Incredible Doom

March 29, 2021
White Midwestern teens Allison and Richard each turn to the early internet to mitigate their pervasive loneliness in this first collected volume of Bogart’s gritty webcomic. When isolated Allison, the daughter of an abusive stage magician, gains access to a computer, she connects with Samir, a half-Black, half-Iranian boy who helps ferry her away from harm. Meanwhile, Richard, a Kurt Vonnegut fan and new kid, endures vicious rumors spread by a summer camp peer he once bullied until Tina, a fellow schoolmate and message board leader, intervenes and shows him the possibilities of the internet. In clean, rounded line art that pops against occasional cool blue backgrounds, Allison and Richard separately contend with interpersonal drama until their respective situations unexpectedly draw them toward one another; Bogart’s cartooning renders emotional experiences palpable, as in Allison’s father’s explosive rage and its frightening fallout. If the comic presents without context once-burgeoning technologies that present-day teens may not recognize (e.g., bulletin board systems), its protagonists’ nuanced, substantive character arcs offer an accurate look at 1990s-flavored loneliness and geek
subcultures. Ages 14–up. Agent (for Bogart and Holden): Charlie Olsen, Inkwell Management.

Starred review from April 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-This achingly poignant 1990s-set graphic novel pays homage to the internet's role as correspondence tool, library, and liberator. Allison's abusive, controlling father allows her to do little else but take part in his magic show; eventually she takes shelter at an online pen pal's house. Meanwhile, in a separate but loosely linked narrative, Richard is bullied at his new school until he meets a volatile protector from an online bulletin board called "Evol BBS". Dot matrix printers, Nintendo Power cheats, cassette players, and dial-up noises are depicted in all their nostalgic glory. The bulletin board systems of old are lovingly rendered, complete with chunky text and ASCII art. Bogart's clean linework relies on dot eyes and near-monochrome blue and black coloring. Flashbacks are rendered in pale lines and expertly flesh out Allison's and Richard's inner lives for dramatic effect. This is a story of older teens reaching out for connection and finding joy despite messy misunderstandings and the awkwardness of adolescence. Anyone who remembers the internet's heyday or enjoys using online forums now will immediately recognize the reassuring kinship made possible through a screen. As Allison says, "It's like coming up for air, discovering some people out there don't suck." The cast appears to be mostly white; Allison's friend Sam is biracial. Richard's friend Tina is queer. Language and violence make this book ideal for older teens, though adults will likely devour it, too. VERDICT Readers will root for these characters who are desperately attempting to forge much-needed bonds in this retro-tech drama that gets so much of the Nineties right that it hurts.-Thomas Maluck, Richland Lib., SC

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2021
In the early days of public internet, teens escape small-town persecution using text-based chat. Allison's father abuses her; Samir has never felt like he belonged; and Richard becomes the target of a violent bully. Their lives are frustrating, but a computer and a phone line make all the difference. Using bulletin boards, email, and internet relay chat, they forge new connections: "It's like coming up for air, discovering some people out there don't suck." Faux screenshots of command-line email clients and ASCII art provide glittering nostalgia for anyone who used the internet in the 1990s but perhaps only niche historical interest for today's teens. There are a few scenes of particularly vicious bullying and abuse; Allison's father locks her in a box, and Richard's tormentor pushes him down a flight of stairs. While the art is angular and somewhat minimalist--characters have dot eyes--it's expressive and uses space on the page to great effect to slow down certain moments. Richard finally finds a friend in bulletin board admin Tina, who confides that she might be gay after she leads him to the anti-establishment "evol house." That happens to be right where Sam and Allison end up after fleeing her apoplectic father, setting the story up for a sequel. Sam has a Black father and Iranian immigrant mother; other characters read as White. Heartfelt computer nerd drama. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from March 15, 2021
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* In 1991, the burgeoning potential of the internet felt dark and mysterious to many. But to a few teens who knew where to look, it held the promise of desperately needed freedom. For Allison, the daughter of an abusive father, it's a connection to Samir, maybe her ally in escape and maybe her first love. For the bullied Richard, it's an alarm that calls a protector, a protector who introduces him to a disaffected community he's not sure he wants to join. Crimes are committed, helping hands offered, and somehow or other, someone walks into a McDonald's without pants on. Early internet communication through bulletin board systems will seem quaint (there's scant mention of a barely comprehensible thing called "email"), but it was already a powerful gateway to the human connection that the web, in its ideal form, can still be. And the human stories of desperation, of reaching out, and of discovering new worlds really shine here, both in characterizations and in sharp linework and careful compositions that elegantly highlight meaningful moments. Indeed, volume one ends on a perfectly satisfying note of coming together, even as it promises the story is only beginning, though a pervasive tint of cool blue and the portentous title suggest darker things might be on the way in volume two.

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September 15, 2022
The residents of an intentional community in the 1990s struggle with new and changing relationships. Part rock stage, part sanctuary, Evol House belongs to the band The Disappointments and teens who have nowhere else to go. Allison fled her abusive father with the help of her outsider boyfriend, Samir, and they now sleep in the attic. While Allison thrives on the residents' chaotic behavior and her newfound freedom, Sam sees Evol House as a negative influence. Their opposing views are intriguing: Allison enjoys the adventure and experiences everything on offer, while Sam hides in video games, distrusting the shoplifting and other risky behavior. Sam and Allison's relationship is realistically depicted, including the gradual shift in his love from protective to controlling. Tina, another resident, struggles to stay motivated when a chance at a new life and romance appears. Her view of Evol House as a found family sworn to defeat apathy and help those in need is impactful, contrasting with their bleaker reality. After numerous run-ins with local teen Ryan lead to Evol House residents cyberbullying him on a BBS, tensions culminate in a dramatic showdown. The minimal but emotive drawing style combined with realistic and humorous dialogue creates an immersive atmosphere. The discussions of morals, familial and relationship ties, and finding meaning in life, along with glimpses of the cast members' backstories, are equally strong. Most characters appear White; Sam's mother is cued as Iranian, and Tina is Native American (no tribal affiliation is given). Engrossing and dramatic. (Graphic novel. 13-18)

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October 28, 2022
Grades 9-12 Despite its outsize title, Incredible Doom is about relationships--friendships, families, first loves, LGBTQ discovery, what can go right, and what can go wrong. The story focuses on four teen outsiders in the early 1990s, connected through a BBS (bulletin board system), where internet communities formed back then, and through EVOL house, where runaways and outcasts come for "a fresh start" in a semi-industrial, suburban nowhere. Allison and Samir are on the run from Allison's abusive dad, stumbling their way through first love. Indigenous Tina is discovering herself and a potential girlfriend through music and zines. Richard is being bullied by the troubled Ryan for reasons he can't fathom. Each relationship and character is treated with sensitivity, intelligence, and respect, and their emotional journeys will invite urgent investment from teen readers. Numerous cultural references place the story in its era, and the art--washed in a screen-lit blue glow--eerily imbues a sense of time and place. A worthy and satisfying conclusion to volume one.

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