Brooklyn's Last Secret

by Leslie Stein

A rip-roaring journey through the highs and lows of tour life

Welcome aboard the tour van of Major Threat—Brooklyn’s finest rock band yet to catch a break—as they traverse the US of A on a last-ditch summer festival tour. On drums we’ve got “band dad” Ed, the stoic drummer who keeps bumping into tech bro co-workers that he can’t quite relate to. On bass, there’s Paul, a man of mostly mystery, who drinks hard and yet manages to glide through life, intelligible to no one except energy-drink guzzling Marco, the baby of the band and newest replacement lead singer. And of course there’s the gentle and serene Lilith, a weed lollipop sucking, stuffed-animal backpack wearing guitarist healing from heartbreak.

There’s sex, drugs, and rock n roll, sure, but there’s also tender moments as the motley crew take turns behind the wheel, compiling lists of the hottest hunks and best guitar riffs to pass the miles. From tour fashion to breakdowns—mechanical and emotional—Leslie Stein holds no bars in this incredibly funny and heartfelt love-letter meets parody of life on the road.

Her first full-length fiction, Brooklyn’s Last Secret expertly showcases Stein’s trademark cocktail of charm, wit, and whimsey, leaving readers decidedly affected by their time spent in her world. With her smoothest line and most stunning watercolor washes to date, Brooklyn’s Last Secret reveals a lighter, more humorous tone from the LA Times Book Prize winning cartoonist.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Music, Humor, Contemporary

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2023

Reviews

[gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

these losers mean the whole world to me

[Zack Quaintance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more than just a tour diary, this graphic novel goes right at how it feels to dedicate yourself to an art as you cruise through middle age, realizing slowly that doing the thing has always been the point.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this one, but it's certainly closer to a 4 star than a 2. Stein has a brilliantly unique style. Her figure drawings are nearly abstract, but the color brings it together. Her lettering is amazing, pencil and colored pencils - she's one of the most unique letterers in comics. You really get a sense of the intonations the characters would be using.

The story was pretty straight-forward. A middling band on tour across the US. 3 of the members are around 40 and their new singer is still in his 20s. Lots of time spent in the van - mostly doing a name Top 5 "X" game. Lots of band name drops, some of which I was able to follow!

Stein does a good job balancing the time spent with the band members but puts emphasis on Lilith (who feels like a stand-in for Stein).

[Sayana K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The visuals are stunning, and the character development is great. You learn to love each of their quirks. I especially relate to Lilith, being the only girl in a group of boys. I wish I understood more of the pop culture/music references, but I couldn't help but smile the entire time while reading it.

[Chris Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was looking forward to this - always try to read whatever Drawn and Quarterly and Fantagraphics puts out - and it delivered. Much more lighthearted than Stein's last release, which was a memoir of sorts about reproduction and abortion, this details the life and times of a band touring the country. Really fun. Makes me want to go back and read some more of her older books.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine Band auf Tour durch Amerika, mit sehr unterschiedlichen Charakteren und Auftrittsorten. Ganz nett.

[Katia Lyng · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun story. While I feel her characters aren't 100% fleshed out, they are realistic.

[Matt Matt Tobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, sad, heartfelt, and human. If you're a music nerd this one is definitely for you

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a bit of time to get into but was definitely worth the read. Love the use of color and the dialogue was fun :)
Also gotta love Paul lmao

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooklyn’s Last Secret by Leslie Stein is Almost Famous with cartoony misfits with weird faces.. . or maybe, because it’s also played for some laughs, it’s This is Spinal Tap but not a parody, and with maybe a touch more genuine warmth? Yep, it’s a band on the run, band tour, road trip, episodic-type story. I count 59 graphic novels and memoirs and picture books in my Graphic Novel-Music Goodreads category, including things like Anya Davidson’s Band for Life, Gipi’s Garage Band, Liz Perince’s Be Your Own Backing Band and they are all passionate stories of growing up (or never wanting to grow up) with music. Oh, yeah, and Jaime Hernandez’s epic Love and Rockets ode to eighties LA punk bands. So as a blurb says for the book, if you are or were in a band, or plan to start a band, read this depiction of a band tour of the US, driving, driving, driving, state by state, with friends.

