters. For Melba, it's a chance to prove that she's innocent, convinced to murder by a monster...a monster she must now unleash.
Collects Imaginary Fiends #1-6 of the miniseries.
"Polly Peachpit." Those were the words ten-year-old Brinke Calle said when she was found covered in her own blood by the woods in rural Cannon Falls, MN. Her best friend, Melba, had just attempted to murder her because a spider girl named Polly Peachpit told her to.
Since that day, Melba has spent seven years in a mental health facility. Tomorrow is her eighteenth birthday. Tomorrow, she'll be transferred to a federal prison. Tomorrow, her real sentence will begin.
That is until she receives a visit from FBI Agent Virgil Crockett. Crockett explains that there is another world beyond ours, where hungry spectral aliens stalk the minds of the impressionable and weak. These things, called IMPs (Interdimensional Mental Parasites) feed on compliance. They convince hosts to do things for them, and the more they feed, the stronger they become. More IMPs stream into the world each day, invisible to everyone but his or her hosts.
After years of drugs and counseling, Polly and Melba have developed a unique relationship--and to Crockett, this relationship represents something her people can work with. In exchange for release from prison, Crockett asks Melba (and Polly) to serve as IMP hunters. For Melba, it's a chance to prove that she's innocent, convinced to murder by a monster...a monster she must now unleash.
Collects Imaginary Fiends #1-6 of the miniseries.
141 pages, Paperback
Published June 11, 2019
About the author
Tim Seeley
1,448 books555 followersTim Seeley is a comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Dark Elf Trilogy, Batman Eternal and Grayson. He is also the co-creator of the Image Comics titles Hack/Slash[1] and Revival, as well as the Dark Horse titles, ExSanguine and Sundowners. He lives in Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 2, 2024
This really worked for me.
That cover looks stupid as hell. And the title made me think this was some kind of a kid's video game ripoff. <--or something equally corny
I never would have given this a second look if a friend hadn't sent me a copy. But he did.
Well, I finally got around to reading it. Very cool.
Thank you, sir.
The skinny gist is that an agent enlists the help of a young woman who was put into an asylum for the criminally insane.
Why is she there?
Because as a child she claimed that her imaginary friend made her kill her real-life friend.
This agent knows that there really are batshit imaginary fiends out there. And it would be helpful if someone who could actually see these fuckers was on his team.
Not everything is what it seems, though.
It's a cool psychological-paranormal trip and I was impressed by what Seeley managed to do with just one miniseries.
I would read more if he continued with it, but even if this was just a one-and-done it was really good.
Recommended for horror fans.
That cover looks stupid as hell. And the title made me think this was some kind of a kid's video game ripoff. <--or something equally corny
I never would have given this a second look if a friend hadn't sent me a copy. But he did.
Well, I finally got around to reading it. Very cool.
Thank you, sir.
The skinny gist is that an agent enlists the help of a young woman who was put into an asylum for the criminally insane.
Why is she there?
Because as a child she claimed that her imaginary friend made her kill her real-life friend.
This agent knows that there really are batshit imaginary fiends out there. And it would be helpful if someone who could actually see these fuckers was on his team.
Not everything is what it seems, though.
It's a cool psychological-paranormal trip and I was impressed by what Seeley managed to do with just one miniseries.
I would read more if he continued with it, but even if this was just a one-and-done it was really good.
Recommended for horror fans.
July 15, 2019
Imagine if imaginary friends were real and they lived off your fear. Melba Li's made her stab someone and now she's working with the FBI to keep it from happening to others. Seeley has done a very good job of laying down some interesting plot threads for future arcs as well as giving us a creepy story this go around. I'm a little disappointed this didn't become a regular series, but this does work as a stand alone arc. There's definitely more to this world to explore though.
December 16, 2019
I never had an imaginary friend growing up. Thank god. Especially after reading Tim Seeley and Stephen Molnar’s 2017 graphic novel “Imaginary Fiends”, a disturbing horror/mystery thriller series put out by DC.
The premise: All those so-called “imaginary friends” that many kids talk to and play with and engage in childish antics with are, in actuality, real creatures from an alternate dimension who feed on human attention---fear, loneliness, depression, anger, etc. They have been given the name Interdimensional Mental Parasites, or Imps, by the few people in the FBI who have been trained to hunt them down and kill them.
