Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

The idea of the Loa and its impact on voodoo lore is an interesting starting point for a visualization of a human host that is able to control its otherworldly power. "Punk Mambo" [Cullen Bunn & Adam Gorham/Valiant/148pgs] plays to this idea of a girl who has become the embodiment of all that is anti social but using it to her advantage. While she uses the powers of her Loa to beat zombies and demons, her otherworldly powers of being able to see the dead and focus on the essence of the winga (from which they draw power) is left slightly elusive. The backstory is eventually revealed in an almost post-epilogue gist to the main story where it retraces her early days in prep school. Punk led her into an almost Louis "Interview With A Vampire" fate. But the main story is what holds the bite. It could almost be a Nicole Cage character piece if he was a girl. Margot Robbie could play Victoria perhaps though it is a little close to Harley Quinn. This would be a fun role say for Rooney Mara as she didn't continue her Salenger progression from "Dragon Tattoo". This all indicates a dexterous but also character filled cinematic tinge to the proceedings. The action balances mostly between New Orleans and Haiti with Punk (again aka former name Victoria) having her demon helper snatched away from her by an unknown presence. It turns out to be a non magical beast/man sucking spirits from their roost like a spiritual Ghostbuster with only nefarious ideas in mind. Like a female James Bond, Punk does what she wants and asks questions later. Her rage is based on anger alone and not necessarily an altruistic approach. She just wants to be left alone but live life on her terms. Even the resolution shows her reliance on being independent even though she possesses the gift to be something much greater. The art in the graphic novel is lurid by design so the demons manipulate a nightmarish quality while Punk still keeps a Tank Girl fire in her edges. She takes no prisoners which makes her a hero of sorts while just wants to be her own person. B

By Tim Wassberg

I went into this book not knowing anything about the character.
At first blush, it seemed like it would read pretty well.
Soon I started being turned off by the character of Punk Mambo.
Instead of being a female knock off of John Constantine from the DC Universe, she was just annoying.
The book ended well and I will be interested in giving the character a second chance when the next trade comes out.
Hopefully the writer will have smoothed some of her rough edges off..

Punk Mambo is about a woman that dabbles in the mystical side of the Valiant universe via voodoo magic and connecting to a powerful entity known as a loa. I think this volume did some good things with the character. First, it gives an introduction to her. Seems like a no-brainer, but with comics that doesn't always happen. The reader gets to see some of her earlier life and where PM's power comes from. Second, it takes the main source of her powers away and makes her deal with the consequences. This seems to be a staple in comics stories. It is handled nicely in this book though. Third, it left me wanting to read more about PM. Any time a book makes me want to find out what happens next without relying on cliffhangers is a good thing. Mostly I enjoyed the art. There are some panels that felt unfinished or rushed or maybe the angle the artist used just seemed weird to me. That didn't happen a lot, so it didn't drop me out of the story at all.

Good story, groovy art. I'm not familiar with this character, having never read any of the Shadowman series, but I liked her, and I dug the voodoo goodness of the storyline, which seems to be an entire arc plus an origin story.

#PunkMambo #NetGalley

'Punk Mambo' by Cullen Bunn with art by Adam Gorham and covers by Dan Brereton is a reboot of sorts of the Valiant magic using malcontent.

Punk Mambo is a mambo living in New Orleans and dealing with taking out supernatural monsters. When the spirit, or loa, she uses gets kidnapped, she decides to take it personal. The loa would help in her quest, but it turns out all the loas are being kidnapped, so she reluctantly accepts an offer of help and heads to Haiti to crack skulls and sort things out.

Also included is a one shot by Peter Milligan and Robert Gill giving a sort of origin story of the character.

I like edgy, cranky characters and Punk Mambo is just that. With her punch first, then talk style and willingness to take a beating, she's pretty cool. The internal art by Adam Gorham works great, but those painted covers by Dan Brereton really show you what this character is all about.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel

Punk Mambo is something of the female John Constantine of Valiant if he never grew out of his punk, Mucous Membrane phase. She's a British malcontent relocated to New Orleans. When her pet Loa is stolen, she gets involved with the rest of the Loa who are being targeted by a rogue magician. This was fun. Punk Mambo is a kick down the doors, charge head first into any situation type of girl. The Dan Brereton covers are amazing. They really capture the spirit of the character. Adam Gorham's interior art is solid.

