Incredible Doom by Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden

First, a word from the publisher: “Unlikely alliances, first love, and minor crime sprees abound in this teen graphic novel debut about making connections while your world is falling apart.“

What Worked For Me:

The work deftly interweaves the story of several young adults, telling a story of struggle, community, and the early days of the internet.
The setting is well-rendered. Though there isn’t anything inherently “Ohio” about the work (the story’s geographical setting), Incredible Doom does an excellent job of portraying the digital spaces and communities that took shape in the early 90s.
The work is short enough to be consumed in a single sitting. As with most of my hobbies, I appreciate when an author (or other relevant creative) can say what they want to say and be done with it. Life is too short to suffer though filler.
Though this work is targeted at young adults, it still touches on important, sensitive topics. This includes everything from bullying and coming out to child abuse and emancipated minors. What’s more, the work addresses these topics in a way that feels natural and earned (ie not just for shock value).
I enjoyed being reminded of a time when the internet (and, to a lesser extent, computers) were new and unproven, and when their hold on society was not nearly so tight. It’s probably just my own nostalgia for a simpler time (TM), but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

What Didn’t:

The story doesn’t end on a cliffhanger per se, but there are plenty of threads dangling for a sequel. This isn’t an insurmountable issue, but I was expecting the work to be (more) self-contained. At least the next volume has an expected release date in early September 2022 as of the time of writing.
I understand that some bullying and otherwise shitty behavior may go under the radar of adults. The fact that a kid got away with shooting out a window with a BB gun stretches credulity for me, though. In other words, it’s not that I can’t think of a reason why the antagonist in question got away with this (e.g. the affected character could’ve tried to hide the incident); instead, the fact that it wasn’t addressed in any particular depth seemed more like a choice made for narrative convenience over realism (or my version of it, anyway).
I wasn’t bothered by the minimalist art style, especially since the work has a more narrative focus and “action” scenes are few and far between. With that said, I certainly wasn’t excited by the artwork, either.

Conclusion:

If you enjoy coming-of-age stories that feature building community and computers, Incredible Doom is likely to be right up your alley. The setting is well-realized, the characters are all believable, and the work doesn’t overstay its welcome. The best compliment I can give this work is that I am invested enough in the characters to read volume 2 when it releases in September 2022.

Check it out here.