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A review by missprint_
Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp, Mike Cavallaro
2.0
In the future the world is obsessed with efficiency. Adjectives are a waste of time. Reading needs to be streamlined. Even conversation is utilitarian with "goes" at the end of every sentence.
Angela's parents are on board with everything the Guarantee Committee is selling. Why would they do anything to jeopardize their guarantee and its promise of a better life?
Angela isn't so sure. She wants a chance to slow down. To think. To feel.
After reading a book called Kick the Boot Angela realizes she isn't alone. 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.
This standalone graphic novel offers a startling view of a bleak dystopian future where human interaction and contemplation are secondary to speed and efficiency.
Rapp's fascinating and disturbingly possible premise is dampened by a simplistic plot and world building that falls short of building anything. Who are the Guarantee Committee? What exactly is a Guarantee? Decelerate Blue is short on answers.
Cavalarro creates some interesting spreads but the impact is often diminished by the comic largely being in black and white. (Blue is a key color to the story which is often lost given the black and white pallette.) 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. A blue and white palette also might have been more effective.
Angela has a romance with another girl during her (brief) time with the underground resistance. But instead of creating an empowering queer relationship readers instead get yet another tragic lesbian death.
Decelerate 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.
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.
Possible Pairings: Feed by M. T. Anderson, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1984 by George Orwell, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
*A copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
Angela's parents are on board with everything the Guarantee Committee is selling. Why would they do anything to jeopardize their guarantee and its promise of a better life?
Angela isn't so sure. She wants a chance to slow down. To think. To feel.
After reading a book called Kick the Boot Angela realizes she isn't alone. 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.
This standalone graphic novel offers a startling view of a bleak dystopian future where human interaction and contemplation are secondary to speed and efficiency.
Rapp's fascinating and disturbingly possible premise is dampened by a simplistic plot and world building that falls short of building anything. Who are the Guarantee Committee? What exactly is a Guarantee? Decelerate Blue is short on answers.
Cavalarro creates some interesting spreads but the impact is often diminished by the comic largely being in black and white. (Blue is a key color to the story which is often lost given the black and white pallette.) 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. A blue and white palette also might have been more effective.
Angela has a romance with another girl during her (brief) time with the underground resistance. But instead of creating an empowering queer relationship readers instead get yet another tragic lesbian death.
Decelerate 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.
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.
Possible Pairings: Feed by M. T. Anderson, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1984 by George Orwell, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
*A copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print