Social Blunderer

Made in Korea is a science-fiction take on the Pinocchio fable. Written by Jeremy Holt with art by George Schall Made in Korea is a thrilling read that tackles themes like what it means to be a parent, how difficult it can be to forge your identity in adolescence, and, how to be human.

Much like the very best science-fiction, it presents characters with opportunities and dilemmas that ask fundamental questions about ethics and the sort of world we want in our future.

The story focuses on Jess, an android who has been given the ability to grow emotionally. Sent away by her creator to protect the code that makes her unique she is adopted by an American family. Early in the comic, there is a commentary on the vanity of foreign adoptions with children seen as objects to be shown off rather than people to be loved. There is also an exploration of how being an immigrant can leave someone feeling isolated and turning to the wrong people for companionship. Being part of a diaspora can be difficult and that also forms part of Jess’s journey too as she is not American made and struggles to fit in with other humans.

Her struggles to adapt and the turmoil she goes through genuinely tugged on my heartstrings. You just want everyone to leave her alone.

Made in Korea is shockingly violent at times. Much more so because Jess is so disturbed by it. The story is also an attack on capitalism’s need to commoditise everything. What can and should be owned by private corporations is something we all need to ask ourselves. 

I haven’t mentioned the art yet. It is superb. The choice to design a world that is close enough to our own evokes feelings of uneasiness. Schall makes bold and assured storytelling choices when laying out the panels. A sense of vulnerability permeates the page especially in sequences when Jess and her family are the focus. The effect of this results in a comic that charms the reader. This is a beautifully plotted story that has equally beautiful art.

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Set in the world of The Walking Dead, Clementine is a book about survival, trust, friendship and trauma.

Clementine is an amputee who has grown up in a world gone to hell. Walden imbues Clementine with both strength and vulnerability, and she is a compelling character that acts far tougher than she feels she wants to in order to survive. Walden’s trademark is writing gripping characters. Clementine is no different where there is a supporting cast that includes twins teenage girls that may have less than altruistic motivations and an Amish wanderer full of hope.
Both the relationships between the characters and the dialogue are absorbing.

The story starts with our heroine wandering alone in a wasteland before coming across a settlement where she meets Amos, who is setting out on his rumspringa. The pair decide to journey to an abandoned ski resort in Vermont, where they meet up with a small group of teenagers attempting to build a new, walker-free settlement.

In the ARC, Walden’s art was unfinished. The sections of the book that had completed art were gorgeous. Walden’s flair for action sequences and intimate introspective moments is on full display. As is Walden’s knack for capturing moments where characters try to hide how vulnerable they feel.  

That said, I would struggle to recommend  Clementine. The art is excellent, and the writing is good, but I have no interest in revisiting The world of The Walking Dead. It’s so bleak, and I take no pleasure in going there. Because it is part of a bigger universe of stories, there were some moments where I felt confused. A book should be able to stand on its own, which Clementine did for the most part. However, I understand that Clementine is a prominent character in the video games. It did seem to me that some of the more impactful emotional moments would have hit harder if I had played them.  

It’s odd, I liked lots about the book, but the fatal flaw is that I just don’t want to read more zombie fiction. Especially if that fiction does not tell us anything new. Walden’s previous work felt fresh and exposed me to perspectives that I hadn’t considered before. The most disappointing thing for me is that Walden did not tackle Kirkman’s thesis that humanity is doomed to a cycle of failure and despair. It’s a book where the technical achievements in both art and writing are overshadowed by the fact the story takes place in a stale and tiresome world.    

by the book here. we get kick a little money if you do.

There is something wonderfully freeing about watching awful people behaving badly. Both Simon Kennedy and Chuck Atkins are hilarious and deplorable in equal measure.

The appalling things they say about each other and the people in their lives and the ludicrous levels of ego on display captivated me all the way through all 18 chapters of the book.

For those that like their comedy unfiltered, their protagonists disgraceful and unrepentant, and their golf strewed with discussions about sex and money, this is a must-read.

One of the best compliments I can give is that Simon and Chuck’s snipping at each reminded of Bottom’s Eddie Hitler and Richard “Richie” Richard exchanging barbs. It’s one of the funniest things I have read this year.

There is something of the Coen’s Brothers about Camacho’s Onion Skin. What starts as a tale of two 20-somethings chasing the dream of escaping a life of office monotony turns into a story that is far more surprising.

The chemistry between Rolando and Nera is what drives the story. Their contrasting personalities creates some great moments of heartfelt earnestness and oddball humour. The sequence after the two, first properly meet and proceed to get drunk is one of my favourites in the book. It captures the possibility of going out with friends and not knowing what is going to happen next.

There is also a flavour of Edgar Wright’s movies in the way the panels are composed and the raw pencil work on display. Camacho takes bold decisions on what angles he uses creating a dynamic momentum that propels the reader forward. Equally adept at illustrating thrilling motorway chase scenes as they are with more intimate moments of introspection Camacho should be applauded for the range he shows.

The book is very funny mixing amusing observations about the tribulations of being a 20-something with laugh out loud slapstick action sequences.

It is the sort of comic you want to see adapted into a movie or TV series. It is the sort of comic you want to have a sequel to. It is the sort of comic where you worry about both these things being done right.

For those looking quirky crime caper with electrifying action and big earnest heart this should be your jam.

Use this link to buy the book. They give me money which I need for pizza.

There is a point in The Down River People that left me stunned and wondering what the hell just happened. Much of the early parts of The Down River People I feel are Smith and Fox articulating the feelings of pain and isolation that people grieving go through. The staggeringly difficulty of going on with life after the death of someone you love is something that Myers labours through.

