What do you think?
Rate this book
Feeding Ground
Foreward by Luis Alberto Urrea A new nightmare plagues the Mexico-Arizona border. A famine caused by Blackwell Industries drives Diego Busqueda, a noble coyote, to lead a band of Mexican border crossers across the unforgiving Devil's Highway, a desert cursed with blistering days and deadly nights. Back home, Diego's daughter, Flaca, discovers that something hungrier prowls the factory fields. Stalked and persecuted, can the Busqueda family maintain their dreams of immigration or will the unspeakable horrors of the desert tear them apart? On the Feeding Ground, there is no freedom without sacrifice...
184 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2011
2 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 6, 2016
A decent werewolf/horror comic about a small Mexican family caught between the Mexican-Arizona border. A famine caused by Blackwell Industries has been driving the area's inhabitants to cross the border illegally, where they confront not just angry rednecks and border patrol agents, but walk straight into the jaws of death: a band of werewolves runs amok, unleashing carnage in their wake. Diego Busqueda is one coyote who smuggles people across the border; while he's out crossing the border, his wife fends off the advances of the smarmy mayor, and his family flees town to hide in the desert. Unbeknowst to most, Diego's daughter Flaca has been bit by one of the werewolves, and is turning into the long-sought mythical mother werewolf that Blackwell has been looking for...
Feeding Ground has a very subtle story, where if you blink you may miss some of the connections between Blackwell and the werewolf menace---but it's pretty clear they have been breeding the things as some kind of super-weapon, with a tacit agreement in place with the Border Patrol. In fact, it's implied that they not only caused the famine, but did so in order to drive migrants across the border to be turned into werewolf superweapons. Why they're doing this, I haven't a clue; not much is explained here, and it'd be nice to have an inkling of why the evil soulless corporation is doing these evil and soulless things. The art is sharp---the covers in particular are fantastic, though the comic's vivid color scheme reminds me of Dia de los Muertos---and the story isn't bad.
This is a short volume, and I think this brevity works against the story the writers were trying to tell. It's not quite successful on its own, dragged down by a choppy and disjointed storyline which can be hard to follow---most of the details are here, but few are spelled out for the reader. It's a beautiful mess, but at the end of the day, that's still a mess. Feeding Ground is worth flipping through, but it didn't quite work for me.
Feeding Ground has a very subtle story, where if you blink you may miss some of the connections between Blackwell and the werewolf menace---but it's pretty clear they have been breeding the things as some kind of super-weapon, with a tacit agreement in place with the Border Patrol. In fact, it's implied that they not only caused the famine, but did so in order to drive migrants across the border to be turned into werewolf superweapons. Why they're doing this, I haven't a clue; not much is explained here, and it'd be nice to have an inkling of why the evil soulless corporation is doing these evil and soulless things. The art is sharp---the covers in particular are fantastic, though the comic's vivid color scheme reminds me of Dia de los Muertos---and the story isn't bad.
This is a short volume, and I think this brevity works against the story the writers were trying to tell. It's not quite successful on its own, dragged down by a choppy and disjointed storyline which can be hard to follow---most of the details are here, but few are spelled out for the reader. It's a beautiful mess, but at the end of the day, that's still a mess. Feeding Ground is worth flipping through, but it didn't quite work for me.
December 6, 2019
This was a fun, intriguing book. It vaguely reminds me of The House of the Scorpion, what with the old man performing strange, genetic experiments, what with the young child suddenly learning that she's special, what with the problem of la migra on everyone's tail. But where The House of the Scorpion focuses on sci-fi and dystopia, Feeding Ground focuses on sci-fi and folklore.
In the midst of the stretch of desert that separates Mexico and Arizona, plenty of folks have met their fate while trying to obtain a better life. Yet something beyond la migra and dehydration has begun to frighten them: some sort of monsters that are ripping corpses apart. Could it be a type of chupacabra? Or something more sinister?
With a juxtaposition between vibrant colors and muted tones, this graphic novel knows just how to play up its serious, yet lively moments to allow for intrigue and entertainment. Overall, I think this is a story entrenched in a culture far from something I've ever experienced, and that, for me, is what makes it richer and fuller.
Review cross-listed here!
In the midst of the stretch of desert that separates Mexico and Arizona, plenty of folks have met their fate while trying to obtain a better life. Yet something beyond la migra and dehydration has begun to frighten them: some sort of monsters that are ripping corpses apart. Could it be a type of chupacabra? Or something more sinister?
With a juxtaposition between vibrant colors and muted tones, this graphic novel knows just how to play up its serious, yet lively moments to allow for intrigue and entertainment. Overall, I think this is a story entrenched in a culture far from something I've ever experienced, and that, for me, is what makes it richer and fuller.
Review cross-listed here!
August 23, 2013
I don't usually write reviews but felt that this wonderful piece of art was getting lambasted left and right by people whose viewpoints I just can't understand. The storyline is not hard to follow. Its a pretty straight forward concept but everything isn't explained, rather some things are left to the reader's imagination. If anything this could be remedied in one way. It is way too short. I loved the art, specifically the wonderfully off beat color palette that was used. I thought the ending was a bit anti-climactic but that's not something I'll fault it for. All together worth a read for anyone who is into graphic novels. Don't let the bad reviews fool you.
August 27, 2018
This had been on my to-read list for years, but I have to say that I'm disappointed having finally gotten around to reading it. It was described as a werewolf graphic novel, but I wouldn't call the creatures in this werewolves - more like humans that transform into apes with serious rage issues. In my opinion, the two-page essay at the end (Monsters Real and Imagined by Thomas Peyton) was more interesting than the rest of the book.
March 3, 2018
A Mexican family crosses the border into the US only to become entangled with a clan of werewolves. I think this would have worked better as straight immigrant drama — the werewolf angle never really meshes with the other material and it's more distracting than anything else.
March 13, 2021
It was ok. There was a bit of conflicting themes and settings here- the desert evil and the sci-fi factory evil were maybe a bit too separated, if that was what they were going for? It was like 3 different stories- a better blend would have been nice, I think. On their own they were all pretty good- though again, not much flow here.
The art was pretty cool though. I liked the glitchy effects and frayed edges the artist used- a couple times I thought there was an eyelash or something on the page but it was just the style, haha.
Gotta say though, the foreword and afterword were alot better than the actual book. If it lived up to the foreword, that would have been great... The afterword was clearer, more informative, and more emotional than the rest of it though.This is why you should watch out that the people who write your foreword's and afterwords aren't more talented than you
Overall entertaining, but didn't really have much for me.
The art was pretty cool though. I liked the glitchy effects and frayed edges the artist used- a couple times I thought there was an eyelash or something on the page but it was just the style, haha.
Gotta say though, the foreword and afterword were alot better than the actual book. If it lived up to the foreword, that would have been great... The afterword was clearer, more informative, and more emotional than the rest of it though.
Overall entertaining, but didn't really have much for me.
March 30, 2019
So disappointing. And even more disappointing: the postface is very interesting. Meaning this had a lot of potential but too many elements hinder the story (choppy dialogs, unclear story, too many characters, etc...)
February 13, 2023
This had a lot of squandered potential. It's about a man working as a coyote transporting illegal aliens into the U.S. Somehow there are also werewolves involved but they can speak English while transformed and look kind of apelike. There's also a family that has to skip town while their little girl is turning into a werewolf. There's also some rich guy who I think is turning people into werewolves. The storytelling is terrible. I couldn't follow it well at all. There's way too many characters to keep track of. Through most of this I couldn't follow the story's logic at all. The art was decent but the extremely muted colors added to the story confusion making it difficult to tell which story we were on at that moment. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me at all.
August 20, 2023
There's a couple different threads going on, and the whole migrant crossing aspect was depicted rather beautifully. After I read this though, I thought a little, and I'm not really sure how the whole werewolf/Blackwell aspect meshes? It feels like a generic werewolf plot plopped into the middle of a migrant story, where neither half contributes to the other; wasted potential, given the talk of monsters in the essays.
