Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This whole thing had such a grungy, raw feel to it.
The art had a wonderful and unique style that really suited the story! Full color. Just really enjoyable to look at.
I think it said in the comic this was set in 1979, and, listen, I wasn’t born yet, and I’m not an expert on that time period, but I felt like the late 70s small town vibes were on point.
The queer rep was great. I’m not sure exactly what rep was here, but I know some of the characters were trans. Most of them were also POC. There was a lot of struggle depicted, since they were living in a small religious town during a satanic panic, and not even their parents were accepting of them. There was verbal and physical violence against them. But there was also a lovely depiction of the bonds queer people can make. They had each other, this little group.
Everything about this book was some vibe or another. Queer vibes. 70s/80s vibes. Grungy vibes. Horror—well, it just is horror, I don’t know if you can really call that vibes? Still, vibes all the way down, in a great way.
And just a heads up, because of the horror elements, there is some gore, though only on a few occasions.
Though a bit slow, I was enjoying this, and then it sort of lost me in the end. The story was mostly build-up, the stuff mentioned in the description didn’t happen until far into the book. And once we got there, when we hit the point of, “Ooh things are really getting interesting now!” I didn’t really understand what was going on or what deals were being made, and then it was over with nothing resolved. Maybe this will be a series? I don’t know.
Overall, the ending was abrupt and I don’t know if there will be a sequel, but aside from that, it was a foreboding and vibey story with great queer rep and eye-catching art!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes full color graphic novels, horror/supernatural, 70s small town settings, and depictions of queer struggles but also queer friendship.
It seems like a weird story for a graphic novel – like a lot for just drawings – but it looks pretty cool too.
Karen @For What It’s Worth
Weird but cool is a good description lol.