Vacancy

Vacancy #1

by Jen Lee

In a disheveled and ransacked backyard, a dog named Simon has been forgotten by his owners. Simon breaks free and partners with a raccoon and a deer who take him into the woods. But Simon realizes he is not quite ready to live in the wild. And in the abandoned areas of the town strange things begin to happen. . . .

Vacancy explores the ways that animals think; how they internalize their changing environment and express their thoughts, fears, or excitement.

Jen Lee currently freelances in a farmhouse in Idaho. Her clients include Drop Dead Clothing, Burton, Boom! Studios, and Nickelodeon.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Animals, Young Adult, Dystopia, Dogs

24 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2015

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first stab at Garbage Night in the same way that first time directors often make short films that they use to raise money to turn it into a feature film. All the humans have left town leaving the animals to fend for themselves. At one point, there's a Quarantine Zone sign on the wall so maybe the humans didn't leave by choice. Anyway, this is a few days in the life of three animals left behind.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story in a series from Jen Lee that features Simon, a dog; Cliff, a raccoon, and Reynard, a deer, who are three friends inhabiting a dystopian landscape, possibly devoid of humans, too early to say, but definitely the town they are in is abandoned. In the second story, Garbage Time, which I read first and wrote more about, there are still no humans. The vibe is a little frightening, as violence threatens and finding food is a desperate need. Very little happens, but the cartooning is great.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is called a short story graphic novel. I didn't know what to expect.

This gave me the chills and creeped me out. It looks like something happened to civilization and now pets/people seem to be living in the ruins of society. There wasn't much point here accept stay in your safe zone. There is a dog, a raccoon and a deer. They walk through a wood filled with a gang of wolves. it's a simple story that really gave me the creeps in a way other things haven't.

This was interesting.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird, gentle little post-apocalyptic(?) story about an abandoned dog trying to decide whether or not to run away to the wild. Good writing and absolutely gorgeous artwork.

I've heard people talking up Jen Lee's stuff a lot lately and this made a VERY good first impression.

[Holly Letson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank Nobrow for giving me the chance to read-and-review this short GN.
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This is a story about 3 animals from the suburbs that want to make it on their own in the pred(ator)-filled woods. But, even though they try, they can't. The preds are too much for them. Luckily, the preds are as scared of the suburbs as the suburbian animals are of them.

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jen Lee's short, powerful comic, an entry in Nobrow's short format series intended to introduce audiences to new comic talent from throughout the world in quick, easily read bits, defies easy categorization and description. Lee's art is colorful and detailed, bringing her menacing yet cartoonish world and its animals dressed as punkish kids to life.

Set in a rundown, post apocalyptic suburban and wild landscape, Vacancy follows a young, reluctant dog who teams up with a pair of vagrant animals, a raccoon and a deer, to do some exploring in the woods for lack of food or anything better to do. There, they just manage to escape from a roving gang of stylish coyotes. In such short format, it was amazing how much story was packed in there, and I'm totally interested in looking at more of Jen Lee's work on her webcomic Thunderpaw, which seems to be connected to the setting in Vacancy. The anthropomorphic character and their style and dialogue really fascinated me, and I wonder how this relates to our generations today with our fears of a deteriorating natural environment and our place therein (or am I reading to much into a fun comic?) After all, life can be pretty wild for many of us as we set out into a complex world and encounter other new dangers.

[leynes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't blew my mind. It's about an adventure of a dog who is used to being fed and having a roof over his head and then one day decides that he needs an adventure... he soon figures out that he's not tough enough for the rough wood and wants to find his way back home...

the art style also wasn't that good

[Chris - Quarter Press Editor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I happened upon Jen Lee via her web comic THUNDERPAW and instantly fell in love with her art and tone, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this gorgeous little book.

Once again, Nobrow has done the artist good by producing a wonderful and lovely little book, for an extremely reasonable price--given the production value.

All around this is fantastic, as the art is the showpiece for the start of a deeper story. VACANCY feels as if it's in the same world as THUNDERPAW but, unfortunately, doesn't have the time and space to become quite as developed as the latter. I can see how this might leave readers wanting a bit more from the world and characters, that this doesn't quite work on its own. I can agree with that argument, but at the same time, this does tell a complete story--even if it does leave you wanting more. (From what I've heard, she's working on a sequel.)

In all, this book is $5.95 or less, and it's well worth that price tag for anyone who enjoys interesting art and somber stories.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun, beautifully illustrated little comic about a lil nerd pup hanging out with what he thinks are woodsy tuffs. They're actually also weird lil goofballs and they have a zany adventure in a human-less wasteland. I love the Nobrow 17 x 23 project because this super short format is really fun and versatile.