October 22, 2017
Artwork was lovely, but the story was meh.
October 30, 2025
2.5☆
El arte es lindo, la historia tiene potencial, pero siento que fue muy apresurada, difícil de entender, no me dejo mucho, y me da pena porqué es un concepto tan interesante, pero no siento que estuviera bien explicado, el ritmo era apresurado a veces y muy lento en otras, pero no me quedo mucho claro. Eso sí creo que la edición física debe ser hermosa porque lo leí de mi biblioteca en digital.
El arte es lindo, la historia tiene potencial, pero siento que fue muy apresurada, difícil de entender, no me dejo mucho, y me da pena porqué es un concepto tan interesante, pero no siento que estuviera bien explicado, el ritmo era apresurado a veces y muy lento en otras, pero no me quedo mucho claro. Eso sí creo que la edición física debe ser hermosa porque lo leí de mi biblioteca en digital.
June 23, 2012
REVIEW ALSO ON: http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/09...
Diego has an incredibly dangerous job: leading Mexican immigrants across the border to Arizona. It soon becomes apparent when his friends start turning up in several pieces that something much more dangerous than Border Patrol is hunting people trying to enter the United States.
Feeding Ground is inspired by true stories that author Swifty Lang collected about the Devil’s Highway (formerly U.S. Route 666) and the death that follows Mexican immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families. The monsters in this story serve as a counterpoint to the human monsters, Border Patrol that affects this journey every day. When Diego and his family seek to escape Mexico after a disastrous fight, they must choose who to trust, the inhuman creatures who seek their blood, or the government men whose job is to squelch their freedom.
I was a tad concerned that the overabundance of Spanish language would turn me off, but it was pretty elementary, and would have been covered in a first year Spanish course in Middle School. Or just by spending time with your Spanish compadres for a while.
One of the strengths of this graphic novel is the extremely vivid color palette, which put me in mind of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) skulls. There are bright yellows, pinks, blues, oranges and so much neon. It really is strikingly beautiful, and cannot help but put you in mind of the Mexican holiday, in which loved ones build altars for the dead. Much as this collection is a remembrance of the hundreds of immigrants who die taking the treacherous trip to America every year, the color work from Michael Lapinski is yet another reminder of this.
There are a lot of horrific scenes in this collection, from bodies turned inside out to heads speared on cacti to scenes in which humans transform into horrible beasts. These transformations further explore the metaphor of humans as being the true monsters. Much as a great deal of zombie fiction makes the distinction that sometimes human beings are worse than their undead counterparts, so too does this graphic novel, but with werewolves. We learn that humans are literally the real monsters, and that even people who seem innocent have that a base nature way down deep.
There are a lot of dangers in the trek from Mexico to Arizona, from dehydration to exhaustion, but it is humanity that poses the real threat. If you’re looking for a side of morality with your horror and don’t mind a little border hopping, this is the graphic novel for you. Just remember, we are the real monsters. We are the things that go bump in the night.
Diego has an incredibly dangerous job: leading Mexican immigrants across the border to Arizona. It soon becomes apparent when his friends start turning up in several pieces that something much more dangerous than Border Patrol is hunting people trying to enter the United States.
Feeding Ground is inspired by true stories that author Swifty Lang collected about the Devil’s Highway (formerly U.S. Route 666) and the death that follows Mexican immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families. The monsters in this story serve as a counterpoint to the human monsters, Border Patrol that affects this journey every day. When Diego and his family seek to escape Mexico after a disastrous fight, they must choose who to trust, the inhuman creatures who seek their blood, or the government men whose job is to squelch their freedom.
I was a tad concerned that the overabundance of Spanish language would turn me off, but it was pretty elementary, and would have been covered in a first year Spanish course in Middle School. Or just by spending time with your Spanish compadres for a while.