Not all Imps are bad. Most are harmless, eventually dying off when their child host grows into adulthood. (Think “Bing Bong” from the movie “Inside Out”.) Others, however, have nefarious plans. They can latch onto a person and convince them to do bad things. They can begin to wreak havoc on this plain of existence.
Polly Peachpit is the creepy 10-foot spider-creature that latched on to Melba Li when she was 10 years old and convinced her to kill her best friend by stabbing her multiple times. Li has been serving time in a mental institution for the past eight years.
Virgil Crockett is an FBI Special Agent who sees Li as a potential asset in his crusade to hunt down Imps. He takes her out of the nuthouse and gives her a cubicle next to his. For all intents and purposes, they are partners. Except Polly Peachpit wants Li all to herself.
What to do when your imaginary friend loves you so much she’s willing to kill anyone and everyone in her way?
There is something both adorable and cringe-inducingly horrifying about this series. Polly, I’m not gonna lie, is both. There’s a kind of child-like innocence about this weird psychotic spider-monster, stemming from the fact that she comes from another dimension in which things like morals, love, and compassion were never a part of social upbringing.
This series is dark, but it’s also fun; subtly and not-so-subtly referencing a bevy of eclectic sources, from “Monsters, Inc.” to “The X-Files”.
I’m hoping that this series continued past its initial six-issue run, because I’m looking forward to reading more of the Imp-fighting team of Virgil, Melba, and Polly.
The premise: All those so-called “imaginary friends” that many kids talk to and play with and engage in childish antics with are, in actuality, real creatures from an alternate dimension who feed on human attention---fear, loneliness, depression, anger, etc. They have been given the name Interdimensional Mental Parasites, or Imps, by the few people in the FBI who have been trained to hunt them down and kill them.
Not all Imps are bad. Most are harmless, eventually dying off when their child host grows into adulthood. (Think “Bing Bong” from the movie “Inside Out”.) Others, however, have nefarious plans. They can latch onto a person and convince them to do bad things. They can begin to wreak havoc on this plain of existence.
Polly Peachpit is the creepy 10-foot spider-creature that latched on to Melba Li when she was 10 years old and convinced her to kill her best friend by stabbing her multiple times. Li has been serving time in a mental institution for the past eight years.
Virgil Crockett is an FBI Special Agent who sees Li as a potential asset in his crusade to hunt down Imps. He takes her out of the nuthouse and gives her a cubicle next to his. For all intents and purposes, they are partners. Except Polly Peachpit wants Li all to herself.
What to do when your imaginary friend loves you so much she’s willing to kill anyone and everyone in her way?
There is something both adorable and cringe-inducingly horrifying about this series. Polly, I’m not gonna lie, is both. There’s a kind of child-like innocence about this weird psychotic spider-monster, stemming from the fact that she comes from another dimension in which things like morals, love, and compassion were never a part of social upbringing.
This series is dark, but it’s also fun; subtly and not-so-subtly referencing a bevy of eclectic sources, from “Monsters, Inc.” to “The X-Files”.
I’m hoping that this series continued past its initial six-issue run, because I’m looking forward to reading more of the Imp-fighting team of Virgil, Melba, and Polly.
June 24, 2018
Tim Seeley is one my favourite writers within the medium, Revival was one of the best series I have in quite some time. Imaginary Fiends is an odd book, I actually jumped onto this series with the hopes of it being another long arc storyline, much like Revival. The book is quite open ended but looking at Vertigo's upcoming slate, which appears like a hard reboot of the comic label, doesn't include this book. The overall quality of the book is mixed but undeniably high concept and the 6 issue arc doesn't even scratch the surface of the world building and that leaves a slightly annoyed taste in my mouth. The book starts strong and ticks all the right boxes for crafting an unpredictable storyline but soon slides into predictability. Vertigo has fallen hard over the last 10 years and this book is a clear indicator of why. Image has the very same issue, short books lack depth. I feel like I know nothing about the characters, they only functional to service a flat plotline. Seeley was clearly busy servicing DCs core Superheroes, as this lacks focus. Not every writer can be Jeff Lemire, and I hope Seeley can revisit this book to dive further into the world he has somewhat created.