[Lauracio · Rating 4 out of 5]

In un mondo post-apocalittico, un cane (antropomorfo) lascia il rifugio per unirsi a un procione e ad un cervo che vivono nel bosco, ma dovranno insieme fare i conti con i pericoli della "libertà". Una storia brevissima ma affascinante, "gentile" con un sottofondo piuttosto amaro. Amo i disegni.

[Derek Royal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting short comic, part of Nobrow's impressive 17x23 series. We reviewed this as part of our May 27th episode of The Comics Alternative: http://comicsalternative.com/episode-....

[Kate M T · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the illustrations and mood set in the graphics novel. Great idea 👌 about animal left alone and his struggle with food.

[kaitlphere · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was mostly a bummer. The people the protagonist wants to meet turn out to be bullies and even his new friends aren't very nice. Then he returns to town and it's completely destroyed and empty. I feel like I was meant to feel glad he was back home, but I just felt bad for him. If his new friends stayed with him, that wasn't clear by the last page.

[♥Sabulous ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the graphics but I wish that they could go into how everything (the world) got the way it did..

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dog named Simon was abandoned in the back yard of his house when his owners left, but he meets two wild animals who agree to take him with them through the forest.

This book is so incredibly hipster. The main characters are suburban hipsters (that includes the "wild" raccoon and deer) who basically go out into the woods, get chased by scary wild wolves, and then run back home to suburbia. I liked the way the book talks about abandoned pets, and how they're not equipped to live in the wild, or live on their own. I also liked how tough Simon thought he was, but how he was actually a big softie. What I didn't like is that I felt like not much really happened, and the characters were extremely flat (this was probably due at least in part to the brevity of the book).

I was the wrong audience for this book, but I'd recommend this book to anyone who finds the cover art appealing. If you like this type of art, I think you're the kind of person Vacancy is intended for.

[Rosalynde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet story of a forgotten dog looking for his pack. Looking to learn the ways of the wild, he teams up with two seemingly worldly types; a raccoon and a deer. Together they explore the wildest parts of the wild, each looking for their place in the world.
As in traditional Nobrow 17x23 format, this is just a short story, but it's one that I'd like to see extended. Jen Lee has a new follower.

[Ryan Hupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of inconsequential, but that's the point of Nobrow's 17x23 series- to act as a starting point for larger projects. I hope Lee continues with this; the aesthetic is a little too easily pegged as "mid-2010s Tumblr" (there's a lot of Emily Partridge in her designs) but the execution, especially her use of color and background/environment design, is beautiful, and the actual comic storytelling is first-rate. Even if she doesn't follow this up, I'm interested to see what she releases next.

[Michael Rank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vacancy is an adorably drawn book set in a post-apocalyptic world about a dog forgotten in a yard who wants to leave for the woods. What's nice is the book doesn't focus on it being a post-apocalypse world, instead just treating it like a normal world these animals live in. However, the story is slight and there's nothing to really grab onto in the story to make you connect with it in any meaningful way.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me Vacancy was like a weird dystopian dream. Cool! I really liked the art but then again I like most art having grown up around it. As my father left his paintings on our living room walls and my brother loved anime and he drew things himself, I did too.

check my blog for full review.
http://bookishisland.blogspot.com/201...

[Nicole Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun and beautifully illustrated.
I picked this up at ELCAF on the weekend and it didn't disappoint (though I do wish it were longer). I really like this new series Nobrow is doing which encourages new graphic artists breaking into the comics publishing scene and I'm really looking forward to either a continuation of this story or just more work from Jen Lee in general.

[Kayla Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Edelweiss and Nobrow press in exchange for my review. I really liked the story line of this comic but the graphics did fall short for me.

Want to know the rest of my thoughts on this graphic novel? Detour over to my blog for a sec >>> http://poeticbutterflyreview.blogspot...

[Amy Brack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for the 2015 Reading Challenge "A book with non-human characters" category.

I didn't find the story particularly engaging, and I didn't like the art style. Admittedly I don't read many graphic novels, so it's not really my bag.

[Gerardo Rodríguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Podría leer y hojear Vacancy todo el día. El arte de Jen Lee es bellísimo y deja claro que no necesitas situaciones extraordinarias para contar historias extraordinarias. Además, Simon es mi animal tótem.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know if I needed to read other books in the series to understand what was going on in this story or what. I just didn’t get it at all. I didn’t know anything about the characters or why the conflict was what it was. I’m mystified.

[Grg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually hate raccoons but this one is (accurately) portrayed at a jerk and wears a cute little backpack, so it's okay.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, somewhat creepy little story. Really cool illustration style.

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed with the illustrations or storytelling.

[Ksenia]

A cute story about finding out where you belong.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet and enjoyable, but not much more.