Graphic Novel Review – Space Boy Vol 5 by Stephen McCranie (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Graphic Novel
Length: 224 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Release Date: November 5, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1506713991
Stand Alone or Series: 5th volume in the Space Boy series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“To Amy, everyone has a flavor, and when that flavor begins to disappear, it spells trouble.

After the crushing confrontation with Oliver, Amy is on the hunt for answers. This leads her to an old, moldy water containment facility, and leaves her with more questions than answers. At the same time, some of Amy’s closest friends may be drifting apart.”

Series Info/Source: This is the fifth book in the Space Boy series. I borrowed this book from the library.

Story (3/5): The story continues to move really slow and doesn’t make much progress. A lot of time is spent on really mundane things like Amy in art class or at lunch. I am just finding the pace to be too slow for me and the story too meandering.

Characters (4/5): We spend a lot of time with Amy and Cassie in this book. Amy is trying to deal with Oliver’s rejection and Cassie is trying to convince Amy to prep for the upcoming school dance. Meanwhile, Cassie is having some issues of her own as her and her boyfriend grow apart. Oliver really isn’t in the story much. So far this has been a very character driven series.

Setting (3/5): This episode is again set on future Earth. The main advancement seems to be smart eyeglasses. It’s okay but I wish we saw more of the outer space colonies.

Drawing/Writing Style (4/5): The dialogue is well written and easy to follow. The illustration is very cartoony and bright and easy to follow. It’s a very well put together graphic novel.

Summary (3.5/5): Although I enjoy the characters and the illustration style, this series continues to move too slow for me. There isn’t a very solid plot and the story doesn’t progress very much in each volume. I didn’t realize that this was a webcomic which can be read for free online. While I probably won’t continue to get the graphic novels, I might go ahead and read the web comic online. Not sure right now.