One of the strengths of this graphic novel is the extremely vivid color palette, which put me in mind of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) skulls. There are bright yellows, pinks, blues, oranges and so much neon. It really is strikingly beautiful, and cannot help but put you in mind of the Mexican holiday, in which loved ones build altars for the dead. Much as this collection is a remembrance of the hundreds of immigrants who die taking the treacherous trip to America every year, the color work from Michael Lapinski is yet another reminder of this.
There are a lot of horrific scenes in this collection, from bodies turned inside out to heads speared on cacti to scenes in which humans transform into horrible beasts. These transformations further explore the metaphor of humans as being the true monsters. Much as a great deal of zombie fiction makes the distinction that sometimes human beings are worse than their undead counterparts, so too does this graphic novel, but with werewolves. We learn that humans are literally the real monsters, and that even people who seem innocent have that a base nature way down deep.
There are a lot of dangers in the trek from Mexico to Arizona, from dehydration to exhaustion, but it is humanity that poses the real threat. If you’re looking for a side of morality with your horror and don’t mind a little border hopping, this is the graphic novel for you. Just remember, we are the real monsters. We are the things that go bump in the night.
February 26, 2017
Art was kinda cool in places, story kinda sucked
I'm always a sucker for a murdering little girl tho
I'm always a sucker for a murdering little girl tho
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2015
An interesting graphic to read through both for its graphic content and the story it seeks tell. For me it doesn't quite succeed in having a strong enough hook in either of these elements for me to really say I enjoyed it.
The story itself sounds compelling enough, a werewolf myth that weaves together Mexican-American boarder politics with some government-corporate corruption and a family-in-crisis. There is plenty of potential and content to work with there, and it's not as though Feeding Ground doesn't make use this. The issues arise more with the style of storytelling which is one that feels a little disjointed. This results in the reader feeling somewhat cast a drift in the story at times.
The graphics of the book suffer from a similar problem at times, it's not always clear what exactly is trying to communicated. When coupled with ambiguities in the writing it only serves to further discombobulate the reader. I was also disappointed the art of the book lacked the colour and vibrancy that the cover suggested. Those shortcomings do not however detract from the beauty of the books art, which fitting with the fast moving pace and violence of the story is wonderfully evocative and charged. They show a fantastic potential to capture emotional intensity and the inert potential for violence. The style lacks the slickness found in most graphic novels, which while offering a point of difference unfortunately quickly comes to feel tired as the book progresses.
Overall the book comes across as one of impressions. It is necessary to piece together a great deal from what the reader is shown with much left unsaid and unseen. What we do see are often moments of taunt action that hold what has preceded and what will proceed within the moment. Risks were taken in how the story was chosen to be told and presented, and for me, they didn't quite pay off.
The story itself sounds compelling enough, a werewolf myth that weaves together Mexican-American boarder politics with some government-corporate corruption and a family-in-crisis. There is plenty of potential and content to work with there, and it's not as though Feeding Ground doesn't make use this. The issues arise more with the style of storytelling which is one that feels a little disjointed. This results in the reader feeling somewhat cast a drift in the story at times.
The graphics of the book suffer from a similar problem at times, it's not always clear what exactly is trying to communicated. When coupled with ambiguities in the writing it only serves to further discombobulate the reader. I was also disappointed the art of the book lacked the colour and vibrancy that the cover suggested. Those shortcomings do not however detract from the beauty of the books art, which fitting with the fast moving pace and violence of the story is wonderfully evocative and charged. They show a fantastic potential to capture emotional intensity and the inert potential for violence. The style lacks the slickness found in most graphic novels, which while offering a point of difference unfortunately quickly comes to feel tired as the book progresses.
Overall the book comes across as one of impressions. It is necessary to piece together a great deal from what the reader is shown with much left unsaid and unseen. What we do see are often moments of taunt action that hold what has preceded and what will proceed within the moment. Risks were taken in how the story was chosen to be told and presented, and for me, they didn't quite pay off.
