Review: Karate Prom
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Review: Karate Prom

By Dustin Cabeal

Having been a fan of Kyle Stark since Sex Castle an original graphic novel published by Image Comics; I have loosely followed about anything Kyle Starks has made. Style and humor are something that resonates with me as a reader and the places Starks takes stories to be original, interesting, and always very humorous. It is hard to find consistent writers in comics that are funny and that produce consistently funny works. That is not to say that they can never do anything other than comedic writing, but finding someone who is willing and does produce consistently funny things is a creative catch. It is something that makes you want to follow that creator more.

Seeing the words “karate” and “prom,” by Kyle Starks instantly filled me with anticipation and joy for this new graphic novel, from First Second. At its core it is shooting for a younger audience. This is not a book that is necessarily reaching out and grabbing 40-year-olds and saying read me you will find infinite amount of humor and relatable references. Instead, it is more of a story/graphic novel for tweens and teenagers. Young readers. That is the prime demographic of First Second.

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Review: Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules
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Review: Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules

By Dustin Cabeal

Delilah Dirk is hands down my favorite graphic novel series. I’m always a little surprised when it returns because it just seems like a publisher would throw a mountain of cash at Tony Cliff and pull him away from this story. Thankfully, either that hasn’t happened, or more than likely Mr. Cliff would rather be working on Delilah Dirk.

I will never forget the first volume of Delilah Dirk. It was incredibly powerful in its writing, but more so in its visual storytelling. Cliff makes the writing and artwork so seamlessly that it’s easy to appreciate both. The second volume had a different tone and a different journey. It was personal, but different for our main characters. It too resonated with beauty that I struggle to find anywhere else in the world of comics. Don’t get me wrong; there are so many talented illustrators out there with varying styles and amazing talents. It’s just that seeing a setting that Cliff has illustrated is like falling in love for the first time. It moves you, hell, it makes you want to move. After reading a volume of Delilah Dirk, I’m filled with the need for adventure. To make a flying ship and set out upon the world. Cliff’s artwork calls to you in a way that no other artist I’ve found does. To say he’s masterful seems like only the beginning. He’s a once in a generation talent.

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Review: Speak: The Graphic Novel
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Review: Speak: The Graphic Novel

By Dustin Cabeal

Never have I felt more underqualified to review a story than with Speak: The Graphic Novel. A title that leads me to believe that there’s a novel version of this story as well. I don’t know because I don’t research anything before reading it. That probably comes off as a strange thing for a reviewer to do, but its actually the best thing in the world because it’s the only way to be surprised by a story. I never read the synopsis for Speak, and I’m glad I didn’t. In fact, I would even tell you wholeheartedly not to finish this review and instead go get a copy for yourself and go in blind. It makes for a powerful reading experience.

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Review: Making Friends
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Review: Making Friends

By Dustin Cabeal

I love it when the title of a book means one thing before you read it and something else entirely after you’ve read it. I’m sure that people who read the synopsis for Making Friends already got the double meaning, but I live in a strange little world in which I don’t. I mean like ever. In all the years of running Comic Bastards, I have actively tried not to read the synopsis of anything I’ve read. In fact, I didn’t even know about Making Friends until last week when creator Kristen Gudsnuk tweeted about it. That was all I needed to pre-order it. Anyway, maybe you’re like that too, and you’ll get the double meaning of the title after reading Making Friends, which you should totally do!

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Review: Animus
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Review: Animus

By Dustin Cabeal

Where has Animus been all year? Hands down this is one of the best stories I’ve read all damn year. This is also going to be one of those reviews where I don’t tell you much about it because you should just be reading it or pre-ordering it if it’s not released by the time of this review.

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Review: The Nameless City: The Divided Earth
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Review: The Nameless City: The Divided Earth

By Dustin Cabeal

The Divided Earth is a strong finish to Faith Erin Hicks’ The Nameless City trilogy. A series that has worn its influences on its sleeve while blazing its own path. I’m sure some have looked at the story and thought, “This should be an animated series!” Maybe they’re right, but this trilogy will always feel more at home in the pages of a comic.

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Review: The City on the Other Side
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Review: The City on the Other Side

By Dustin Cabeal

The City on the Other Side is difficult for me to review. I bring with me on every review of every story I’ve read. Which is and isn’t fair for everything I review. The City on the Other Side has a lot of similarities to other stories I’ve read. It pulls from a lot of fantasy elements to make a world that’s familiar. On the other side of things, pun intended, if this were someone’s first foray into fantasy stories, it would be interesting and exciting.

