Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the 'Wolfpitch' ARC.
The story of three girls who manage to find a point in common despite being completely different from each other: music. A wonderful, funny and easy-going story that makes you smile and reflect at the same time. I must admit that I decided to give this arc a chance for the queer component which, with its 'enemies-to-lovers' made me dream. But I didn't expect to see on the one hand a toxic relationship regarding a particular friendship, as well as to see the representation of a deaf person and her experience in this regard. How nice, happy to have read this graphic!!

Devoured this in one sitting... Absolute 5 out of 5 for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I love a good slice-of-life graphic novel, and with a twist of light fantasy, Wolfpitch checks all of the boxes. The art style is super cute and I love the subtle ways that supernatural beings are represented through style and color. The story not only has queer representation but also disability rep, which is awesome. The "romance" of the story leaves a little to be desired since we don't get to see a lot of the backstory between the characters, but at the end of the day its an enemies-to-lovers sort of deal.

Really cute and highly recommend.

I love this author’s previous book “Doughnuts and Doom” and Wolfpitch achieved something quite similar, which is to say, I really liked it! We’ve got jazz and gay mess which I love! I just wish the conflict hadn’t resolved so quickly. Had the story taken more time to give us a richer romance between the two protagonists instead of constant exposition dumps about their interpersonal history, the story would have excelled.

Super fun graphic novel and a nice quick read!

I really enjoyed the different character concepts, the diversity and the disability rep, and I always love a good band/ music fueled narrative :)

I do wish the main relationship was a bit more fleshed out (and that Izzy did a bit more growing as a character- she makes some questionable choices from time to time but the scene where they kissed for the first time was suuuper cute haha, and overall they all had a really enjoyable dynamic.

Cute, dynamic art with fun colour schemes too! Would recommend to any YA graphic novel fans.

Thanks to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for the ARC!

Wolfpitch is about a band of outsiders coming together - a perfect pitch werewolf, the ghost of a fabulous jazz piantist, and an angry amazing drummer. These women are great musicians, and if they can get over their personal fears and problems, they could be great together. But will they do it in time for the battle of the bands?

This review contains no story spoilers but does contain some spoilers for themes and character arcs! Many thanks to IDW Publishing for providing and eARC via Netgalley.

Balazs Lorinczi's second full length graphic novel "Wolfpitch" is a deeply refreshing queer normative enemies to lovers story and I absolutely adore it. Breaking down why is a labor of love, but let's start with the basics. I am a lifelong musician, a lifelong queer person, and have had a lifelong passion for comics and storytelling through visual art. In many ways this comic was made directly for my demographic, so it was to my delight that on researching the author I found out that Lorinczi plays bass, which goes towards explaining why the discussion of music, it's creation and performance, and the more intricate forms of performance anxiety embodied by Geraldine rang so true to my own experience. So often when I encounter other stories that use music performance as a background or plot element the actual musical language and understanding utilised is either underwhelming, uninteresting, or just wrong. "Wolfpitch" by comparison was a breath of fresh air.

The story of "Wolfpitch" actually goes back to 2020 - the concept of milkshake ghosts was introduced by the artist in a comic called "Ghosted" which is still available to read on Tapas, and the first concept art for Izzy showing up Instagram around that time, which you can find amoungst multiple pieces of fan works for his contemporaries, manga and anime characters, and other IPs such as Batman. The artistic style employed has been refined since then, and Lorinczi's visual style ends up somewhere between the visual style of Tillie Walden's "On A Sunbeam", character posing reminiscent of the likes of Molly Knox Ostertag's "The Girl from the Sea", and character designs that shines a light on the best part of Hannah Barbera's oeuvre of cartoons. For me this is an incredible hit, it works exceptionally and nothing feels out of place. Delilah's design is standout, the Hex Girls should call her up if they need a backup drummer.

This is a queernormative world that's also filled to the brim with non-human creatures of all varieties. I have so much love for monsters ghosts and ghouls and the artist beds them in seamlessly into this world. Nonhumanity as a vector for queer art is a well known trope at this point, and while it can be used as a way to other characters within a human oriented world here it is used in the opposite way - by making anything possible you make everything possible. Similarly, disability and the need for accessibility takes the forefront of this story. It is clear that two of the three protagonists are disabled in various ways, but I would argue that perhaps all three are when you take into consideration hidden and mental disabilities. Izzy's character arc is strewn with ADHD-oriented thinking and experiences, Delilah's OCD-like behaviours make her her own worst nightmare at times, and Geraldine's physical disability of being a ghost and having to use accessibility tools (in this case milkshake) to be able to function in the wider world is a wonderful way of normalising disability. As an ADHD having person myself I cleave to Izzy, she is all of us when our impulses lead us to jump five steps forward mentally before we've even taken a single step. I cannot stress more how excellent I found these characters to be, endearing and real in a way that takes me right back to the high school bands I started that never when anywhere.

