Title: Coady and the Creepies #1-4
Writer: Liz Prince
Artist: Amanda Kirk
Colourist: Hannah Fisher
Publisher: BOOM! Box
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Sisters and bandmates Coady, Corey, and Criss are The Creepies, a trio of punk rockers determined to become the greatest band that’s ever lived. But that’s kinda tough when one of them is technically dead. As The Creepies, they’re heading out on their first tour since a freak accident left Coady eerily unscathed…fighting their way through blood-sucking promoters, fanboy zombies and ghoulish rival bands to achieve their dream. There’s only one problem…it’s hard to be the greatest band that ever lived when your drummer is… a ghost?
(From Goodreads)
Coady and the Creepies is a four issue mini series from BOOM! Box (a teenage oriented imprint from BOOM! Studios). As I make a point of getting every comic published by BOOM! Box, I got a subscription to this one when it was announced, despite not actually being that interested in it. I didn’t read the singles as they came out, but waited until this week and read them all in one go after I got the last one.
Let me tell you, I was surprised and delighted. It was so much more than I anticipated it to be. I can’t decide if I’m sad I waited almost four months to start reading, or if I’m happy I got to read all of it in one go. I’m definitely happy I at least pre-ordered all the singles, so it counted to the initial sales, even if I didn’t read them at once.
Coady and the Creepies starts of with an explosive first issue, where we get to see the aftermath of the car accident that killed Coady (though, of course no one knows she died) and the band’s manager Marnie, and put Criss in a wheelchair. It then jumps one year, and the band is on it’s first tour since the accident. We get to know the main cast of characters; the Creepies, their new manager, José, the mysterious stranger, Shil, their rivals, the Boneheads, and the wannabe reporter Devin Danger. The three following issues are full of music, fun one liners, important call outs to sexism and ableism, heartbreaking moments, and friendship.
The comic is full of representation of marginalised groups. Criss is in a wheelchair (and the importance of wheelchair accessibility is talked about), Corey likes girls (which is casually revealed in the first few pages when she hits on a girl, and later sneaks away to make out with her in the band’s van), José is Latinx, Shil is Indian American (and the first time he talks on page he has the great quote “If you were a bug in your last life, you must’ve pulled some epic good deeds to be a white girl in this one.”)
The two things that made this comic a four star instead of a five star one for me, is the ending and the art. I warmed to the art style over the course of the four issues, but it’s still too rough for my tastes. I was really happy with the ending as a whole, but there is one thing that I thought was a bit ridiculous and unnecessary, and it would’ve been much more powerful and emotional if it just hadn’t happened. I don’t was to spoil what it is, but if you read this comic I think you’ll know what I mean.
All in all, I really recommend you pick this comic up. If not in singes (as I know a lot of people don’t like to read the single issues, and not all comic shops probably won’t carry this comic as it’s not a very big one), pick up the collection as it comes out in October. You won’t regret it, I promise.
Here you can find the thread of me live tweeting me reading Coady and the Creepies. I also made it a Pinterest board for it here.
As always, I spend way too much time on Twitter, so you can always find me there.
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