A review of "Emo Boy Vol. 1: Nobody Cares About Anything Anyway, So Why Don't We All Just Die?" by Steve Emond
Remember high school, you know, “the best time of your life” complete with the rampant insecurities, heartbreaks and the cliques that live to remind you of where you fit? Well welcome to the world of Emo Boy, the angst-ridden 15-year-old hero for the Xanax generation.
“Emo Boy Vol. 1: Nobody Cares About Anything Anyway, So Why Don’t We All Just Die?” by Steve Emond is the story of a teenager trying to make his way through his freshman year of high school.
The Graphic Novel covers the first six issues in which it follows the trials and tribulations of Emo Boy, a parentless and troubled teenager who lives with his best friend Maxine and her mother while he spends his life under morose self-narration.
The reader wades through the distress-filled muck as Emo Boy deals with the threat of bullies and the enticement of waifs, institutions of higher learning and institutions for the mentally ill, always accompanied by Maxine, the portly unassuming sidekick who is the only character walking on solid ground.
Throughout the book Emo Boy’s thoughts are on display. The readers experience his every negative thought and feeling, as well as his obsessions of other people and their opinions of him (like his belief that no one likes him). Indeed, one character hates Emo Boy so much that, in the spirit of competition, he kills himself boasting that he could commit suicide better than Emo Boy, which leads to a rally of students who blame Emo Boy for the death.
Emond’s inspiration is pretty transparent with the anime-like mouths of the angry screaming cafeteria crowd or the heavy black, white and grey coloring. Emond tries very hard to display his emo cred. This manifests itself in names strikingly similar to the actual names of popular musicians (Cheezer and Sad Eyes). The drawings submitted by fans appear in between each issue adding a nice touch and giving the reader a break from the melodrama, but it's not nice enough to make up for the actual content.
If you love emo then you’ll love Emo Boy; but, if the thought of emo gives you hives then buy a pack of Benadryl and stay away from this book.
