DNF'ing at page 31. These comics are fine, but I just feel kind of "meh" about them. They're in a funnies-style strip format, which I personally find hard to invest in. Some of what I read did make me chuckle, though, and I do love the concept of a queer-centered funnies strip.

Firstly, I love that this graphic novel had so much representation and that, combined with the fact that the cover is cute as heck, made me initially interested in this.

Sadly, though, it just wasn't for me. I don't like the art style AT ALL. I thought the inside would look like the cover and it was definitely NOT that. I just couldn't get into the story either.

I’m a massive comics and graphic novels fan but I’m usually not the biggest fan of collections of comic strips as they tend to feel repetitive and stale after a while, especially if you read the entire thing in one sitting. However, Grease Bats didn’t feel that way in the slightest! This is a hilarious collection full of extremely relatable (There were multiple times I stopped and thought “Oh wow. That’s ME.” and wanted to share the panels on Twitter or start carrying printouts of the panels and just handing them to people when asked to tell someone about myself.) slice of life moments in the lives of self-professed “gay disasters.” But that’s not to say there isn’t any depth to this collection. On the contrary, the comic strips explore complex topics like identity, microaggressions, mental health and a myriad of other topics in a poignant yet funny manner.

If you’re looking for something funny but deep, gay, and intersectional, you should definitely pick this up!

I was super excited when I got approved for this title. I mean, I love webcomics and I especially love queer webcomics, so what could go wrong, right? Sadly I just didn't enjoy this very much. Don't get me wrong, this comic isn't *bad*, I just couldn't really connect with the characters and it wasn't as funny as I was expecting. Overall I still enjoyed most of it but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

firstly want to say this book was such a fun and cool little graphic novel but sadly I was a little let down as I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. this graphic novel was good but for me I dint really click with the story and kept getting distracted and wasn't really peaking my interest much. Don't get me wrong I love the story behind it and of course loved the representation of so many sexualities such as trans, non binary, bisexual and many more. but for me as a whole this was just a cute little graphic novel for me sadly.
the illustration style was different aswell to the graphic novels i'm used to reading but actually that was a nice change.

sadly overall this was a 2.5/5 stars a okay graphic novel but loved the representation shown throughout.

thank you for netgally and BOOM! studios publishing for the E arc

TBH, Grease Bats is somewhat fun and humorous but in my opinion, I think this book isn’t for me. I’m so sorry. I wish I had enjoyed it more than I did.

I get the aesthetic this collection is going for (early Dykes To Watch Out For crossed with early Hark! A Vagrant) but I don't actually like it. The art is just... extremely bad? Like, the quality and effort look approximately equal to something a not-very-talented middle schooler doodled on the back of their math homework. So that's something to be aware of. The actual plot (a bunch of queer friends in I'm guessing their mid-twenties make a lot of realistically terrible decisions about money, alcohol, and relationships) is fine and entertaining, and does very much evoke the Dykes To Watch Out For vibe it's going for. I'm very unimpressed with the effort the publisher/editor clearly did not put in, since they're just letting all the spelling and grammatical errors go straight on through to the final product (how much effort! would it take!! to white-out and fix a basic spelling error!!!), but if you're okay with the lo-fi zine quality of everything else I'm guessing it's not going to bother you. I get that there aren't a lot of stories like this out there so this collection will definitely find its audience regardless, and the cast is authentic and charming (Andy the slutty genderqueer dirtbag, Scout the useless grunge lesbian, Gwen the outgoing and newly out bisexual, Taylor of inexperienced lesbian grad student, and Ari the trans ace anti-capitalist), but it does really annoy me that the publisher apparently decided it wasn't worth the effort to edit the thing before printing it. Long story short: thumbs up for concept, thumbs down for execution.

If I had to reduce what I have to say about this comic, I will say: I didn't know how much I needed to read it.
It was like being able to read some of my fears and thoughts there, and find answers, along with beautiful drawings and great humor.
Each and every one of the topics that the characters in this comic speak are SUPER important (pronouns, sex, gender, idetification, and more) and everything is so well represented and it is impossible not to feel identified with any of all those fantastic chapters.
Another thing that I liked about the comic, is that although it is long, the separation of the chapters by themes and moments makes it super light to read.
The truth when I started it I had no idea what I was getting into but I am so glad that I could read it, as I said at the beginning it was just what I needed and did not know.
Super recommended. Queer people this is a comic that you don't have to miss.

Grease Bats came to me as a surprise. Archie Bongiovanni portrays the lives of two best friends, Andy and Scout, as they navigate through life, hookups, lost loves, binge drinking and understanding what their place in the world is.

The characters were so refreshing and accurate in their representation. Andy is trans, genderqueer and unapologetic, portraying loving and having sex unashamedly. Scout is loyal, kind and honestly still getting over her ex, but she'll get there.

The themes are ever so relevant. With Bongiovanni's witty humor, the truth that Grease Bats holds is sure to resonate with readers, who will find themselves laughing out loud and sympathizing with characters at their happiest and lowest points. No character is too little, all of the side characters have full purposes and they feel so unique on the page, filling the story with different perspectives and opportunities to reflect on modern issues.

Highly recommended!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All-inclusive, all-queer, all-funny… all-everything! Grease Bats is a series of hilarious, thought-provoking comic strips by Archie Bongiovanni, about a group of friends navigating their 20s, past, present and future loves, emotional processing — or the refusal thereof when DRUNK and HIGH — friendship, boundaries and the vast spectrum of queerness, gender and sexuality.

Grease Bats follows the day-to-day lives of: Andy, a genderqueer individual, wearer of the best tank tops — Eat Ass 24/7 is my personal number one — Scout, their best friend, a blunderer for all things related to love and relationships; Ari is their flatmate and an introvert, pessimist and atheist — as stated by my favourite strips, titled “Identity”, is the squad member with whom I resonate the most — Gwen, a bisexual, easy-going extrovert; and Taylor, a grad school student and overthinking bottom.

Archie has an unique style and if you want to check out their other amazing works, you can on their site: www.archiebongiovanni.com. They made a very useful and fun guide to gender-neutral pronouns accessible to everyone willing to learn how to use them and the importance they have, called A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns.

Highly recommended! It is a read you can't miss!

*Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Content warnings for homophobia, transphobia, and misgendering.

I have to keep in this line from the book’s description because this was how I knew I was going to love this graphic novel before I even read it: “So no one told you life was gonna be this gay!”.

Taken from Bongiovanni’s online comic strips published on Autostraddle, Grease Bats gives us short glimpses into the trials and tribulations of Andy, a genderqueer trans individual, and their best friend and roommate, Scout.

Andy and Scout have such charm which exudes from the first page, and I quickly became attached to them. I think many queer people know an Andy in their life: they are dramatic, loud, hilarious, fully embracing their queer identity and queer culture. Scout is more reserved, though equally dramatic in an internalised way, still hung up on her ex-girlfriend from two years ago. United in the fact they are both ‘gay disasters’, they are the comedy duo I’ve been waiting for, who perfectly balance each other out.

Ari, an ace aro trans introvert, and Andy and Scout’s new roommate, easily has to be my favourite character. She knows what she wants and will unapologetically tell you what this is; she has fully embraced her introversion and that is something I can get behind.

I don’t know how else to articulate this, but everything in Grease Bats is so queer – from the details of their clothing, to the way they talked about things. Bongiovanni depicts queer bodies of all shapes and sizes, a truly beautiful and refreshing thing to see. The whole comic bind up is ingeniously put together. Bongiovanni’s style is fun and quirky, using mainly a black and white palette but with some occasional snatches of colour, working well to maintain the vibrancy of the work.

Bongiovanni has such wit, which is reflected in their characters. I laughed out loud many times during reading – I don’t think I have ever been so genuinely affected by a graphic novel before this one. Yet Bongiovanni’s real strength is balancing this humour with thoughtfulness and earnest questions. It made me question the ways I’ve thought about my own gender, about how I’ve traditionally thought about my personal femininity, at the same time as being wholly validating and celebrating.

Throughout Grease Bats, you get a real sense of the grating (and harmful) nature of misgendering, as it happens to the characters across the different episodes. On different days, the characters respond differently to these microaggressions, from being able to acknowledge it with contempt one day to them being more deeply affected by it on a different day, causing dysphoria.

Bongiovanni doesn’t just depict the need for safe, accessible, queer spaces but also the struggle queer people face in feeling like they don’t belong in them. Bongiovanni explores how we can rethink and how to redefine what queer spaces mean for you.

While Andy and Scout and their friends are searching for queer spaces, a place where they belong, Bongiovanni offers queer readers such a space in their pages. I saw so much of myself reflected in all the characters.

Grease Bats is out now in comic stores.

This would be a great book for the right audience but I wasn't it. Didn't care for the art work and I was looking for something with teen appeal and this is definitely for adults.

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reading copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to BOOM! Studios for the opportunity.

When I first found out that I was approved for this e-ARC, I was really happy and excited to work my way through it. And as I started reading the strips, I told myself that this is a good one.

It tells a story of two friends -- Andy and Scout. Andy is genderqueer, and representation is really a big thing for me. It's a fun and quirky read and I can't wait for this to come out (pun intended) and share this with my friends.

Archie Bongiovanni made sure to give us good laughs while sharing a side of a queer world that people needed to see.

Grease Bats is a collection of comics from Archie Bongiovanni. Due out 3rd Sept 2019 from Boom! studios, it's 304 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook (comiXology) formats.

Grease Bats is a slice of life comic in multi-page panel story format. The drawing style is simple and appealing, with clearly well developed characters who go about their daily lives and interact with the sometimes inexplicable world in which we all live.

I liked so many things about these stories. Little things like the character's t-shirt changes and the angst when a favorite hang-out closes or turns into something you don't recognize (or becomes a freakin' FERN BAR - Lookin' at you Lof's). There were a lot of big things I liked too, like characters who are PoC, that the characters felt genuine to me and not like they had to be paragons of virtue because they weren't straight,. The author/artist manages to impart some grammatical and etiquette advice without resorting to being strident or preachy - preferred personal pronoun use for one thing, acceptable mobile phone use in company for another (huge pet peeve of mine). There were also recurring themes of consent, interpersonal interaction, flirting, dating, real friendship, fighting the establishment, etc. The stereotypical characterizations of the straight characters was a bit over the top, but didn't degenerate into cruelty, so that's cool. I understand that the majority of the target readership doesn't identify as straight, but there are a lot of good points here which could make for valuable reading for CISgender people. There were also a number of typos in the early eARC I received for review purposes. I imagine they'll be edited out before release (they usually are).

There are over 50 self contained short stories in this collection. Like all collections, some of the stories resonated more than others, but they were all readable and some were quite thought provoking. This would make a really good afternoon binge read, or a sampling of a story at a time over a longer period of time. It might also make a good gift for a friend or family member who's coming out or potentially for straight family members who just don't understand the whole 'they/them' pronoun 'thing'. It's not a handbook, it's a collection of light humor whose primary characters are not straight and CIS.

Four stars.

It took me a little while to get into this one but once I did it was really funny and relatable. I think that ideally if I wasn't reading it as an ARC I would have just had it laying around and read a few strips every day - every page is basically a 4-6 panel self contained webcomic, although several of them continue off each other chronologically - because I always find reading a ton of really short things all in a row to be weird, but it was overall really fun and definitely got better as they added more recurring characters besides just the main two. I personally really liked that they added an extremely introverted aro/ace character because I could use that character as a proxy to me being oftentimes baffled by the main two characters' actions lol. Being aro/ace and watching people try to be in relationships is just such a trip honestly. Anyway, definitely a cute book, would recommend!

Grease Bats is a slice of life Peanuts-esque comic that packs a bunch. It follows a variety of characters that all fit outside of societal norms in some way exploring their sexuality, gender, and identity in short strip comics. It's an interesting introduction to a much broader conversation.
Because the story doesn't follow the typical narrative style, and really is just a collection of short digestible life moments, I think it's easily approachable and great to pick-up whenever. It keeps things real and can be a little hard to get through sometimes because let's face it, we all know a Karen, and it wouldn't kill us to keep an open mind and continue to educate ourselves. Also, can we talk about the super healthy discussions that happen in here? Major points.
Great #BroMoments, great friendships, quirky, funny, and cute.

Fans of Dykes to Watch Out For and Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl will love this slice-of-love comic strip following a group of queer friends dealing with the woes of the 21st century, from fascist politics to capitalism, online dating, identity crises, and communication issues. These comics will make you laugh and relate even if this particular subset of the queer experience (full of parties, drugs, and hookups) doesn't reflect your life!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a collection of short vignettes that take place over a period of a few years. It was candid, funny, smart, and thoughtful. Definitely recommend.

*I received this book as an eARC from BOOM! Studios via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

This graphic novel is a beautifully queer collection of comic strip stories. There's so many different topics covered. The stories showcase the challenges and struggles of queer people. But, there are also some pretty hilarious parts. I give this collection a 4/5.

I don't have the words to describe how amazing this collection is. I loved every single comic in here. It's so true to life. I want it to be printed already so I can give copies to all my friends and be like "it's us! but with more drinking!". I'd read things by Archie before but this is by far my favorite thing they've written. Reading this was like reading affirmation and validation.