Super Trash Clash

by Edgar Camacho

Nostalgia for the world’s worst video game brings a girl back to her childhood in an action-packed indie graphic novel about friendship, family, and three-hit combos.

It’s an age-old for her birthday, Dul wanted the hottest new video game, but her mom accidentally bought her Super Trash Clash —one of the worst games ever made.

Years later, when an older Dul finds a cartridge in a vintage store, memories come flooding simpler times when she could disappear into electronic worlds or spend hours battling with friends and enemies, and the love and sacrifices that bound her family together.

This vivid and action-packed graphic novel from Mexican rising star Edgar Camacho is a heartwarming reflection on what gaming means to kids, crammed full of Easter eggs and tributes to the games that shaped our culture.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2022

Reviews

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super Trash Cash is the perfect graphic novel for anybody who loves video game nostalgia. This series has many other core elements, such as friendship, familial bonds, and why we hold so tightly to the things we cherish as children.

I didn't know what to expect going into this graphic novel. Mostly, the artwork caught my attention, but the plot quickly became the show's star. Interestingly, this story ends up hitting hard emotionally. I feel like this is the tone many coming-of-age or reflective stories try to nail but miss. However, Super Trash Cash did it perfectly, with the side of a hilarious title to boot.

Overall, I enjoyed this relatively quick and emotional read, and I highly recommend it to anyone else.

Thanks to Top Shelf Productions and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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[Jenn Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Trash Clash is a Korean comic translated. It is the story of a young girl who wants a video game but knows that mom can't afford it. The story is adorable and so sweet. I love the art because it has that childlike feel to it that is perfect for the story. Everything has soft edges. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book. I called my comic shop to make sure they had copies in. This is going to be a reread.

5 stars.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so sweet! Super cute, fun, and nostalgic. I wanted to reread it as soon as I finished it!

[Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect to get teary eyed over a 96-page graphic novel about a 90's fighting game, but here we are.

Edgar Camacho's Super Trash Clash is adorable in every way. The drawings are peak 1990s energy with a bit of Adventure Time flair, the story is both entertaining and tear-jerking, and the characters feel so real and flawed you can easily self-insert. My only disappointment is that the story is really quite short at only 96 pages, and I read it in under half an hour.

Immediately after finishing this I went to find out what else Camacho had written/illustrated, and I'm very excited to see what he puts out next.

My thanks to Edgar Camacho, IDW Publishing, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute graphic novel about a girl that wants a certain video game for her birthday. Her mom works really hard to get her that game but on her birthday when she opens the present, she finds out that her mom got her the wrong game. So she trades the game. Then she feels guilty and tries to get the game back - which is the plot of the book! It's really sweet and the artwork is great. Overall, a great graphic novel.

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was seriously cute and wholesome. Great nostalgia for video game fans or anyone who appreciates the sacrifices of a single mom. c:

[Sneha Jaiswal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic & super cute! For pre-internet era kids.

Anybody who's ever played cartridge games before CDs and internet swept them over, would love this graphic novel.
Edgar Camacho spins a colorful, retro world where Dul, a young girl reminisces about the time her mom bought her an awfully rated game as a surprise. The gift leads to a lot of adventures with her best-friend and a heartfelt lesson.
The first few pages of this book don't even have dialogues, but Edgar's bold art joyously captures the thrills of playing a video game as a kid. Total fun!

[Tori (alwaysbookphoenix) Kisamore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Do you have that one special thing that was a gift that just triggers a memory that you love so dearly? Well that is what this graphic novel depicts. It was cute and fun but I could have used a little more story. It was a simple conflict and resolution but it was a heartfelt tale made with love.

[Alfredo Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in about ten minutes after it came across my desk at the library, and was so glad for it! Such a sweet, cute, heartfelt little story with early 90's Nintendo games at its center. I knew from the vibe that it was a Latine story even before I confirmed it, because it had a very specific air that was familiar to me--the chores, the expectations and relationship with Mexicano parents at the start of the video game console era. I didn't expect by the end of it to be misty-eyed by the end of it!

Nothing like a single bite story that leaves a big warm smile on my face at the end of a long workweek.

[Amy Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each panel within the graphic novel was well illustrated. Thso would be a perfect graohoc novel for those with lower readings levels who are interestedbin vodeo games.
I enjoyed Dul's character of a latch key kid using video games to raise her as many of my generation had a similsr youth. The fact that there was a clear lesson to be learnt made it seem like this wS an ultimate new fable. Perhaps this would be a good novel to slip into teaching Aesop's fable.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and not anyone else's.

[The Library's Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super Trash Clash is a graphic novel with much more depth behind the story than the title and cover would have you believe! Its a lovely homage to the nostalgia of times passed and how certain items/gifts from people we love can hold so much emotion and specialness to them! STC really encompasses how even the smallest of things, things we maybe don't even like in the moment, can end up being so important to us later in life because of its origin. I really enjoyed this one, it was touching with very pleasing art. Definitely one to recommend!

[Niche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone set us up the feels

Ow, this was so many hits to the feels. Videogame loving only child of a single working mother who would give them the world though she could never afford it, feeling very seen right now. It's pretty quick and I'd say if it misses the mark for you, you may find it saccharine and contrived. As for me, I can only assume Mr Camacho secretly enjoys watching me try not to cry.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a short, sweet graphic novel. I love how it fit so much heart into its story - the dynamic between our main and her mom was wonderful, and I thought it was a lovely story. It was really well done, and I thought the art was right up my alley as well!

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet coming-of-age story overflowing with a nostalgic pastiche of sensory details that should be pleasantly familiar to anyone who played SNES in the early 90s. Thankfully those references are used to add specific flavor and not the main course themselves; think more Scott Pilgrim than Ready Player One.

[Ellie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet. This was so relatable and stressful but meaningful at the same time. I don’t want to say too much because it is only 100 pages, but it captures that nostalgic gaming goodness that many of us share from childhood. 10/10

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure nostalgia for the days when you rarely got a new video game and sometimes that game was truly a dud. At that point you really had no other choice than to just make the most of if and do your best to beat it.

[Ricky Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really fun. Definitely hit all the 90s gaming nostalgia. I'm usually not into overt nostalgia but I'm a sucker for gaming nostalgia I'll admit. The art was great, so expressive! I would have loved this to be longer and explore the characters a bit more.

[Ericka ☾⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute 🥺

[Allyson Rr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the art style and the story had me reminiscing over early childhood experiences I had with gaming. Super sweet story

[Pturingan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It'll make you laugh, it'll stress you out, and it'll warm your heart. It'll do it all in only 96 pages, but it'll be worth it. Read this comic!

[David Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly about the ordeal of trading video games as a kid. A quick, nostalgic read. I loved the art.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, short read with a lot of heart and a fun style.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is so cute and super nostalgic, even if you're like me and not super into video games.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not where I expected the story to go, but it was good.

[Stefanie McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to feel the feels with this one! quick and fun read. Brought back a few memories for me. ❤️😁

[Fiore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, somewhere around 3.5 stars. The feelings are there but it could have done with a little more time fleshing everything out. Still, the art is charming and I enjoyed the fun journey of understanding why something like a terrible game becomes so much more with the heft of memories.