Graphic Novel Review: Slam Vol.1 by Pamela Ribon

Title: Slam Vol 1

Author: Pamela Ribon
Illustrator: Veronica Fish

Publisher: BOOM! Box

Publishing Date: August 8th, 2017
Read: January 26th, 2022

Pages: 112

Audio Length: N/A

Genre: YA Graphic Novel

TW: N/A

Series: Slam

Source: Physical from the Library 

What it's about:

When life starts coming at you like a freight train, you have two options: run away screaming or lean into the hit.

From the first day of Fresh Meat Orientation for the Eastside Roller Girls, Jennifer and Maisie knew they’d be fast friends. But when they’re drafted to different teams, the pull of competition — and their increasingly messy personal lives — threaten to drive them apart. In roller derby you take your hits, get back up, and learn how to be a better jammer, a better blocker, a better lover, and a better friend. Derby can heal your heart...but it might break a bone or two in the process.

Bestselling novelist, screenwriter, and retired Los Angeles Derby Doll Pamela Ribon (Going In Circles, Why Girls Are Weird) joins artist Veronica Fish (Archie, Silk) for a tale of friendship, heartbreak, and truly epic jams.

What I thought:

I absolutely loved this book. It was a really quick read like most graphic novels are, but it had a lot that happened in it in that short amount of time. When I finished it I was surprised by how quickly it ended. 

Cover:

The cover is absolutely stunning, it definitely showcases the art style of the book and I love the pink and green color cobo.

Story:

I always love stories about people coming out of their shell and finding something they love. I think this is a great story not only about personal growth, but about friendship as well.

Artwork: 

The artwork though! Oh my gosh it's so pretty, the colors and the art style are my favorite kinds. I love how bright and colorful everything is. 

Pace: 

Like I said, it felt like it went by really fast, which is probably good for a graphic novel. Part of my love for graphic novels is how quickly they wrap everything up and how quickly I can get through them. So the pace was on par with being a graphic novel. I never found myself bored.

Writing: 

The writing is great. I don't have much to say about it, sorry!

Characters: 

I loved the characters in this book. All of them, not just the two main characters, had so much personality and energy and I found myself wanting to be friends with all of them.

World building: 

It's a graphic novel, so I guess it's good? 

Ending: 

The ending made me want to read the second one, so it did it's job.

Overall:

This is a bright, beautifully illustrated quick read, about feminism, friendship, and discovering who you are.

A Little Snippet:

Possible books of likeness:

Author's info:

Website
http://www.pamie.com/

Twitter
pamelaribon

Genre
Literature & Fiction, Humor and Comedy, Memoir

URL
https://www.goodreads.com/pamie

Pamela Ribon is a screenwriter (Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Bears), performer, TV writer, comic book writer, best-selling novelist, and a Film Independent Directing Lab Fellow.

She is currently adapting her original comic book series SLAM! — co-created with Veronica Fish — as an animated half-hour with Rooster Teeth and Minnow Mountain for HBO Max. She is attached to direct (with Paul Franklin) her live-action feature adaptation of her critically-acclaimed graphic novel My Boyfriend is a Bear (co-created with Cat Farris). She is also adapting her comedic memoir NOTES TO BOYS (AND OTHER THINGS I SHOULDN’T SHARE IN PUBLIC) as an animated series for FX’s CAKE.

Pamela was a flagship contributor to Television Without Pity, and is known as a pioneer in the blogging world with pamie.com, where she launched such viral essays as “How I Might Have Just Become the Newest Urban Legend” and “Barbie Fucks it Up Again,” the latter of which led to #FeministHackerBarbie, a revamp of Mattel’s products and marketing for Barbie, and the creation of Game Developer Barbie as “Career of the Year.” Pamela’s stage work has been showcased at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival and she created the accidental international scandal known as Call Us Crazy: The Anne Heche Monologues.

A former Austinite with a BFA in Acting from the University of Texas, Pamela has been entered into the Oxford English Dictionary under “muffin top.” That is not a joke. @pamelaribon | she/her