The one thing I will be doing from now on is adding which book I plan on reading next. Next book will One Punch Vol 13.
The one thing I will be doing from now on is adding which book I plan on reading next. Next book will One Punch Vol 13.
June 22, 2019
I've read a couple of books about imaginary friends recently, but Tim Seeley has built the most cohesive, well-thought-out version of them in this volume, which looks like it could have been the start of a series, but does just find as a standalone. Melba Li has an imaginary friend/nightmare spider-queen named Polly Peachpit, which allows her to see other such creatures. She and her FBI partner investigate the disappearance of a young boy with similar abilities, and discover a town with unsettling secrets, which also uncovers some of their own. The story juggles a number of plot threads, but manages to tie them up fairly well. Melba makes for a troubled protagonist, out of her depth and struggling with a lot of issues, some of which come to the fore here. Polly Peach-Pit feels like it was borrowed from Hack/Slash, but it works here, and she (aside from her innuendo-fueled language) makes for a disturbing companion. The art works for the most part, presenting a fairly staid rural town as ably as the darker parts of the psyche with distinct styles that manage to mesh. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of the characters - there does seem to be a larger world here to explore. But I would recommend this volume on its own, without any continuation. The climactic battle and revelations aren't quite shocking, but they are potent. Cautiously recommended.
December 28, 2022
The artwork is dope, the concept interesting yet familiar (cc Revival) but at times the story got a little hard to follow. 3 stars.
August 24, 2019
Cara, que desenhos incrivelmente bem feitos, que conceitos visuais incríveis para os inimigos imaginários. O trabalho de Stephen Molnar realmente dá uma outra dimensão e um outro impacto para essa HQ. Caso ela tivesse sido feita com os desenhos "feios" do início da Vertigo, provavelmente não se sairia tão bem. Afinal, o roteiro não é assim tão fácil de se entender. Essas histórias com condições imaginárias da existência gostam muito de brincar com o que é real e o que é uma produção metal, então elas vão e voltam no que querem dizer com isso várias vezes. O trabalho de Tim Seeley, entretanto, é cativante, seus personagens são assim desde que acompanho o seu trabalho em personagens do universo do Homem-Morcego. Contudo, Inimigos Imaginários também parece ter caído no esquema "vamos encerrar logo essa série porque todo o selo Vertigo vai acabar, então condensa tudo que tu ia desenvolver em um monte de edições em apenas seis". E então, muitos desenvolvimentos que poderiam ser mais bem estruturados e explicitados ficam para trás. Infelizmente, Inimigos Imaginários é um quadrinho com muito potencial, mas que não chega lá.
October 22, 2021
This was very much a Tim Seeley book, which is a good thing. Imaginary Friends are really extra dimensional creatures. Not a totally original concept, but this is a new spin on things for sure. This reminded me of Revival.
I liked the art but the story got a little hard to follow at times. Not a bad read.
I liked the art but the story got a little hard to follow at times. Not a bad read.
September 3, 2019
I really liked the idea behind this comic, and how the art brought it to life. It's like if our imaginary friends weren't 100% created by us or controllable by us, and some of them were actually evil. It's creepy but in a really neat sort of way, the kind of gross fascination you don't want to look at but can't help to.
I suppose I was expecting something more like Revival in terms of presentation, because that is also by Seeley. But this comic had a weird habit of narrating everything in third person about where every character was at the beginning of every issue and it really threw me out of the comic. Especially because the way some of those parts were worded, it took a few reads to figure out who was being talked about. In the very first comic I was super confused, because there was a bunch of names being mentioned and you have no idea who anyone is yet, and the language used by the 'narrator' is very dense and convoluted, i.e. not the easiest to understand as your reading it.
I also felt like the story fell apart the longer it went on. It started out with the mention of a fish on a bike or something, and then it side tracked into another plot, but was supposed to connect with the original because of the missing children or something? I couldn't quite follow it. I get the gist of what happened but it feels like there's some holes along the way, and that also tugged my attention from the story several times because I was waiting for more information mentioned in one part of the comic while reading further, and that information never came, and this happened a few times. A few characters involved also don't get developed beyond their names for most of the comic and then suddenly play a prevalent part later in the comic, but by then I had forgotten who they were and how they were related to the characters. Not the kind of comic you can read passively.
