Lola XOXO: Wasteland Madam, Volume 1

Lola XOXO: Wasteland Madam #1-4

by Vince Hernandez, Siya Oum (Artist)

She was once a woman with a promising future and the love of her life by her side. But, following the nuclear holocaust that eviscerated the city of Chicago, the "Wasteland Madam" has evolved into a ruthless leader, responsible for protecting a band of survivors from the threat of annihilation. However, that's easier said thandone in the Wasteland-where the law of the land is enforced by blood!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED Lola XOXO when I read it. So it's not shocking that I would read this little side story that takes place in the same world. While I was sad that Lola wasn't in it, I did like getting to see how other people handled what happened.

In this spin-off, we meet Maddie who went through literal hell when the world ended. Her story was just heartbreaking and I was really rooting for her to survive and take control. Some of her decisions were a little out there, but you can really see how she's adapted to her environment and learned from her past mistakes.

I really hope that Siya continues to write in this world because I just an loving it. And I need more Lola in my life.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oum's semi-apocalyptic world comes alive with yet another chapter profiling yet another curiously disaffected populace whose last-ditch effort to preserve what remains of their humanity, invariably, demands of them to descend to questionably sub-human levels. LOLA XOXO: WASTELAND MADAM isn't a particularly compelling book but it is mildly entertaining. The story's organization and pacing leave much to be desired; however, Oum's art still astounds, and the comic's lessons-learned, though not overbearing, are good.

To begin, through a somewhat inextricably inexplicable series of circumstances, Chicago is nuked (?), the series lead Madeline witnesses the event firsthand and survives (?), and a band of renegades and bandits eke out a living having occupied an international airport a scant one year following the nuclear disaster (?). Setting aside the astonishingly impractical nature of living and working in a nuclear fallout zone, it's not a bad premise. . . .

WASTELAND MADAM is a very compressed story. Maddy's ragtag group is refurbishing a jetliner (?), while also defending their territory from a religious fanatic who happens to be the previous tenant of said semi-apocalyptic international airport. And so, setting aside the ludicrous nature of a random squad of thirty-something men assembling a fully functional airliner, it's not a bad premise. . . .

Whatever. The comic's real intrigue rests in the group's subsequent squabbling over Maddy's leadership capabilities and the likely/unlikely future that lies ahead. Everyone is eager to get out of town -- to fly somewhere, anywhere else -- but none of these goons are willing to step up and become the tip of the spear, so to speak.

The arrogance, violence, and deceit that follow provide an amusing if limited glimpse into the tribe-of-self mentality that permeates much of western survivalism. And while some of the means through which WASTELAND MADAM structures its character dynamics are debatable (e.g., Maddy is the book's only female character), the instinct toward factionalism says a lot about how people (men?), when pushed to the edge, tend to salivate over their own interests.

Structurally, the comic's first two chapters are fine, but things go downhill quickly thereafter. Time-skips, vignettes, and more lure readers into Maddy's past, then back to the present, then to somewhere else in the present (?), maybe, but "one day later," and so forth. Sometimes, the dislocation isn't even labeled, lending further confusion as to where/when things are supposedly occurring. Is Maddy talking about her regret in the past tense, the present tense, or simply in the past itself? Is she discussing dead bodies locally or somewhere else? It's hard to tell; there are a lot of dead bodies.

Oum's art remains the key attraction. The fourth and final chapter sees a dramatic change in the coloring style than the previous three-quarters of the book, but overall, fans of Oum's billowing (female) hair, textile design, and diversity of facial expressions will not be disappointed. WASTELAND MADAM feels rushed, based on the second half of the book's four chapters, but it's not all bad. . . .

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent followup to the original, this time involving another young woman affected by the nuclear holocaust in the midwest. Maddy, after losing her lover to the affects of radiation poisoning, becomes the leader of a group of survivalists. Well written with the most awesome illustrations. Highly recommended.

[Jeannette Michelsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Egh it was okay. The story was kind of bland. The art though, the art was what kept me going it was absolutely stunning.

[Pam Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is set in the same universe as Lola XOXO, but focuses on a different group of people, and their struggles to survive.