Punk Rock Karaoke

by Bianca Xunise

A debut young adult graphic novel from Ignatz Award-winning and nationally syndicated cartoonist, Bianca Xunise.

When life gives you guitars, smash them!
School is out for summer and Ariel Grace Jones is determined to make it one for the books! Together with their bestie bandmates, Michele and Gael, Ariel believes they’re destined to break into the music industry and out of Chicago’s Southside by singing lead in their garage punk band, Baby Hares.

But before Baby Hares can officially get into the groove, the realities of post grad life start to weigh on this crew of misfits. Ari begins to worry that it’s time to pull the plug on their dreams of making it big.
Just when all hope feels lost, a fellow punk and local icon takes an interest in their talent. It seems like he might be the only one Ariel can rely on as frustrations between bandmates reach at an all-time high.

Punk Rock Karaoke is a coming-of-age tale that draws upon the explosive joy of the underground scene, while raising questions about authenticity, the importance of community and what it means to succeed on your own terms.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, Music, Queer, LGBT, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2024

About the author

Bianca Xunise is an American cartoonist and illustrator from Chicago, best known for her contribution to the collaborative newspaper comic strip Six Chix.

Reviews

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three friends, recently graduated from high school, struggle to keep their punk band together through the demands of early adulthood. College applications, jobs, family obligations, and makeout partners are all knocking on the door, demanding to be let in. Will Ariel, Michele, and Gael be able to stay true to their creative spirits and to each other? I had a great time with this fast-paced, sweaty summer, friendship-focused book even though the majority of the punk music references went right over my head.

[Megan Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bianca forever!

A rollicking, cinematic read. Can't wait to see what they do next.

[Liz Yerby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect and fun

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an e-ARC of Punk Rock Karaoke!

This one didn’t hit as hard as I wanted to — but it was fine. The art style, although wasn’t something I necessarily liked, was perfect for the book’s plot & setting. I spent the majority of the graphic novel not really vibing with the story — but when it got to the ✨friendship✨ & revenge resolution, I did start to care a lot more. As mentioned, this graphic novel is perfectly fine & I do recommend to readers who are really into the punk scene!

[Lea Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of Punk Rock vibes!
The art style compliments the story so well, you can really become immersed into this coming-of-age graphic novel about finding yourself and where you fit into the world.

Overall, I loved the story, the musical elements, and diverse characters, but I did find the coloring to be a bit distracting.

Definitely recommend giving this one a try!


Thank you PenguinTeen for the e-ARC to read and honestly review.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a celebration of alternative POC and underground subculture. Heartwarming, funny and a killer soundtrack. I couldn't put this down.

And being a Chicago native myself, I enjoyed all of the references to certain venues throughout the book (Metro, Aragon Ballroom etc.)

I can't wait to see more in the future from this author.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun, messy, and chaotic art!

[mad mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Content warning for sexual harassment and depictions of racism and misogyny.)

Ariel Grace Jones is lucky enough to be in a punk band with their two besties, Michele Covarrubia and Gael Certi. Together, they are the Baby Hares - for a few more months, anyway. Now that high school is over, the trio is starting to confront the possibility of their separate futures. Ariel just got accepted to Oberlin College, and Michele seems to have less and less time for the band. Afraid of being left in the dust, Gael is trying to expand their social circle.

So when Ariel meets their hero Clyde McLaren, lead singer of Rat's Breath ... well, you know the saying. Clyde quickly sweeps the star-struck Ariel off their feet, inserting himself into the band. But is Clyde truly their collaborator, as Ariel insists, or is something more nefarious going on?

PUNK ROCK KARAOKE is a fun comic about punk music, community, and resistance. I love how the Baby Hares stick together, even when things look bleak, and defend each other. The art is a little unusual but really striking, with eye-catching colors and a punk (obvs) aesthetic. The plot is a little predictable (Clyde, ugh), but that didn't detract from my enjoyment.

[Joey DeFabio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the aesthetic style of this graphic novel, but I think the narrative tries to focus on way too many big ideas simultaneously and struggles to do them all justice. I left this book feeling like it would have benefitted a lot from consolidating its smaller character roles to make things cleaner and more cohesive (especially if Gael was given their narrative roles - it felt like she didn’t have much to do in the story.) I also think it would have benefitted from not switching perspectives between Ariel and Michele, because that led to some weird pacing issues.

All that said though, this book is still a fun read that is worth forming your own opinion on! Even with the critiques I have, the characters still felt charming. I especially loved Clyde as a David Bowie-esque villain. Such a fun guy to hate.

