Buzz!

by Ananth Hirsh

Tess Stone (Artist)

• Webster is a bundle of nerves headed into his first day of high school, but whatever academic and social horrors he feared are nothing compared to what’s in store for him as he stumbles into an unsanctioned, street-level spelling bee! And this ain't no staged production, either — letters fly like jump kicks and the losers leave bruised and beaten more often than not! Soon he’s propelled into the fast-paced world of competitive spelling by the mysterious Outlaw King and his cohort the Black Queen. Does Webster have what it takes to get the spelling world buzzing? Find out in this word-based battle royale from web-sensations Ananth Panagariya (Johnny Wander) and Tessa Stone (Hanna is Not a Boy’s Name)!

• ISBN10: 1620100886
• ISBN13: 9781620100882
• Publish Date: 17 December 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Oni Press,US
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 144
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

Buzz! features a world where spelling bees are the shit, and there are even underground illegal bees where people face off - sometimes to the death. Webster falls into a bad crowd at the first day at school, and finds himself entering the spelling bee competition.

The art is done in a black and white style with bright yellow splashes. Sometimes the character's shirts are yellow and black striped, bee-style. Spelling bee, bee colours, get it? Get it? The yellow splashes looked okay, but they were too bright and distracting while reading for me.

Though Buzz! is often compared to Scott Pilgrim, I barely saw any resemblance. The spelling bee fighting scenes were cluttered and unclear, the geeky humour absent, and the characters predictable and clichéd. Buzz! doesn't quite hit the mark.