Also included is Punk Mambo's origin story from a one shot of a few years ago by Peter Milligan and Robert Gill.

You Do That Voodoo That You Do So Well

Sometimes you come across a graphic novel that's just flat out fun. This is that.

Voodoo priestess Punk Mambo has loads of attitude, but it's the kind of independent, feisty, screw you attitude that I can get behind. She's got power and a kick-butt style, and the kind of bad judgment that makes everything an adventure. This time around P. M. has to rescue her personal Loa, and most of the Voodoo Gods, from Uncle Gunnysack and a shadowy villain. She barges right in to every situation she finds, and she hands out and absorbs serious whoopings at every turn. It's all over the top, and the plotting and narrative is careless and full of holes as P. M. careens around Haiti, but that seems to be the point.

The art is colorful in all the panels and exaggerated for effect in the action scenes. Pacing is fast, but with occasional pauses for info dumping, some backstory, and building dramatic tension. Supporting characters are interesting and can hold their places on the page even in the face of Punk Mambo's overwhelming personality.

This volume collects the entire five issue mini-series, so you get a complete arc with a few add-ons, including an origin story flashback issue. Valiant seems to be freeing up and featuring this character, and it's nice to have another flamboyant high energy star roaming the Valiantverse.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I went into this one knowing nothing but what was in the blurb. It seemed like a fun, quirky read. And it was... to some extent.

Punk Mambo is a London born VooDoo priestess living in the Louisiana Bayou who does things in her own, irreverent style. In this story she gets involved in a battle between opposing supernatural forces. And I'll leave it at that for fear of spoilers.

The book isn't bad, it isn't great. So what is it then? Well, it's pretty much standard stuff. A wisecracking anti-hero (anti-heroine? anti-shero? I'm not clear on the correct nomenclature) who kicks butt and takes names, can both dish it out and take it, and gets by on her wits despite questionable choices.

Like I said, pretty much standard stuff. I wouldn't give it a raving recommendation but if this is within your realm of interest I wouldn't discourage you from it either. The art fits the story well, the story stays well within the boundaries of the genre, and there are worse ways to spend your time.

NOTE: I've since learned that the character originally appeared in the Shadowman series - I've read a couple of those but don't recall Punk Mambo at all.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Punk Mambo finally stars in her own series. I have always enjoyed her sass and spunk in the Shadowman series and this story gives free reign to both. Something is stealing Loas including Punk Mambo own. When the Loa gods ask for help, our favorite Mambo has no choice but to solve the case even as she's mouthing off the whole time. The story is exciting and entertaining while the drawing looks good. The art was dark but looks to be impressive with some great color work applied for an overall enjoyable read. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

The premise of a punk voodoo priestess definitely sold me on the read. The style of the fantastic cover art that further sealed the deal is supported by wonderful illustrations inside. The story was not entirely what I expected, at times for the better. I did take issue with the pacing of the majority of the story. As could be expected with a graphic novel with a magical plot, the story did fall into the white savior/exceptional white trope.

I very much enjoyed the visuals and if it were on hand I'd likely read the volume of solo issues. Being that this is a spin-off solo series and that I'm not familiar with the originating series, I'd say it was pretty well self-contained.

Is it weird that most magic characters who actually seem interesting are either British or considered warlocks? Voodoo is something that people don't have a great understanding about but this series and character probably put on the best of descriptions. An English born magic user dislikes feeling old and useless, yet at the same time she's not an addict. This mambo has control over the power not the other way around. That's debatable though considering some Hoodoo devotees see things she doesn't. Then there's the Houngan Josef, he's a devotee but despite his faith refuses to embrace his humanity. In effect, he's the very definition of a zombie. When something goes wrong, he's more than willing to turn away from something and doesn't even face the choices he makes. Even then though, there is something that Josef struggles in terms of understanding the ways of Hoodoo. He knows he's not perfect and actually could use a little of the Mambo's influence. Then there are the Loa themselves, they seem to be powerful but lack humanity's desire for short-term refusal. While some mean well, others show a more toxic side. The central villain even brings up the whole conflict inherit in duology; when you believe there is greatness in store for you, all that shows is the inherit emptiness. It's a truly good way to look at the Valiant Universe's magical side.

