Magical Beatdown Vol. 1

Summary

A magical girl beats anyone who annoys her to death.

We don't really get an opportunity to meet the main character in depth beyond this but that's why it's volume 1.

Meta

This is a Silver Sprocket release; my copy was staplebound and it's about 32 pages.

Recommended For

If plotless hyper-violence is your jam, this will certainly give you that. It's like 2000s flash game levels of hyper-violence. I feel the appeal is largely to women wanting to vent frustration about shitty guys so if you benefit from seeing others with those kinds of experiences do what you would never do; give this a try.

Personally...

This one wasn't for me. I'm not into hyper-violence and I prefer more story-driven works. I get the appeal for others but I kind of wish we still had blurbs on books. I'm not going to be checking out the further volumes since they're going to be expensive here (Silver Sprocket is Not local) and I expect them to be similar to the first.

MEAT Vol. 1

Summary

In a world where cyber prosthetics are the norm, people started finding new uses for all that left over meat. But with everyone buying the new steak, some people seem to be losing a lot more than a limb.

Murdock is contacted by one of her friends whose teenage family member has just gone missing. She's hired as his muscle while he investigates the behind the scenes of London's meat market.

Meta

I have a print version of volume 1. Unfortunately, the print version doesn't have page gutters, so they panels are frequently cut off by the glue in the spine. Luckily, this is also a release on Tapas. There are 2.5 chapters out digitally with the other half of chapter 2 only being in print. I can't find the print version for sale online, but perhaps some encouragement in the comments would bring it along. Print edition is about 28-32 pages.

Recommended For

If you're down for eating the rich and the government, this may be for you! I also feel like if you have issues with the meat industry in general, you'll probably like the presentation here. But if you're here for criticising an opportunistic government and a potentially exploitative system, there's a lot of promise here! There's a lot of intrigue; we can assume the kid is dead and why but you still gotta wonder what you'll find when you dig into such an extensive case. It's also got a Christian cult thing going on though it's too early to see how that fully ties in.

I also think if you're looking a butch protag in your life, Murdock is a great one to add. She may be a little on the smaller side, but she's got the energy.

Personally...

This one wasn't really for me. The story was plenty interesting and I'd be curious about where it goes, but it's not my style of cannibalism fiction, so I'm gonna give it a pass. I do think the art looks really good and I'm disappointed it hasn't updated in almost a year, but I don't know the creators reasoning behind that. I may ask if I see them at another con but I'd feel rude 😂

Cupid Chromatica

Summary

One say, a scrap collector finds a beautiful robot in the trash!

Meta

This is an 18-page oneshot comic. I don't believe it's available online yet (to read or to buy) but keep an eye on their webpage for if that changes!

Recommended For

If you love cyber-guro and lesbians and/or think maybe Seymour should of made out with Twoey, I think you'll likely get a kick out of it! I know the author is a big Nitro+Chiral fan and feel Nitro+Chiral fans that are also into GL will enjoy it.

Personally...

I really enjoyed it! I'd like to pick up the author's other comics and would be interested in longer form stuff in the future. Still, the cyber-guro was a big draw for me 💖

Constellations Vol. 1

Summary

Akira is a college student in a shitty relationship and just sort of reached a low point in his life where he's feeling unloved and doesn't know where he's going. Then he's suddenly propositioned by a French guy. Akira pretends to be his boyfriend for a night, but the two hit it off.

Meta

I have the print copy of volume 1 which contains the first two chapters. The first 3 chapters are available on Webtoon and Tapas. There hasn't been a new chapter since 2022, but the print edition is 2024, so hopefully that's a sign of work in progress. It's available in English and French officially.

Recommended For

Soft BL fans! If you like cutesy romances with down on their luck protags, this is a great pull for you!

Personally...

Yeah, I love cute romances! I just have such a soft spot of the depressed characters finding love