By Daniel Vlasaty

I’d like to start this review by saying that Coady and the Creepies isn’t really the kind of comic book I normally read. But I’ve also noticed that some of my reviews here on the site are getting repetitive and redundant. So, this week I decided to read something different. I wanted to try something new and fun and lighthearted. I hadn’t heard anything at all about this book, so I went in without knowing what to expect.

The Creepies are a teenage punk band made up of sisters Criss, Corey, and Coady.  The book opens in the aftermath of a car crash. Two of the sisters were badly injured in the crash and one was left completely seemingly unharmed.  The news of the crash has brought the band more fame than some of the members may be comfortable with, and they’re currently on a tour to complete Pinmageddon, a race to be the first band to play all the best punk venues in the country.

This all girl punk band has a run-in with their apparent rivals, The Boneheads, who are only a few venues behind The Creepies in the Pinmageddon race. The Boneheads are also douchebags, basically, and like to get their laughs picking on teenage girls and giving each other high-fives about it. I don’t know.

There are also ghosts, a poser reporter who just wants to be taken seriously, a merch guy who’s obsessed with chimichangas, a ghost hunter, and some feel good PUNK ROCK.

I am not familiar with anyone on the creative team for this book. It’s written by Liz Prince, illustrated by Amanda Kirk, colored by Hannah Fisher, and lettered by Jim Campbell. I have a feeling I may not be the target audience for this book. It seems like it’s more geared toward a younger crowd. But that’s okay. I can get down with some butt jokes and wholesomeness from time to time and still enjoy myself.

And that’s the thing about this book, even if it’s not my usual thing (or my comfort zone or whatever) it was still an enjoyable read. And in all honesty, that’s all that really matters at the end of the book. You have to ask yourself: was it enjoyable? Do I feel like it was a waste of my time?

My answer here: yes, it was enjoyable and, no, I don’t feel like it was a waste of my time.

The writing here is light and smooth and confident. This didn’t really have the feel of a first issue to me. There wasn’t really any set-up but I never felt lost or confused as to what was going on. There are a lot of different threads going on in this story and Prince does an excellent job of handling each of them, and giving them all enough page time, and, most importantly, doing in a way that makes the reader care about the characters or what’s going on. And we still don’t know everything, like why is Coady still able to play drums when she’s dead or how is it that no one else even knows she’s dead.

I don’t know yet either, but I’m interested in finding out.

The art is not great. It’s really not even all that good if I have to be honest. It kind of reminded me of a less refined, sloppier Bryan Lee O’Malley. But I still felt that it was fun, and it fit the tone of the book. There are bold lines and bright colors. Playful’s a good word for it.

I keep going back to the word fun in this review. And that’s what I thought this book was. It was just fun. I like fun things. I like having fun. And even if this isn’t something I’d normally read, who gives a shit? I enjoyed this book and have a feeling I will continue to do so in the next few issues.

Score: 4/5

Coady and the Creepies #1
BOOM! Studios