[ash (smokedshelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to penguin teen for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i'm always down to pick up a graphic novel when it's the last few days of the month and i want something that's quick to get through, when a written novel will take me too long. punk rock karaoke was no exception!

i definitely breezed through this story, even though i found it a bit difficult to get into at first. while i love the colors and vibrancy of the art style, i also found it personally a bit difficult to actually read, being dyslexic. so a bit of a fair warning to my fellow readers who have trouble when the art is busy! you might struggle a tad to follow through the panes.

but, once i got a handle of the layout, i did find the story mostly interesting. it's a slice of life story about these young adults, in the summer before they are hoping to start college. they're figuring out friendships, relationships, and trying to be in a band together. i think some of the topics definitely maybe could've been discussed in more detail. but i would totally love to see a follow up story of them a few years down the line.

[piper monarchsandmyths · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review

This was definitely a little bit of a change of pace for me, but one that I enjoyed! Bianca Xunise has created a full story of coming-of-age interwoven with elements of punk rock, and uniquely expressed through the book’s art style. Xunise’s storytelling is fully implemented into the art itself and the way the characters are drawn from panel to panel and I can appreciate the full integration despite it being outside of the normal styles I typically look for in graphic novels. The story itself flows well, there are a few elements that feel kind of removed from the overall story, I think that’s just part of understanding the full story a graphic novel is trying to tell. Even if, like me, you have basically zero familiarity with the punk rock scene, I think that this book and its story is very accessible and a fun romp. It takes some classic young adult novel conventions of the coming of age story and presents them in a slightly new context that’s worth checking out!

[isabella. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good! A coming of age story set in the punk rock scene. I loved the art style and the use of color. I feel like it really added to the punk vibe of the book. I loved that there were also different songs listed throughout the book which also helped add to the vibe.

actual rating: 4.5 stars

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story about music, community, friendship, and life after high school. It made my little DIY heart so happy ❤️ especially when Clyde gets his comeuppance! There's always at least one dude like that in the scene and they get away with their bullshit way too often.

The color scheme is bold and jewel toned and I'm obsessed with it! Highly recommend.

[tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got a signed copy as a birthday gift and didn't get a chance to pick it up until recently. So cute and fun! Been following Bianca's work online for a while and this was such a treat. Reminded me of my younger days going to shows with friends <3 fantastic music recs too! don't miss out on the playlist.

[Kristie Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun and colorful way of looking at some real issues that teens deal with. I loved the way they set things up for her to meet the singer she liked, and to learn from him about some important life lessons. Excellent art and excellent story!

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intense Adult Swim vibes! This started off slowly, but I enjoyed it the further I read. It’s very quirky, the story and art style, and won’t appeal to everyone. The dialogue was a little stilted, and you can also foresee a very obvious plot point early on. But it’s still good fun.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book!! I absolutely adored it!! Picked it up from my library and read it all within a few hours!! Definitely will be getting my own copy!! 🖤

[Kerstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable plot but clearly made with love for the punk scene. I appreciated the zine extra at the end.

[Hayden Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never trust a blond man.

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming-of-age story about some freshly graduated kids in a punk rock band. As a result of the punk rock musical theming, the aesthetics of the art are so much fun. I especially loved the coloring choices here.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear My Empire - Riot Kidz

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review submitted to School Library Journal for potential publication.

[Kanako Okiron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really don't wanna be that grrrl but......is there gonna be a part 2? 😏😏 would love to see Baby Hares' world tour!!!!

[andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you both to netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for an advanced digital copy of this one.

this comes out April 23, 2024.

--

Punk Rock Karaoke was a fun ya graphic novel about the band Baby Hares (love the name btw), freshly released from high school and eager to spend the summer making a name for themselves.

Our central protagonist is Ariel Grace Jones (name is so dope, are you kidding?) and we explore how Ariel navigates her bandmate Michele's constant lateness and/or disappearing acts as well as a white, cis male punk elder from the band Rat's Breath that's been lingering around.

This graphic novel is a coming of age story that felt like it was about that murky, gray area between being a teenager and having the same solid group of friends and becoming an adult with responsibilities that mean that everything is going to fundamentally change - priorities are rearranged for money and for family, friendships drift off, etc.

This is a book about how much we want to give versus how much we're able to give while also doing what we need to do in the world. It's about making a place for yourself and about not letting the world take the things that you don't want to give.

Felt very punk to me. I really loved this one.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I want talk about how exceptionally well the art style complimented the Punk Rock fire of this novel. Absolutely stunning.

This graphic novel is a love letter to the punk scene, and aspiring musicians. It's an accurate look at BIPOC artists, and the struggles they face with stolen art, as well as misogyny in musical communities. I thought both subjects were navigated very well.

I had friends when I was a teenager who were in bands, and we would hang out in green rooms and back stage as they "opened for the openers" and there was a lot here that really felt so genuine about those experiences. Right down to the pancakes after a gig.

This was a lot of fun to read and the art style was simply beautiful. Thanks so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest review.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5... I'm pretty mixed on this one. BUT because I don't know who I'd really recommend this to, I'll round down.

