A smart coming-of-age tale and a probing murder mystery, Dead End Kids #1 (Source Point Press) delivers suspenseful and somber storytelling with a satirical wit. Readers will immediately falling love with the characters as they are thrust into a captivating thriller.
It’s 1999. Ben, Murphy, Tank, and Amanda are four screwed-up kids from broken homes… but they have had each other. When Ben is murdered, Murphy and his friends set out to find who killed him and find themselves in the cross-hairs!
Here are 5 reasons why you should read Dead End Kids #1:
5) The Characters!
The Point: “This story is about the very real traumas of childhood. It’s about four messed up kids with traumatic home lives and the stability they find in their friendships and what happens when that stability is torn away because one of them is murdered.”
— Frank Gogol — Comic Book Writer (@frankgogol) June 12, 2019
The ensemble is really rounded out together because each member has their own distinct personality. Each individual also has their own specific look, tied to their economic status. Because the characters are very much interesting, readers will be able to pick out who’s their favorite.
4) The Writing!
Writer Frank Gogol delivers meta-dialogue that references other coming-of-age tales, such as Stephen King’s The Body. Gogol is able to say so much about teen angst, broken families, and the heart-breaking struggle to survive a single day. The lettering between Sean Rinehart does a great job finding the style between first-person narration and third-person perspective.
3) The Art!
Artist Nenad Cviticanin does an amazing job presenting a blue collar and rundown small town. The location really comes alive as its own character. Cviticanin captures the emotion behind the expressions, especially when Amanda looks teary-eyed at her own mother.
2) The Colors!
You feel the coldness of the winter thanks to the white tones. Covered in snow, the entire town is seen in white and the ice radiates from its color. Amanda stands out from rest of the group because of her light blue hair.
1) A Gripping Read!
Dead End Kids #1 flows smoothly while introducing its well-developed cast of characters. Now that the mystery has been stablished, I can’t wait to read what happens next in Dead End Kids #2.
Dead End Kids #1 arrives in stores on July 24th, 2019.