Bury the Lede by Gaby Dunn

Bury the Lede

by Gaby Dunn

From New York Times-bestselling author Gaby Dunn comes a story of an ambitious young reporter and the potential murderess who will change her life.

Cub reporter Madison Jackson is young, scrappy, and hungry to prove that she deserves her coveted college internship at the premiere newspaper in town, The Boston Lede where she fetches coffee for the night crew and dreams of her own byline. So when her police scanner mentions a brutal murder tied to a prominent Boston family, Madison races to the crime scene, looking for the scoop of the century. 

What she finds instead is the woman who'll change her life forever: Dahlia Kennedy, celebrity socialite, now widow, covered in gore and the prime suspect in the murder of her husband and child. When Dahlia refuses to talk to anyone but Madison, they begin a dangerous game of cat and mouse that leads the young journalist down a twisted path.

From Gaby Dunn (Bad with Money, I Hate Everyone But You) and Claire Roe (Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Welcome Back) comes an all new original graphic novel about the thrill of the chase and the dangers of going toe-to-toe with a potential killer.
 

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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3 1/2 stars

I received a copy of Bury the Lede through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Bury the Lede is a new graphic novel out in the wild, and it is a bitter crime noir graphic novel. Not exactly something you see every day (though it’d be nice if that changed). This story tells the darker side of reporting – what a reporter might have to go through in order to snag a story. And the burning wreckage they leave in their wake.
Madison T. Jackson just managed to snag herself an internship at The Boston Lede. All she really has to do to coast through the semester is support the full time reporters on staff. Or she could do what it takes to get some recognition.
Luckily for her, a murder and a missing child give her exactly the opportunity she needs to shine. But one should never expect a happy tale, not when the beginning is so dark and disturbing.

Bury the Lede was an exciting and different read. Madison’s journey is not your typical focus for a graphic novel, and that’s what made it so appealing. To be honest, I’d be thrilled to see more series like this pop out of the woodwork.
I honestly had to sit back and give myself a moment after finishing Bury the Lede. It was an intense read, and that’s no exaggeration. Madison saw and was told some pretty heinous stuff. Not to mention she (and her fellow reporters) went to great lengths to get the scoop. It’s the sort of journalism that most people like to pretend doesn’t exist.
The fake Boston Lede was pretty amusing, I must admit. Maybe I found it especially charming and funny because I’m native to the area. It also sort of reminded me of the Daily Bugle, in a way, which is very much appreciated. Also, bonus points for the name (and how the title took advantage of it).
This graphic novel is going to be perfect for fans of crime novels, for what I think is fairly obvious reasons. I personally found it to be a little dark and rushed at times, though on the whole I really did enjoy it. I imagine a crime fanatic would appreciate it even more.

Where Bury the Lede truly shined was in the artwork. I enjoyed Gary Dunn’s writing just fine. But I have to admit that I fell completely in love with Claire Roe and Miguel Muerto’s contributions to this project.
I’m especially fond of the color palette that was used. What can I say; I have a weakness for imagery that makes good use of shades of purple. The characters and their expressions were also portrayed in an interesting light.
And let’s not forget the overall tone of the artwork. This series practically screamed noir, but it did so without the stereotypical black and white feel. I absolutely adored all of the decision making behind the artwork. And for good reason, in my opinion.

I’m actually kind of hoping that we’ll be seeing more works like Bury the Lede in the future. And I certainly wouldn’t say no to seeing more of this creative team working together, either. They clearly have some potential.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 27 November, 2019: Reviewed