The art is not my thing. The style and the colors are all read "punk." I can get down with the colors but the general art style is just too ugly and chaotic for me.

The story is ok. Nothing special. But not bad.

I do like that there's an emphasis here on punk being more than just bad attitude; punk is about creating and standing up for your community.

[Nicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting into this YA graphic novel. The illustrations are interesting, but they are kind of all over the place, so they are hard to follow. It is not the easiest to navigate. I love punk rock music, so I was excited about this book, but it just didn't do it for me. I'm not sure how well it will hold the interest of teenagers.

[Mary Shyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The community-forward coming of age you need right now.

Full review here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFTWCX7u/

[seasalted.citrus (Topaz, Oliver) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(While I’ve read a lot of graphic novels, I have very few of those titles updated on here! They’re not meant to be little StoryGraph secrets, I just get forgetful. Sorry about that.)

I really enjoyed this!! It’s a refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre, and totally a love letter to underground punk scenes. The exaggerated, sometimes messy art style added a lot of character and grunge. (Not sure if anyone on here has heard of Instagram artist d33d33draws, but the zine comic-adjacent style, as well as the focus on the intersections of queerness and Blackness, kind of remind me of her stuff!! Even though, yes, I know her and Bianca Xunise are two completely different artists.) I haven’t seen this many alternative characters in a graphic novel before, their designs were really awesome, and I also appreciated having a story that had LGBTQ and Black (and brown!) voices at the forefront. (That isn’t just shown in the main characters’ designs but in some of the Baby Hares struggles to get recognized, too. And there’s still some somewhat short, but important discussion on how frequently Black femmes get their work stolen.)

In general, though, the characters were very fun. The Baby Hares’ back-and-forth whenever they’d go to gigs together or hang out felt pretty true to that 18-19 age range. The other characters were also entertaining, even those who appeared for very briefly had a lot of personality.

Also, the soundtrack included LITERALLY ON THE PAGES?? That was so cool! There was literally a punk or goth song chosen for different chapters depending on what was happening with the characters and story. I’m more familiar with goth than punk music, so those were what I recognized more, but I’m interested in finding out the nuances to the tone (and maybe even bits of music history, I think some band choices were location-relevant??) that were brought into the narrative.

And, on a slightly different branch of the soundtrack topic, this is one of the only times I haven’t minded seeing lyrics created for an in-universe band! They amplified the angst and anger of the main characters, Ariel especially, in the best way possible. The scenes of Baby Hares collaborating to make their songs were also super fun to read.

I really liked the characters themselves, too. They were messy but all of their problems felt very real, especially in the kind of awkward time frame between highschool and college. Some of the ways the main trio would end up arguing would annoy me sometimes, tbh, but that kind of conflict and misunderstanding is pretty common in teens/young adults, and because of the bond they have with each other, it wasn’t something that broke their friendship.

(Also, I’ll admit that I spotted Clyde’s red flags pretty quickly, but that’s probably because I’m an outsider and not someone in Ariel’s shoes.)

The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is because the ending was a little ridiculous, and there was a line or two that didn’t sit right with me (…Ariel being embarrassed by their mom, and saying “I’m disassociating” as a little one-liner thing☠️). But. I’m surprised this isn’t talked about very much? I can’t even remember where I first discovered it on booksta but it was in literally just one post. Might’ve even just been something by the author?? My point is, this was too charming and creative of a graphic novel for this to slip under the radar.

[Terence H · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the summer after senior year of high school, and a trio of friends (who are also a punk rock band called Baby Hares) are faced with the dilemma of young adulthood: with more freedom comes more responsibility and more decisions to make. For Ariel, the guitarist & lead singer of Baby Hares, this means figuring out whether (and how) to continue their education, how their bandmates'/best friends' own life changes affect Ariel and the future of the band, and whether it might be time to let a brand new relationship lead Ariel to what's next....

Punk Rock Karaoke sees Ariel through very real conflicts and insecurities--both personal and societal--, but they're explored with a humor and a tenderness that keep the tone from getting too heavy.

And of course I have to mention the art: The character illustration is expressive and dynamic, and the backgrounds are FULL of little details that really reward a close look: recurring characters and iconography, loads of music and film references, and even some special Easter eggs for folks from the south suburbs of Chicago! The coloring is also bold and varied, impressively rendering the effects of day/night, exteriors/interiors, and even rave club lighting. (No exaggeration, there were multiple points during my read where I thought, "I'd love a print of this page/panel to frame and hang on my wall!")

Overall this is a quirky, heartfelt, and visually affecting graphic novel that reminds the reader that you can't always control what changes and challenges come your way--but that if you have a community to rely on, you'll be able to make it through... and to ROCK ON!! (Couldn't resist that one 😜)