Advance Review: Zebedee and the Valentines

Abs Bailey is a new creator whose debut graphic novel, "Zebedee and the Valentines," is quite impressive! I had a chance to read an advance digital copy and was delighted by the illustrations and the story was a solid tale of a rock band struggling to make it big--with all the drama that can entail.

An upcoming release from Avery Hill Publishing,"Zebedee and the Valentines," takes place in 1982, "Somewhere," around the suburbs of Southern England. Zebedee is an egocentric lead singer for the titular band and the book follows his clash of personalities with fellow bandmates as a chance to compete in a massive, "Battle of the Bands," event brings with it both opportunities and conflict. The plot is solid and relatively straightforward in its telling of a, "Small band tries to make it big," yarn, but what really caught my attention is Bailey's artwork.

Abs Bailey's illustrative work is both outlandish and cartoony, but carries a bit of a dark edge that can get eerily trippy, with a dream sequence mid-book with Zebedee really astounding my senses. Bailey's drawing and colors are phenomenal and result in a book that is a pure pleasure to read from its start to finish. Between the good story and astonishing artwork, it makes, "Zebedee and the Valentines," a book that is absolutely worth checking out.

"Zebedee and the Valentines," is due to be released in the United Kingdom on September 10th, 2020; its release date for America is October 14th, 2020. Go ahead and preorder your copy at your local comic shop/bookstore/online retailer today. If you like quality comics you'll love this book!
5 out of 5 stars.

Note: I am on the press list for Avery Hill Publishing and they send digital review copies of comics often, this was one of them that was provided for free in hopes of/exchange for a review