The things we inherit from family is another theme that runs through the novel. Untangible treasures such as the memories of being together and more difficulty concrete things like financial difficulties. Myer and his father, Darnell, both seem to suffer from similar bouts of mental illness to the extent that Darnell shares his way of coping; by standing in the river and waiting for the feelings to pass.

The script is heartfelt and captures both a sense of place and authenticity around the people that live there. Oddly, it reminded me of Where the Crawdad Sings. The Down River People works as well as it does because of its setting. The Down River People is a stranger book than Delia Owen’s book. Still, they both evoked the same feelings of empathy and sorrow in me. I was expecting it the continue to be a slice of life story that follows Myers as he copes with his grief which it sort of does.

Without giving spoilers, The Down River people starts as one story and finishes as a different one, one that is stranger and more profound. As mentioned before, there are points in the story that I found shocking, devastating, and confusing in the best possible way. As Southern Gothic goes, this is one of the best examples of the genre in graphic novel form.

Myers strained relationship with his estranged mother and his stepfamily forms the bedrock for the latter half of the novel. It is here that Smith takes the most narrative risks, ones that pay off in unexpected ways.

The art is bewitching. The style of it wrong-foots you as much as the script does. Hues of depressing blues and browns colour every page. Despite it being set in the south, there is little brightness or light. There is a down to earth quality to it, a world-weariness in the character and place designs that creates a sense of realism. Mathew Fox does a superb job of composing his images, and there is a fluid quality to the way he lays out the panels. There are some astoundingly powerful illustrations in the book, especially later on. Mike Fiorentino lettering deserves mention; he does an excellent job.

I suffered a bereavement last year; this story hit a soft spot in me. The start of it left me feeling unsettled, but it is a sensitive exploration of grief and the need for all of us to renew ourselves, however hard that may be. 2021 is turning out to be a fantastic year for graphic novels; this is one of the best. The Down River People is an absorbing story that will leave you reflecting on long after you have put it down. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Please consider using this link to buy the book.

The artwork here is engrossing. Salaün world-building and character designs are spectacular. Every page is rich with detail. It is a beautiful thing to look at. The painterly colouring adds depth to each panel.

Salaün demonstrates equal finesse with balls to the wall action sequences as they do with quite dramatic moments. Much of the book is about Joshua’s troubled relationship with his father and the tensions his family has with the ruling elite. The sections of the book where the loathsome Sylvio argues with his father or is conspiring with his grandfather are particularly good.

The world that Elecboy takes place in is weary and on the verge of breaking down. It clearly has taken some inspiration from other post-societal collapse stories such as Mad Max, I Robot, Akira, and The Postman. That said, there is a lot of original stuff here. The harsh desert landscape looms large over the characters.

The characters themselves are very much archetypical. Joshua is a rebellious young lad disappointed in the father he loves. The scheming chief is conniving and vicious. Sylvio is a desert Joffery. The two most well-rounded characters are Joseph, Joshua’s dad, and Vittorio, Sylvio’s father. Despite the obvious hatred between them, there is also mutual respect. How their feud resolves itself is one of the most gripping things about the plot.

That said, this is not a self-contained story. Which I felt was disappointing. The book asks more questions than it answers, setting the scene for what comes in the next. The good thing is that I was intrigued and interested in finding out what those things are going to be. A lovely book to look at, with an intriguing set-up that is slightly let down by the characters. Despite that, it is very much worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Please consider using this affliate link to buy the book.

Rogue Planet evokes memories of Alien and Aliens in a very good way. The blue-collar crew of a salvage ship encounter supernatural and inhuman terrors on Lonely Orphan.

Bunn’s script is gripping from the off. We are introduced to a cast of characters with enough foibles and eccentricities to make you wonder which one of them will be killed off first and indeed how many if any of them are going to survive. Bunn’s dialogue is occasionally a bit heavy-handed and cheesy but no more than you would expect from a sci-fi/horror story. However, there are also genuine tender and humorous moments between the crew that cruelly made me care about the characters. There is a nice mix of action set-pieces and slower anxiety building sequences (one scene of the crew trying to navigate their back to the ship after an ambush is particularly good).

The art is quite simply fantastic. Both the inks and colours bring to life the creepy and weird alien beings that are hunting the crew. As someone who has seen a few horror movies, it is always nice when an original monster is brought to the page. Some of the creatures are so unnatural looking it took me time to process what I was looking at. Always a good sign in monster design.

The plot itself hits all the horror story beats but it does so with aplomb. I’m not sure there is enough here for non-genre fans but for anyone with a passing interest in sci-fi or horror Rogue Planet is definitely worth picking up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Please consider using this link to buy the book.

Save It for Later covers a lot of ground. From exploring the confusion, fear and anger felt by people after Donald Trump’s election win to why it is every person’s duty to take an active part in every element of the democratic process, Powell takes an unflinching look at it all.

Powell’s illustrations are powerful. Moments of sadness and anxiety depicted at the erosion of America’s political norm and the realisation that hateful racists were always lurking in the shadows waiting to be given permission to share their views are all captured with nimbleness, humour and indignation.

There is a heavy criticism of Save It For Later which is that it very much is preaching to the choir. There is nothing in the book that would persuade someone not already aligned with Powell’s views to consider changing their minds. I personally also felt that Powell occasionally “others” people who don’t share his politics. Most people are good and genuinely want what is best for themselves, their family, and their country even Trump voters. Powell I don’t think gets this.

The other thing that grabbed me about this book is how full of love it is. Powell’s love for his family and country shine through. His daughter is brought to life as an achingly cute unicorn/human hybrid. The book is as much about Powell figuring out how to raise his children and the mistakes he makes along the way as it is about politics. Many of the most powerful images in the book feature Powell and his family.

I enjoyed Save It For Later very much.

Thank you to Nate Powell, Abrams ComicArts, and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Please consider using this link to buy the book.