February 13, 2012
A beautiful mess in its way, but still quite a mess.
FEEDING GROUND is hard to follow from page to page, and the offset-registration coloring style wears out its welcome by about the 10th page. The book points out the hardships of those crossing the border, but has hardly anything to SAY about them. The werewolves are greater than a subplot but fail to become the backbone of the book. Flaca feels like the center of the story, but she never becomes the heart.
And for god's sake, why was the FEEDING GROUND logo, which appears about 100 times, so pixelated?
FEEDING GROUND is hard to follow from page to page, and the offset-registration coloring style wears out its welcome by about the 10th page. The book points out the hardships of those crossing the border, but has hardly anything to SAY about them. The werewolves are greater than a subplot but fail to become the backbone of the book. Flaca feels like the center of the story, but she never becomes the heart.
And for god's sake, why was the FEEDING GROUND logo, which appears about 100 times, so pixelated?
April 17, 2013
Unlike some other reviewers I actually didn't mind the way the artwork looked. And that's about the most positive thing I can say. The story was extremely hard to follow. It's as though there was a major disconnect between the writers and illustrators. The artwork itself was pretty shoddy in some places, but the writing was what really took away from what could have been a cool graphic novel. The writing felt like it came from a high school writing class, I could sort of tell that there were big ideas under the surface, but the skill to get them out just wasn't there. Meh.
January 2, 2014
I picked up this graphic novel because it simply looks great. However, I was not as impressed by the content. The writing seemed inorganic. I know the piece is also available in Spanish. Maybe something was lost on the English version when it was translated?
The art was a bit different in a good way from other comic styles, but the "wolf" creatures were really goofy looking. They all looked like a slightly more chimp-esque teen wolf. Overall, the story was not wonderful and the characters came off flat.
The art was a bit different in a good way from other comic styles, but the "wolf" creatures were really goofy looking. They all looked like a slightly more chimp-esque teen wolf. Overall, the story was not wonderful and the characters came off flat.
August 28, 2013
MEXICAN/AMERICAN BORDER WEREWOLVES duh duh dunnnnnnn. Um, many reviewers complain about the clumsy and/or confusing narrative here, and I would agree. But the premise is just SO COOL. And some of the gross/gorey werewolf stuff is indeed thrilling and worth the narrative crap. So, like a horror movie? So, I guess I liked it? More werewolves, plz.
September 25, 2013
Vibrant and dark at the same time. Some unusual stylistic choices, most of which worked for me, but the story had a very loose, jumpy feeling that felt more haphazard than deliberate. I thought it could have benefitted from a tighter focus on a smaller selection of main characters, or clearer jumps between point of view characters.
November 13, 2014
I liked how the art looked like messed up offset printing. I liked the psychedelic colors. I liked reading something set (partially) in Mexico and I liked the sci-fi update of legendary elements. Sometimes there were odd jumps in the story, but the stuff I liked kept me reading.
October 28, 2011
Full review on HorrorTalk: http://www.horrortalk.com/comic-revie...
January 7, 2025
Great story. loved the illustrations. Good read.
June 24, 2012
A bit hard to follow in the beginning- I wish I knew a bit more about the non-fiction writings of Luis Alberto Urrea (wrote the forward). The woodblock style inking and coloring are amazing.
September 5, 2012
It was interesting, it kept me reading and it was a fast read.
March 25, 2013
I read this a long time ago and don't remember it that well. Maybe something to do with immigrants and werewolves?
I do remember the art being unique.
I do remember the art being unique.
June 2, 2016
I think discussing migrant deaths via graphic novel sounds really rad and yet, this doesn't really hit hard with reality or with its fiction.
December 13, 2016
this one came from Jayes shelf. I was supremely pleased to find it nestled in a horror genre angled towards the Arizona and Mexico boarder. it is haunting and uniquely so. the art is great. the dialog isn't just believable, it's paced perfectly to truly allow all words/noises were of utter importance.
May 29, 2017
weird in an interesting way, I liked it.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews