Still, when a group talks about taking a life-changing drug in a joint ceremony, all at once, if you’re a certain age, that’s going to evoke Jonestown, which I don’t believe is intended. Except this is a rigged game, by the authors, so we’re supposed to think that going along is soul-crushing until you find the right group to fit in with. Teenage rebellion is natural, but that doesn’t make everything she dislikes bad. I suspect we’re supposed to identify with Angela, but there were times when I thought she seemed over-indulged. I wanted to know more about this world and how it came to be. My favorite parts were the small moments giving more insight into what day-to-day life is like, such as the one scene in Angela’s classroom. I found the plot familiar, but that’s part of the appeal of a genre work, seeing the formula work itself out. Most of the book is black and white, but color is used sparingly to illustrate the most potent emotional moments. The art is sparse and spiky, creating a sense of the tension Angela feels, but at times I wasn’t sure exactly what we supposed to be seeing, or the lack of background becomes distracting. Then she finds an underground (literally) resistance movement, where she falls in love. She wants to live less rapidly, with more intention. Movies last under fifteen minutes.īut Angela has found a copy of the banned novel that suggests a different, slower way of life. Everyone has a tracking chip implanted in their arm. Using too many adverbs will draw the wrong kind of attention. Adam Rapp writes and Mike Cavallaro draws the story of Angela, a fifteen-year-old living in a world that emphasizes speed and hyper-consumption.Īll sentences end with the word “go”. T.Decelerate Blue brings the popular dystopian YA genre of a young rebel finding her people to comics.
Readers looking for an intriguing piece of flash fiction or a superficial treatment of dystopian themes might find what they’re looking for in Decelerate Blue. But instead of creating an empowering queer relationship readers instead get yet another tragic lesbian death.ĭecelerate Blue takes on a lot of things to create an interesting sci-fi dystopian comic but it doesn’t always negotiate the form well leading to questions of how the story might have functioned with different artistic choices or even as a novel with a bit more development. A blue and white palette might have been more effective.Īngela has a romance with another girl during her (brief) time with the underground resistance.
#DECELERATE BLUE GLADYS FULL#
(Blue is a key color to the story–a fact which is often lost given the black and white palette.) Although the comic does some clever things with full color panels contrasted with black and white it isn’t enough to make the artwork cohesive. Who are the Guarantee Committee? What exactly is a Guarantee? Decelerate Blue is short on answers.Ĭavalarro creates some interesting spreads but the impact is often diminished by the comic largely being in black and white. Rapp’s fascinating and disturbingly possible premise is dampened by a simplistic plot and world building that falls short of developing many of the story’s most interesting points. This standalone graphic novel offers a startling view of a bleak dystopian future where human interaction and contemplation are secondary to speed and efficiency. Soon she finds herself at the center of a radical movement determined to slow society down in Decelerate Blue (2017) by Adam Rapp, illustrated by Mike Cavallaro. To feel.Īfter reading a book called Kick the Boot Angela realizes she isn’t alone. Why would they do anything to jeopardize their guarantee and its promise of a better life?Īngela isn’t so sure. Even conversation is utilitarian with “goes” at the end of every sentence.Īngela’s parents are on board with everything the Guarantee Committee is selling. In the future the world is obsessed with efficiency.
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