"Wolfpitch" is an absolute triumph of a comic, recommended to anyone who has ever picked up an instrument and tried to make music with someone else, or to any LGBTQ+ readers that want to see a tale of banding together against adversity through mutual connection. If anyone needs me I'll be playing my guitar, writing some riffs, and looking for a new queer band to play with, perhaps with more fangs and claws because it seems like thats the right way to go.

I was excited to review Wolfpitch by Balazs Lorinczi, and I have to say that the book lived up to my expectations. This was a fun read!

I was initially drawn to this book based solely on the cover. It is a gorgeous looking cover, and I saw a ghost and a werewolf on the cover playing instruments. Are you kidding me? Sign me up. This is what I want. It sounds awesome.

The book stars our main character Izzy who is a bass-playing werewolf with excellent hearing. After being kicked out of her band the Iguanoids following a falling out, Izzy stumbles upon a ghost named Geraldine Dukes playing the piano. They decide to strike out on their own and form the band Wolfpitch.

The pair then run into Izzy’s rival Delilah who is always giving Izzy a hard time. The romantic tension is high as Delilah, an excellent and popular drummer, joins Wolfpitch. This is when the story shines.

The artwork and color scheme from Lorinczi was beautiful. I thought all of the characters were unique looking and conveyed emotions well.

I thought the book was really cute and does a great job at portraying a young, blossoming romance. The book is LGBTQ+ friendly, and you should give it a read if you see it. You’ll have a great time.

Thank you Netgalley and IDW Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

'Wolfpitch' was a story I requested on a whim - an enticing cover and fun title sounded like a perfectly enjoyable time and boy did it deliver! This graphic novel may be short but was so fun, had different dimensional characters (hello, ghost made of milkshake??) and a sapphic romance to adore. I don't have much to say besides I enjoyed! The art style was gorgeous, the story was perfectly paced and this is everything you'd expect it to be - fun! A story I'll definitely be recommending.

This book was fine: nothing wrong with light and frothy, but I felt more depth and/or more pages to develop the plot and characters would have benefitted it. I also don't understand why the Geraldine was so immediately committed to the band that she did almost all the book's emotional labor for Izzy and Delilah, and given that she was black and the other two are white...that didn't sit right with me.

I was familiar with the author's first release, Doughnuts and Doom, so I was super excited to dive into this one!

Wolfpitch is similarly short and sweet. This graphic novel tells the tale of a band of magical misfits - a werewolf, a ghost and a grumpy drummer - hoping to make great music and win the Battle Of Bands. I adored the creative take on familiar magical folk, and that it included sweet treats in the plot as a nod to Doughnuts and Doom. The story format doesn't allow for a lot of depth to the characters, but they do have individual journeys and personal challenges to overcome that I found endearing. It's a light read that's bound to make you feel good.

If you're into tales that are musical, magical, sweet and looking for LGBTQ+ and disability representation, give this one a go!

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

This is the story of a girl who's a werewolf and is desperately searching for her ultimate band. After being kicked out of her current band, she decides to team up with unlikely allies and forms a new band. When her old band gets notice of this, things get hard for Izzy. She has to stand tall, face her demons and work together, even if that's with someone she can't stand. But if she wants to do what she loves so much, making music, then going for it is what needs to be done!

I loved the story and the artwork fitted the story very well. I very much enjoyed reading the book.

Themes / Representation:
Enemies to Lovers
Music
Deaf MC / Hearing Loss
Sapphic Relationship
Spanish Heritage
Paranormal
Werewolves
Ghosts
Creating a Band

Delilah, Izzy and Geraldine are in a brand new band. Can they work out their differences to win at Battle of the Bands?
This was a quick LGBTQ+ graphic novel about music. The artwork was nice and I liked the colours and aesthetic used - mainly a palette of pinks and purples throughout. However I just didn’t care about the characters or story. Everyone was very dramatic and the plot was mainly just the band arguing with each other which wasn’t very fun to read. I think the plot could have been fleshed out more or shortened to get the important aspects across, without all the silly arguments throughout.
I’m still excited to read more from this creator, I think some other stories by them could really surprise me!

Fantastic use of color and energetic, fun story. What an original idea -- a vampire who can't stay in one band, so she moves from one to another. I really liked Izzy, and I was cheering for her to find her way. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this graphic novel

Wolfpitch follows our main character, who happens to be a werewolf, as she goes from band to band, each one kicking her out for writing music too complicated for the average musicians ear. She finally meets her match with a ghost who is a music icon and an ex bandmate drummer she clashes with time and time again. This book had fun band adventures, a deeper heart than I originally expected, and a wonderful little love story to boot. I do think it would have benefited from maybe 50 more pages to solidify a quick backstory and relationship conclusion we got toward the end but I still ook forward to reading more from this author and ultimately enjoyed this one.

4.25/5. This is my second Lorinczi graphic novel and I liked it far better than the first! I love stories centered around all types of cryptids trying to form a band! The little enemies to lovers lgbt+ romance was also a great addition. I'm still not a super fan of the art but I think that's just a point of preference. I look forward to seeing more from Balazs Lorinczi!

(4.5 Stars)
Wolfpitch is a YA graphic novel following Izzy, a werewolf who just can't seem to stay in a band, her rival, and a ghost who used to be a famous musician but now works at a diner.

There were so many things I absolutely loved about this story. The pace flows well and is engaging throughout. I read this in one sitting and it is a full 190 pages. The characters come through the pages, flaws and all, in how they engage with each other and their environment on the page. All the inter-relational struggles seemed real and came to the forefront naturally. One of my personal favorites was the magic surrounding Geraldine, the ghost piano player, how she was drinking milkshakes to stay solid and could also make other objects from her ghost juice. It was just very fun to read and see visually.

Speaking of visually; stunning. The use of color is so skillful, not only with the beautiful color palate but also through its function in the story. It was so effective in portraying Geraldine with different color and lineart color, and changing hue and colors when we were seeing the past or as a story was being told. Just very clear to read and visually enjoyable. I also just liked the uneven lines on the comic boxes. Sometimes I could tell that the lineart had been copied from one box to another, which is understandable in a long graphic novel like this, but it kills the "liveness" of the art just a tad.

In general, would recommend this graphic novel! I can't wait to see it in physical form :D Thank you to Netgalley and Top Shelf for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Proofreading notes: "recognize" is misspelled on pg. 69*

I absolutely LOVED this graphic novel! Wicked cute illustrations, fluid story telling, fun story and such wonderfully loveable characters! I love the inclusivity of disability, queer, and mental health rep! I also adore how this story has an underlining story of inspiration, motivation and self love! I really hope there will be a number two & beyond!

This story was a super fun read. It’s fast paced and was easy to get invested into. I enjoyed it a lot, and the author does a great job leaving little easter eggs throughout the story..

Wolfpitch is an ode to music and friendship. Izzy is a werewolf with equally wicked hearing and bass skills. After falling out with her band she befriends Geraldine, a talented pianist ghost, and the two bond over music. Soon Izzy’s rival, drummer Delilah, joins their band, Wolfpitch, and the three set their sights on winning battle of the bands. Delilah’s grudge against Izzy threatens to end the band and it’s up to Izzy to decide if she ditches musical magic or is vulnerable with her new friends. This graphic novel is fun, lgbtq+, has a really cool pastel color palette, & might inspire kids to play an instrument! 3 stars at least.

The art is cute, but what isn't cute is the magical cure/healing of a disability. It is completely disgusting to have a character be Deaf (or partially Deaf) only for that character to have nothing but self hatred and loathing about it to the point where she's never been able to relax enough to drop her werewolf form because "hey when she's a werewolf she can hear just fine!". This falls into the magical cure trope of fiction that many disabled people (including myself) find utterly offensive and hurtful.

It might've been different if Izzy at all comes around to realizing that being Deaf isn't some horrible thing and had tried to immerse herself into Deaf culture or at least understanding. But no, instead we're fed this harmful quote: "Allowing Delilah to get close to me would just cause me to permanently lose what makes me who I am" referring to her ability to hear music. The author then goes on to try to spin the "insecurities" to refer to Izzy's ear having been scarred, but that doesn't line up with what was just said previously. Basically tying all of Izzy's self worth to ability to hear. To me, a disabled reader, this doesn't feel as though Izzy has worked through anything at all, she's just suddenly okay with people knowing she's Deaf as a human but continues to ONLY live in her werewolf (and hence Able Bodied) form. This isn't her working through any internalized ableism or even close.



I'm so disappointed by this. Netgalley doesn't allow zero stars, so I'm leaving one, but on all my other platforms this will be receiving a zero star review.