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Review: All Summer Long
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Review: All Summer Long

By Dustin Cabeal

All Summer Long is not one of those slice of life, coming of age stories that anyone can pick up and enjoy. It is exclusively written for seventh and eighth graders that are entering their tween years of life. When I say exclusively, I mean it. For an adult, this book lacked a lot of emotional depth, but I didn’t hate what it was doing because somewhere, there’s a tween that’s going to read this and relate to it… not deeply or for very long, but for a fleeting moment it will resonate with them.

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Brubaker & Phillips bring fans their first original graphic novel in MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES
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Brubaker & Phillips bring fans their first original graphic novel in MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES

Press Release

MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, the first original graphic novel from the award-winning and bestselling team Ed Brubaker (writer on HBO’s Westworld, co-creator of Too Old to Die Young with Nicolas Winding Refn for Amazon Studios) and Sean Phillips—the creative team behind CRIMINAL, KILL OR BE KILLED, THE FADE OUT and FATALE—will hit stores this October. 

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PERDY original graphic novel is a smokin' Western read
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PERDY original graphic novel is a smokin' Western read

Press Release

Image Comics is pleased to announce PERDY: a new original graphic novel western series from Angoulême Award nominee, and international star, Kickliy.

The titular character, Perdy, loves two things: sex and robbing banks—no particular order. After spending 15 years in Yuma prison, Perdy wastes no time in getting back to doing both. A lot has changed since Perdy’s been away, especially her looks, but that’s not gonna stop her from piecing together the biggest score of gold this side of the border. And if anyone gets in her way, they’ll be pushing up petunias. 

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Review: The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins
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Review: The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins

By Dustin Cabeal

I’m not going to lie; I have a lot of envy and jealousy for this book. I originally passed on it because I was unfamiliar with the podcast that it was based on and have been burned by podcast adapted comics too many times to try again. As fate would have it though it arrived in the mail for me to read and I figured, what the hell… let’s give this a go.

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Review: Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn
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Review: Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn

By Dustin Cabeal

If there was one book I wasn’t expecting to continue due to how batshit crazy it was, it was Mean Girls Club. I’m stoked that it did because the first volume/story of this series was absolutely mental. It’s also amazing in what it does. I won’t say that these women are strong role models, but I’m happy the story exists. In thinking of it, I flipped the genders, and suddenly I could think of similar stories that I had read. I couldn’t think of another single story that had women.

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Review: Cici’s Journal: The Adventures of a Writer-in-Training
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Review: Cici’s Journal: The Adventures of a Writer-in-Training

By Dustin Cabeal

Once upon a time seems like a good place to start. That is who Cici’s Journal begins, and I have admittedly been staring at the screen trying to find an opening for this review. Usually, when I start a review I know the tone, be it positive or negative, I know where I stand. The only time this is a struggle is when there are numerous pluses and minuses of the work being reviewed. It leaves you trying to find a starting point because once the review gets started you trust that you’ll figure it all out. At least, that’s how I review, but I’m probably a terrible example.

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Review: Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths
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Review: Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths

By Dustin Cabeal

Peter & Ernesto is exactly what you want from an all-ages story in that it can be enjoyed by a lot of people coming from different moments in their life. For someone like myself, I read almost everything, but I’m also curating my child’s reading experience at the same time. Even though my son is only two and still a bit too young for this story, it’s one that I’m looking forward to sharing with him when he’s older.

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Review: Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter
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Review: Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter

By Dustin Cabeal

When I saw Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter announced, my gut said I should pass on it. I didn’t because I still like to challenge myself to read things I’m not particularly drawn to or that I’ve judged without reading. Sometimes though, your gut knows you best. Because when I read the titles, looked at the cover and finished with the synopsis, my only thought was, “Sounds generic.”

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Review: Star Scouts: The League of Lasers
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Review: Star Scouts: The League of Lasers

By Dustin Cabeal

I wasn’t particularly a big fan of the first volume of Star Scouts. I’m always willing to give something I don’t like a second chance because with comics you never know what can happen. I have inadvertently fallen in love with a series as I continued to read it. I have also fallen out of love with a series while being excited about it.

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Review: Buni: Happiness Is A State of Mind
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Review: Buni: Happiness Is A State of Mind

By Dustin Cabeal

Buni speaks to me on a generational level. This mostly fucked up collection of short stories follows buni, a character I only know the name of because it’s the title. Buni is relatable in that sometimes he’s delusional, other times he’s depressed, but mostly jacked up things happen around him.

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Review: Demon vol. 4
Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal

Review: Demon vol. 4

By Dustin Cabeal

While the story of Demon has been an enjoyable one, as it went on there were less and less moments of humor. After the second volume, you can easily become numb to the violence and the gags, but the overall story is mapped so brilliantly that it's worth staying until the end. That and at its core there is a message to this story, and it’s quite unexpected.

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