Bury the Lede had a promising plot but was somewhat of a let down. The story was face-paced and I was excited to get to learn "whodunnit" but the ending seemed hastily finished and a little cliche. Madison is an unlikable character and while that may have been how she was written, it made it hard to connect and empathize with her.
The LGBTQ representation was fairly well done, albeit that "you're bi? me too!" scene with police officer Dom. I think the addition of Dahlia's affair with another woman was unnecessary to the overall plot.
Overall a beautifully drawn but flat plotlined story.

*I received this arc from netgalley*

Trigger warnings: implied child sexual abuse, blood, murder, child murder, suicide

This felt like noir to me but less misogynistic.
I have a soft spot for reporters acting like detectives, and TWO (the bar is so low...) bisexual
and multiple queer characters was a plus. I read this in one sitting, so definitely a page turner. None of the characters are particularly likable, though. I don't find this off-putting, but I know some readers do.

Some are going to argue that this is YA. It isn't.

Glorious artwork, mediocre story. The plot was hard to follow, which I wouldn't have minded if characters had been developed beyond their sexual preferences. Madison Jackson's behavior and dialogue make her seem more like a teen out of her depth than a scrappy cub reporter. ("You're bisexual? Me too!" is said to her date to her brother's wedding.)

I did like the diversity shown in regards to race, sexuality, and body type, however, so five stars for representation.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


Unfortunately I agree with the majority of the reviews. It fell flat... It was missing something important. I can't quite put my finger on what, but it definitely didn't meet my expectations or hopes.

I really wish I liked this, but it completely fell flat. Overall it felt very problematic and disjointed. The story never flowed well. It bounces around so much that you never get a good sense of the characters. Even worse, I found it difficult to follow the story. By throwing a murder mystery into the mix it was just a recipe for disaster.

If anything, I wish this graphic novel was longer. In that case you’d have more time with the characters to flesh out the story and help with the flow. It almost felt like it should have been a longer mystery novel and not a graphic one. You’d understand everyone’s motives and be able to connect characters better.

In the end, each character tried to stand out so much from the others that I couldn’t keep them straight. In some cases they were drawn similar and in others I just couldn’t tell their relationship with the main character.

Overall, I’d say this is messy at best. If it was a written novel where you got to see the fleshed out story it would have been more appealing. But in its current state, it is just a disjointed mess with an art style that doesn’t lend well to the plot.

I was particularly excited about Bury the Lede because I rarely encountered a crime/noir graphic novel. Unfortunately, aside from its brilliant and incredibly graphic artworks with no holding back and an excellent queer rep, I couldn't relate to the characters nor the plot.

The protagonist was very self-centered, especially when it comes to her career as a so-called reporter. She has zero ability to maintain a relationship, whether with her family or romantic partners. Hence the reason why I couldn't emotionally invest in her story or sympathize with her struggles. She also did unethical acts to gather information and this happened several times throughout the story.

And lastly, the plot was extremely confusing for me. It was as if I stumbled in the middle of a case and I kept losing my track over the given clues.

Thank you BOOM! Studios for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bury the Lede is a LGBTQIA graphic novel about an intern reporter trying to be taken seriously in her professional pursuit while trying to date various people. The story focused more on her career ambitions than the relationships she was cultivating with her love interests. I really liked how the story did not make her sexual identity a focus, it was just a part of her, but not the bulk of who she is in the book. This book featured a very diverse cast that was very representative of a large metropolitan area. The mystery to me was a bit weak, to be honest. It was fascinating to see Dahlia Kennedy, (moral ambiguous character- I do not consider her a villain), give Madison enough clues to uncover the mystery herself, but at the same time weave a web of lies. This may have been the point; everything Dahlia says may not be for the benefit of Madison. If you are looking for a noirish LGBTQIA graphic novel, you will enjoy Bury The Lede.

I definitely loved the concept of this story but it fell a little flat for me. I've only read my fair share of mystery novels and comics, but I just needed slightly more. It felt a little rushed and even by the end of it, I felt like I couldn't make all the connections.

Madison Jackson is a journalism student working as an intern at a major newspaper. Desperate to impress, she attends a crime scene and witnesses a society woman being arrested, covered in blood. She gets the chance to interview the accused, and frankly states her disbelief about the woman's guilt. This elicits a confession, and Madison is instantly elevated to the front page. But things do not seem right and she feels the need to dig deeper, gradually uncovering a major political scandal. But is she being used?

This is a pacy story reminiscent of a film noir plot. The artwork reinforces that impression, with characters that evoke actors of that era, such as Veronica Lake. It has ruthless ambition, a femme fatale, sex, crime and dirty politics; all the good stuff.

This is a fast-paced graphic novel centring around a cat and mouse game between a murderous socialite and a newspaper intern looking for her big break. What will it cost Madison to become a real journalist?

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I really liked this graphic novel. I loved the art style & color scheme, the mystery & all the murder and, of course, how queer and bi positive it was. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending but I'll be looking forward to any type of continuation this story gets.

I am not very familiar with reading graphic novels. So, I think there were times in this that I struggled to make the intuitive leaps I should have. That being admitted, I think the immediacy of the form really works for this story. I mean, this is about the news, right? It should be fast-paced, succinct, a bit hard-edged. The use of newspapers, websites, text, email… all presented as visual media is fantastic – it makes them that much more immediate? concise? something to that effect. It definitely works.
The story itself is strong with interesting twists and turns and engaging characters. The art is awesome. The color is just incredible and I love the tonal shifts between scenes.
One thought, I get the noir connection is intended here. But the blond femme fatale is named Dahlia. Really? Isn’t that a bit too on the nose?

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc to review.

I enjoyed the grown up Nancy Drew vibes in this graphic novel. The artwork is also beautiful. However, the story was disjointed and could have been fleshed our more especially in regards to journalism ethics and character relationships.

If you love noir-esque comics or crime mysteries, you need to check this one out. I didn’t know much going into this one which I think added to my enjoyment, so I’m not going to dig deep into the plot here. I will tell you that the story follows Madison, an intern for Boston’s most reputable newspaper. Then she catches a break by being the only reporter Dahlia Kennedy, an alleged murderer will talk too. It’s the hottest story in town and Madison soon learns that there is more to the story than just the murder of Kennedy’s husband. I will say that at times the story felt a little disjointed, but it was still a very binge-able read.

Though graphic illustrations to Bury The Lede where phenomenal, the story it self was rather difficult to get into. I'm not sure if it was me or if anyone else felt the samething? Also I've come across a few stories lately where the characters use drugs to get information from other characters, (a little tasteless if you ask me) it's like it's becoming the norm for story writting, strippers and Cardi B (clearly this last sentence is just an example)

Rating 2

For mature readers, but worth the look. The artwork is well done and the story is altogether human. This book shows what a graphic novel can do.

This wasn't really my preferred art-style and while I enjoyed the story there were certain aspects I couldn't stand. There's an unlikeable MC but then there is a MC who does bad things without consequences. And I hate the latter.

Lovely artwork and colours, a diverse cast of characters, a complex and difficult heroine, and great LGBT and POC representation - I loved this. The story wasn’t super compelling to me, but I liked the characters so much that I’d have watched them investigate pretty much anything. I hope they’ll all be back in future books (and no spoilers but the protagonist has made a pretty huge mess of her interpersonal relationships by the end of the book, so there’s plenty to mine in future volumes).

I was reading some of the other reviews which said the plot was a bit difficult to follow, and obviously, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I came away with the opposite impression. Maybe I am biased as someone who frequently suffers from burying the lede! Okay, but really. Here's what I thought this book does well. I think we can all identify with the desire to be seen in our jobs, especially when we're first starting. It's easy for me to see how Madison comes to make the decisions she does. There's an energy around reporting and a desire to be the one to get the story. In an industry that thrives off of scoops and a sort of journalistic cult of personality, I found this book #HighlyRelatable. I feel like we've all desired to be the person to get that kind of recognition and when Dahlia Kennedy chooses Madison to reveal her story too, well let's say this: I get it. You don't need to be a reporter or know anything about reporting to read this story. It's a great, quick read with beautiful illustrations thanks to Claire Roe and Miquel Rodriguez.

This graphic novel carries an intricate mystery told from the point of view of an intern at the Lede, a notorious Boston newspaper.
The characters are incredible. I liked Madison Jackson as the main character. I've never traveled so far into the world of reporters and magazines. Her journey in that world is ours. Madison is relatable because she is introverted but ambitious. She is bisexual and also another character is queer. I'm proud to see other sexualities represented in graphic novels.
This is not a soft mystery. Some images can be brutal to the soft-hearted and there is an erotic scene, so kids should stay away.
Judging the mystery, I think that some parts could have been better. I was not impressed by the way things turn out, so that's why I took two stars away.
However, there are many things about this graphic novel that I loved, including the characters and the art.
I've watched Gaby Dunn on youtube many times, so I am left speechless that she is such a great author. I'm really glad I got to experience this side of her.