Cover Image: Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

The storyline initially piqued my interest, but it exceeded my expectations.
The illustrations were also fantastic and extremely detailed.

I highly recommend it!

Was this review helpful?

A story about the money and influences of huge drug companies and the research and methods that go along with them. 3 test subjects transverse crazy results in a test subject environment.

Was this review helpful?

Somewehere in France a pharmaceutical company recruits 3 people for a clinical trial on what they are told is an anti-anxiety medication and offers to pay them 3,500 francs. One person suffers from short-term memory loss. One is impotent. One just really hates her successful artist dad because she's a failed artist herself who just wants enough money to go back to India.
What no one counts on is that the drug they're given doesn't really help with anxiety. What it really does is remove inhibitions, lower fears and allow people to do all the things they have always wanted to but have been too terrified to try. Like remember things that happened after their father's deadly accident. Or talk to hot girls. Or paint like a person possessed.
The trial subjects LOVE the drug, but of course, there are some unforeseen side effects... and when the pharma reps come calling months down the line, the Guinea Pigs must decide if their new lives are worth the side effects.
Yes, people keep comparing this to Maniac, because it reads a LOT like that show on the surface, but it's actually a lot less trippy and makes a lot more sense than the show. It's basically an exploration of fear - and all the things we would or could do if the fear was suddenly gone. For good, or for bad.

Was this review helpful?

*Thank you Net Galley for access to this book*

In exchange for 3,500 Euros, three people subject themselves to be in a trial run for a new drug. Everything seems fine until they go home and their lives are turned around. They say it's the drug, and will do whatever it takes to keep taking it.

The story is fast paced, but this doesn't take away from the story. You connect with the characters and their flaws enough to still make the story impactful, and at the end, you're left wondering if they really made the right decision or if their addiction will eventually get them.

Was this review helpful?

Great art and storyline. Fast and enjoyable read. Would definitely recommend to any graphic novel fan.

Was this review helpful?

An entertaining and original story about a pagrmaceutical trial group and the consequences deriving from the new drug they are testing. It is filled with social criticism, mainly focused on money, and jow far would pharmaceutical companies go to achieve what they are after. However, the most interesting aspect was the meme net of the trial group turning against the company, and what that entails.

Was this review helpful?

Its definitaly a quick and easy read, good for readAthons...
the story is interesting and the art work is quite amazing, I would for sure be interested in read more of this author, congrats on the work.

Was this review helpful?

Guinea Pigs is a quick, easy graphic novel to read, but at the same time highlights some of the many issues faced by the increasing medicalisation of society. The illustrations are great, and overall I would recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

This was an average read for me. The art was very intriguing though. I just couldn't find myself to get into the story enough to care about these characters.

Was this review helpful?

As soon as I saw the title and cover I just knew I had to read this. It initially reminded me of Maniac that I recently saw on Netflix. As expected with any Europe Comics book, this one is full of awesome art! The establishing scenes are superb, with interesting and effective use of color schemes to differentiate time and places.

It’s about three random people signing up for a test run of a new breakthrough medicine that is supposed to solve all of humanity’s mental health problems. We begin a journey that takes a closer look at the pharmaceutical industry. It explores the issue of just how much of our medications really help us. It’s a question of research ethics—just when is it acceptable to sacrifice “guinea pigs” for the good of the greater population? How do we even quantify the pros and cons of results vs the side effects?

I love the unlikely friendship that was formed between the trio. All throughout the book you just know something big will happen, just not if it’s good or bad. I constantly worry about our main characters. That is how invested I was in the story. I can’t say the ending was what I expected, too. It’s overall a really great read with pleasant surprises.

Ultimately it’s a book on mental health. I love how it teaches us that inversing the symptom is not the automatic solution to any illness. We need to study, understand and embrace our fears and anxiety so we can function with them and not against. Escape is never the answer.

Was this review helpful?

I have some mixed feelings about it. It was satisfying in the beginning of it, even thought it is only 96 pages. However, near the end it was rushed and I was confused by the end to be honest. We are in a modern day world where a new drug has been created and a handful of test subjects have been chosen to well.. test the new drug! This graphic novel depicts all the patients as they each have different side effects to this pill.

Was this review helpful?

* I have received this novel thanks to NetGalley and the publisher*
It's an excellent read! It starts off slowly, with three people, who have a rather lame life. They have nothing to lose, so they decide to apply for new drug tests. They are promised there won't be any side effects, but things turn out differently. I won't tell you how, so you will need to see (read) for yourself. It surely is a story about the modern world, about how dependant we are no our magic pills and how far can we go for them. I'd love to read more of this story, some follow up would be amazing. Oh, and the cover is great :)

Was this review helpful?

This is an interesting graphic novel with a pretty important message for today's society. I liked it a lot.

Was this review helpful?

A well crafted plot with an interesting take on medication effects, inhibition and human nature. Colourful character backstories made this a strong story, which could have been longer and more developed.

Was this review helpful?

It was the perfect comic book for me. I love the storyline, especially the ending and looking forward to more parts.

Three people have been chosen for a pharmaceutical trial in exchange for quite a lot of money. THe have to stay at the facility and take the pill for a month, however, the pills have very interesting side effects. :)

Was this review helpful?

A very interesting graphic novel about the pharmaceutical companies and how testing effects people. Similar to Limitless, but with a dose of revenge.

Was this review helpful?

Looking for a 'day in the life' gone wrong kind of novel? Well here you go!

We are in a modern day world where a new drug has been created and a handful of test subjects have been chosen to well.. test the new drug! This graphic novel depicts all the patients as they each have different side effects to this pill and hm, that's kinda it.

I was a little disappointed in this one. I was hoping for some huge plot twist! An ah-ha moment. One of the test subjects to sprout wings and bring on a new age of horror to the world? (what am I saying, this isn't a superhero comic) BUT I WANTED MORE!

I also found the panels hard to read? Quite a few I had to just skip over. Maybe it was the font but I would definitly beg the publisher to change something on that regard.

Was this review helpful?

Guinea Pigs is a graphic novel focused on the world of pharmaceutical drugs. I’ll be honest with you; it never once occurred to me to expect to see a graphic novel come from this particular branch of science. Maybe that was silly of me, I don’t know.
The main characters are…well they’re guinea pigs, if you want to put it bluntly. They’re the people that pharmaceutical companies test their new drugs on, to prove they’re safe for human consumption (and to correct the dosage as needed). It’s not the most comfortable thing to think about; especially when you considered all the unknown side effects that could arise. Ever notice those warning labels on your medications? Those are there because somebody testing the medication had that reaction. A little depressing, isn’t it?
Knowing this, I went into this book not exactly expecting a happy tale or a happy ending. I expected the series to be bleak, but maybe have a quirk or two. I got some of what I was expecting, but on the whole Guinea Pigs successfully managed to surprise me.
The twists and turns that this story took were completely unexpected. The way everything got flipped on its head…I never could have seen it coming. And yet they still managed to tell some of the story I was expecting, talk about the harsh reality behind testing. Admittedly it wasn’t as much as I expected, but this way was certainly more unique, and it felt less preachy too. So I’d consider that a success.
I’m glad I took the time to read Guinea Pigs, and honestly I sort of hope to see more from this creative team in the future. I think they have a lot of potential for surprising tales.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting book. It follows a trio of people who test a new pharmaceutical. The beginning seemed like it was going to be Twilight Zone-stuff, but the storyline ends up somewhat conventionally. Good idea, but I wish it would have gone a different way about 1/3 of the way through.

Was this review helpful?

I'll be honest, I didn't really get it. It was interesting, and I kinda liked it, but if you asked me what it's actually about I wouldn't know what to say.

Was this review helpful?