Long Hot Summer

by Eric Stephenson, Jamie McKelvie (Artist)

Alone amidst a crowd of Southern California mods obsessed with scooters, soul and style, nobody takes Ken seriously. He mooches everything from rides to cigarettes to meals -- usually from his best friend, Steve. But that's all about to change. Ken has just met the girl of his dreams. Too bad she only has eyes for Steve. It's going to be a long, hot summer.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Relationships

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2005

About the author

As Publisher for Image Comics, Eric Stephenson has helped foster the creator-owned projects of numerous bestselling writers and artists, including Robert Kirkman, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Kelly Sue DeConnick, and Brandon Graham, as well as a well-known pair of award magnets whose names rhyme with Frian and Biona. He is also the Eisner-nominated writer and co-creator of NOWHERE MEN and THEY'RE NOT LIKE US.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light read--which is both a compliment and a (slight) condemnation. A slice of the lives of some Mods in LA in 1988, it is certainly effective at establishing mood, time, characters etc., especially considering it's a black-and-white comic.

On the other hand, I just wanted something more. Some more resolution, some more story...something. And it was almost too quick a read. Perhaps I just read it the wrong time of year. I probably would've like it more if I was reading this outside in the summertime, and maybe with the lovwered expectations one often attaches to such reading.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done, but I’m at a point in my life where a story about young adult relationship drama just seems like a bunch of nonsense.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was something a little different to what I usually read. I'm enjoying getting to check out some indie comics, and this was no exception. I will say, it had positives and negatives for me, and overall I guess the story content (rather depressing) and artwork (reminds me of the art on CPR posters) combined to make it just an "ok" for me. I'd still recommend it to others, and would check out other work by these guys.

[Mark Pedigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this one as part of a Humble Bundle. It was a quick read, so why not give it a try.

If you’re friend is gaga over a girl, then it’s either hands off or you lose the friend. You can’t have it both ways. Silly, obvious story about a dude who makes all the wrong choices.

[Lia Mourie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t really care about any of the characters in this comic, in fact, I thought they were all assholes. The only reason I didn’t dnf it was because it was so short (and I hoped the ending would make the story better, it didn’t).

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it’s a quick read. Didn’t like the characters or the story line but for 30 minutes that it took me to read it, it was fine. Just very boring, not much sense and half of the book was a guy shouting or smoking cigarettes.

[Big Lad · Rating 2 out of 5]

unproduced Max Landis script

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eric Stephensonin ja Jamie McKelvien yhteistyön tuloksena syntynyt "Long Hot Summer"(Image Comics, 2005) on melko yhdentekevä kolmiodraama, joka sijoittuu eteläkalifornialaisten mod-nuorten piireihin. Ken tapaa unelmiensa tytön, joka kuitenkin tuntee enemmän vetoa hänen parasta ystäväänsä Steveä kohtaan.

Sarjakuvan henkilöt eivät ole kovin sympaattisia tai järin moniulotteisia, mikä söi tarinan kiinnostavuutta silmin nähden. Jokunen piste täytynee kuitenkin antaa sotkuisten ihmissuhteiden kuvauksesta, joka oli tavoittanut kyynisessä realismissaan jotakin tästä todellisesta maailmasta.

Jos käsikirjoitus ei tarjoa lukijalle kovin suuria elämyksiä, niin samaa voi sanoa myös visuaalisesta annista: piirrosjälki on melko staattista ja taustat ovat tylsän pelkistettyjä.

Lukeehan tämän kertaalleen, vaan tuskinpa enää uudestaan.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

While some people knock the fact that this is a quick read, or doesn't end wrapped up in a neat little package, those are two of the things I like best about this book. You can read it pretty much in one sitting, it has all the trappings of Mod culture, and it has the always-amazing artwork of Jamie McKelvie.

[Alarra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ooh, this was so bitter. All the characters are quite unlikeable, but they seemed quite realistic, and it stayed with me. Simple artwork, reminiscent of Tomine, but without the depth in the storytelling, nor as much emotional resonance.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on a train between New York City and Philadelphia, which was just about perfect. It's quick and light; the strongest part are the relationships, which are impressively complex given the brevity. The characters are also
beautifully drawn, literally and figuratively.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know. It wasn't bad but it wasn't much either. Thankfully it was a very quick read.

[Sally Kilpatrick]

Meh. Lots of characters to keep up with, and most of them aren't likable. Nice bookend opening and closing, but otherwise not my cup of tea.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty great art from Jamie McKelvie. A kind of boring, pointless story from Eric Stephenson.