Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Supermarket

Rate this book
Graphic novel by Brian Wood(DMZ)-Trade Paperback format.

104 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2006

2 people are currently reading
201 people want to read

About the author

Brian Wood

1,180 books964 followers
Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
78 (14%)
4 stars
158 (28%)
3 stars
236 (43%)
2 stars
66 (12%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
Profile Image for Anne.
64 reviews
January 13, 2016
Great artwork throughout and the story is fun and a little weird at times but I felt like it came to an end way too soon. Like there was more to the story.
Profile Image for Michelle E K.
778 reviews65 followers
October 10, 2025
I'm more of a manga person, so maybe I don't understand but this was not fleshed out enough to be interesting. It set up some big ideas and bam! Story over. Such a let down. Kinda sad my library doesn't have a better comic selection when it's already so small
Profile Image for agnes ୨୧.
86 reviews
December 19, 2023
oh i liked this a lot… very nice artwork and very interesting take on money and the economy. i really did not think i was going to enjoy this all that much but im really glad that i picked it up!
Profile Image for Skunk.
196 reviews
March 14, 2017
The art was great and the story was okay. I wish there was more to it though. There could have been more to the plot.
Profile Image for Gonzalo Oyanedel.
Author 23 books79 followers
May 2, 2015
Un conjunto de clichés muy vistos en el manga y la cinematografía de oriente, que sin embargo atrapa por la feroz narración y excelentes diálogos de Wood. Destaca también por sus grandes méritos gráficos e impresionante trabajo del color.
Profile Image for 47Time.
3,555 reviews95 followers
June 9, 2020
Damn, the main character is so critical of everything around her. The consumer market is shown in a negative light, just like impulse buys, customer manipulation, marketing cliches and the hunt for social status. Then there is urban decay, organized crime, forgettable touristic locations. In one scene the main character describes in surprising detail how regretful she is for soiling the plumbing in a high-class hotel. There are several funny points of view like that one throughout the comic. It's a brand of analytical thinking I have rarely encountered. The story is unrealistic, but it has its moments.

Pella Suzuki is the only daughter in one of the richest families in town. She has a job in a supermarket just to satisfy her curiosity about human behavior. She never shies away from manipulating customers into donating money for fictitious fundraisers. Her carefree life is turned on its head when she finds both her parents dead. She is sought by the Yakuza and the scantily-clad Swedes. With almost no money and no place to go to, Pella is basically screwed.

Profile Image for Cody.
81 reviews2 followers
December 9, 2022
So I read this a long time ago, and I remember it leaving me feeling very torn. I was very annoyed by it, but at the same time I was kind of into it. I came back and read it again recently to see if how it hit me now some 16 years later.

The art, is still fantastic in my mind. It's a blend of western comic and manga style, and with the color pallet it find it nothing short of beautify stunning. It's not all over the place, but I don't remember it being quite so gratuitous. There is no nudity, but there is some near nudity of the main character, who is supposed to be a 16 year old girl, so that will make some folks uncomfortable. But what they do show is tasteful and fitting for what they are showing, but did they need to show it, that's another question now isn't it. Also, the "Swedish Porno Gangs" are absolutely ridiculous, they make the Austin Powers fembots seem subtle. And while there isn't a ton of violence in the book, there is one particularly graphic image of a guy getting his face blown off. But all in all, the art is amazing and I'm going to look into more work from Kristian Donaldson in the near future.

The writing on the other hand... Well, it depends on how you look at it. I think it's authentic in it's characterization, and that is something to applaud. I wouldn't call the story a thrill ride, but it's not a snooze fest either. I think over all I'm less annoyed by it now, than I used to be. It's got a woke streak in it, but woke by 2006 standards. And, it's not so much preaching it at you, as it is giving some amount of substance to the main character. When I read it the first time, I remember loving the art, but hating the writing. Today, I find the writing mildly annoying, but not worthy of hate, and I still love the art. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age. Maybe I've become desensitized. Or maybe things have gotten so out of hand today, what once made me hate, almost seems quaint now.

If you can find a copy of the TPB, I say it's worth checking out, if just for the art alone.
Profile Image for Ev Riddile.
5 reviews
March 6, 2018
Supermarket is a graphic novel created by Brain Wood with artwork by Kristian Donaldson.

Story:
Supermarket is a four part miniseries that follows main protagonist Pella Suzuki in her adventure to figure out her parents past lives as gang members and earn her inheritance left behind. The story is fast paced to a point where the reader should be able to understand the storyline easily yet still be able to fit into the four parts. During her adventure, Pella runs into a young gang member named Beta. Beta plays as Pella's sidekick through the story and tries to help as much as he can. At one point it is shown that Pella has grown a romantic interest into Beta but the romance is portrayed very sloppy and is forced just to fit another character into the storyline. Beta's girlfriend, Marta, is a gang member just like Beta. Marta and Beta's conflict lies in the fact that their love is forbidden because they are of opposing gangs. The ending of Supermarket feels rushed as the main conflict of the gangs and inheritance only resolves itself within only five pages.

Art:
The artwork is utterly fantastic. It uses bright colors and jagged edges to look very unique from Brain Wood's other works. The city shown in the very beginning looks beautiful and the action scenes look like there is actually something going on.

Overall:
Not Brian Wood's best work, but far from being his worst. Kristian's art by itself is very intriguing and works well to set up the scenes.
Profile Image for Oliver Hodson.
577 reviews4 followers
January 2, 2018
This is a neat concept- the heir of two crime clans (the yakuza and the porn-swedes (not sure that they are real!) ) has been raised unawares of her heritage/destiny. Her parents are murdered and she tries to stay safe, find out what's going on, and win the day.

This story also involves futuristic elements, and it uses a few familiar elements (teen angst with self and parents) and a few high concept elements (porn-swedes being the chief example, but the strictly economically stratified city geography another) and brews gently around a fast paced chase story. It works well because the elements are not rammed together but kind of stir-fried through the story so it works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Michael.
3,424 reviews
March 23, 2018
Roller-coaster adventure story with some on-and-off consumerism commentary sprinkled throughout. Sometimes, the commentary is a little heavy-handed, but for the most part it works, possibly because Wood isn't afraid to have his protagonist display (and admit) her hypocrisy when it comes to criticizing consumerism and then consuming herself.

Great action by Kristian, and amazing color work. The storytelling is mostly strong. Definitely recommended.
75 reviews
February 3, 2018
I quite enjoyed the story, and I was going to give it three stars. Then I read the blurb on the back of the book and realised that the protagonist is only 16. She's shown in a shower at one point.
Profile Image for Burt.
296 reviews36 followers
July 4, 2017
Recently got this as a gift from a friend and read through it last night before bed. Brian Wood is a good author, and Steve had bought it for me as I had liked DMZ and Channel Zero. It's definitely a bit of a change from both.

It centers around a girl who is the child of a Capulet and Montague wedding arrangement. When they realized they were having a kid, they went underground and gave her a legacy that ends up getting her into a lot of trouble. The backdrop is the Supermarket - a city where the affluent and rich live and can spend tons of money on truly trivial commercial drivel. It's all of course run by a group of organized crime cartels, the two most prominent being the Yakuza and the Porno Swede Crime Family (Yes, that's NOT a typo. Porno. Swede) of which young Suzuki is born of both.

The art is highly stylized and by an artist who apparently has a pen name (I'm too lazy to grab the book and get the single name). The style is good. It uses color, but in a very single tone kind of way. Not too much brushwork, it's all kept fairly simple save for Yakuza tattoos and stylings.

The story is functional - a bit of a change for Wood. I got the impression that he had to cram a lot of stuff quickly into one title. This makes things over simplified in many ways. He got off to a good start with his usual indictment of popular culture, economy, and general teenage angstiness (appropriate as the protagonist, Suzuki, is only sixteen). However, once the action starts, the story gets simplified. There was one transition that was really rough, not transparent enough, but when you read it, it's obvious: this is a four comic project. Time was of the essence, some things had to be cut in order to make page count/budget/deadline.

Overall, it's not a bad read. I'd advise it for Wood readers and for those who like their art a little bit retro and a little bit punk.
Profile Image for Dani Shuping.
572 reviews42 followers
August 23, 2011
In a not too distant future economics rule the world. The haves and the have nots are bigger than ever before. Buying is a way of showing power. And the economy is governed by the Yakuza and Porno Swede crime families. One day Pella Suzuki is caught in the middle of the warring factions as they hunt for the fortune Pella is heir too. Pella must navigate her way through the City and avoid both factions who are coming for her. At the same time she must solve the clues to why her parents were murdered and the secrets they've left for her to discover.

The first thing that you notice when you open this book is the absolutely fantastic artwork by Kristian Donaldson. It's a a heavily manga influenced/pop art/modern feel to it that is quite unique. Kristian's art work fits the story perfectly conveying a futuristic/hedonistic type world where everything seems to move at sharp angles to each other. The colors really help set the mood of the story, darkening in the most tense moments, but mostly having a pale sketchy type feel. The story draws from elements of "Rome & Juliet" and "Bladerunner" to create a unique entertaining story that holds your attention and makes you want to know more.

Overall an excellent edition to anyone's bookshelf.

Profile Image for Online Eccentric Librarian.
3,421 reviews5 followers
July 24, 2014

More reviews at the Online Eccentric Librarian http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/


I enjoyed this right up until the last bit - when the story became far too rushed and ended with a quick, pat, and really rushed feeling anticlimactic ending.

The story is quite fun - an amalgamation of East and West pop culture with Yakuza gangs fighting the Swedish porn industry over a half Japanese/half Swedish spoiled bratty suburban teen.

There are several quirky and unexpected plot twists in there but at times the story and art (beautiful as it is) can be very hard to follow. I had to go back and reread several times to understand what was happening in the story. Honestly, I think the fault there lies more with the author than the artist. The transitioning was just weak and it felt like artist and author weren't communicating well.

Surprisingly, for a story set in the future, it feels very 1990s derivative of internet porn and Fast and the Furious. But it is still a fun, if quick, read with interesting art.
Profile Image for Nicholas Karpuk.
Author 4 books76 followers
July 20, 2009
One of the advantages of a graphic novel like this is it's ability to deliver a movie length visual story in a very economic amount of time.

The tale of a girl in the near future caught between the Yakuza and a Porno Swedish Mafia (less weird than it sounds) is breezy and likable with a protagonist who manages not to be a stereotypical heroine.

I'm always wondering about people with a preference for writing protagonists of the opposite sex. Sometimes I think it's writer/artists who just like drawing pretty girls (Sam Keith, Frank Miller) and sometimes it seems like an attempt to look enlightened (I'm looking at you, Joss Whedon). I still haven't placed Brian Wood, and that's kind of nice.

"Supermarket" is fun but inessential. The price tag is decent for a small graphic novel, so I don't feel disappointed, but it's no "DMZ", which you should go find a copy of right the hell now.
Profile Image for Aaron.
20 reviews3 followers
March 22, 2007
Pretty good coming-of-age tale about a mixed race teen learning her parents are former high-level members of the Yakuza and "Porno Swede" crime empires, all set in a hyper-capitalistic America of the near-future. The world and it's trappings (the most difficult part of creating good future/sci-fi) are well realized with Kristian's artwork, and his highly stylized inking leads to pretty rollicking if somewhat muddy action sequences. The whole thing still comes off as poorly planned, however, as certain set-up panels don't pay off, only Pella, our heroine, has a third dimension, and just when things start chugging along the whole thing wraps up as if the creators suddenly had other deadlines to take care of. A novella when it should have been a continuing series. Still fun though.
Profile Image for Fugo Feedback.
5,210 reviews175 followers
May 2, 2011
Diálogos geniales y dibujo más que bonito, con coloreado que suma muchos puntos extra. Por momentos me hizo acordar del Kill Your Boyfriend de Morrison y por otros (menos) a Ghost World. La cagada es que no llega a meterse tanto en la cabeza de la adolescente protagonista y deja un regustito a "Está bueno pero podría haber estado mejor". En cuanto al dibujo, enorme aliciente, lo que me molesta es lo mismo de la gran mayoría de dibujantes mainstream: la inexpresividad. No me creí mucho la tristeza de la chica cuando ve lo que le hicieron a sus padres. Tampoco el guion explica demasiado al respecto, pero supongoq ue esa era la idea. Lo bueno es que su lectura me terminó relajando anoche y tras finalizarla con una sonrisa pude conciliar el sueño de una maldita vez.
Profile Image for Artur Coelho.
2,630 reviews75 followers
April 7, 2012
A morte violenta dos pais leva uma jovem a mergulhar na distopia futurista da Cidade: paraíso neoliberal onde reina o dinheiro e o domínio de dois cartéis criminosos - a Yakuza e a mafia pornográfica sueca, é total. As desventuras da jovem rapariga às mãos dos criminosos despoletam o desmoronamento dos impérios do crime.

O conceito é interessante mas desenrola-se de forma previsível. Rapariga perde pais, foge dos vilões, encontra aliados inesperados, é apanhada pelos vilões, age corajosamente e provoca o colapso dos maus da fita. The end. Argumento formulaico quanto baste, e é na ilustração que este comic literalmente explode em cores vivas, semi-definidas, como um borrão de néon multicolor. Um regalo para os olhos.
Profile Image for Cassandra.
5 reviews
April 6, 2016
I really wanted to like this book. It had beautiful art that borrows just as much from European comics as Japanese comics with pleasantly muted colors that add a certain coolly stoic malaise to the art.
The art is where it stops being interesting. It isn't the weird sexual hangups, the plot's breakneck speed on a bridge to nowhere, or the unnecessarily uncomfortable and unsatisfying drama that makes this book suffer. The problem is that when you set out to make mindless fun, fun is the operative word.
This is a disappointing Hollywood film with a kick-ass trailer, enough flash for a couple minutes but not enough of anything to satisfy for much longer.
Profile Image for Martin.
19 reviews39 followers
February 25, 2009
Good but light.

I thought the artwork was great and the story has a nice quasi-realism to it that brought to mind elements of Snow Crash and a few other near-future scifi social satires. And while there are some real great quirky moments of personal emotion and some great leaps of imagination, the story telling is ultimately pretty thin. I was left not feeling dissapointed per se becuase it was a fun quick read but overall my reaction was more "well that was nice" than wow.
Profile Image for Andy.
Author 19 books153 followers
March 7, 2009
Great series about a spoiled Californian suburban brat who becomes the target of both the Yakuza and Swedish porno assassin girls. Brian Wood's writing is witty and clever all the way through but Kristian Donaldson's eye-popping artwork makes it come alive. His colors are vibrant and enhance what could have been an ordinary crime story. The ending was a little hard to believe, but barring that its a great book.
Profile Image for Mikael Kuoppala.
936 reviews36 followers
November 24, 2012
Brian Wood gives us a well paced and nicely drawn story of a near future where a supermarket salesperson discovers she has a somewhat unusual background.

"Supermarket" has a really interesting feel to it, and Wood even remembers to deliver some social commentary we've come to expect from him. Still, the plot is a bit too standard for my liking and the story is left on a too generic, by-the-book level. Cool looking, pleasant, but too forgettable to be anything exquisite.
Profile Image for  TheGriffinReads.
31 reviews9 followers
January 24, 2012
A short read with a complete story.
Donaldson's comic craft uses some unique elements to communicate action. His artwork reflects the overpowering commerciality of the city. I read the "cash money edition", four-issues collected, and it was beautiful. Color pallette, draftsmanship somewhere between Paul Pope's work and "Scott Pilgrim." Enjoy!
Profile Image for Chris.
47 reviews1 follower
October 25, 2012
Kristian Donaldson's art is a joy to behold in this book. The colors are incredible(!), garish and saturated yet perfectly balanced, the drawing is stylized in fun and interesting ways, and the ink work is lively with a nice, slashing sort of line.

The story is kind of a lightweight mafia thriller in a near-future with a few witty touches.

Pleasant enough to read, REALLY fun to look at.
Profile Image for Robert Davis.
765 reviews64 followers
January 16, 2014
The artwork by Kristian Donaldson is pretty cool, but the story itself is pretty juvenile. If the story had been stretched out and expanded, the characters more fleshed out, it could have been something special. A common perception is that a story for kids travels at a breakneck pace, and adult fiction proceeds more slowly. That is apparent in this effort.
Profile Image for Shannis McEwen.
277 reviews6 followers
June 6, 2014
This was an old favorite series that I never got to read the first issue of when it first came out. It recently occurred to me that I could, like, get the book! So glad I did. I could look at this artwork all day. And I love the story, and Pella, the main character. But seriously... the colors. The details. I love it all.
Profile Image for Michael.
386 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2015
8/10 (Really Good)

This is a really cool comic. The artwork in this book is simply amazing and the use of bright neon colors makes the story pop off the page! Speaking of the story, it's short but really solid. It's got a good flow and pace, fun and interesting characters and surprising depth for this short of a story. This book is another big win for Brian Wood and Kristian Donaldson.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews