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Unemployed Killers Support Group
For fans of Reservoir Dogs-style dark comedy and chaotic criminal camaraderie, a Noir-turned-manga.
Rio delivers stunning artwork, sharp wit, blood-soaked backstories, and a brutally offbeat take on redemption.
Unemployed Killers Support Group is a razor-sharp, darkly hilarious noir-esque manga from Taiwanese creator Rio, shortlisted at the 2023 Angoulême International Comics Festival. This is not your average self-help group.
Locker Loyed, once a deadly sniper, lost his vision - and his job - on a mission gone wrong. Now, he's joined an unlikely circle of former killers, each grappling with their own personal collapse. Among them: Gloria Maze, a meticulous assassin whose career imploded after catching her husband cheating and killing the mistress in a jealous rage; Jerry Cole, a justice obsessed lawyer turned bloodthirsty executioner; and Jordi Joe, a delusional con man who's never actually killed anyone.
As they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, Locker begins to realize his past isn't done with him. A dangerous figure - the one responsible for his blindness and a friend's death - is still at large. And revenge is still on the table.
For fans of dark comedy, crime thrillers, and twisted found family, Unemployed Killers Support Group is a bold, bloody, and brilliantly offbeat ride through the lives of society's most dangerous burnouts. Welcome to the group - check your conscience at the door.
Rio delivers stunning artwork, sharp wit, blood-soaked backstories, and a brutally offbeat take on redemption.
Unemployed Killers Support Group is a razor-sharp, darkly hilarious noir-esque manga from Taiwanese creator Rio, shortlisted at the 2023 Angoulême International Comics Festival. This is not your average self-help group.
Locker Loyed, once a deadly sniper, lost his vision - and his job - on a mission gone wrong. Now, he's joined an unlikely circle of former killers, each grappling with their own personal collapse. Among them: Gloria Maze, a meticulous assassin whose career imploded after catching her husband cheating and killing the mistress in a jealous rage; Jerry Cole, a justice obsessed lawyer turned bloodthirsty executioner; and Jordi Joe, a delusional con man who's never actually killed anyone.
As they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, Locker begins to realize his past isn't done with him. A dangerous figure - the one responsible for his blindness and a friend's death - is still at large. And revenge is still on the table.
For fans of dark comedy, crime thrillers, and twisted found family, Unemployed Killers Support Group is a bold, bloody, and brilliantly offbeat ride through the lives of society's most dangerous burnouts. Welcome to the group - check your conscience at the door.
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 21, 2026
About the author
Rio
102 books34 followers"Rio" is the national best-selling author of The Cocaine Princess Saga. The Cocaine Princess part one skyrocketed to #1 on the African American and Urban Bestsellers list within days of its release. That was quite an accomplishment for his first published novel. The Cocaine Princess 2 through 5 are also available. He spends his time writing and reading urban books to better his own writing. Rio's passion is to put his stamp on urban fiction and other genres one book at a time. He is now hard at work on Bulletface 5, his next novel. You can contact him on Facebook: Author Rio Terrell; email: rioauthor@gmail.com; Instagram: authorrio5; or follow on Twitter @authorrio.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 5, 2026
A charming enough little story that isn't quite able to break through its shell of irony and deliver the real pathos it needed to be great. But it's not bad!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
~
Unemployed Killers Support Group
by Rio
★★★★☆
256 Pages
I really enjoyed this! I thought I would, when I read the blurb, but it was actually much better than I'd hoped for. There was a mix of slice of life, a comedy of errors, and an assassin who is losing his sight quickly. It makes for a really interesting, amusing storyline that taps into how some of the most interesting stories in movies – the life of an assassin – can actually be really mundane.
Locker is going blind, after a job goes wrong. That much we know from the start, but the story actually evolves as the book progresses, until we find out that it's not actually that simple. The backstory slips in piece by piece, which kept me reading. The only negative was that there were quite a few small vignettes mixed into the main story that sometimes drew me out of the plot and were more of a distraction than anything else. Although they eventually tied together, it did slow the pace down.
Ultimately, the story had great bones and it worked really well as a single volume novel. I wish the formatting made it easier to read, but I liked so much about it that I would read the author again. I enjoyed the back stories of all the members of the support group. While the ending was a bit weird and sudden, it suited the wacky characters and all they'd been through.
Unfortunately, the formatting on Netgalley Shelf absolutely SUCKS! It splits two pages onto one, so it's really hard to read. I had to zoom in multiple times a page, which ruined the flow of the story, and made it progressively irritating to wade through what was actually a really good story.
Copy received through Netgalley
~
Unemployed Killers Support Group
by Rio
★★★★☆
256 Pages
I really enjoyed this! I thought I would, when I read the blurb, but it was actually much better than I'd hoped for. There was a mix of slice of life, a comedy of errors, and an assassin who is losing his sight quickly. It makes for a really interesting, amusing storyline that taps into how some of the most interesting stories in movies – the life of an assassin – can actually be really mundane.
