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A review by katharine_opal
It Took Luke: Overworked & Underpaid by Mark Bouchard, Bayleigh Underwood
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I don't know what it is about this comic, but I'm in love with it. I absolutely adore the art style! The action scenes are dynamic, fast-paced, and are so fun to read. The flow of the panels adds to the action scenes; there are several page spreads that stood out to me. The way they're composed is just gorgeous. The color scheme for this comic is one of my favorite color scheme styles; black and white, with the only color being pops of red. I really like how easy it was to connect with the characters, mostly Sal. Molly and Hussam are written in a way that makes it almost feel like they could be your co-workers. It was all too easy to emphasize with them. I also emphasized heavily with Sal when they talk about how they accidentally trapped themself into a career that they ended up hating because it would mean trying to start over at twenty-seven. I winced reading Sal say "Now I'm thirty-one and full of resentment" and "I couldn't even tell you how many resignation letters I've written on my phone this past month". Like, ouch. I've been there myself, so it felt like the story really went for my throat. Sal is a painfully relatable character; struggling with their hatred for their job, and the brief mentions of their relationship woes with their partner. The story of the comic itself is great, even though it feels like it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm assuming this is a one-shot, not a series, but I really wish it was a series! What we see of the world in "It Took Luke" is fascinating. The mystery of the monster that Sal's team has been sent to exterminate was amazing, and the reveal is truly horrific. I'm not a huge horror person, but this captivated me, instead of grossing me out. This story is VERY gory, think Alien or The Expanse level of gore. But still, I found myself reading on in vaguely horrified awe. My ONLY complaint is that the comic is woefully short. The story itself does not feel short in any way; I was actually surprised to see it's only 92 pages. But I want more of this story and world; it's got me fully hooked. I really love this story and I really love the art style of this comic. I will totally be seeking out both the author and artist's other works after this!
I don't know what it is about this comic, but I'm in love with it. I absolutely adore the art style! The action scenes are dynamic, fast-paced, and are so fun to read. The flow of the panels adds to the action scenes; there are several page spreads that stood out to me. The way they're composed is just gorgeous. The color scheme for this comic is one of my favorite color scheme styles; black and white, with the only color being pops of red. I really like how easy it was to connect with the characters, mostly Sal. Molly and Hussam are written in a way that makes it almost feel like they could be your co-workers. It was all too easy to emphasize with them. I also emphasized heavily with Sal when they talk about how they accidentally trapped themself into a career that they ended up hating because it would mean trying to start over at twenty-seven. I winced reading Sal say "Now I'm thirty-one and full of resentment" and "I couldn't even tell you how many resignation letters I've written on my phone this past month". Like, ouch. I've been there myself, so it felt like the story really went for my throat. Sal is a painfully relatable character; struggling with their hatred for their job, and the brief mentions of their relationship woes with their partner. The story of the comic itself is great, even though it feels like it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm assuming this is a one-shot, not a series, but I really wish it was a series! What we see of the world in "It Took Luke" is fascinating. The mystery of the monster that Sal's team has been sent to exterminate was amazing, and the reveal is truly horrific. I'm not a huge horror person, but this captivated me, instead of grossing me out. This story is VERY gory, think Alien or The Expanse level of gore. But still, I found myself reading on in vaguely horrified awe. My ONLY complaint is that the comic is woefully short. The story itself does not feel short in any way; I was actually surprised to see it's only 92 pages. But I want more of this story and world; it's got me fully hooked. I really love this story and I really love the art style of this comic. I will totally be seeking out both the author and artist's other works after this!