Boys Weekend

Starred review from May 15, 2023
Trans femme Sammie begrudgingly joins a debauched and treacherous bachelor party in this ingenious horror-satire from Ignatz Award winner Lubchansky (The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook). In college, Sammie had a tight-knit group of guy friends—including Adam, with whom they were closest—but post-transition, the bond has faded. Now, Adam is getting married, and wants Sammie to be his “best man,” despite Sammie no longer identifying as a man (“Maybe I should draw a diagram for my cis friends,” they joke). Sammie accepts, however, along with an invitation to a bachelor weekend on an isolated landmass in the middle of the Atlantic, a floating city whose location in international waters makes it a deregulated, hedonistic utopia. Sammie’s hetero dude friends—most of whom have become crypto bros since college—treat their transition acrimoniously. In addition to the micro- and macro-aggressions Sammie must withstand, they seem to stumble on a nefarious, island-wide conspiracy surrounding a Davos-esque tech gathering, as more and more arrivals to the islands don the conference’s blue fleece vests. Lubchansky’s script and art both achieve a deadpan style reminiscent of Daria and 1990s Nickelodeon, which amplifies the surreal delirium. Every dead-eyed stare and utterance of the word sir becomes skin-crawling. This is both a hilarious and terrifying send-up of capitalist-driven masculinity and a poignant story about the perception-altering blessings (and burdens) of queerness. Agent: Kate McKean, Morhaim Literary.

June 1, 2023
Lubchansky uses science fiction, horror, and the comic book form to explore the terrors of coming out as transfemme in a world dominated by dudes. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, Sammie Kavalski is packing for their best friend Adam's bachelor party blowout. They're not thrilled at the prospect of spending a weekend at El Campo, a floating resort in the South Pacific. And they're even less excited about hanging out with old pals who still treat them like one of the guys. This ostensibly pleasant excursion will prove to be beyond Sammie's worst imaginings. During days of lawless partying on the high seas, Sammie will have to deal with toxic bro culture, a dangerous cabal, an eldritch horror from the deep, and people who consistently mock and misgender them. Although it's set in an invented universe, Lubchansky's graphic novel offers commentary on our own time and place. El Campo is built on a garbage island, and on their way there, Sammie is upcharged for having gained 3.3 pounds since they booked their "Super-Saver Plus Plus" ticket, and they have to pay a landing fee before they can exit the airport. When they check into their hotel, they have to offer a blood sample so they can participate in fun activities like hunting and killing their own clone. And the cabal--which calls itself a "vertically integrated marketing platform for a global network of entrepreneurs"--issues fleece vests not unlike those favored by fintech guys to its members. The fantastic elements of this graphic novel are intriguing, but the bulk of the book consists of repeated scenes of Sammie being abused by the bachelor-party cohort, retreating to deal with the emotions that stirs up, and then rejoining the group. These two parts of the story don't work well together, though. Neither the relationships among characters nor the sea-monster cult is given enough space to develop. That said, Lubchansky gives Sammie a chance to reconcile with Adam and their past self in a way that is very satisfying. An uneven but undeniably original adventure.

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June 1, 2023
"I'm the best man" is usually not a fear-inducing announcement, except maybe for transfeminine Sammie, who's been out to college buddy (and groom) Adam for two years already, but they're "still stuck in male friendship mode with him and all those guys." Now they're all gathering for a hedonistic weekend in El Campo, "the premier party location in the entire south Atlantic Ocean." Sammie's dreading "hav[ing] to go guy-mode," although their partner has managed to sneak Sammie's favorite dress in their luggage with an encouraging love note: "Don't be afraid to be yourself." Beyond boozy brunch, a party submarine, a sex-with-clones bar, and clone hunting, Sammie's the only one to notice (more) monstrous happenings going on. Will they survive? Queer transfemme Lubchansky's full-color panels are rife with absurdly clever, beyond-the-narrative enhancements: an anti-corporate skeletal Mickey Mouse-esque sculpture, weight sensors in airline seats that trigger surcharges for being over the registered weight, luxury travel to the Pacific Garbage Patch City, ads for "rack-grown ethical fake human meat." Lubchansky melds identity politics, gory horror, shocking humor, and sf world building to deftly present Sammie's hero-of-their-own-story story.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 28, 2023

Sammie, an artist's assistant, has been invited to a bachelor-party weekend by their longtime friend Adam. The festivities will take place in El Campo, a fictional, uber-hedonistic stateless society wrapped up in a Las Vegas-- or Dubai-like package. Sammie, who has been out as trans for two years, has been asked to be Adam's best man. Though Sammie is uncomfortable with this gendered title and the overall expectations for the trip, they still agree to attend. While the bachelor party guests are obnoxious, the real physical threat lies within El Campo, which is rife with ominous tech bro cult members, glowy-eyed sea monsters, and forced-labor gig-economy clones. As tensions rise and El Campo quickly reveals itself to be a high-tech hellscape, it's not a question of if something zany yet horrific is about to happen, but when. Lubchansky is skilled at conveying a sense of deep anxiety from page one, while simultaneously maintaining elements of fun and surprise and even poignant moments of real tenderness and vulnerability. The illustrations are broken up with social media posts, gooey slime-green lettering, texting conversations, and increasingly dystopian advertisements, thus moving the action and plot along nicely. VERDICT Horror fans are in for a chaotic yet satisfying ride.--Ingrid Conley-Abrams

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