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Back in January we brought you news of an upcoming horror-comedy graphic novel called Stay Alive. I received my review copy a couple of weeks later and was able to read it during a recent business trip.
I’m not going to do a full plot review of this book. I’m also not going to bury the lead here… I REALLY enjoyed this. It’s graphic, it’s bloody, it’s silly and it’s got a super compelling story. I found myself several times thinking about how cool this story would be were it ever translated to the big screen. It would be tremendous.
The story revolves around an underground organization called uKill which is essentially Kickstarter for murder. The possibilities here are endless. Can you imagine if this were a real thing? In the divisive tribal world we live in? Wow. Anyhow, the crowdsourced website allows the public to determine, via vote, who the organization’s next target will be. That #1 target is Jane Morgan.
Let’s see… how do I describe Jane. She’s a smoking hot B-list (maybe C or D list) celebrity who, through a series of unfortunate events, has found herself as uKill’s #1. I’ll leave it at that and allow you to figure her out. Suffice to say you’ll go through various emotions when it comes to Jane ranging from rage to sympathy.
Part of the reason this review took me so long to write is because it took me so long to read. Not because I’m a slow reader and not because I wasn’t enjoying – far from it on both fronts. Candidly it’s because of the graphic nature of the book. You see, I found myself sitting on a plane next to a 8 or 9 year old little girl. Believe me when I tell you that this book isn’t for the faint of heart and it’s definitely not for children. That’s not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination… I just didn’t feel comfortable reading it next to those innocent eyes.
One thing this book does really well – it shows how we interact with one another these days and with social media. The social media panels that are woven throughout are perfect. I’m not sure it’s Twitter per se but that’s definitely the vibe and it’s spot on. I could totally see THIS element play out if it were ever to be adapted for the screen as well. There’s a huge part of this story that’s centered around reality television… perfect for the world we live in.
I’ve talked a lot about a potential adaptation – and that’s 100% me talking out my ass. I don’t have ANY inside info. That said, you need to do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this novel. It’s outstanding just as it is in the printed form. I can only hope that there is another chapter or two in the minds of the creators that they have yet to tell. Strong recommend.
Stay Alive is available for in softcover and e-book formats at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Check them out on Twitter and Instagram!