The band is, as is Leslie Stein, from Brooklyn. Her bio says she does comics and plays guitar, so this story may just have a touch of auto-fiction about it? It’s light-hearted, funny, touching, a love letter to every band you never heard of on the road playing clubs to crowds they will never see again. Because they love music. No one does comics like Leslie Stein--panel-less, weird faces, lovely, inviting colors, odd, amusing. This is Stein’s first really long form novel, 296 pages. Maybe my fourth or fifth Stein book--fiction, memoirs, diary comics. I see that I missed a serious one from 2020, I Know You Rider, about issues pertaining to complex questions about whether to reproduce or not to reproduce. Maybe the band tour book is a deliberately lighter departure following that book. I liked this.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooklyn's Last Secret is a goofy tale of a band on tour, following the characters across the country in Leslie Stein's distinctive, hollowed-out art style. It takes a minute to get invested since you're just dropped into the middle of everything, but as the shows go on and the character's weird little lives grow clearer, the book really draws you in.

Honestly, there's no plot (or very little plot) in Brooklyn's Last Secret - the real draw is here is the fictionalized, but very accurate, look at what it's like to be a low-level band touring across the country. Late nights, heavy drinking, weird venues, and tons of love.

[Andy McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite graphic novels of recent times. The story is great, about a band that has been around for 20 years or so and still touring in a van around the country. I can't relate as I never did that, but I know so bands that did that for years on end, waiting for their big break. The characters are great with lots of surprises especially in the epilogue. It took me a few pages to get used to the art and the words, but once I did, I thought it was so unique and a great way to tell the story. Highly recommend!

[Damian Burford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was wonderful and really took me back to my days as a roadie/tour manager for some smaller up and coming bands circa 2010. This really hit the nail on the head to the world of being in a touring band, that gets along. I really loved this book and savored every page. It was such a sweet and wonderful book, thanks for taking me back to those summers packed into econoline vans, not showering and drinking my weight in PBR. ❤️❤️❤️

[Eli McVey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middling band tours across the U.S. Mostly about the smaller, in-between moments of the tour. Read another review that said doing the thing was the whole point all along and Ali agree with that. Got a good sense of the characters, didn’t love the art but the lettering was in cursive and it stood out in a good way. An easy read and felt compelled to keep going despite not feeling super passionate about the “story” being told. Liked tagging along in the character's lives. And loved the Paul character. This is more like a 3.5 to me or a 7/10. Good not great.

[spoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good! Not for me - the sort of tour life band stuff is not my gig. I think the narrative doesn't quote hang together in the way I want it to. Stein is just so good at making comics tho. Like technically she nails it sometimes and it get me even when I'm not super into the overarching thread.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic art and illuminating snapshots of the experience of being out on tour. I loved the characters and their distinct personalities, and all the little details of life on the road. Really fun stuff!

[David Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been on tour, or even been in a band, but this felt like a very authentic portrayal of what it's like to be on tour with a little nobody band. The characters are memorable, and the art style is pretty unique. Relatively quick read too.

[Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool narrative that felt truly lived, possibly autobiographical? The story is nice, meandering and chill but it's the art that truly stood out for me. The loose abstracted style brings a cool vibe to the whole endeavor. Worth a read for sure.

[Amanda Dissinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a huge fan of Leslie’s and this one is such an absolute blast to read. Love the characters and the accurate depiction of tour life. Get a copy!!!

[Peter Hollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Leslie Stein!
She's great.
This is just heartwarming.
Ah, tour lyfe.

[Lisa]

Three stars for me - not super interested in the characters, story, or artistic style, but a pleasant read!

[Lauredhel]

DNF, unfortunately. The story sounds right up my alley, but with pale grey text on a dingy sepia background, I just found it unreadable. Maybe it's better in print?

[Christa Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much to love about this! I've never been on tour with a band but kind of feel like I get it. Tons of fun.

[George]

She’s not like other books she’s shy 👉👈

[Grg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cured me of my "I wish I was in a band" daydreams. For now.

[Yassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

took a second for me to get into but cute! story was mid, illustrations are awesome

[Jacob Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It do be like that

[Suanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book while on our trip to LA. I’ve never been in a band or in a tour but this felt authentic. I also like the simple drawing style.