I suppose I was expecting something more like Revival in terms of presentation, because that is also by Seeley. But this comic had a weird habit of narrating everything in third person about where every character was at the beginning of every issue and it really threw me out of the comic. Especially because the way some of those parts were worded, it took a few reads to figure out who was being talked about. In the very first comic I was super confused, because there was a bunch of names being mentioned and you have no idea who anyone is yet, and the language used by the 'narrator' is very dense and convoluted, i.e. not the easiest to understand as your reading it.
I also felt like the story fell apart the longer it went on. It started out with the mention of a fish on a bike or something, and then it side tracked into another plot, but was supposed to connect with the original because of the missing children or something? I couldn't quite follow it. I get the gist of what happened but it feels like there's some holes along the way, and that also tugged my attention from the story several times because I was waiting for more information mentioned in one part of the comic while reading further, and that information never came, and this happened a few times. A few characters involved also don't get developed beyond their names for most of the comic and then suddenly play a prevalent part later in the comic, but by then I had forgotten who they were and how they were related to the characters. Not the kind of comic you can read passively.
Read
February 2, 2020Melba Li has been institutionalised since she stabbed her best human friend, apparently at the instigation of her imaginary friend, Polly Peachpit. Now she has a chance at release. The FBI has realised Polly and her ilk are real, after a fashion - IMPs, or Interdimensional Mental Parasites. And only an imaginary friend can touch an imaginary friend, so they need Melba as a conduit to Polly.
The small-town horror is nicely done, as you'd expect from the writer of Revival, and the imaginary friends run a good spectrum from cute to weird to utterly horrific. Underlying it all is a depiction of how toxic relationships - with a person, an idea, or something between the two - can trap and corrupt people. But like so many late-period Vertigo series (now a distinctly finite resource, of course), it all comes off the rails as it becomes clear they only have six issues and are going to have to wrap it all up at a gallop. Rules are shifted before they've had chance to feel established, twists come so close on each other's heels they barely land, and all weight evaporates under the sheer procession of events. Most frustrating is that we never get the biggest reveal which has been teased from the off. Apparently the most powerful IMPs can gather more humans to themselves, feeding off their belief and fear. We see small-scale examples in the story. But the obvious punchline is, just imagine what they can do with two millennia...
The small-town horror is nicely done, as you'd expect from the writer of Revival, and the imaginary friends run a good spectrum from cute to weird to utterly horrific. Underlying it all is a depiction of how toxic relationships - with a person, an idea, or something between the two - can trap and corrupt people. But like so many late-period Vertigo series (now a distinctly finite resource, of course), it all comes off the rails as it becomes clear they only have six issues and are going to have to wrap it all up at a gallop. Rules are shifted before they've had chance to feel established, twists come so close on each other's heels they barely land, and all weight evaporates under the sheer procession of events. Most frustrating is that we never get the biggest reveal which has been teased from the off. Apparently the most powerful IMPs can gather more humans to themselves, feeding off their belief and fear. We see small-scale examples in the story. But the obvious punchline is, just imagine what they can do with two millennia...
February 16, 2020
Maybe if I had an imaginary friend I would had liked it more?
November 22, 2020
This was great, and had all the Seeley flavor I’ve come to love. As an added bonus, it takes place in my home state. It’s a shame I held off on this for so long, due to some bad reviews on Goodreads.
April 4, 2022
não consegui nem terminar, mto clichê
June 11, 2022
I liked the concept of this book, and I feel like it had potential. Unfortunately, I think this fell victim to the same fate as Survivors Club, another Vertigo title I thought had promise, in that a larger storyline was planned out, but the series was cancelled so everything had to be hastily concluded. As a result, there are plot threads left dangling, and character arcs that felt too rushed to go in a satisfactory trajectory. Overall, I wish we could have gotten more of a series than this one concentrated story.
October 11, 2020
An interesting concept. I liked everything about it except the pacing. This arc was too long and it seems it will be the only arc ever, so it left too much to be desired as a series/book. I am not willing to recommend it to anyone.
Best creepy moment: the children sucking on the giant cat's nipples.
Best use of art: style changeup anytime the cop who took drugs to see imaginary fiends went on one of his trips.
Best creepy moment: the children sucking on the giant cat's nipples.
Best use of art: style changeup anytime the cop who took drugs to see imaginary fiends went on one of his trips.
January 1, 2024
Fun horror
There's stories in the weird horror genre where some ideas aren't formed by thoughts, but instead they're the shape made by things waiting outside for minds to haunt. In this case, it focuses on the imaginary friend in this role as a toxic codependency that feeds on fear. Neat premise, cool execution, and a hearty blend of monster/slasher and psychological horror with a dash of police procedural.
There's stories in the weird horror genre where some ideas aren't formed by thoughts, but instead they're the shape made by things waiting outside for minds to haunt. In this case, it focuses on the imaginary friend in this role as a toxic codependency that feeds on fear. Neat premise, cool execution, and a hearty blend of monster/slasher and psychological horror with a dash of police procedural.
June 28, 2020
a teenage girl who has been locked up for years because she attempted to kill her childhood bestie on the orders of her 'imaginary' friend is recruited to a secret branch of the fbi that specializes in mysterious monsters that most people can't see with the naked eye. this was wonderful! great story, fantastic art, i loved it, highly recommend, 5/5.
June 18, 2019
I’m fascinated by imaginary friends and creepy ones are even better! The art in this book was great and the story interesting, but the pacing felt a bit off. I’m guessing Imaginary Fiends was supposed as an ongoing series but sadly only got this one story arc. I would have liked to see more.
July 2, 2019
An interesting concept. Very mind-bendy in some ways.
April 15, 2020
Creepy
November 2, 2022
Late-stage Vertigo - Vertigo Lite. Tim Seeley is always a fun ride but this didn't break any boundaries or smash my expectations in any way. A fun way to spend half an hour, no regrets.
June 13, 2023
Pretty good, would totally enjoy seeing this continuing into a small series.
January 7, 2024
Almost perfect but the storytelling weakens due to the main character having a weird drug trip. But I still really enjoyed this.
January 17, 2024
Amazing comic book, one of my favorites from Vertigo.
April 25, 2024
What if Slender Man was real? That's kind of the hook of this miniseries, which features Melba Li, a young woman in a mental hospital after she stabbed her best friend at the behest of Polly Peachpit, a spidery thing that only she can see. Along comes FBI agent Virgil Crockett, who specializes in cases involving "interdimensional mental parasites" or "imps" like Polly, and who wants Melba's help in investigating the disappearance of a young boy from a campsite in Kentucky. This was really a pretty good story, with echoes of The X Files and Something's Killing the Children. The art's not always the greatest, but I did enjoy this and if Seeley were to bring these characters back for another go-around, I'd be interested in reading that.
December 24, 2019
In the world of this book, imaginary friends are real but are also trans-dimensional vampires that feed on fear, among other emotions. The main character, Melba Li, is a young woman committed to an insane asylum as a teenager after stabbing her best friend a dozen times because Polly Peachpit, her imaginary friend, told her to do it. The FBI recruits the now adult Melba to help solve a case that may involve another imaginary friend.
The art in this book is pretty great, and the story goes to some bizarre, oftentimes dark, places. I like the idea of someone who can only solve crimes with the help of a manipulative invisible monster. It’s an absurd trope, but it’s fun to see it play out in this scenario.
Unfortunately, I think this book was a casualty of DC shuttering Vertigo, and it seems unlikely the story will continue. At least the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, and this story arc can easily stand alone even if there is plenty of potential for more in this world.
The art in this book is pretty great, and the story goes to some bizarre, oftentimes dark, places. I like the idea of someone who can only solve crimes with the help of a manipulative invisible monster. It’s an absurd trope, but it’s fun to see it play out in this scenario.
Unfortunately, I think this book was a casualty of DC shuttering Vertigo, and it seems unlikely the story will continue. At least the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, and this story arc can easily stand alone even if there is plenty of potential for more in this world.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews