Review: Doomboy by Tony Sandoval

*I received this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Title: Doomboy

Author: Tony Sandoval

Publisher: Magnetic Press

Publication Date: October 2014

ISBN: 9782888904380

Synopsis from NetGalley:

A lonely, metal-obsessed teen sends a heartfelt song to his missing beloved, only to find out that his music has traveled to the beyond, and re-broadcast to the entire city. Only his best friend knows that he is really the mysterious rock god and anonymous legend known as “Doomboy.”

Doomboy is a story of loss, recovery, and inspiration. ID is the mysterious “Doomboy.” Through his music, he speaks to his recently departed girlfriend, Annie, in an attempt to apologize to her. He has a literal hole in his chest, a whole that formed when his heart broke at the news of her passing. The artwork is a contrast of beautiful backgrounds mixed with grunge inspired, harsh ink drawings. The art makes you cringe sometimes and swoon at others, vibrant in its own mood and feeling. Combined with ID’s story, it makes for an emotional comic about a boy learning to cope with death.

The music and sound in this story is often conveyed through the movement of animals (see above) in the sky or visible swirls (much like the wind). The image above is one of my favourites. ID hears a sound over the radio frequency, an etherial noise depicted as sea creatures rising up from the ocean. It is beautiful, mystical, and magical. The contrast between the two artist styles is clear in images like this one. You can see the soft, dreamlike quality of the music in the sky, contrasted against the solid, hard-lined in drawings of reality. You can see the sound and contrast again portrayed in the image below. ID is on the beach during a thunderstorm.

ID’s inspiration for his music is Annie, but I wonder too if he saw Annie and his feelings reflected in the world around him, drawing on this too for creative inspiration.

Overall, I really enjoyed this comic. It took me a few pages to get into it as I was reading it on my computer, but I would love to see a physical copy of this book. The art is beautiful, and Sandoval’s portrayal of loss and recovery really struck a cord with me. I understand “Doomboy.” I think that a lot of readers will be able to connect with him.

*I acknowledge that the images used in this post are property solely of Tony Sandoval and Magnetic Press and have only been replicated here for example and review purposes.*