This was occasionally difficult to follow as it seemed the author tried to do too much with not enough room or explanation. The art is gorgeous and I appreciated the diverse representation of the characters but the substance was lacking. Extra points for bi characters!

I love discovering new graphic novels and I requested this because the cover hooked my interest, plus I don't think never read a crime noir graphic novel/comic before! Bury the Lede was mostly what I anticipated it to be, although there were some elements that really grated on my nerves and that's what made me only give it three stars.

The artwork was fantastic--it was very noir, lent a dark, almost gothic, vibe and very much suited the storyline. The work reminded me a little of the older comics where the drawings and characters were a little bit on the 'rough' side and all the characters weren't perfectly lined and were drawn realistically. The character's expressions and traits were very strongly displayed throughout the story, and overall I thought the illustrator did a great job of bringing the setting and characters to life.

The storyline was also pretty interesting. I liked the murder mystery that Madison Jackson, our MC, investigates. I was certainly kept on my toes, racing through the story and following the breadcrumb trail to figure out what was happening. I was initially confused by what was being investigated and when it was fully explained at the end I thought there were a few plot holes/jumps that made the story unbelievable (or at least it left me scratching my head a little thinking about how unlikely it was). But it didn't take away too much from my enjoyment of the story. Another aspect that I thought was well done was the representation of POC and LGBTQ+ characters. The MC was Asian-American and the story had a nice diverse cast of characters. Many of the other characters that we are introduced to are also queer and I thought that it was well done.

The one major issue that I had was with the MC. Honestly, Madison Jackson was wholly unlikable. I know she's a reporter and she 'needs to be' ruthless to prove to everyone that she's not just some 'intern' at the Boston Lede. Well, she was definitely that! I don't think she had any redeeming qualities to her character! Every time I thought she was turning over a new leaf or at least showing a more compassionate and moral side to her character, she would go and mess that up when her true motivations were pretty quickly revealed. She was incredibly selfish and thought of no one but herself. She's the type of person who would happily step on others to get ahead and yeah, I didn't have a good time with her character. If the purpose was to create an incredibly unlikable character, the authors really succeeded in doing that, but I found that my frustration with and almost total dislike of her took away from my enjoyment of the story. There are a few other characters that we meet in the story, such as the PD who helped her, her co-workers and also her brother and his fiancé, but we learn next to nothing about them. I thought it would've been interesting to learn more about Madison's backstory, especially with her family, but it probably would've taken the focus away from the murder mystery.

Overall, I'm still glad that I picked this up. I thought the storyline and the artwork were definitely it's strongest points and I really enjoyed the mystery and how it unfolded, despite my intense dislike of the main character. I think I would be interested in reading more from this author and checking out the illustrator's other works.

Thanks to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a dynamic novel. The LGBT representation was so naturally woven in that it became direct. The murder was more of a subplot than I expected, and the twist at the end was surprising. I loved the characters and the art and found it delightful.

Bury the Lede is a new graphic novel out in the wild, and it is a bitter crime noir graphic novel. Not exactly something you see every day (though it’d be nice if that changed). This story tells the darker side of reporting – what a reporter might have to go through in order to snag a story. And the burning wreckage they leave in their wake.
Madison T. Jackson just managed to snag herself an internship at The Boston Lede. All she really has to do to coast through the semester is support the full time reporters on staff. Or she could do what it takes to get some recognition.
Luckily for her, a murder and a missing child give her exactly the opportunity she needs to shine. But one should never expect a happy tale, not when the beginning is so dark and disturbing.

Bury the Lede was an exciting and different read. Madison’s journey is not your typical focus for a graphic novel, and that’s what made it so appealing. To be honest, I’d be thrilled to see more series like this pop out of the woodwork.
I honestly had to sit back and give myself a moment after finishing Bury the Lede. It was an intense read, and that’s no exaggeration. Madison saw and was told some pretty heinous stuff. Not to mention she (and her fellow reporters) went to great lengths to get the scoop. It’s the sort of journalism that most people like to pretend doesn’t exist.
The fake Boston Lede was pretty amusing, I must admit. Maybe I found it especially charming and funny because I’m native to the area. It also sort of reminded me of the Daily Bugle, in a way, which is very much appreciated. Also, bonus points for the name (and how the title took advantage of it).
This graphic novel is going to be perfect for fans of crime novels, for what I think is fairly obvious reasons. I personally found it to be a little dark and rushed at times, though on the whole I really did enjoy it. I imagine a crime fanatic would appreciate it even more.

Where Bury the Lede truly shined was in the artwork. I enjoyed Gary Dunn’s writing just fine. But I have to admit that I fell completely in love with Claire Roe and Miguel Muerto’s contributions to this project.
I’m especially fond of the color palette that was used. What can I say; I have a weakness for imagery that makes good use of shades of purple. The characters and their expressions were also portrayed in an interesting light.
And let’s not forget the overall tone of the artwork. This series practically screamed noir, but it did so without the stereotypical black and white feel. I absolutely adored all of the decision making behind the artwork. And for good reason, in my opinion.

I’m actually kind of hoping that we’ll be seeing more works like Bury the Lede in the future. And I certainly wouldn’t say no to seeing more of this creative team working together, either. They clearly have some potential.

While this is an interesting graphic novel in concept, the fact that I wanted to scream at the main character and her steep decline into being a complete jerk made it hard for me to actually like it. Also because of the heavy focus on the main character and her increasing self-centered actions, the mystery/murder part ended up feeling slightly muddled and vague.

I don't usually read graphic novels.

This story fast paced and dark. The characters are not always likeable but are interesting at. The end

Young inexperienced reporter quickly is in over her head with a murder story. She makes questionable choices to solve the murder. Falls in love at the blink of an eye, loses her naivety and grows a bit as a person.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this but pretty much every aspect of Bury the Lede was excellent -- great art, great character design, fast-moving and attention-grabbing plot, compelling descent of the protagonist from ambition to antiheroism. I'm not much into noir myself but I think the story would appeal to noir fans. I also don't know anything about journalism or murder investigations but the bullpen at the Boston Lede felt realistic. Madison is not someone you cheer for, exactly, but her growth over the course of the story is fascinating to watch.

I really enjoyed this noir-esque mystery featuring a rookie investigative reporter attempting to break into the big time. The art work was amazing. The pace was excellent and as a bonus, it was a fabulously queer story. Highly recommend.

This was suspenseful, intoxicating, queer, and incredibly fucked up; I loved every moment of it.
Bury the Lede is a contemporary graphic novel following Madison, a bisexual Asian-American intern at the newspaper Boston Lede, as she gets drawn into the investigation of a murder that will end up having political implications.

One of the first things to draw me to this book was the art. Stark and beautiful, with a lot of blues, purples, grays – it sets the dark atmosphere right from the beginning, and it’s dynamic and detailed without becoming overwhelming. I loved it before I started to love the story, which – I have to admit – took me a little to warm up to; there are a lot of names I needed to remember to be able to follow this, and during my first read I was somewhat confused (it was also late at night, because I needed to finish this, I needed to know the truth; I was confused but I could tell it was great). However, during my second reread I understood that this was one of the best graphic novels I had ever read.

Books like these remind me how often queer women in media aren’t allowed to be full, flawed human beings. Madison is all of these things, and so is her sometimes-lover Lexi, or the mysterious alleged murderer Dahlia, also queer like so many other side characters. They all choose to pursue what they believe is justice, and to do so, they do some incredibly unethical things. As Madison gets more and more entangled in the case, she finds herself breaking the law multiple times, using people with barely any remorse, and yet the story never treats her like a villain.

Books like Bury the Lede also remind me that portrayals of queer women as sexual beings that are neither predators nor meant to be entertainment for men are not as common as they should be, especially in graphic novels and outside of stories that are specifically meant to be romances. This isn’t in any way a romance, and I loved that about it – and it still has a sex scene between two women on the page, one that is explicit and drawn in a way that cemented my feeling that yes, this was really written with queer women in mind, and not heterosexual men (as most graphic portrayals of queer women are).
It’s a story that portrays queer women engaging in casual sex, having multiple partners, and it’s not fetishizing in the slightest.

I don’t know if this is meant to have a sequel, but I really hope it does; I want more. More from Madison but also from “Harold”, from Dahlia, even from the reporter of the Trombone.

A great mystery with a strong female lead and a gritty reality that ran throughout. The inclusive element of diverse sexuality was refreshing and well integrated to the story, I hope to read more sleuthing adventures starring Madison.

I didn't like this. I wasn't really sure what was going on at any point. The way the scenes were cut made it quite difficult to follow the plot. This graphic novel is also pretty graphic - the publisher does give that warning as well so it's worth bearing in mind for readers.

Bury the Lede is a quick read with a pretty art style, but there's nothing about the plot or the characters (apart from their diversity) that stood out from other comic books. I just wanted more from the story.

An interesting murder mystery that puts a young news reporter in the middle of a high profile case. Intern Madison is a little fish in a big pond as she works at the Boston Lede. When Dahlia Kennedy supposedly kills her husband and her son Madison gets the story of the century when Dahlia decides to confess to her. Or so she thinks, As she continues to speak with Dahlia she stars to uncover a much bigger controversy, the only questions is. Will she be the one to get the story.

«Bury the lede» es un cómic publicado en octubre de este año (2019, para los que escuchan desde el futuro) por BOOM! Studios. Está guionizado por Gaby Dunn, ilustrado por Claire Roe y coloreado por Miquel Muerto, y antes de pasar a hablar del cómic en sí vamos a repasar un poco la biografía de esta gente.
Gaby Dunn es un escritora, periodista, humorista y activista LGBTQ estadounidense que ha escrito para medios como el New York Times, Cosmopolitan o Boston Globe. Es la creadora de una podcast llamado, «Bad with Money with Gaby Dunn», que ha sido adaptado a un libro homónimo este año. En 2017 copublicó una novela juvenil llamada «I Hate Everyone But You», y su secuela «Please Send Help» ha sido publicada en 2019.
Claire Roe es una artista escocesa egresada en 2013 del Duncan of Jordonstone College of Art donde estudio animación. Desde entonces ha estado trabajando para Vertido, DC y BOOM! Studios entre otros, en títulos como «Wonder Woman», «Batgirl» o «Welcome back».
Miquel Muerto es un colorista y dibujante catalán que actualmente está trabajando en «Something is killing the children», una serie que empezó a publicarse en BOOM! Studios este septiembre y que por ahora está bastante chula, y en la precuela de la precuela de «Cristal Oscuro» que tiene muy buena pinta pero que no he leído. Esto como colorista; como dibujante publicó hace unos años «La senda de los druidas» junto con el guionista Fer Jiménez en SallyBooks. Además es más majo que las pesetas, que eso también está muy bien.
«Bury the Lede» es una historia de investigación periodística alrededor de las figuras de Madison Jackson, una becaria en el «Boston Lede» cuya única preocupación es ascender en el periódico y que la gente la tome en serio como periodista, y de Dahlia Kennedy, presunta autora del asesinato de su marido y de la desaparición de su hijo. En las primeras páginas de la historia, Madison habla con Dahlia para intentar sonsacarle información después de que periodistas mucho más experimentados lo hayan intentado. Tiene el presentimiento de que algo no cuadra, y cuando le dice a la presunta asesina que no cree que lo haya hecho, ella le confiesa que no sólo lo hizo, sino que lo disfrutó. A pesar del shock inicial que esto produce en Madison, sigue sin creerse esta versión de la historia y comienza a tirar de hilos y perseguir pesquisas que muy cuidadosamente le va soltando Dahlia, en lo que vemos que no es sólo un caso de asesinato y que todo es más complejo de lo que parece.
A raíz de la confesión inicial, Madison se convierte, no en la periodista avezada que ha conseguido sonsacarle información a la detenida, sino en la joven becaria que ha sido objeto de la inesperada y fortuita flojera en la defensa de la asesina. Dunn utiliza la posición en la que se encuentra Madison para hablar de amarillismo, de la distinción entre ser noticia o ser quién cuenta la noticia, un poco sobre paternalismo y sobre el papel de la prensa. Es muy interesante porque, como nosotros vemos la historia desde el punto de vista de Madison, se nos presenta esta versión en contraste con el descenso a los infiernos de la ética que recorre la protagonista, convirtiéndose en toda una carroñera. A esto también hay que sumarle el contraste tan rico en matices que provoca la inclusión de Lexington Ford, la periodista estrella del Boston Lede que arropa a Madison en la investigación, y no sólo en la investigación, y la de Harold Gennero, una eminencia en el mundo del periodismo que tuvo que escribir bajo pseudónimo por las amenazas que le provocó el desvelar trapos sucios de gente poderosa en el pasado. Estas distintas formas de hacer periodismo enriquecen la historia y me parece que todos estos personajes está muy bien construidos, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta lo corto que es el cómic.
Lo único que creo que podría mejorar un poco en este sentido es que en ningún momento me he planteado si las acciones de Madison son debido a su ego y su búsqueda de reconocimiento o a que realmente quiere destapar la verdad por puro sentido de la justicia y el periodismo. Es un personaje claramente negativo que me hubiese gustado más si el conflicto no estuviese tan desbalanceado. Éste es sólo un detallito; por lo demás, la verdad es que se agradece que Dunn no sea indulgente con los personajes. Se toma muy en serie el «Kill your darlings» (no me refiero necesariamente a de forma literal, sino a que si un personaje protagonista tiene que acabar la historia como una mierda de persona, lo hace).
Me ha recordado bastante a «House of cards»: porque temáticamente tiene muchas conexiones y porque trata a la profesión que fotografía de forma descarnada, en este caso al periodismo, en el de la serie de Netflix a la política (aunque también al periodismo). Hace un retrato de amarillismo y de falta de empatía con muchos de los personajes que me parece magnífico. Es difícil no caer en la caricatura pero Dunn lo consigue con nota. Como comentaba antes, ayuda el ofrecer visiones de la profesión de la mano de personajes que tienen un sentido de la moral distinto.
La historia en sí me ha gustado bastante. Es muy compacta, está bien cerrada y, casi que lo mejor, tiene un ritmo magnífico que no decae en ningún momento. Juntar esto con un desarrollo de personajes muy bueno y conseguir que te enteres de toda la investigación sin problema a pesar de que salen bastantes nombres y personajes secundarios, me parece dificilísimo.
A nivel grafico me ha parecido excelente. El dibujo le sienta bien a la historia, y transmite una cierta suciedad que funciona como un elemento más de la narrativa y empalma con la propia suciedad moral que destilan los personajes. El color es excelente, no solo porque la paleta es muy chula, sino porque, al igual que el dibujo, cumple una función narrativa. El juego con los contrastes para guiarte a los puntos importantes de las viñetas me parece una locura, y es un de los mayores culpables del excelente ritmo del cómic.
Sería una pena que este libro pasase desapercibido, me parece muy interesante. Una historia autoconclusiva muy compacta y que he disfrutado mucho. A ver si hay suerte y alguien se anima a traerla traducida.

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All of my opinions are my own and are in no way affected by this exchange.

The art style in this was really pretty but the story was boring. Normally I am able to read graphic novels in one sitting but I found that I was not motivated to pick this up at all. There was a few scenes of questionable actions that were never challenged and I found that unsettling to say the least. I have tried to read a few things by Gaby Dunn in the past and I haven't liked any of them, this will probably be the last thing I read from her.

Scheduled to post 11/19/19.

While I liked the art in BURY THE LEDE I thought the story itself was rushed and jerky in places. It kept losing me on its timeline and it was a linear story. It jolted from one section of the story to another and a couple of times I found myself wondering how we got to this panel. I had to go back and re-read certain sections only to find out, nope. I didn't miss anything after all. The story just jumped.

I got the gist of it enough, although I thought the ending was rather soft. I wasn't necessarily surprised by any of it and the reporter reassignment at the end was unnecessary and out of the blue, filling a plot hole in the story. It's just . . . meh. The story was okay but it wasn't constructed that great. At least the art was something to look at.

2.5

I really enjoyed this comic. The art, the story, the really dislikeable characters that you actually route for, intrigue. Man, it really has it all.

The art is edgy yet elegant. It kind of reminded me of Joelle Jones at times but with a grittier quality to it. Perfect for this book.

Fair warning, some sexy stuff happens. It's cool if you're an adult but a lot of adults mistake comics for kids.

I think I liked the bad guy best, but the good guy wasn't exactly that good, was she? (Not a spoiler)

I really hope this gets a sequel. I will eat it up.

I liked the drawing style even though it was sometimes quite graphic in terms of violence or sexual encounters.
Unfortunately, the content of this graphic novel didn't match the aesthetic.
First, the main character, Madison, was atrocious. She acts so badly throughout the story, there's no space for growth. She doesn't learn from her mistakes. She simply acts for her own good; taking advantage from colleagues, lovers or even family members. She is selfish and self-absorbed.
She even roofied a witness just to get information from her. She also puts pressure on a sexual assault survivor to get her story on the front page of a newspaper. She ruined her brother's career and didn't care at all about the consequences for other people.
I felt like the message was a bit problematic: I don't believe in this « the end justifies the mean » mantra. By acting so, the main character loses everyone in her life but ends up where she wanted to be. At what cost?
The story was all over the place and thus hard to follow. I was quite confused most of the time. There are too many people implicated in this messed-up and gruesome story.
Moreover, the ending was rushed and incomprehensible. It got out from nowhere and felt far-fetched. I felt like the author didn't know how to wrap everything up.
It's too bad I didn't enjoy this graphic novel. It had potential but didn't measure up and ended up being problematic.

A good graphic novel debut from Gaby Dunn with a journalistic/Silence of the Lambs-like angle, but I felt like some elements could have been better developed (main & supporting characters, plot/subplot).

I was a journalist for 8 years. Even won an award or two in my day. Looking at this book from that point of views, I can tell you it paints a pretty realistic picture of what journo life is like. No one is your friend, they are just a source. All your relationships are a hot mess. You have very little to no personal life outside of the people you work with and you often end up hurting SOMEONE you care about because of the work you do... if you choose to do the work well anyway. Journalists never let it go - never STOP thinking about the story from all the angles, and sometimes they use borderline unethical (or blatantly unethical) means to get the information they need.
From those POV's this story is very true to life.