‘Imaginary Fiends’ Review: Childhood Monsters and FBI Horror

I wanted to read Imaginary Fiends because the concept sounded exactly like my kind of horror: imaginary friends that are not imaginary (or friendly), childhood trauma, FBI weirdness, and monsters that are basically walking emotional damage.

Originally published by Vertigo from 2017 to 2018, Imaginary Fiends is now getting a new Image Comics trade paperback edition on September 30, 2026. So yes, this felt like the perfect excuse to finally talk about it.

The series is written by Tim Seeley, who is already one of those names that makes me pay attention. He wrote Hack/Slash, Revival, and he is currently writing Inglorious X-Force. He also wrote Rogue: The Savage Land, which we reviewed before, so obviously I was curious to see him in full creepy imaginary monster mode here.

What Is Imaginary Fiends About?

First of all, I love how direct this story is. We know very quickly that Melba Li stabbed her friend Brinke when they were kids. She blamed it on Polly Peachpit, a spidery phantom only she could see, and ended up spending seven years in a mental health facility because of it.

Then Melba turns eighteen, and FBI Special Agent Virgil Crockett shows up with a very strange offer. He tells her Polly is not just an imaginary friend. She is an I.M.P., an Interdimensional Mental Parasite. Basically, these things attach themselves to human hosts, feed through them, and grow out of fear, trauma, need, hunger, guilt, and all the messy stuff people carry around inside.

So Melba gets pulled into helping the FBI hunt other I.M.P.s, starting with the case of a missing boy. And from there, the story keeps opening up. The missing boy case becomes bigger than expected, Virgil and Melba keep finding pieces that do not quite fit together, and the monsters are not just random scary things. They are tied to people. To fear. To damage. To the way people survive, or fail to survive, what happened to them.

Polly Peachpit Is Everything

I was already invested in the story, but Polly Peachpit is what made me fully obsessed. From the first panel I saw her, I was like: oh, she is the moment. Her design is insanely good. She is beautiful in the scariest possible way. The way she moves, the way her body bends around the page, the way she talks almost like she is singing creepy little nightmare lyrics. I could not stop looking at her. And she is awful, obviously.

Polly is manipulative, dramatic, hungry, mean, funny, and completely unhinged. But that is what makes her so good. The deal Melba makes to force Polly into helping the FBI is brilliant because Polly needs a host to survive. If she does not cooperate, she dies. So now this nightmare creature that once controlled Melba has to work with her. That dynamic is fantastic.

Melba is usually the only one who can see Polly, which means Polly can say the most insane things, do the most unhinged little monster poses, and generally be a menace while Melba has to stand there and pretend she is a normal person having a normal day. She is a monster, yes. But also, unfortunately for my common sense, I love her vibe.

The I.M.P.s Make the Horror Work

The I.M.P.s are easily one of the best parts of Imaginary Fiends. They are not just “spooky creatures from another dimension.” The book makes them feel connected to the people they attach to. They come from fear, obsession, guilt, loneliness, anger, and whatever else is rotting inside someone’s head. That is what makes them interesting.

Charlie Chokecherry is a great example. He is Polly’s husband, which already made me pause because excuse me, these nightmare things have relationship drama too? Amazing.

Charlie feels betrayed because Polly chose Melba, and because Polly has this hunger for power. So when he is abandoned, he attaches himself to Brinke’s brother, who has his own pain. He hates Melba because he needs to understand why she tried to kill his sister, and he carries guilt because he was supposed to be babysitting them when it happened. That is what I liked. The monsters are scary, but they are also tied to very human emotions.

Then the book adds Fraid Cat, another terrifying I.M.P., and things get even weirder. Polly, Charlie, Fraid Cat, they all have such distinct designs and personalities. I was obsessed with all of them, but Polly is absolutely the queen of this nightmare circus.

The fight between Polly and Charlie was probably my favorite sequence in the whole book. It is creepy, emotional, messy, and visually wild in the best way.

The Art Makes the Invisible Feel Real

Stephen Molnar’s art is fantastic here. One thing I really loved is how clearly the book shows the difference between what normal people see and what is actually happening with the I.M.P.s. To everyone else, Melba might look like she is reacting to nothing. But we see the truth. We see Polly crawling around the page, twisting herself into impossible shapes, saying terrible things like she is having the time of her life. That contrast works so well.

The real world has this FBI procedural feeling, with cases, questions, missing people, and clues. Then the I.M.P.s crash into it with full nightmare energy. The art balances both sides without making the story confusing.

And again, the monster designs are the star for me. Polly is iconic. Fraid Cat is horrifying. Charlie is creepy and weirdly tragic. They all look like they crawled out of someone’s worst coping mechanism. Respectfully, I love that.

The Coven’s Verdict

Imaginary Fiends was exactly my kind of horror comic. It is direct, weird, creepy, and full of great monster designs. I liked Melba, I liked the FBI case structure, and I liked how the mystery around the missing boy kept getting bigger. But what really made the series work for me was Polly Peachpit and the way the book treats fear.

The I.M.P.s are scary because they are not random. They manifest through people’s pain, guilt, hunger, and fear. They feel personal. And that makes every monster in the story more interesting than just “look, scary creature.”

Tim Seeley gives the story a strong horror hook and a really fun mystery, while Stephen Molnar makes the invisible world of the I.M.P.s feel strange, physical, and impossible to ignore. The ending worked for me too. It was satisfying, it pulled the pieces together, and it still left me thinking about this whole creepy world after I finished. Also, I know Polly Peachpit is a monster, but she is also Mother.

FAQ

What is Imaginary Fiends about? Imaginary Fiends follows Melba Li, a young woman who once stabbed her childhood friend and blamed it on an imaginary friend named Polly Peachpit. Years later, an FBI agent reveals that Polly is actually an I.M.P., an Interdimensional Mental Parasite, and pulls Melba into a mission involving other creatures like her.

Who created Imaginary Fiends? Imaginary Fiends is written by Tim Seeley with art by Stephen Molnar.

What are I.M.P.s in Imaginary Fiends? I.M.P.s are Interdimensional Mental Parasites, creatures that attach themselves to human hosts and manifest through fear, trauma, guilt, desire, and other emotional wounds.

Was Imaginary Fiends originally a Vertigo comic? Yes. Imaginary Fiends was originally published as a DC/Vertigo miniseries from 2017 to 2018.

When is the Image Comics edition of Imaginary Fiends coming out? The Image Comics trade paperback edition of Imaginary Fiends is scheduled for September 30, 2026.

Who should read Imaginary Fiends? Readers who enjoy horror comics, creepy imaginary friends, FBI mysteries, psychological monsters, strange creature designs, and Tim Seeley’s horror work should check out Imaginary Fiends.