Neptune

Neptune is a graphic novel with a theme of revenge and redemption. It was published in September 2024. The main character is Corey Harrison who has just been released from prison after serving 17 years for a violent crime. Now, Corey is seeking the truth surrounding the recent and mysterious death of his brother, only to discover a vast darkness surrounding his legacy. Corey's friends tell him there are job openings at Neptune and that he should apply. He is hired to work as a supervisor in a chicken factory, the same position that his brother held. On his first day Corey sees alot of young people working under him who work long hours and don't get paid much. They are human trafficking victims. His boss tells him that using traffickees was his brother’s idea. It made the business a success. 

There was a tremendous amount of foul language so I wouldn't recommend the book for children. The characters came from a rough part of town and their dialogue reflected this. It was depressing to read how people live like this. I know that there are lots of folks who have no choice but to live this lifestyle and I am not criticizing them. I just didn't like reading about it. That said, the author presented a realistic portrait about ex-offenders and their difficulty with obtaining employment and adjusting to life outside prison.

3 out of 5 stars.

She's Running on Fumes

She's Running on Fumes is a 2024 Comixology Original comic book. The book I read contained all 6 releases of the comic. The story takes place in Deepwater, Missouri in 1984. Note that this is a book for adults only as there is a ton of foul language, violence and dialogue about sex.

The publisher's summary is short:

When I was 3-years-old, my mother started a chop shop with a junkyarder named Corn Dog. My criminal father’s brain was damaged in a wreck that almost killed him. With hospital bills piling, us kids to feed and fifty-thousand dollars of biker cocaine gone missing, grand theft auto was Mom’s best shot at survival.

While the comic has an extensive plot that is well-written, I did not like how the characters spoke to each other. They were rude and crude with each other which created a stressful atmosphere. While I am aware that there is a segment of society that behaves this way, I wouldn't want to socialize with this group. That said, the author wrote a realistic portrait of this particular fringe group of hoodlums. The narrator was the son of Jody and Jeanne. Jody is the character whose brain was damaged in a car wreck. I feel that Jeanne should have left Jody long before she ended up with two rowdy kids. She is stuck accepting lousy, small paying jobs for the foreseeable future. I would have never put myself in this situation. 

The story was inspired by the author’s family history. Dennis Hopeless stated in an online interview with IGN:

“When I was 3-years-old my mother started a chop shop with a half-wit junkyarder named Corn Dog,” said Hopeless in a statement. “Dad was the criminal. Mom had never broken a law in her life, but with him brain-damaged, fifty-thousand dollars of cocaine gone missing and hospital bills piling up, grand theft auto was our only hope.”

Hopeless continued, “She’s Running on Fumes is based on the true story of how my mom lied, cheated and stole her way through dad’s tire fire and the freedom she found out the other side. The story is based on family stories and my father’s near-fatal accident from when I was a toddler. As I grew older, details were added that made it clear my father was a criminal and many of the events of my childhood were driven by his criminal dealings. The seeds of the idea came from asking my mother about these old stories as an adult and getting the real dirt.”

The illustrations were drawn by Tyler Jenkins with watercolor art painted by Hilary Jenkins. The letters were written by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  The drawings looked sketchy to me but I believe that they matched the type of story that was told. 

4 out of 5 stars.

Regarding the Matter of Oswald's Body

Regarding the Matter of Oswald's Body is a 5 part online comic published by BOOM! Studios in November 2021. It is a crime thriller set in Texas where President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald. The Kennedy assassination has spawned many conspiracy theories: mafia involvement, the second gunman, government cover-up… but the most important chapter of this sordid tale may just be the theory that the body buried at Oswald’s Rose Hill gravesite is not actually Lee Harvey himself. Meet the ragtag group of “useful idiots” – a wannabe cowboy from Wisconsin, a Buddy Holly-idolizing (former) car thief, a world-weary civil rights activist ready for revolution, and a failed G-Man who still acts the part – who are unwittingly brought together to clean up the crime of the century, and specifically deal with the matter of Oswald’s body.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this story. I know most of the conspiracy theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination but never heard of the one about Oswald not being buried in his grave at Rose Hill Cemetery in Fort Worth, TX. I searched Wikipedia regarding this conspiracy to see what information was out there about Oswald's body being stolen. I found that his body was exhumed 18 years after his death as there were questions whether a Soviet spy, who was an Oswald lookalike, was buried there instead. The body in the grave was Oswald though. The characters in the story indirectly show that they killed Kennedy and used Oswald as the fall guy.  Jack Ruby, who is the person who shot Oswald, was not mentioned in the comic. I thought that was strange. The premise for the story was good. However, the author played too much with the facts and we don't need any additional false theories about Kennedy assassination out there. 

A paperback copy of the series will be published on August 30, 2022 by BOOM! Studios. I don't think that I will be buying it for my print collection. 3 out of 5 stars.