Ed Brubaker is quickly becoming a favorite comic creator of mine. Since December, I’ve devoured his graphic novels Night Fever and Where the Body Was, which were 5-star and 4-star reads for me, respectively. Since then, I’ve been picking up everything I see by Brubaker at my local bookstores. I jumped at the chance to review Friday, Brubaker’s post-YA speculative mystery series. Let me tell you – Friday might just be one of my favorite new comic series. 

Goodreads / Amazon

Synopsis:

Friday Fitzhugh spent her childhood solving crimes and digging up occult secrets with her best friend Lancelot Jones, the smartest boy in the world. But that was the past. Now she’s in college, starting a new life on her own—or so she thought. When Friday comes home for the holidays, she’s immediately pulled back into Lance’s orbit and finds that something very strange and dangerous is happening in their little New England town… This is literally the Christmas vacation from Hell, and they may not survive to see the New Year.

Review:

Friday centers on Friday Fitzhugh, a college freshman returning to her hometown for the winter holidays. Spar Creek is that quintessential, idyllic small town we all wish we were running away from. While our hometowns are full of exes and high school bullies, Friday’s is full of monsters, occult mysteries, and a bad dream she can’t quite can’t remember. There’s also Lancelot Jones – her childhood best friend and partner-in-not-crime. She and Lancelot spent their childhoods and high school years solving crimes and mysteries, sometimes even alongside the police. Once home, all she wants to do is talk with Lancelot. Instead, she realizes that they’re in the middle of yet another mystery. 

Friday Fitzhugh is remarkably refreshing – smart, tomboyish, and the bodyguard of Lancelot Jones. After nearly a decade as a young detective and Lance’s right-hand-woman, best friend, and not-quite-something-more, Friday just wants to be herself. She is the perfect embodiment of 18-year-olds everywhere. Were we teen detectives? No. But we all felt that same desire to finally be ourselves for once.

The mystery in Friday is speculative, weird, and so unsettling. I loved it. There is a gigantic cliffhanger at the end of the volume, so be forewarned. You’ll want to pick up Volume Two after this; luckily, it’s already out! 

Art:

In Friday, Brubaker teams up with illustrator Marcos Martín and colorist Muntsa Vicente. Friday is a 70s masterpiece, and the art by Martín and Vicente couldn’t fit the story better if it tried. Bold earth tones and androgynous styling fill the small town of Spar Creek, and it’s so well done. It’s unsettling at times, but it’s beautiful. 

Final Thoughts:

Friday is perfect for fans of Stranger Things and The Society, as well as quiet horror readers. If you’re already a fan of Brubaker, you’ll feel right at home with Friday. The final volume drops in March, so now is the time to get caught up!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Thanks to Image Comics for providing me with an advanced review copy! All the above thoughts are my own.