(3.5) This was a nice introduction to a story that I would read more from. The art style was wonderful, and the story was enticing. Even though I liked it, it lacked the oomph that I look for in a first story. I felt like I had seen most of these tropes done before, and while none of them are done badly here, it wasn't anything extremely unique. There is mild fatphobia displayed by a few characters. Besides these things, though, I enjoyed this first volume, and I will read further if I get the chance.

CW: Nudity, sex, implied drug addiction, implied underage sex (character seemed to be under 18), violence, stereotypes

Let me get this out there. The premise of "Gung-ho" is an incredible take on a post-apocalyptic world. I did not expect Rippers to look like white killer monkeys. The incredible art-work by Thomas von Kummat was stunning, every panel felt like a painting.

"Gung-Ho" from those two points above was definitely on its way to getting between a 4-5 star rating. Where it loses it a bit for me are the characters themselves rather than anything innately wrong with the storyline. When I strip back the initial post-apocalyptic premise (including the killer-monkeys) of the story I don't really see anything I haven't seen a million times before in this genre. Which may be a really good thing if you are looking for something familiar to read but with a new package.

However, there were plot inconsistencies that made no sense to me and were not things I could ignore. The teenagers in this story have no regard for their own safety nor for the safety around them and while this is meant to be read as just a part of the world they live in, I can't help but think that their lack of fear makes no sense considering the kind of world they live in. Moments shown about the teenagers go further than just rebellion and there is not a single voice of reason among them which is unusual in a group of teenagers that big (whether they be fictional or not)

I don't mind nudity or sex panels in my graphic novels or manga. Sometimes they are an inevitable part of the story or genre setting. Those things I can live with and appreciate. Let me preface this by saying that apart from Archer, there was no indication that any of the other teenagers were 18 or older. However, stereotypes and just the use of the underage female characters in sex-scenes (or in general) made me really uncomfortable. While I don't think every piece of work published needs to be "woke"; there were too many obvious moments for my liking that leaned into an uncomfortable territory in that regard for no reason other than it could.

The ending to this volume was such a whiplash and would have been a 5 star read on its own. I'm not even joking.

However, the novel as a whole didn't hold up to the volume end. At this moment I don't think I'm going to pick up the second volume for reasons stated above.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for allowing me to read an e-arc of this graphic novel. All opinions are my own.

The art in Gung Ho deserves 7 stars on its own. Like, hands down some of the most stunning work I’ve seen in a graphic novel. At first glance I genuinely thought some panels were photographed.

~★~ What is this book about? ~★~

After the White Plague renders humanity thin, people discover that survival relies in numbers. Leaving the security of town or fortified camps almost guarantees certain death.
Orphaned brothers Archer and Zach arrive at Fort Apache, where they are expected to learn to fight and never leave the safe zone alone. It isn’t long before the pair realizes there’s as much trouble to be found within the colony as they’ll find beyond its borders.

~★~

Post apocalyptic stories almost always get a positive reaction out of me. It’s a mystery why I haven’t read more. Gung Ho brings a lot to the table with its kick ass characters, awesome monsters and frequent action.

There’s almost nothing about this story that I didn’t like. Benjamin von Eckartsberg does a great job capturing different character dynamics that stand out. Zach and Archer were passionate troublemakers, which made their proceedings all the more interesting.

I suppose a post apocalyptic tale could have had a more unique plot. I enjoyed all of it nonetheless, though I can definitely see why others might find that aspect underwhelming. Other than that, this was a great story!

Oh boy... I need Vol.2 ASAP!
Gung-Ho is a beautifully drawn post-apocalyptic story. There's angsty teens that can't keep their pants on, there's corruption, there's survival, there's the "White Plague", there's blood... Overall it's a fun time and I want to see where this one's going.

Content Warning: Adult content (18+), Nudity, Violence, Adult Language

I am stunned and thrilled by everything that I read in this book; from its storyline, premise, and characters to the intense tension are built. Its illustrations made me recall the graphics that I saw in 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' and I will highly recommend this book for its graphics and details. I added that content warning because it's certainly not suitable for the minors for its action, language, brutality, and some scenes.
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What makes this book so exciting? It's a dystopian-horror fiction where people were living in enclosed surroundings to keep themselves safe from the rippers and crushers—some crazy human hunting animals. Archer and Zach are two orphan brothers who get shelter in Fort Apache where people live and train to defend themselves against those beasts. Archer and Zach were the stars of this book and compared to normal books, reading character development in such a graphic novel was a very satisfying experience.
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Archer with his wit and big mouth added the charisma and Zach's heroic courage provided the intense thrills. Even except them, all other characters were there for significant reasons. The visual narration was very smooth and moving and every other character Archer and Zach came across formed a bond without them—either that was of friendship or rivalry. I thought as an elder brother Archer may have more share in the story, but Zach was the one who took the weight of the story on his shoulders. Probably, Archer may have more to do in the next volumes of this book but in this volume, Zach had it all!
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Other conspiracies were going on in Fort Apache which is yet to be revealed. The whole premise and the sequence of the story made it more like an insane apocalypse movie. Must give it a read if you are into dystopian fiction and love to read some mysterious characters.

3.5/5
This is a graphic novel with a post-apocalyptic setting, with a quite basic premise when it comes to the genre, but the art style definitely makes up for that. The main characters, the Goodwoody brothers, Zack and Archer, are likeable and can carry the plot. It was an interesting read, although not really the type of graphic novel I would pick up off the shelf in a book store I'm happy I got to read it.

Gung-Ho is adventure and dystopian thrill mixed into a graphic novel collection. Recommended for older readers, and enjoyable for science fiction and comic book fans. The art is visually appealing, even when taking up dark subjects.

The raw desire to survive hangs on every page and creates a rich, dystopian world.

Two orphans find themselves in a small settlement in the middle of no-man's land. Kicked out by everyone else, this is their last chance to survive. But life here is brutal, not only thanks to the constant danger from outside the town's walls...but even those unseen ones within.

The illustrations in this one are amazing. It's a treat to visit each and every one as the characters and scenes not only come to life, but echo the atmosphere perfectly. If the story even half-way caught my interest, the illustrations would have automatically sealed a 5 star review. Unfortunately, the tale was more than lacking.

The reader is thrust into a world, where settlements and their walls are the only thing keeping humanity alive. I think, anyway. There's no background, no history, and no indication as to what happened or how the world outside of this settlement is set-up (outside of the dangerous part).. This made it hard to sink into the story right away (although the beginning is gritty and theoretically grabbing) and left logic holes dabble all over the place. The world simply missed a lot of foundation.

I did enjoy several of the characters and found their relationships and issues intriguing. There's some intriguing weaving in this direction, and I did root for a few of them and hate a few others. Unfortunately, this didn't stay consistent through-out the read and there were lulls in between, where I found myself skimming the pages just to get on to the next interesting part.

So, I'm going to give this one 5 stars for the illustrations, 2 for the rest, and feel almost generous by handing out the 3 stars..

I’ll premise my review with the fact that I love post apocalyptic stories, and/or zombie books, and/or kill or be killed series. So I might be a little biased when I say, this was totally awesome!! The art drew me in from the start and I’m so psyched it did!!!! The art throughout the whole volume was just as great as the cover. The details and vibrancy kept me hooked enough that it might have been enough to carry the volume without any words!!! And I feel like that’s saying something.

The content was also great though!! We don’t know the characters very well yet, which is expected this early on, but I’m already totally interested in these kids, this world!! I’m also pretty happy because this was also super funny. Like in a sarcastic, kinda vulgar and crude, but hilarious anyway type of thing.

I totally recommend this to post apocalyptic graphic novel lovers and those who enjoy a good zombie type story. Not that these are zombies, but same premise. Don’t let them get you!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for allowing me to reading this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!

Amazon review pending publication and approval.

Gung-Ho Vol 1 is an adult dystopian graphic novel. In the future, society lives within walls to escape gigantic sloth looking monsters that rip things apart and eat everyone in sight. A bunch of promiscuous teens get frisky while they are supposed to be working and protecting their colony. The story is original in that it is not zombies but follows much the same way as no one can leave or they die. The art is well drawn with dark colors and is probably great if you love nip slips at every turn. I found the story lost with no real plot except mainly sex and a little death. I am sure this book has its fan base but I am not part of it. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Baited but not totally disappointed.

The illustrations were on point and definitely carried the lack of strong storyline.

Will still read the other volumes though.

RATING:3.5Stars

The art style of this comic is stunning, with amazing detail and a beautiful colour scheme. The initial set up and plot were intriguing, as we follow a town trying to survive in a desolate and dangerous post-apocalyptic world. The majority of the book was a fun fast-paced read, full of action and interesting characters. The perfect amount of gory and creepy, making it perfect for this time of year. Unfortunately near the end of the story one of the main characters has a complete 180 change in their dynamic and undoes all of their character development. Don't know what that was about but it definitely tainted the overall experience for me. Despite this, it was still a very enjoyable read overall.

2 stars for story, rounded up to 3 for the gorgeous illustrations. A tropey post-apocalyptic story, in which two orphaned brothers arrive in a small fortress town and learn how to live with the folks there. The cool worldbuilding elements were overshadowed by the shallow interpersonal drama between the hormone-addled teenagers that the book revolved around, as they hooked up, squabbled, broke up, wash-rinse-repeat. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I had a fun, adventurous time reading this graphic novel. Spooky and bad-ass characters. And yes to zombies!

And yes to fearless characters. They are pretty convincing!

Kudos to the artists for such an amazing artstyle and for maintaining a consistent artstyle sequence throughout the book.

I love the cover. It's pretty accurate and so well illustrated.

This one is just full of action. And so well composed as one good Halloween read. It's gory at times, it's creepy at the right moments and wow those piercing facial expressions of the characters!

Well, you don't need to like these characters but yes to the character combination this one worked out quite well.

There's plot. There's character development. There's a pretty crazy rough ending which ends on a cliffhanger. Damn.

Pretty much violent at times, beware of strong language. But yes for hardcore comic lovers!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

The art is beautiful! The color scheme is beautiful and the pictures are well done. The story its self is also intriguing! We follow brother integrating to a compound during a plague that effects wild animals. It feels relevant and interesting.

There is however a weird emphasis on teen sex. While exploring sexuality during a plague is an interesting concept I didn't feel like that's what this story does, it's mostly just implied images of blowjobs that felt out of place in what feels like a story about adventure and mystery.

Overall I'm interested to see where the story goes.

In near future, the “white plague” has taken over the earth as we know it. Civilization, humanity and the economy have all come shattering down. There are a few survivors left, hoping against hope that their walls will keep the beasts out, but there’s danger, both inside and outside the walls, from beasts and humans alike.

I thought this was going to be another take on zombie apocalypse type thing, it was, but not really. It’s some especially vicious animals instead of zombies in this one, works fine for me just the same.
Okay, coming straight to the good parts, the illustrations, they are omg good, like, seriously! The backgrounds especially are epic, the attention to details is amaaazing, and the colour pallet is just perfect for this story, I legit kept staring at them for a while. Also, I love how the faces of characters are different and unique from each other and telling about their personalities. That’s quite a feat for graphic novels imo. But here’s the thing, the illustrator’s or story teller’s obsession with b00bs was so terribly annoying, like, give me a break, it went so over the top, with every other page, and did nothing for the story or the imagery. I think there should be more in a book to sell, especially the ones meant for teens.

The story and plot are fine, it’s one of those stories that take time unfolding and finding the direction. It is in fact more for the teens and YA but even then I thought there was too much teen drama. But I like how subtly more serious troubles are shown popping up among the adults. I really like how the story ends on a gritty note, love the imagery too. I’m anxious to find out how it continues in the next volume, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley, author, and publishers. All opinions are unbiased and my own.

This book takes place in the future where society has collapsed due to creatures called rippers, large ape-like creatures who eat people. Survival is only possible in fortified towns. Orphans Archer and Zach Goodwoody are sent to Fort Apache as a last chance before being exiled. Archer breaks the rules every chance he gets. Zach wants a place to call home. He mostly follows the rules and has a few romances. The book has a few graphic depictions of sex, boobs, and decapitation.

The art style is not bad, but i cannot say same thing about the story. I expected something more. It is not really my type of comic.