Have to say I wasn't the biggest fan of the origin in the afterwards though. Sure Punk Mambo finds her independence, but some things just get either preachy or just plain dumb. There isn't even her time to find her power of becoming a Mambo. Still a pretty solid overall read though.

This was wacky and a weird mix of genres, but I liked it! I'm interested to see where they go next with this. It's a story of a punk girl who has eternal youth? And fights creepy bad guys with voodoo magic. I would definitely say this is a very unique story.
#punkmambo
#Netgalley

trigger warning
<spoiler>gore
kidnapping
implied slavery and rape</spoiler>

Punk Mambo is robbed of her Loa and follows the trail. It seems like somebody is kidnapping all the Loa, but for what purpose?

We have a mambo, a Voodoo priestess, and she is called Punk Mambo. As a result of her work she doesn't age anymore - until she loses her Loa. Which makes her pissed. Well, she is pissed at everything all the time, but this pisses her off in a special way. It's personal.

At first, I thought it a bit iffy that we have a white person as a protagonist in a story about Voodoo, but at least it gets explained in a reasonable way how she got there. She is told that she seems like a sullen girl who plays with stuff that might be to big for her.
It made the feeling better, but it didn't vanish completely. Also, I have to say that my knowledge about Voodoo/ Vodoun is not very great. I can't say if the elements this comic contains are depicted in a right way.

I can only tell you about how the story is built, and I like it. We meet Punk Mambo as she saves a few people she views as belonging to her and see her in action. Seamlessly, we're introduced to the main plot of this book, and it flows it's way.
We get Punk Mambo's thoughts, and in this way snippets of her past life are thrown in which adds to understanding about her character. We have five chapters of the main plot, and then another that tells about Punk Mambo's origins as she goes back to her roots in London.
It all fits neatly together.

While I'd be greatly annoyed by Punk Mambo if I had to meet her, I like her as a character in this setting, and I'd very much like to read how it will continue.
Also bonus points for not having a unnecessary romantic plot just because.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanking Net Galley for letting me read this arc. This is not really what I normaly read, but it was an interesting read.

This book felt like it was way more tell than show. It also felt like it was trying a bit too hard to be cool and punk rock. The art work was nice though.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this comic. With a title and cover art like that, it would definitely be connected to the punk scene, but in what way? Is that going to be done in such a way that's authentic to punk? And how does that relate to voodoo? Is it going to do that part well, or be exploitative, like most fiction that discusses it?

Thankfully, Punk Mambo does an excellent job of bringing the reader into its world and explaining things narratively, without making awkward exposition moments or dropping something into the story then never addressing it. I also feel that voodoo and its practice was treated with respect and care, something I see so rarely. Yes, Punk herself makes lip service of not caring about the rules or the way things work, but we have other examples of those that do. We also see someone try to use voodoo wrongfully and get their rightful punishment. Interestingly, the punk angle of the whole thing feels much lighter than I would've expected too. Again, the creator understood that punk as a scene and as a movement has purpose behind it other than aesthetics and mindless rebellion, and I really appreciate that.

It's hard to talk about Punk Mambo without giving some things away, but this is definitely a fresh take on the urban fantasy genre as seen through comics. It's a little bit Dresden Files (except not sexist and gross), but goes its own way. Because punk.

I received an ARC of Punk Mambo part 5 by Cullen Bunn & Adam Gorham.


The drawing and color scheme of these comics are fantastic, specially how beautiful all the monsters are drawn and color. The way the comic looks makes me want to keep reading even when I dislike her as a character for most of the story.

I genuinely enjoy the fight scenes, the way characters interact. It's quick to read and not boring at all.

Colorful, engaging bad-assery in a book! I enjoyed this full throttle graphic novel and would recommend it for comic book readers. An adventure that keeps the pages turning.

The art in Punk Mambo was so bold and gritty and striking. I had major tank girl feelings when I requested and started reading this.

Unfortunately the narrative fell a bit flat for me and I I ad a hard time following the dialogue.

Great concept.