Reviews

Heavy Vinyl, Vol. 1: Riot on the Radio by Carly Usdin

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burstnwithbooks's review against another edition

4.0

This was great. There's a girl power fight club and it's kind of epic and super diverse. I'll definitely check out the next one!

mayapeeters's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the cutest thing I've ever read. Lgbtq+ and Totally Spies vibes included.

inthebelljar's review against another edition

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3.0

I really love the ideas in this graphic novel and I really love the characters.

The problem for me is the story and the flow. Maybe it's just me, but the transitions were not working well. Instead of visually giving hints at the passage of time or events, there were A LOT of "Fifteen minutes later," in the corners and A LOT of jumping, and this did not work for me. The story itself is fun, but it feels very....abrupt at the moment? The premise starts out so realistic - a teenager working her first job at a cool record shop and finding her place with her coworkers and crush - and very suddenly introduced a vigilante crime fighting group spread across the country fighting crime and later

Spoiler

against a record company brainwashing bands into creating bland, marketable music.

It just...didn't work so well with me, but maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. It's fun, though and I might give other volumes a chance if the pacing gets better.

Though, really, I would keep reading just for the really excellent cast of characters. The main character and her crush are very cute and fun, I love all the employees at the store and their boss, and even their families (from what we see) are interesting! Also, the art style is fun.

So I might stick around still, and I really don't wanna discourage others from at least trying it out!

alisarae's review against another edition

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The concept and characters are so cool! I wish I could be one of them. I’m excited to read the next part!

saphiraas's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

5 stars!!
This book was FANTASTIC! Everything you want in a graphic novel is right here.
Both the story and the art really shines in this feminist story of a teen girl vigilante fight club hiding in a record store!

Our main character Chris is super relatable and cute and all the other characters: Maggie, Irene, Kennedy, Dolores, felt super unique and fleshed out as well. I can't choose a favorite! Each character design was really fun and just felt REAL like these characters actually exists off the page. There's also lots of diversity in this cast which I very much appreciate.

The art style is what really made me fall in love with this book though. Nina Vakueva is a MASTER at drawing all types of character expressions from super goofy to quietly thoughtful. And also the artist in me was totally nerding out for how she draws HANDSSSS. Hands are such a struggle for me and to watch her conquer them so effortlessly?? Nothing short of super inspiring. The colors really shine in this work as well. Shout out to all the artists behind this beautiful masterpiece of a graphic novel! I can't wait to read the next one.