Eat the Rich

Eat the Rich #1-5

by Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak (Illustrator), Roman Titov (Illustrator)

What unspeakable horror eats away at the heart of Crestfall Bluffs?

With law school and her whole life ahead of her, Joey plans to summer with her boyfriend Astor in his seemingly perfect hometown of Crestfall Bluffs.

It's a chance to finally meet Astor's family and childhood friends, all while enjoying a vacation with every need attended to by servants.

But beneath the affluent perfection lies a dark, deadly rot... will Joey discover the truth before it's too late, and if she does, can she survive to tell the tale?

Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Graphic Novels Comics

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2021

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like a horror movie Blumhouse would put out. The title pretty much gives away the plot.
Joey is headed to meet her rich boyfriend's family for the summer. This island is full of one percenters and Joey is struggling to fit in. Then they go to a retirement part where she sees something horrific. Now she has a choice to make...

The ending was really rushed, as if Boom pulled the plug during the final issue. I thought the art was OK. Some of the close up shots were hard to make out. The coloring was just alright.

[A.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

File this one under the “I enjoyed this immensly up until the final issue”, which sadly looks like a trend among a lot of indie books I’ve read this year. This one does have a really sweet love story at the center that I enjoyed, but the last few pages of this book completely “jump the shark” as one would say.

The ending is rushed as fuck, way too on the nose, and it just doesn’t stick the landing in the way the writer wanted it to. It sucks too because with a title like the one this had, I went into this expecting some hot ass garbage from your average twitter user, but color me surprised when I got 4 genuinely great horror issues before a letdown of a finale. Cool concept, sadly shoddy execution. My girlfriend LOVED it though, so hey, maybe you will too! This just wasn’t for me at all honestly.

[Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé]

Really bloody story about the greed of the 1% kind of like squid game

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eat the Rich follows a young woman meeting her extremely wealthy boyfriend's family for the first time, and immediately being thrust into some pretty shocking scenarios with a bunch of creepy, rich assholes. I liked the general premise of this storyline alright, but it wasn't doing anything for me in execution. I feel like Eat the Rich is one of those rare cases where I really didn't care for a book, but I can't possibly explain why (which makes this a pretty crummy "not really a review" review, so I apologize for that). Between the writing coming off as odd and stilted, the characters feeling flat, and the art not belonging to any styles I particularly enjoy, nothing about Eat the Rich worked for me and I don't believe I'll continue the series.

✨ Content warnings for: rich assholes being assholes, murder of hired helpers, and implied cannibalism

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[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joey is off to meet her boyfriend's parents for the first time, and she's dreading it. First of all, they're super-rich; like, owning-Congressman-and-Titans-of-Industry rich. She isn't sure she can measure up.

No worries, though, because when she gets to their super-rich community on an island, she discovers that there are far worse things than being super-rich, such as being super-rich cannibals. Like, literal eating-people-in-a-much-lower-income-bracket cannibals.

Best-selling and award-winning horror/sci-fi author Sarah Gailey's "Eat the Rich" is a deliciously clever and gory look at classism in this country. Jonathon Swift would love this...

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an over-the-top, gruesome, funny, anti-capitalism, queer graphic novel that I enjoyed from beginning to end. In just a few pages, I completely fell for Petal, who wears a “Loud and Queer” t-shirt and assures Joey that yes, she knows how awesome she is. I think I can safely say that if you like the title and cover, you’ll love this book, and it’s such a fun one-sitting Halloween read.

Full review at the Lesbrary.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Individual issue reviews: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5

Total review score: 2.55 but I'm rounding down because the ending was bad and rushed.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A half-baked high-concept book where wealthy people literally eat their servants with their servants' consent. Full benefits and health insurance come at a high cost now, you see, but the revolution is coming, you know. I dig the sentiment, but was bored by the silliness of the execution.

[Ostrava · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rushed and a bit on the nose. Should have been longer but I wonder if its briefness played a role in my overall tolerance. Would not recommend, sadly.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of just telling a story the desire to be of so clever and 'say big things' gets in the way.
A better tale is told when politics is left behind.

[Daijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

actual rating: 4.5/5 stars

i lovedddddd the commentary in this one so much but i didn't love the art style which is why it was not a 5 star for me but everything else i adored and i HIGHLY recommend it!

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eat the Rich collects issues 1-5 of the BOOM! Studios series written by Sarah Gailey, illustrated by Pius Bak, and colored by Roman Titov.

Joey has decided to travel with her boyfriend to his family home in Crestfallen Bluffs to meet his parents and spend the summer. As Joey gets acclimated to the coastal community, she learns of the horrifying traditions of the rich and powerful.

I loved this book! I think it would make a great campy horror movie. It seems a lot of people were expecting something deeper, but I really enjoyed the story told. The book is an extremely quick read and I wish it had one more issue to flesh itself out just a bit more, but at the same time, I liked how the book didn’t drag itself out with a lot of repetitive scenes and needless exposition. The art is sharp and vibrant and does a fantastic job of adding to the tone and atmosphere of the world. If you like a good blood-spatter filled book, this comic is for you!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

C/W:blood, gore, alcoholism, cannibalism

Eat the Rich was everything I could hope for from a Sarah Gailey read -- insightful social commentary, excellent queer rep, complex female characters, and a story that hooks you from the very beginning. This was a dark, gory read that was highly enjoyable.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gailey took the leftist joke about eating the rich, and made it literal. It was a disgusting, horrifying delight to read.

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about a HOOK

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, but not as good as I was hoping it would be?

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this graphic novel a woman goes to meet her rich boyfriend’s family and shit goes down. The almost pop art style was great and I think it went well with the story. Highly recommend this really great horror graphic novel!

[Bri Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one! It was creepy but funny and had a fun ending. The romance came a bit out of left field to me, but overall I felt like the story was complete, which I usually don't feel with comics.

[Mery ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5

Ok, I'm intrigued! Expected cannibalism. Was not disappointed. Who knew?

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
it’s very… rushed and surface level? but it’s okay. enjoyable. queer.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what this series is about but picked it up because I like Boom! Studios, and the title and cover were interesting. My cover looks very different from this one and much more unclear about genre. However, once I started reading, I got invested in the characters and the storyline. By the end, I was fully into it, curious, and shocked. What?! THAT’S where this was going?! I had to reread the whole issue, and everything came together even more. I can’t wait to read #2!!

[iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

wtf was that? literally repulsive it was soo good

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

[Naja · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly just kinda boring.

[Estibaliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5?

This certainly is a mix bag. There's really a lot of food for thought within the main plot and ideas behind it, with 'Eat the Rich' being such a gory metaphor of Capitalism, especially in the United States (where access to healthcare and other wellness programs and resources is not always easy, and unions are more the exception than the norm).

However, the execution is quite poor at times, with the first issues being much better in quality and pacing than the rushed conclusion provided by the final two. One almost gets that feeling of being watching a fine show that suddenly gets axed by the broadcasting company, so everything has to be quickly wrapped up without the proper development or the satisfactory ending that was once promised, but something that just seems to be there for shock value.

Still, quite fun and thought provoking...

[Jordan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bloody, heartfelt story.

[Dani Kass · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely shaking. this is as good as it gets. the horror. the cannibalism. the class war. the queer joy. the art. a new favorite.

[tati · Rating 3 out of 5]

lesbians x ready or not

so freaking fun and cool to read

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the work of director Jordan Peele, here we have over-the-top horror with a keen eye for social issues.

What if your desire for health care and education for yourself and your family meant paying the ultimate price to your wealthy employers? And how easy is it to go along with things you know are wrong in the name of conformity, status, and family harmony? Real-world issues we grapple with daily are taken to extreme ends in EAT THE RICH.

We have increasing numbers of people who are recognizing and articulating what’s broken in our society. The big question is, will that be enough to change it?

[Rebecca Crunden]

✬comic review✬

I had no idea Sarah Gailey wrote comics, but as soon as I saw this, I was curious! I'm so glad I gave it a go. Very intriguing start and I'm super interested to see where the series goes!