A review by olivemyheart
DPS Only! by Xiao Tong Kong (Velinxi)

5.0

A compelling graphic novel with well-written characters: some lovable, some entirely hateable. DPS Only! provides a realistic look at how different women respond to misogyny in the gaming scene. I especially enjoyed the chapter with Fangs: her sense of alienation and the pressure she felt knowing that men would take every one of her failures as a reflection on female gamers in general rang extremely true. DPS Only! isn't shallow like many books that tackle this topic; rather, it depicts the female experience realistically while mainly focusing on each character's unique experience and personalities. The art is gorgeous (I found out after reading that she did art for Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, which I love!), and Xiao Tong Long clearly has a lot of experience with competitive gaming: the lingo, the design of the game and characters, the way players talked, the little snippets of social media, all were very realistic. I wish Long showed more of the matches on-page, but overall a great read!