3/5 stars

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for depictions of animal abuse, wartime violence, and eating disorders.)

Author Michael Anthony was deployed to Iraq as an operating room technician. When he got back, he struggled with depression and substance abuse; to cope, he spent around $10,000 on so-called "dating classes" led by pick-up artists. Though it helped with his self-esteem, interpersonal skills, and overall mental health, they didn't really teach him anything about maintaining a healthy relationship. So when his girlfriend Coconut transitions from a dietary vegetarian to an animal rights vegetarian (and, later, a vegan), he doesn't know how to cope with this change in his loved one. Instead of getting on board, he hatches a brilliant (ahem) plan to play the part while undermining her from the inside.

As a longtime vegan (I went vegetarian in 1996 and vegan about nine years later), I was intrigued enough by the premise to request a copy of JUST ANOTHER MEAT-EATING DIRTBAG on NetGalley ... but ambivalent enough to sit on it for about two years. The result is not as bad as I feared, but still pretty cringey in places.

First, the obvious: lying to your partner and trying so hard to undermine something that's obviously so important to them is dirtbag behavior. That said, it could have been so much worse than it was. Anthony's efforts mostly involve whispering to Coconut in her sleep in a weak attempt at hypnotization and encouraging her to reminisce about the taste of friend eggs (or whatever). And of course there's the dishonesty about his own eating habits and ethical beliefs.

BUT.

I've had people I barely know try to sneak animal-based products into my food. Like, the parents of high school friends! Yes this really happened! So maybe the bar's a little different for me.

Still, lying to your partner and sneaking cheeseburgers on the dl? Not cool, dude.

Another complaint: Coconut and her animal rights friends sometimes come off as caricatures. Never have I ever had mutuals go on and on about "THE CAUSE" or bury their leather boots in a grave in the backyard, HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS style. A lot of vegans will tell you that animal rights issues are interlinked with a number of other matters, such that the very idea of ONE SINGLE CAUSE is pretty reductive; and why throw out nonvegan clothing items when the damage is already done and you can donate them to the less fortunate instead?

Probably my biggest grievance is what seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of animal rights activism on Anthony's part, perhaps best encapsulated by his reaction to Coconut's disgust with circuses:

"No more circuses!? It was just another thing in the long list of rules that vegetarians and budding animal rights activists couldn't do or enjoy. The military had rules too. Rules for everything. How to wear your uniform, walking with hand in your pockets..."

On the contrary: it's not that I can't eat bacon, or go to the circus, or wear a leather jacket. It's that I have no desire to do any of those things. Bacon = the dead bodies of pigs; someones, not somethings, who once had parents, siblings, children, and friends. Circuses = animal captivity and abuse as a form of entertainment. Leather jackets = the skins of murdered cows.

Let me put it this way: the last time I went to the zoo, it was for a graduate level psychology course, to observe various primate behaviors. It was depressing AF to see gorillas and chimpanzees caged for the amusement of humans, most of whom barely afforded them a glance before moving on to the next exhibit.

Ethical veganism transforms the way you see the world. I'm not "following rules," I'm living my beliefs.

To be fair, Anthony does seem to get it by story's end - with no small amount of help from his friends, including fellow veteran Daniel. (He manages to inadvertently convert another friend to vegetarianism through all his complaining, which I kind of loved.)

The early mention of PUAs made me a little nervous, but Anthony seems to eschew the more toxic aspects of that scene (aside from lying to get what you want, natch).

All in all, JUST ANOTHER MEAT EATING DIRTBAG was an interesting - if ultimately unsatisfying - read. The conflict between the couple kind of fizzled out and the ending was rather anticlimactic.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I found this book to be a difficult read as a lie told by the boyfriend surrounds it. It had its funny moments, but all in all, not for me. m

Based on the title, I was hesitant to pick this book up assuming it could demonize meat eaters or portray vegans as annoying and crazy, but I'm glad I read this. It respectfully shows the different points of view of meat lovers and vegans without being biased or saying one is better than the other. Though this book is about the relationship struggle around vegetarian/vegan activism, it also touches upon PTSD, body-shaming and finding a purpose in life. It raises some unexpected philosophical questions.

I liked the art. There are some graphic scenes of animal violence and war, which took me aback. The author does a clever job of giving information about veganism and references by showing pages from a notebook without disturbing the flow of the story.

I want to point out one mistake in this book. It says Hindus don't eat meat, fish and eggs. While some Hindus are vegetarians (but probably not vegan), the majority of Hindus are meat eaters.

Thanks to the publisher for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF

I did not like the style or storytelling so I had to DNF.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

This book was not at all with that what I was expecting. It was quite fun and very interesting. It is a memoir about Michael and his girlfriend, Coconut and how she tries to turn them vegan. Michael is a veteran and Coconut is a nurse. She goes down the vegetarian/vegan tunnel that leads to animal rights activism. She wants Michael right there beside her. But for Michael, watching the bloody documentaries and reading the horrible books about slaughterhouses, don’t convince him. What they convinced him of is that Coconut and he might be getting too far apart. So, he hatches a plan to get her to like meat again. This book was quite funny, but you could feel the heart, and you could feel the real experiences of a veteran who could relate his day-to-day life to what he experienced over in the Middle East. I really like that this had a happy ending. It always felt like it would, but with the title and the subject it could have gone the other way. Apparently, this author has a few other graphic novels illustrated by somebody different and I think I’d be interested in checking them out.

I was surprised at how intense this graphic novel was but it was handled so well and the portrayal (and downright honesty) was incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

In this graphic memoir, the complex and turbulent relationship between a young veteran and his girlfriend, who transforms into an animal rights activist and vegetarian, is explored. The artwork is reminiscent of early 2000s cartoons, and the author's narrative voice is captivating. However, the memoir fails to delve into the nuances of the problems that arise from the clashing beliefs of both parties, and the problematic means used by them are glossed over. The quick resolution leaves a lot to be desired, leaving me yearning for a more profound exploration of the intricate issues. Though I prefer a non-vegetarian diet, I hold no animosity towards those who opt for a solely plant-based diet, as long as they respect my choices without attempting to denounce them.

The lucid writing and vivid conversations made the book readable and enjoyable.

I received a free copy from Netgalley to provide an honest feedback and my review is unbiased.

This was not what I expected it to be going in. Humor was refreshing and funny sometimes, but mostly depressing and annoying, I was honestly hoping after all that internal monologue being so undecided and manipulative, it would at least end up with them together and they'll both be vegan, but last illustration shows that instead of progress the dirtbag regressed. I'm glad they have eachother, but I was really rooting for him to get the point he was making, or at least think deeper and I didn't see much improvement. That might be on me because I had high hopes and the book didn't satisfy my hunger for more vegan books. I wasn't looking in the right place, as it seems. I'm happy for Coconut, she went from vegetarian to vegan in the end, so that's a nice bonus. Another great bonus, artist is vegan, Chai Simone did the illustrations.

While parts of this story were interesting, I don’t think that this would be a good fit for my students.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Street Noise Books for the E-Galley copy for review**

"Just Another Meat-Eating Dirt Back" is a memoir that deals with a rocky time in the authors life. The book shows the struggle brought on by his girlfriends want of changing to a vegan lifestyle and his efforts to change her. Throughout the book are little snippits and comparisons to his time in the military that bring to light some of the struggles a war veteran faces.

Overall this was a great story to read and provides a great lesson to learn from the authors relationship.

The idea of this book is fun, the execution is very much well done and beautifully. The sprinkle of comedy is with the right amount. The war references are cute too!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This story instanty spoke to me. i'm a vegetarian and my husband is a meateater. It's fun to see the other side worked out in a graphic novel. And it is definitly possible to work through it as a couple. The graphics of this book are really pretty. Good read.

I tried multiple times to complete this graphic novel, as the premise was very intriguing to me (I'm a vegan and my husband is a veteran). I'm not sure if I just wasn't the target audience, but I felt bored and just couldn't get myself to complete it. The way the character speaks about his girlfriend seems borderline demeaning. I typically don't like reviewing books that I have had to DNF, but I felt that my multiple attempts translate to something.

I love the graphics and the love story between the main characters I’ve never wanted to be vegan or a vegetarian but they explain the difference and the reasoning behind why a person my become one very well. I’d love to see more from this author in the future.

This book was boring, long-winded, and had little to no nuance. It was nothing like I was expecting from the description and was not a real story. Instead, the reader is lectured about vegetarianism in a way that cites no sources and leans heavily into emotional manipulation.

Let me just start with the fact that I've been vegetarian since I was around 12 and am now vegan.

I can understand the difficulties in a relationship with an omnivore, but I did not love this book. I kept reading, hoping it would get better... it did not. Most of the book focuses around Michael pretending to be vegetarian while trying to convince his girlfriend to eat animals mostly using tactics learned from a dating coach. Yes, I understand Anthony dealt with a lot of trauma from his time in the military and is working through that too, but I just couldn't get past the icky feeling this book gave me.

Thanks to Street Noise Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Easily one of the most remarkable books I've read in 2022. Thank you so much Netgalley for the privilege.

The title caught my interest first. Then I read the synopsis and it sounded like a quick, interesting read. War veteran in love with an animal rights activist? Hell yes! The book is a perfect mash up of captivating narration and stunning artwork. It somehow managed to be humourous, adorkable, sweet and educational - all at the same time. I love how different their perspectives were based on their experiences and though I'm a huge fan of meat, I was almost convinced to give it up. Highly recommended! ❤️✨

This was a tough read for me. I know that this was an autobiographical work and I respect Michael Anthony’s lived experience, but the way his attitude towards his girlfriend’s likes and beliefs was portrayed here felt uncomfortable. Using “she likes dogs dressed up in clothes, cries at movies and TV shows, and enjoys theater” as negative descriptors of her personality didn’t do it for me, and blaming her empathy for animals on her previous struggles with eating disorders during her childhood was just plain unacceptable. It seems like the intention here was not to sugarcoat Anthony’s past closemindedness in order to show his growth as the story (and his life) progressed, but I do not think this was paced appropriately for that to come through clearly to the reader. Too much of the page count was dedicated to his weird scheme of “pretending” to be a vegetarian (by actually being a vegetarian) in order to convince his girlfriend to eat meat, as well as making disparaging comments about her to his friends and to the reader. By the time his introspection and growth finally began I was firmly not “rooting for him” as a character in this story.

I was also a bit thrown by the tangents the characters would go on about the military and their experiences while enlisted. These were sometimes used for comparison’s sake, or metaphorically as a way for Anthony to understand things happening around him, but we’re such a hard turn from the actual story that they felt totally unrelated. At one point the author realizes that by trying to change his girlfriend’s opinions and behavior, “[He is] her Al Qaeda, her Taliban… Her meat-eating, dirtbag, Taliban boyfriend.” (Part of that is noticeably missing from the book’s title, so it seems like SOMEONE realized that that wasn’t appropriate.)

In the end I probably was not the correct audience for this particular book. I will give it this, Michael Anthony’s perspective is not one I’ve come across often in comics, and so for that it maybe a valuable addition to someone’s collection. I know that this author has written previously about his experience in the military, and I can see his voice working very well in a story like that.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Every Thursday, since the beginning of the year, is "Jueves de cómic" for me and for my second week I choose this work.

It was funny and poignant. It deals with a lot of issues like PTSD and relationships problems to talk about the topic of the animal's right and vegetarianism.

It really got me thinking. I thought it was gonna be interesting but not THAT interesting. The graphics are very cartoonish but in their simplicity lies the powerful dialogue that the graphic novel tries to make with the reader.

I flight through it and enjoyed the whole thing. Better than many romances we read about sometimes.
I truly recommend it at least it will make you think why not give a chance to eat vegetarian?

A very honest depiction of the fears and uncertainties around the dietary habits of people in this fast-changing world. I was very impressed with the artwork and the presentation since the graphic novel is essentially about food. It tackles sensitive issues like the boundaries around the dietary choices of people close to us and how they can sometimes be fraught. Whether you are a vegan, a vegetarian, or an omnivore, Anthony's respectful take on the issues deserve some attention.