Locker is going blind, after a job goes wrong. That much we know from the start, but the story actually evolves as the book progresses, until we find out that it's not actually that simple. The backstory slips in piece by piece, which kept me reading. The only negative was that there were quite a few small vignettes mixed into the main story that sometimes drew me out of the plot and were more of a distraction than anything else. Although they eventually tied together, it did slow the pace down.
Ultimately, the story had great bones and it worked really well as a single volume novel. I wish the formatting made it easier to read, but I liked so much about it that I would read the author again. I enjoyed the back stories of all the members of the support group. While the ending was a bit weird and sudden, it suited the wacky characters and all they'd been through.
Unfortunately, the formatting on Netgalley Shelf absolutely SUCKS! It splits two pages onto one, so it's really hard to read. I had to zoom in multiple times a page, which ruined the flow of the story, and made it progressively irritating to wade through what was actually a really good story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to Rio, Netgalley, and Titan Manga for a digital e-arc of this manga in exchange for an honest review.
I think this might be my first time reading a Taiwanese manga, and from Rio though from the looks of it they have been writing manga for some time now. The premise of this book is what sold me right from the get go - it's almost like Grady Hendrix's Final Girl Support Group but this time we are twisting the script and seeing things from the killer's perspective. The killers in question being retired hitmen and hitwomen who after losing their jobs are struggling. Our main character Looker, is a sniper whose last job went bad after he was attacked during it and is now losing his sight. We gradually find his backstory during this volume and I was surprised how emotionally invested I got not just in his story, but in the three other members of the support group also. Gradually throughout their stories interweave into Looker's plot and we find out exactly how human all four of these people are, despite their rather dehumanising jobs.
I think the art style really worked for this book, and I really liked that we had a woman of colour as one of the protagonists also - this book in general really deconstructed a lot of stereotypes of hitmen, and gripped me from start to end. I'm unsure if this is a standalone volume or a continuing series, as the ending does suggest there may be more to come but overall this was a mostly complete story in this volume.
I'd highly recommend this manga for anyone that has interest in the horror and action genre and honestly, anyone in between. The violence, whilst present, isn't gratuitous, and really this is just a very human story of four different people coming together and trying to help one another.
I think this might be my first time reading a Taiwanese manga, and from Rio though from the looks of it they have been writing manga for some time now. The premise of this book is what sold me right from the get go - it's almost like Grady Hendrix's Final Girl Support Group but this time we are twisting the script and seeing things from the killer's perspective. The killers in question being retired hitmen and hitwomen who after losing their jobs are struggling. Our main character Looker, is a sniper whose last job went bad after he was attacked during it and is now losing his sight. We gradually find his backstory during this volume and I was surprised how emotionally invested I got not just in his story, but in the three other members of the support group also. Gradually throughout their stories interweave into Looker's plot and we find out exactly how human all four of these people are, despite their rather dehumanising jobs.
I think the art style really worked for this book, and I really liked that we had a woman of colour as one of the protagonists also - this book in general really deconstructed a lot of stereotypes of hitmen, and gripped me from start to end. I'm unsure if this is a standalone volume or a continuing series, as the ending does suggest there may be more to come but overall this was a mostly complete story in this volume.
I'd highly recommend this manga for anyone that has interest in the horror and action genre and honestly, anyone in between. The violence, whilst present, isn't gratuitous, and really this is just a very human story of four different people coming together and trying to help one another.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
"No one said life was easy...but we all gotta find a reason to keep going, don't we?"
Rio's new manga begins with Locker, a nearly blind sniper who joins a support group for assassins after losing his job. Once known for being the most feared in their field, they are now known to hinder more than help in certain scenarios. One day at a restaurant Locker overhears someone talking and recognises them as the person that took his sight. This sets Locker on a path seeking revenge.
I liked the premise of this manga and couldn't wait to see how the story played out. What I enjoyed a lot was the dark humour. I liked how the fellow assassins first came to talk to each other within this group. There is that sense of they are not all as they seem. Finding out about their backgrounds was fun.
I really enjoyed the story, it's not only a mystery but also groups together an unusual bunch of characters that have a lot to bring from their past experiences.
Many thanks to @titanmanga for the copy.
Rio's new manga begins with Locker, a nearly blind sniper who joins a support group for assassins after losing his job. Once known for being the most feared in their field, they are now known to hinder more than help in certain scenarios. One day at a restaurant Locker overhears someone talking and recognises them as the person that took his sight. This sets Locker on a path seeking revenge.
I liked the premise of this manga and couldn't wait to see how the story played out. What I enjoyed a lot was the dark humour. I liked how the fellow assassins first came to talk to each other within this group. There is that sense of they are not all as they seem. Finding out about their backgrounds was fun.
I really enjoyed the story, it's not only a mystery but also groups together an unusual bunch of characters that have a lot to bring from their past experiences.
Many thanks to @titanmanga for the copy.
July 28, 2026
I honestly thought I would be giving 4 visible stars to this, but it just gets a 3.5 over all, mostly because I found the ending to be a bit lackluster, and way too abrupt... especially considering there is no follow-up, as far as I know.
The author, Rio, mentions at the end of the volume how they have 'always been deeply influenced by movies -especially westerns, gangster films, and dark comedies'. And that shows in this story, especially when it comes to the last two.
Balancing the comedy with some more sober and even dramatic content (especially when it comes to our main character, Locker), 'Unemployed Killers Support Group' ends up being a fun and entertaining read, where the heavy moments are not that heavy as one would expect... which is also probably why this manga didn't have the impact that it could have had, at least for me.
And that's because half of the characters are just made into supporting acts, in what seems to be yet another case of wasted potential. Finding a bit too many of those lately... *sigh*
The author, Rio, mentions at the end of the volume how they have 'always been deeply influenced by movies -especially westerns, gangster films, and dark comedies'. And that shows in this story, especially when it comes to the last two.
Balancing the comedy with some more sober and even dramatic content (especially when it comes to our main character, Locker), 'Unemployed Killers Support Group' ends up being a fun and entertaining read, where the heavy moments are not that heavy as one would expect... which is also probably why this manga didn't have the impact that it could have had, at least for me.
And that's because half of the characters are just made into supporting acts, in what seems to be yet another case of wasted potential. Finding a bit too many of those lately... *sigh*
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a unique concept! I loved everything about this graphic novel. Well, minus one little thing.
A sniper is losing his sight and is being forced into retirement. Their only suggestion to him is to join a support group. All of members of the group are former killers (they may want to define former). This graphic novel tells their stories.
The graphic novel is in black and white and has a quirky style of art. So even though you are seeing people being killed, it is never gory. And there is a scene that involves a nude female, but it is never graphic in nature. Some language.
The only thing that didn’t connect was the ending. In some ways, it was perfect for the writing style of this graphic novel. In other ways, it just felt flat.
I highly recommend this graphic novel.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
A sniper is losing his sight and is being forced into retirement. Their only suggestion to him is to join a support group. All of members of the group are former killers (they may want to define former). This graphic novel tells their stories.
The graphic novel is in black and white and has a quirky style of art. So even though you are seeing people being killed, it is never gory. And there is a scene that involves a nude female, but it is never graphic in nature. Some language.
The only thing that didn’t connect was the ending. In some ways, it was perfect for the writing style of this graphic novel. In other ways, it just felt flat.
I highly recommend this graphic novel.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
January 19, 2026
The premise caught my attention first, not just a man losing his sight, but a reluctant professional sniper being cut adrift only to wind up at a support group for unemployed killers. It’s a setting ripe for unconventional group dynamics and interactions, but that aspect felt lacking in this volume.
It’s quick paced and there’s some interactions between characters but it feels intermittent , there and done, before the story moves on. I’m hopeful that this would improve as the story progresses now that the introductions are complete. The plot similarly jumps around between flashbacks and the present day which can make events difficult to follow.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
It’s quick paced and there’s some interactions between characters but it feels intermittent , there and done, before the story moves on. I’m hopeful that this would improve as the story progresses now that the introductions are complete. The plot similarly jumps around between flashbacks and the present day which can make events difficult to follow.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An interesting noir manga surrounding a group of contract killers attending a support group after their ending of employment. A gritty crime manga with a solid storyline and a few stand out characters. Rio also manages to infuse humour throughout the book really well. Whilst not seeming like a traditional manga read, Rio stakes her claim in the arena as a top manga creator.
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May 7, 2026
I actually really loved this. Given the title, you would think it would be a more gore-filled book, but there was so much more depth in the characters and world-building; it was really well done! Also, the graphics and art style are so well done, and I really hope there is more to the series, given how the ending is.
Review copy provided by Titan Comics
Review copy provided by Titan Comics
April 23, 2026
What a fun and random find… i dont really understand the origin of this book but it’s pretty good and i say let it continue… maybe tighten up the artwork and writing a bit. Looking forward to more.
3.5✨👍🏽
3.5✨👍🏽
August 2, 2026
Amazing art - loved all the deep shadows and facial expressions. The story felt a little disorganized. Lots of characters, time hops, didn’t feel resolved at the end - but maybe that was the point. Life’s never perfect, we can have deep regrets, but we still have to find a reason to keep living.
August 30, 2026
An enjoyable read but it felt like a bit of a "nothing" story. Nothing much progressed, there wasn't much of an ending, not a great deal of character development, etc. Still enjoyed it, I just would have liked to have seen a bit more.
Review of advance copy
A banger.
April 28, 2026
This was so much more fun than I was expecting! I can’t wait to read the next one
May 19, 2026
Not bad. Four hitpeople attend a support group after it's all went wrong. Along the way, you find out how each of them came to no longer be hitmen.
June 1, 2026
Way better than I expected.
June 27, 2026
cute and fun!!
July 27, 2026
i fell in love with rio's style after seeing one of their short films... this one doesnt miss... the american aesthetic, fun characters, very slice of life and dark with a touch of humor
August 11, 2026
There's a lot of crying in this book. There should have been more therapy dogs.
August 25, 2026
I thought this was fun, if a little bit stilted. I think it would adapt to a limited series drama really well.
September 5, 2026
no please like- they’re just my friends
September 6, 2026
I love the visual storytelling in this, something about getting emotionally invested in psychopaths who are really quite terrible people must work for me.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews