billd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Peepland is a graphic novel from the Hard Case Crime publishing company, this story written by Christa Faust. It portrays a gritty New York, before it was gentrified, with nudity, violence, bad cops, all the good things. There are references to the Central Park Five story in this one, although with different outcomes. There are also crooked politicians willing to do anything to help their career advance.
Roxy Bell works in a peep show posing for men willing to pay. Dirty Dan who makes a living filming women in the nude and doing commercials, runs into her booth and hides a video tape in the lining of the chair that the customers use. He is killed later on, falling in front of a subway train. Roxy takes the tape and watches it with a friend. It shows a murder of a young woman and also the murderer's face.
On the murder front, the police arrest a group of black teenagers. The henchmen of the father of the murderer hunt for the tape. Roxy and her boyfriend, a punk rocker, try to find out how to get the tape to the police in order to save the boys, one of whom is the sun of Roxy's best friend, another employee of the peep show.
So there is your story... oh, are the cops working the case honest? Oh yes, don't forget the attempted blackmail.
It's an action-packed story, a real page turner. Roxy and Nick are also trying to stay alive, one step ahead of the goons. Well drawn (although I did find some of the characters looked a bit like others, so a tad confusing at times). But entertaining and interesting. (3.0 stars)
Roxy Bell works in a peep show posing for men willing to pay. Dirty Dan who makes a living filming women in the nude and doing commercials, runs into her booth and hides a video tape in the lining of the chair that the customers use. He is killed later on, falling in front of a subway train. Roxy takes the tape and watches it with a friend. It shows a murder of a young woman and also the murderer's face.
On the murder front, the police arrest a group of black teenagers. The henchmen of the father of the murderer hunt for the tape. Roxy and her boyfriend, a punk rocker, try to find out how to get the tape to the police in order to save the boys, one of whom is the sun of Roxy's best friend, another employee of the peep show.
So there is your story... oh, are the cops working the case honest? Oh yes, don't forget the attempted blackmail.
It's an action-packed story, a real page turner. Roxy and Nick are also trying to stay alive, one step ahead of the goons. Well drawn (although I did find some of the characters looked a bit like others, so a tad confusing at times). But entertaining and interesting. (3.0 stars)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Gun violence
lilythpad's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Wish other reviews bothered leaving content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Rape, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Homophobia
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Whoo, baby, this one messed me up and bodied me at the end. I know from reading other Christa Faust works that she’s not sentimental but still...damn.
So without spoiling, I’ll say this is a well-told crime tale that pulls together disparate elements of 80s NYC into a cohesive story (including Trump and the Central Park 5). The characters feel authentic, no doubt lending to Faust’s experience as a Times Square peep show worker. The art captures the grime of that era NY. I couldn’t read the pages fast enough and hope to reread it some day.
So without spoiling, I’ll say this is a well-told crime tale that pulls together disparate elements of 80s NYC into a cohesive story (including Trump and the Central Park 5). The characters feel authentic, no doubt lending to Faust’s experience as a Times Square peep show worker. The art captures the grime of that era NY. I couldn’t read the pages fast enough and hope to reread it some day.
gothamgal's review against another edition
4.0
This is a dark and yet amazing story and it fits surprisingly well into today's themes. It was a bit empowering and made me want to learn more about ways to educate myself and learn about how to help people within these situations.
toastx2's review against another edition
3.0
The full collected mini series of Peepland is now available in Graphic Novel format.
I have read a number of Graphics lately, but Peepland is by far my favorite of the bunch. The imagery is solid, dark, and centric to the 80's post-punk attitude and styling. Pop culture references, music, heavy dependency on tape media, no cell phones but at least one beeper was witnessed. A tape being eaten by a VHS machine.. Ahh the nostalgia.
The text and story in Peepland was pretty amazing. It dabbles in the dark background of sex workers, but branches off to poverty, racial tensions, and features a character who is a prominent NYC realestate mogul (not named Trump, but sure reminds of him).
Set in Times Square, 1986, Peep follows an erotic dancer who witnesses some of the last living moments for a sleezy patron, Dick Durbin. Sweating and afraid, Dick bursts into Roxanne Bell's showroom booth and hides a VHS tape inside a chair cushion. He leaves then gets pushed infront of a train.
What was on the tape? Just Durbin and random women on the street which deny his advances. Just one woman who is visiting NYC for the first time and decides to show her boobs to a stranger to be daring for once in her life. Just the horrified look on her face as his camera focuses in on a young woman, a prep school student in the background being assaulted and murdered. Just a reason to murder a lot more people in a cover up .
This Hard Case Crime release is highly suggested. Clocking in at 121 pages (not counting author after thoughts), every page is enjoyable.
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I must disclose, much as a man in a peepshow must insert coins to enjoy the view, that this Graphic Novel was provided for review purposes by the Publisher. If it was crap, I would tell you, but as a general rule, if it were crap I wouldn't spend time finishing nor reviewing.
I did finish though, so it was good. Finishing in context of a peep show review. Heh.
I have read a number of Graphics lately, but Peepland is by far my favorite of the bunch. The imagery is solid, dark, and centric to the 80's post-punk attitude and styling. Pop culture references, music, heavy dependency on tape media, no cell phones but at least one beeper was witnessed. A tape being eaten by a VHS machine.. Ahh the nostalgia.
The text and story in Peepland was pretty amazing. It dabbles in the dark background of sex workers, but branches off to poverty, racial tensions, and features a character who is a prominent NYC realestate mogul (not named Trump, but sure reminds of him).
Set in Times Square, 1986, Peep follows an erotic dancer who witnesses some of the last living moments for a sleezy patron, Dick Durbin. Sweating and afraid, Dick bursts into Roxanne Bell's showroom booth and hides a VHS tape inside a chair cushion. He leaves then gets pushed infront of a train.
What was on the tape? Just Durbin and random women on the street which deny his advances. Just one woman who is visiting NYC for the first time and decides to show her boobs to a stranger to be daring for once in her life. Just the horrified look on her face as his camera focuses in on a young woman, a prep school student in the background being assaulted and murdered. Just a reason to murder a lot more people in a cover up .
This Hard Case Crime release is highly suggested. Clocking in at 121 pages (not counting author after thoughts), every page is enjoyable.
-------
I must disclose, much as a man in a peepshow must insert coins to enjoy the view, that this Graphic Novel was provided for review purposes by the Publisher. If it was crap, I would tell you, but as a general rule, if it were crap I wouldn't spend time finishing nor reviewing.
I did finish though, so it was good. Finishing in context of a peep show review. Heh.
civreader's review against another edition
3.0
Well, that was relentlessly grim and depressing. But pretty well done.
depreydeprey's review against another edition
4.0
Set in Time Square, New York in 1986 Peepland is a rough and unflinching ride through the world of pre internet sex workers. While there is A LOT of nudity in this Hard Case collection Christina Faust's very personal story never wallow or exploits its characters or world. In less invested hands this story would feel exploitative or gross and it never does and that is a credit to everyone involved but wouldn't mean much if the story at the heart of the setting weren't as interesting or as well thought out as it is here.
whitethief's review against another edition
5.0
Excelente lectura para los que están buscando algo de neo-noir
romcm's review against another edition
4.0
Super strong story that neatly resolves. Brilliant evocation of the 1980s.