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dinipandareads's review against another edition
4.0
Midnight Radio is a short, thought-provoking graphic novel that is beautifully illustrated. It follows four characters who currently find themselves lost or in difficult social and personal situations that they're struggling to navigate or deal with. Each storyline is rich with emotion and the issues that the characters face are very relevant to modern times; especially with how easy it is for people to pretend to be someone they're not with the use of social media and the internet, and the pressure to conform to society's idea of "normal" (whatever that is), instead of just being their individual selves. I really enjoyed Stephen's storyline (yellow!) and I probably liked Seika's (blue) the least, as it felt the least genuine (imo).
To be honest, I found it quite difficult to follow the storylines and to keep up with what was happening with each character, but the "Oh!" moment towards the end was very well done. Everything clicked into place without me even having to look back at earlier pages. I liked that despite the characters all living very different and separate lives, there was one element that connected them all, and it wasn't done in a contrived way.
I thought that the illustrations, while not the clean sharp lines that I usually love, added a sense of fluidity to the movement of the characters. At first, the use of the bright neon-colored boxes for the different characters was slightly jarring, but I ended up appreciating how it made it easier for me to follow the storylines--I am also just generally a fan of bright colors! I have to say that there is a lot of text in these pages, that initially put me off because I find it tiresome to read such small text cramped together in a small space, but I'm glad that I kept reading! Perhaps the concept of the storylines weren't anything new or extra special, but I was still able to enjoy it because I haven't seen it done in this format before.
A review of this book will be posted on my blog (http://dinipandareads.home.blog) closer to the release date. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, I found it quite difficult to follow the storylines and to keep up with what was happening with each character, but the "Oh!" moment towards the end was very well done. Everything clicked into place without me even having to look back at earlier pages. I liked that despite the characters all living very different and separate lives, there was one element that connected them all, and it wasn't done in a contrived way.
I thought that the illustrations, while not the clean sharp lines that I usually love, added a sense of fluidity to the movement of the characters. At first, the use of the bright neon-colored boxes for the different characters was slightly jarring, but I ended up appreciating how it made it easier for me to follow the storylines--I am also just generally a fan of bright colors! I have to say that there is a lot of text in these pages, that initially put me off because I find it tiresome to read such small text cramped together in a small space, but I'm glad that I kept reading! Perhaps the concept of the storylines weren't anything new or extra special, but I was still able to enjoy it because I haven't seen it done in this format before.
A review of this book will be posted on my blog (http://dinipandareads.home.blog) closer to the release date. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
theybedax's review against another edition
4.0
This was especially hard for me to read. I have sensor issues that cause migraines and more. The color changes and font colors in this book played such havoc that it kept feeling like I was being punched in the face. With that being said, I feel that was the artists intent. This whole book felt like it was meant to be a shock to your system. A way of dousing you in the flames and hoping you would rise like a phoenix; stop being complacent and follow your dreams do not kow to your fears.
emeelee's review against another edition
2.0
Midnight Radio follows four young adults dealing with some distinctly millennial problems. Steph, an Instagram star, only speaks through his posts but has gone silent IRL ever since his little sister got sick. Seika, a Japanese immigrant, faces deportation unless she agrees to help with an undercover sting operation, but then finds herself siding with the moralistic vigilantes she's supposed to be targeting. After running away from tragedy, Joanne is living a listless life without passion-- other than anger towards her bigoted family. And Mike is an anarchist turned corporate drone, working IT for a corrupt big pharma company until a hacker reminds him of the things he used to care about.
I liked the art style, and that each character's chapters had a particular color palette. The storylines felt mostly derivative, without enough depth to the characters to make up for it. Steph's chapters were the most interesting to me and I wish his story had gotten more development than it did. Overall, an unexciting read but quick read, with nice artwork and okay stories.
TW: homophobia, mentioned transphobia, referenced hate crime (shooting at a gay club), nudity, hospitalization of a family member
I liked the art style, and that each character's chapters had a particular color palette. The storylines felt mostly derivative, without enough depth to the characters to make up for it. Steph's chapters were the most interesting to me and I wish his story had gotten more development than it did. Overall, an unexciting read but quick read, with nice artwork and okay stories.
TW: homophobia, mentioned transphobia, referenced hate crime (shooting at a gay club), nudity, hospitalization of a family member
kovost's review against another edition
4.0
I love when books give me an existential crisis and make me question everything I have or haven’t done!
Midnight Radio is an illustrated story that follows the perspective and stories of four vastly different yet similar characters that while they intersect at times, they’re entirely separate. There’s a man that’s a game developer that works for a corrupt corporation with blood on their hands; a queer woman with big dreams, bigger fears, and a lot of doubts; a Japanese woman blackmailed by cops into cooperating with a sting to keep her visa; and a selectively mute Instagram star with a sick sister and an overabundance of emotions that has led to his isolation from even his best friend. All four of these characters live in an impasse in their lives, moving without really going anywhere as they struggle with social and personal issues. When there’s a sudden disruption on a radio station, the hasty and passionate message left by an anonymous voice resonates with the characters and haunts them until things start clicking.
The artwork was done in a loose line kind of style, semi-realistic polychrome with strict color tones for each character that kept them distinct and separated. Rather than done in a spectrum of colors, each character’s chapters are done in a specific shade (Mike = green, Joanne = red, Seika = blue, Stephen = yellow) and I want to say this was an underhanded psychological thing, too, since *gestures vaguely* there’s a proven science to certain colors eliciting certain emotions so it provided a strange kind of depth to each character’s story.
Though it did tend to favor a cliché approach to the misanthropic view of social media so there was nothing unique there, I did really like this more than I was expecting to. Which really isn’t saying much considering I actually had no idea what I was going into (what can I say, I have the attention span and memory of a toddler on a sugar high so it’s like I never even read the summary to begin with), but my point stands anyway.
So all in all, this was a good plot with beautiful artwork that I would definitely recommend for a quick read.
Midnight Radio is an illustrated story that follows the perspective and stories of four vastly different yet similar characters that while they intersect at times, they’re entirely separate. There’s a man that’s a game developer that works for a corrupt corporation with blood on their hands; a queer woman with big dreams, bigger fears, and a lot of doubts; a Japanese woman blackmailed by cops into cooperating with a sting to keep her visa; and a selectively mute Instagram star with a sick sister and an overabundance of emotions that has led to his isolation from even his best friend. All four of these characters live in an impasse in their lives, moving without really going anywhere as they struggle with social and personal issues. When there’s a sudden disruption on a radio station, the hasty and passionate message left by an anonymous voice resonates with the characters and haunts them until things start clicking.
The artwork was done in a loose line kind of style, semi-realistic polychrome with strict color tones for each character that kept them distinct and separated. Rather than done in a spectrum of colors, each character’s chapters are done in a specific shade (Mike = green, Joanne = red, Seika = blue, Stephen = yellow) and I want to say this was an underhanded psychological thing, too, since *gestures vaguely* there’s a proven science to certain colors eliciting certain emotions so it provided a strange kind of depth to each character’s story.
Though it did tend to favor a cliché approach to the misanthropic view of social media so there was nothing unique there, I did really like this more than I was expecting to. Which really isn’t saying much considering I actually had no idea what I was going into (what can I say, I have the attention span and memory of a toddler on a sugar high so it’s like I never even read the summary to begin with), but my point stands anyway.
So all in all, this was a good plot with beautiful artwork that I would definitely recommend for a quick read.
Warnings: nudity, homophobia/transphobia (mentions of parental abuse and homophobic remarks in general), gun violence, mention of a mass shooting (I think this is meant to be in reference to the Pulse shooting), use of racial slurs
Rep: POC main and secondary characters, queer MC, and a trans woman as a secondary character
lightreading's review against another edition
4.0
In Midnight Radio, we follow four different people who listen to the same broadcast show.
This was so interesting, I was instantly hooked. I really liked the characters and the themes explored and I loved the art style, distinguishing the characters by their colour was an amazing idea. The only thing I would point out is that I would've liked to see some more intersection in these people's lives. But, aside from that, everything was great and I loved it.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was so interesting, I was instantly hooked. I really liked the characters and the themes explored and I loved the art style, distinguishing the characters by their colour was an amazing idea. The only thing I would point out is that I would've liked to see some more intersection in these people's lives. But, aside from that, everything was great and I loved it.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
pipn_t's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It was very colourful
robynmaire's review against another edition
4.0
*3,5
Midnight Radio tells four different stories, intertwined by a late-night radio broadcast telling them to face their fears and take their lives into their own hands
Every story has a different colour spectrum, which not only helped to tell them apart but added something to the story as well. Although I didn't enjoy every story equally I think they all brought something important to the table to think about. The stories were full of diversity and I just wished the stories had been longer so the characters and storylines could have been more developed
because they now seemed to lack development because they were so short.
Midnight Radio tells four different stories, intertwined by a late-night radio broadcast telling them to face their fears and take their lives into their own hands
Every story has a different colour spectrum, which not only helped to tell them apart but added something to the story as well. Although I didn't enjoy every story equally I think they all brought something important to the table to think about. The stories were full of diversity and I just wished the stories had been longer so the characters and storylines could have been more developed
because they now seemed to lack development because they were so short.
slimikin's review against another edition
1.0
I liked the art, but the story...yeesh. Melodramatic much? I can't help but feel the real point of these characters' experiences was completely missed in the effort to amp up the drama in them. As if there isn't enough poignancy and pain and urgency in just the experiences, themselves. They only matter if they're epic! If it's them against the world! If it's the choice between Moral Right and Moral Wrong!
Right. Because finding your way, especially as a millennial or Gen Z adult coming into your own, can't possibly be nuanced and compelling on its own merits. I guess only Russians in classic literature deserve that sort of treatment. Or poets. Or diarists caught up in holocausts.
Right. Because finding your way, especially as a millennial or Gen Z adult coming into your own, can't possibly be nuanced and compelling on its own merits. I guess only Russians in classic literature deserve that sort of treatment. Or poets. Or diarists caught up in holocausts.
nobirdtennis's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
jackelz's review against another edition
5.0
Four people around the United States, all living very different lives, are all changed by a mysterious late-night radio broadcast. Each tale speaks to different social issues: LGBTQIA+ rights, racism, social network addiction, and the difficult decision between settling down versus following your dreams.
Mike is dealing with a hacker intent on disrupting the pharmaceutical website he works for.
Joanne is struggling to connect to her life and the people around her after a tragedy.
Seika has fled from Japan to America for a new life but finds it hard to forge her own path.
Stephen has stopped speaking out loud and pulled away from friends and family.
I became a fan of Iolanda Zanfardino because of Alice in Leatherland, now I’ll order anything they create. This was fun to find already on my bookshelf!
What I loved most about this story was the art and how each character had their own polychromatic color palette. It was so easy to transition from character to character because of this, too. I was expecting more character overlap, but then I was glad it didn’t feel overdone. I liked how they all stood out on their own. I could’ve kept on reading these characters.
Mike is dealing with a hacker intent on disrupting the pharmaceutical website he works for.
Joanne is struggling to connect to her life and the people around her after a tragedy.
Seika has fled from Japan to America for a new life but finds it hard to forge her own path.
Stephen has stopped speaking out loud and pulled away from friends and family.
I became a fan of Iolanda Zanfardino because of Alice in Leatherland, now I’ll order anything they create. This was fun to find already on my bookshelf!
What I loved most about this story was the art and how each character had their own polychromatic color palette. It was so easy to transition from character to character because of this, too. I was expecting more character overlap, but then I was glad it didn’t feel overdone. I liked how they all stood out on their own. I could’ve kept on reading these characters.