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Trish Trash #1
Trish Trash #1: Rollergirl of Mars
Two centuries from now, Trish "Trash" Nupindju lives on the newly inhabited Mars, whose settlers live under harsh and ruthless conditions. Trish dreams of only one thing: becoming a hoverderby star. It seems like making the professional derby team is the only way to escape a future of poverty on her parents' farm. But, what happens when a half-dead Martian shows up on her doorstep and changes everything? Find out in the first volume of the new science fiction trilogy created by Jessica Abel.
64 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2016
About the author
Jessica Abel
62 books153 followersAuthor and coach Jessica Abel is the author of Growing Gills, Out on the Wire, La Perdida, and two textbooks about making comics, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures and Mastering Comics. Abel’s latest work of fiction is the Eisner-nominated Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
October 22, 2016
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
The first part of a new series in which a girl abandons her boring life as a moisture farmer on Mars in favor of accepting an internship in a rollerderby team. Not surprisingly, she has always dreamed of a life as a pro-sporter and can't wait to take the opportunity.
While it looks like it is going to be a decent story, I thought this first part was too short to be able to really say something about it. A lot of different story lines are thrown in to only sixty pages and it is too early for me to be able to see where it is all going.
Some predictions I will make though: I think it will be fun to read, but I do not expect anything highly original or surprising.
I will be looking out for the rest of the story though!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The first part of a new series in which a girl abandons her boring life as a moisture farmer on Mars in favor of accepting an internship in a rollerderby team. Not surprisingly, she has always dreamed of a life as a pro-sporter and can't wait to take the opportunity.
While it looks like it is going to be a decent story, I thought this first part was too short to be able to really say something about it. A lot of different story lines are thrown in to only sixty pages and it is too early for me to be able to see where it is all going.
Some predictions I will make though: I think it will be fun to read, but I do not expect anything highly original or surprising.
I will be looking out for the rest of the story though!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
December 30, 2016
I really like Jessica Abel's stuff. I thought Out On The Wire was great, one of my favorite reads last year. But this one didn't take me to as interesting a place. Which is weird when one considers that the place Out On The Wire went was podcast studios and Trish Trash is about a roller derby on MARS.
I was once quite enamored of roller derby. Before my city had a team, I went about an hour away to watch Denver's team more than a few times. When I visited Oregon we made the trip to see a roller derby bout. But now I think I've gotten a bit bored with it.
Roller derby is an interesting sport and fun to watch. It's also one of the few sports where the women's league is the dominant league. I don't think there's a problem with roller derby. I'm just not a sports person, spectator or player. I own one sports uniform, which is a t-shirt for a rec volleyball team (we were un-undefeated last season. That's fancy for "we lost EVERY game") and two hockey jerseys, which are both for fictional, podcast-based teams.
However, if I were to make suggestions to spice up the sport of roller derby?
+Mechanical Track: Imagine a track that was like a moving walkway. Sometimes it goes one way, sometimes the other.
+Penalty Tank: This is like a penalty box, but it's a dunk tank. And before the player can come out, another player has to throw a ball and trigger the mechanism to drop the penalized player in the tank.
+Mascots: Roller derby mascot game is weak. There are some, but this should be a bigger part of the spectacle.
+The Hat-dicap: This is a hat full of cards with different handicaps that can be placed on skaters. Things like having an arm tied behind a back, skating backwards, whatever. Whatever works for the skaters. These could be deployed to keep things interesting during the bout.
+Fan Games: You know how at baseball they do that thing where the fan has to run out and put the base in, then run home? I'm thinking fans have to shotgun a beer, skate around the track, shotgun a second beer, then around the track again. Something like that would be fun.
+Jetpacks: no explanation needed.
By the way, these all apply to all sports, far as I'm concerned.
I was once quite enamored of roller derby. Before my city had a team, I went about an hour away to watch Denver's team more than a few times. When I visited Oregon we made the trip to see a roller derby bout. But now I think I've gotten a bit bored with it.
Roller derby is an interesting sport and fun to watch. It's also one of the few sports where the women's league is the dominant league. I don't think there's a problem with roller derby. I'm just not a sports person, spectator or player. I own one sports uniform, which is a t-shirt for a rec volleyball team (we were un-undefeated last season. That's fancy for "we lost EVERY game") and two hockey jerseys, which are both for fictional, podcast-based teams.
However, if I were to make suggestions to spice up the sport of roller derby?
+Mechanical Track: Imagine a track that was like a moving walkway. Sometimes it goes one way, sometimes the other.
+Penalty Tank: This is like a penalty box, but it's a dunk tank. And before the player can come out, another player has to throw a ball and trigger the mechanism to drop the penalized player in the tank.
+Mascots: Roller derby mascot game is weak. There are some, but this should be a bigger part of the spectacle.
+The Hat-dicap: This is a hat full of cards with different handicaps that can be placed on skaters. Things like having an arm tied behind a back, skating backwards, whatever. Whatever works for the skaters. These could be deployed to keep things interesting during the bout.
+Fan Games: You know how at baseball they do that thing where the fan has to run out and put the base in, then run home? I'm thinking fans have to shotgun a beer, skate around the track, shotgun a second beer, then around the track again. Something like that would be fun.
+Jetpacks: no explanation needed.
By the way, these all apply to all sports, far as I'm concerned.
December 15, 2016
When can I read more! I was so sad when this was finished. It feels like two fantastic storylines blended into one even better story. I can't wait to see how the whole thing unfolds as Trish continues to pursue her Hoverderby dreams and deals with the harsh realities of living on Mars.
This comic was provided by the publisher for honest review.
This comic was provided by the publisher for honest review.
October 26, 2016
You like roller derby? You like science fiction? You like graphic novels about strong women and girls? Then pick this up. This was, well, I can't say fun, but it was great to great. Fast paced, world built well, and the things that do happen in roller derby, except on Mars. And except for the roller skates. And I'm sure there is one more except, but that is the brunt of it.
Instead of rollerskates, the girls/women race on special shoes that hover above the surface of the velodrome.
Trish is a water farmer. She hates it, and worships the rollergirls. So when there is an open tryout, she skips school so she can get in. She does, but they want her for her mechanical skills more than her skating.
Great first issue. I look forward to reading the next volume. Well written.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Instead of rollerskates, the girls/women race on special shoes that hover above the surface of the velodrome.
Trish is a water farmer. She hates it, and worships the rollergirls. So when there is an open tryout, she skips school so she can get in. She does, but they want her for her mechanical skills more than her skating.
Great first issue. I look forward to reading the next volume. Well written.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
March 24, 2017
200 years in the future, Trish Nupindju helps her aunt and uncle out on their moisture farm on Mars. While she is a gifted mechanic, her true dream is to join the hover derby - luckily she's a very speedy skater! After weaseling her way into an audition, Trish sees an opportunity to make her dream closer to reality. But it's nowhere near as simple as that, especially when she helps an unwell martian she finds outside on the farm.
Nice artwork, very diverse cast, and interesting story. There's also a wikipedia-like excerpt at the end explaining some of the intricacies of the world. It's not necessary but is helpful and lets you stay in Abel's world just a little bit longer. The artwork is well done in a realistic style with full color, very detailed, aided by the large nature of the book itself (~8.5 x 11). This is a quick read and it made me excited for the next two volumes. I'd recommend it for about 7th graders and up. There no sex, language, or violence.
Nice artwork, very diverse cast, and interesting story. There's also a wikipedia-like excerpt at the end explaining some of the intricacies of the world. It's not necessary but is helpful and lets you stay in Abel's world just a little bit longer. The artwork is well done in a realistic style with full color, very detailed, aided by the large nature of the book itself (~8.5 x 11). This is a quick read and it made me excited for the next two volumes. I'd recommend it for about 7th graders and up. There no sex, language, or violence.
August 11, 2016
A promising start.
I read an ARC copy which lacked the last 10 pages but I liked what was there was to read.
The only false note to me was the aunt and uncle in their initial appearance. Incredibly stiff. Robotic. There was no kinetic energy at all.
4 stars and I look forward to the next issue.
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader's copy of this comic in exchange for my honest review.
I read an ARC copy which lacked the last 10 pages but I liked what was there was to read.
The only false note to me was the aunt and uncle in their initial appearance. Incredibly stiff. Robotic. There was no kinetic energy at all.
4 stars and I look forward to the next issue.
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader's copy of this comic in exchange for my honest review.
January 29, 2017
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
Okay so this is clearly a gimmick book, but a.) I am all about those space gimmicks (i.e. meet cute romance IN SPACE, they fight crime IN SPACE, sentient trains IN SPACE, etc), and b.) It does the gimmick really ell and also includes like, cool aliens, realistic character drama, missing parents (?), and fake history which I am also ALL ABOUT.
Okay so this is clearly a gimmick book, but a.) I am all about those space gimmicks (i.e. meet cute romance IN SPACE, they fight crime IN SPACE, sentient trains IN SPACE, etc), and b.) It does the gimmick really ell and also includes like, cool aliens, realistic character drama, missing parents (?), and fake history which I am also ALL ABOUT.
August 17, 2021
super confusing! kaloka! lalo na ‘yung nga terms. hindi ko na itutuloy ‘yung series.
August 27, 2017
A promising start, but mostly just that. definitely more context provided in the additional "historical" articles about the earth exodus and roller derby rather than inferred through the story - which is fine; I prefer diving into a sci-fi or fantasy story and figuring the world out through conversation and action rather than exposition, but there isn't much of either yet in this first volume. Even so, a specialized world isn't terribly necessary as we're introduced to Trish, a fairly typical rebellious teenager who wants more than her 'poor provincial life' - and by more, I mean she just wants to meet her Roller Derby hero someday. She hasn't thought much further than that.
Hopefully we'll see more Mars v Earth dynamics as well as character building in Trish in Vol 2
Hopefully we'll see more Mars v Earth dynamics as well as character building in Trish in Vol 2
January 10, 2018
I enjoyed this, and I cant help but like the Roller Derby, but it's nothing new in science fiction, and it's really short. Most people would be more satisfied waiting for all the volumes to be released (and translated), since it would be more economical and satisfying. It's my fault that I hadn't realized that this was going supposed to be an oversized issue printed in this way because it is more common in Europe. Even as an oversized issue, I'm frustrated that this ends on a cliffhanger, and because I don't feel like I had enough time to connect with the main character to make me want to figure out how the cliffhanger resolves.
December 6, 2021
A very interesting book about roller derby on Mars. The world building is seriously beautiful and incredibly detailed. The art is vibrant and bring a the story to life. I have never played roller derby in my life so not sure how accurate everything is, but I highly recommend if you want to read about a girl who wants to be a roller derby player on a colonized Mars.
January 30, 2018
Shoutout to the author for making her main character a brown(Latina) girl! I was loving it so much. It was a cute quick read. The story was set 200 years in the future on a settlement on Mars. Trish dreams of being a roller derby star but she has obligations at home and to her family. It ended on a high note. I have to read the second one to see what happens.
July 16, 2019
Hover roller derby on Mars 200 years in the future- so yeah, that’s pretty rad! I like that it deals with labour issues that could arise with space colonization. Overall, though, it felt like this just scratched the surface of what the premise has to offer. I assume future issues go deeper!
February 7, 2017
Love love love the art!
I love everything about it, ...
but this book felt more like Volume 1/2, than volume 1, ...
maybe I am just being greedy...
Please hurry up with #2! :)
.
I love everything about it, ...
but this book felt more like Volume 1/2, than volume 1, ...
maybe I am just being greedy...
Please hurry up with #2! :)
.
August 21, 2019
I loved getting a taste of this world.
Humans have established civilization on Mars. Our protagonist helps their aunt and uncle run the family farm, and we meet Trix as they deal with a malfunctioning machine. They're also into Mars' version of Roller Derby (hovering, no wheels). Trix gets a position helping out the local team.
Within this context, we get just the very beginning of a mysterious plot. Trix encounters another type of being, which is clearly going to lead to other things in future volumes.
Honestly, I want more/longer/a more complete arc. But that's a personal problem.
Good stuff!
Humans have established civilization on Mars. Our protagonist helps their aunt and uncle run the family farm, and we meet Trix as they deal with a malfunctioning machine. They're also into Mars' version of Roller Derby (hovering, no wheels). Trix gets a position helping out the local team.
Within this context, we get just the very beginning of a mysterious plot. Trix encounters another type of being, which is clearly going to lead to other things in future volumes.
Honestly, I want more/longer/a more complete arc. But that's a personal problem.
Good stuff!
January 14, 2019
Picked this up of my comic book store's 75%-off table for its cover: brown girl protagonist, good art, roller derby! Now I'll be getting the next two volumes to find out how the story all comes out.
Credible headstrong teenage character, beautiful Martian setting, future with socio-political issues and aliens folded in are all very much in the vein of the SF I read (Chip Delany, say), while the art reminds me a little of Los Bros Hernandez's Love and Rockets (also with futuristic settings in parts) and a little of Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For. It also hit my target as a book I'd gladly give to my niece who is about to turn ten, either for her current enjoyment or to sit on her shelf until it appeals to her. A girl needs a good library of feminist science fiction, books, movies, and graphic novels, in my auntly opinion.
Credible headstrong teenage character, beautiful Martian setting, future with socio-political issues and aliens folded in are all very much in the vein of the SF I read (Chip Delany, say), while the art reminds me a little of Los Bros Hernandez's Love and Rockets (also with futuristic settings in parts) and a little of Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For. It also hit my target as a book I'd gladly give to my niece who is about to turn ten, either for her current enjoyment or to sit on her shelf until it appeals to her. A girl needs a good library of feminist science fiction, books, movies, and graphic novels, in my auntly opinion.
January 9, 2017
I cannot wait for the next installment of this -- I expect it to be on all the YA best graphic novel lists this year. It combines a sports story, coming of age, and science fiction with issues of class and possibly race as well.
January 7, 2017
Jessica has been one of my favorite cartoonists since the days of Art Babe. After years of more grounded/journalistic stories it was really refreshing to see her turn to a more fantastic work, and it has left me wanting more. I was initially hesitant as Trish Trash was aimed at a more YA audience, but was very pleased with the world building on this Mars. There are very adult political ideas at play just under the surface of the story. The artwork is beautiful. The large album format really highlights the work Jessica and background artist Lydia Roberts have put into creating this environment. My one concern as a reader not SUPER familiar with roller derby was that there was no in story explanation of some of the basic rules. This is covered in some really neat world building back matter, but the story definitely throws you into the deep end and expects you to keep up with Trish. By the middle of the book I was on board with her as a protagonist and am stoked to chase her in future volumes.
August 9, 2017
The somewhat average teen worries in Trish's life overlay an incredible world roiling with sociopolitical issues. When needing to help on the farm to make ends meets comes back to a corporate servitude system the book became a lot more to me than the hoverderby story I was expecting. And the the ending!!! I also really like the way she only casually hints at the history and creation of the mars colonies in the story and saves more plain explanations for the wiki articles in the back. Longtime Jessica Abel fan, not disappointed!
November 23, 2016
Interesting concept. Roller Derby to Hover Derby. The wikipedia like pages at the end are pretty cool.
February 5, 2017
Could have been a bit more fleshed out, and the ending was a bit abrupt... but I'm okay with that because I want to read more!
June 22, 2020
‘Trish Trash: Rollergirl Of Mars’ is a graphic novel by Jessica Abel with background and design by Lydia Roberts and colours by Walter. I’m not sure what background and design mean. With 64 pages, it’s quite a thin hardcover edition but a very nice one and I guess you’re paying for those lush production costs. It was originally published in France where they took graphic novels seriously long before anyone else.
Anyway, Patricia Nupindju or Trish is a young lady who works on the family moisture farm in Candor Chasma, Mars, but has ambitions to be Hoverderby pro. The local team, the Novas, are having try-outs for new players, so she bunks off school to go, even though one is supposed to be nine-years-old and she is only seven and a half.
There is an asterisk in the word balloon where Trish mentions her age and a useful footnote at the bottom of the page. It tells you that seven and a half on Mars is equal to fifteen Earth years because the Mars year is twice as long. A bit later someone mentions ‘Novembris’ and a footnote informs the reader that Novembris comes after November and Decembris after December because months are doubled on Mars to account for the long year. A bit later, another note says that a T.L.A. is a Temporary Labour Assignment, a compulsory work contract assigned to Martys who reach a certain level of debt. This kind of asterisk with footnote is an ancient tradition in comic books, established if not pioneered by Gardner Fox at DC Comics.
Hoverderby seems a lot like Rollerball from the classic film with James Caan. The professional players have stage names like Hanna Barbarian, Captain Fly and Betty Demonica. They are all young women and presumably have more money and status than moisture farmers. Although Trish fails to make the team, the coach is impressed enough to take her on as a Skategirl as with her knack for repairs she can fix the skates which often become clogged with dust during a match. She signs an indenture contract and has to work long hours. Her struggling family need her help on the farm and are not impressed.
The science is pretty realistic. Mars is depicted as dusty, bleak and red. There are no roads and the few vehicles hover. When outside, people wear Radsuits to protect them from the environment. The colonists have a hard life and are indentured servants to the Arex Corporation that financed the settlement. This is very similar to Robert Heinlein’s many tales of colonisation such as ‘Logic Of Empire’ and ‘The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress’ which often ended in rebellion against the mother planet. As an American, it was Heinlein’s unbiased view that settlers in foreign lands and their descendants, ie him, were smarter, tougher and generally better than those who stayed home. It was also perfectly righteous of them to rebel.
There’s another resemblance to Heinlein in the info dump, something he tended to do in his early short stories. Critic James Blish said he was the only author who could get away with it. Here the info dump comes in an appendix at the end of the book with informative essays explaining the rules and history of Hoverderby, how radsuits work, Native Martians and the homestead debate that set the terms for Martian colonisation. Cleverly, these articles are attributed to wiki.marzred.arex.mars and the one about the almost legendary Native Martians has ‘citation needed’ scattered throughout. The info dump is frowned on in modern fiction as the smart writer is meant to fit all that stuff into the narrative. Personally, I don’t mind it. Better a good info dump than narrative made clumsy by squeezing it in.
The art was okay as modern goes. It looks like outlines coloured in so was presumably done on a computer. This is the first part in a serial so the story hasn’t progressed far as yet but Jessica Abel has put in enough interesting plot elements to make an intriguing mix and established a reasonably strong central character. There’s no blood, guts or sex and, in fact, this is a pretty good clone, in graphic novel form, of a decent Heinlein juvenile novel from the 1950s. I rather liked it and look forward to part two.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
Anyway, Patricia Nupindju or Trish is a young lady who works on the family moisture farm in Candor Chasma, Mars, but has ambitions to be Hoverderby pro. The local team, the Novas, are having try-outs for new players, so she bunks off school to go, even though one is supposed to be nine-years-old and she is only seven and a half.
There is an asterisk in the word balloon where Trish mentions her age and a useful footnote at the bottom of the page. It tells you that seven and a half on Mars is equal to fifteen Earth years because the Mars year is twice as long. A bit later someone mentions ‘Novembris’ and a footnote informs the reader that Novembris comes after November and Decembris after December because months are doubled on Mars to account for the long year. A bit later, another note says that a T.L.A. is a Temporary Labour Assignment, a compulsory work contract assigned to Martys who reach a certain level of debt. This kind of asterisk with footnote is an ancient tradition in comic books, established if not pioneered by Gardner Fox at DC Comics.
Hoverderby seems a lot like Rollerball from the classic film with James Caan. The professional players have stage names like Hanna Barbarian, Captain Fly and Betty Demonica. They are all young women and presumably have more money and status than moisture farmers. Although Trish fails to make the team, the coach is impressed enough to take her on as a Skategirl as with her knack for repairs she can fix the skates which often become clogged with dust during a match. She signs an indenture contract and has to work long hours. Her struggling family need her help on the farm and are not impressed.
The science is pretty realistic. Mars is depicted as dusty, bleak and red. There are no roads and the few vehicles hover. When outside, people wear Radsuits to protect them from the environment. The colonists have a hard life and are indentured servants to the Arex Corporation that financed the settlement. This is very similar to Robert Heinlein’s many tales of colonisation such as ‘Logic Of Empire’ and ‘The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress’ which often ended in rebellion against the mother planet. As an American, it was Heinlein’s unbiased view that settlers in foreign lands and their descendants, ie him, were smarter, tougher and generally better than those who stayed home. It was also perfectly righteous of them to rebel.
There’s another resemblance to Heinlein in the info dump, something he tended to do in his early short stories. Critic James Blish said he was the only author who could get away with it. Here the info dump comes in an appendix at the end of the book with informative essays explaining the rules and history of Hoverderby, how radsuits work, Native Martians and the homestead debate that set the terms for Martian colonisation. Cleverly, these articles are attributed to wiki.marzred.arex.mars and the one about the almost legendary Native Martians has ‘citation needed’ scattered throughout. The info dump is frowned on in modern fiction as the smart writer is meant to fit all that stuff into the narrative. Personally, I don’t mind it. Better a good info dump than narrative made clumsy by squeezing it in.
The art was okay as modern goes. It looks like outlines coloured in so was presumably done on a computer. This is the first part in a serial so the story hasn’t progressed far as yet but Jessica Abel has put in enough interesting plot elements to make an intriguing mix and established a reasonably strong central character. There’s no blood, guts or sex and, in fact, this is a pretty good clone, in graphic novel form, of a decent Heinlein juvenile novel from the 1950s. I rather liked it and look forward to part two.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
May 14, 2017
This sci-fi graphic novel has some good things going for it, but ultimately it felt a bit thin and too familiar. Trish is a teenaged colonist growing up on Mars, where she works on her aunt and uncle's farm while dreaming of bigger and better things (think Luke Skywalker, if he aspired to be a roller derby skater instead of a space pilot). She manages to get signed up with the local derby team, but the contract amounts to indentured servitude, and she's so far down on the totem pole that her dream of pro skating seems as far away as ever. And to further complicate matters, she stumbles across something in the Martian desert that could affect the entire colony...
As a middle-aged man, I am not really the target audience for this book...young women closer to Trish's age will probably relate more to her teen angst and struggles. To me, she just seemed kind of whiny and entitled, but I can't say that's not a realistic depiction of a teenager. ;) The cliffhanger ending hints that the series could veer into a more weird sci-fi direction, but I suspect it will remain solidly within it's current young-adult-coming-of-age vein. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I'm personally into.
I have no complaints at all about the artwork -- Abel's drawings are bold and clear, and the painterly colors look terrific (the book was originally published in France, and you can see a European influence in both style and format). The back of the book features some Wikipedia-style articles, filling in the background of the Mars colony and the futuristic roller derby, which are cleverly done.
Since this is very much a first chapter, it's hard to judge how the story will develop, but ultimately there wasn't enough here to really hook me into the characters or storyline. But Jessica Abel's work is always worth a look, so if you find the premise intriguing at all, you should check it out.
As a middle-aged man, I am not really the target audience for this book...young women closer to Trish's age will probably relate more to her teen angst and struggles. To me, she just seemed kind of whiny and entitled, but I can't say that's not a realistic depiction of a teenager. ;) The cliffhanger ending hints that the series could veer into a more weird sci-fi direction, but I suspect it will remain solidly within it's current young-adult-coming-of-age vein. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I'm personally into.
I have no complaints at all about the artwork -- Abel's drawings are bold and clear, and the painterly colors look terrific (the book was originally published in France, and you can see a European influence in both style and format). The back of the book features some Wikipedia-style articles, filling in the background of the Mars colony and the futuristic roller derby, which are cleverly done.
Since this is very much a first chapter, it's hard to judge how the story will develop, but ultimately there wasn't enough here to really hook me into the characters or storyline. But Jessica Abel's work is always worth a look, so if you find the premise intriguing at all, you should check it out.
September 4, 2018
Being a Mars colonist is rough, survival fare. Trish dreams of more, and hopes that her way out of the dust and dirt of the red planet is by making herself an indentured servant to a roller derby team. Soon she learns that things aren't as glamorous as they appear in this first volume that just doesn't really go anywhere new or interesting.
I was extremely disappointed by this one, now that I finally snagged a copy from the library to read. While I've enjoyed Abel's work in the past, the problem here is that there's no life in the story. The characters are all cliched, from the "protagonist who wants more out of a bad life" to "cautious relatives" to "mean people try to keep her down" to "a complication arises in the final art of this part of the story." The only part of this story that's original is putting roller derby into the mix, but if you moved this to earth and the 1980s, not much would change, and that's a problem.
Abel's linework is her usual solid self, but the problem is that action isn't her strong suit, and it shows. There's too many talking heads, which works great when you're depicting something that's based on the familiar, but move us into outer space, and you need to think bigger. This doesn't do that.
I'd easily read other Abel projects, but not more of this one. It's just okay, and there's too many things on my to-read shelf to continue. Oh well. Hopefully her next project after this one will interest me more.
I was extremely disappointed by this one, now that I finally snagged a copy from the library to read. While I've enjoyed Abel's work in the past, the problem here is that there's no life in the story. The characters are all cliched, from the "protagonist who wants more out of a bad life" to "cautious relatives" to "mean people try to keep her down" to "a complication arises in the final art of this part of the story." The only part of this story that's original is putting roller derby into the mix, but if you moved this to earth and the 1980s, not much would change, and that's a problem.
Abel's linework is her usual solid self, but the problem is that action isn't her strong suit, and it shows. There's too many talking heads, which works great when you're depicting something that's based on the familiar, but move us into outer space, and you need to think bigger. This doesn't do that.
I'd easily read other Abel projects, but not more of this one. It's just okay, and there's too many things on my to-read shelf to continue. Oh well. Hopefully her next project after this one will interest me more.
March 21, 2019
After falling in love with Jessica Abel's graphic novel, La Perdida, I was looking forward to reading Trish Trash. I mean, how could one not be curious? Martian roller derbies and minority female characters? Dope illustrations? Yes, please. Right?
Well this first installment of the series started a little slow for me. I am aware that any good story with a layered plot can time to develop, and it did develop, but just slower than I had hoped. Certain details about why and how humans made it on Mars were not clear until much later in the story. We do not know what happened to Trish's biological parents right away, nor do we know how her family came into poverty. Was it before farming on Mars or after? How did Trish meet the roller Derby participants. This all sort of comes together later on, but I felt with a longer novel (as in more pages) it all could have been explained and illustrated better.
What saved the series for me and kept me interested was the cliff hanger at the end that will inevitably lead into the second installment. No spoilers from me, but what is that thing she found that she took home? I have to know. I care about that more than I care about whether or not Trish's skate girl internship turns into a permanent spot on the team as a jammer. Nice on there, Ms. Abel.
Well this first installment of the series started a little slow for me. I am aware that any good story with a layered plot can time to develop, and it did develop, but just slower than I had hoped. Certain details about why and how humans made it on Mars were not clear until much later in the story. We do not know what happened to Trish's biological parents right away, nor do we know how her family came into poverty. Was it before farming on Mars or after? How did Trish meet the roller Derby participants. This all sort of comes together later on, but I felt with a longer novel (as in more pages) it all could have been explained and illustrated better.
What saved the series for me and kept me interested was the cliff hanger at the end that will inevitably lead into the second installment. No spoilers from me, but what is that thing she found that she took home? I have to know. I care about that more than I care about whether or not Trish's skate girl internship turns into a permanent spot on the team as a jammer. Nice on there, Ms. Abel.
July 14, 2017
I've been a big fan of Jessica Abel in the past. I loved her comics journalism in Artbabe, and her series La Perdida was a fascinating exploration of what it meant to be a United States citizen living in Mexico. But this volume did almost nothing for me. It's a short introduction to a science fiction coming-of-age story centered around roller derby, settling Mars, and corporate exploitation. The science fiction confused me at times (there appears to be force field and levitation technology, but it doesn't appear to have changed much of civilization), the roller derby storyline appears to have a villain about as obvious as you would find in a roller derby match, and the evils of a big corporation seem, well, pretty much standard evil. Abel's art with facial expressions is wonderful (there's a sequence where our heroine's aunt looks perfectly wary and weary), but I found some of the wider shots confusing. Not planning on reading any more of this.
August 27, 2018
Swiftly-paced and exciting graphic novel that centers on a young teen, Trish Nupindju, living with her aunt and uncle who are indentured settlers on Mars.
Trish avidly follows "hover derby" and views it as an escape from her family's life in poverty.
There's a lot going on, and with this the first in a trilogy, I expect that some things that are only briefly touched upon are sure to be followed-up in greater detail. For example, at some point prior to story-opening, Trish's parents went missing, but when and how are not elaborated.
Trish clings to an insistence that her parents will come back.
A lot of "world-building" or filling-in of details takes the form of Wikipedia-esque entries on a site hosted by the corporation that developed Mars for habitation.
I like this approach because it frees the narrative to dive right in and spool the action.
Bottom line: This is an interesting and original series that I intend to follow. I've already submitted library-holds for second and third volumes in the trilogy.
Trish avidly follows "hover derby" and views it as an escape from her family's life in poverty.
There's a lot going on, and with this the first in a trilogy, I expect that some things that are only briefly touched upon are sure to be followed-up in greater detail. For example, at some point prior to story-opening, Trish's parents went missing, but when and how are not elaborated.
Trish clings to an insistence that her parents will come back.
A lot of "world-building" or filling-in of details takes the form of Wikipedia-esque entries on a site hosted by the corporation that developed Mars for habitation.
I like this approach because it frees the narrative to dive right in and spool the action.
Bottom line: This is an interesting and original series that I intend to follow. I've already submitted library-holds for second and third volumes in the trilogy.
July 2, 2017
I was extremely disappointed by this. It was supposed to be great: roller derby on Mars!
Instead I got a highly confusing story about a very unpleasant character living in a weird world and the author didn't even bother to explain how life on Mars works. I mean, I know she had only 56 pages to draw her comics and you can't explain anything in 56... Still... I was more focused on understanding how Mars worked rather than enjoying the story. Not funny!
As I say, the main character is rather unpleasant. I don't like the way she acts and I don't like the way she treats people around her. All the other characters? No idea. There were so many of them that they didn't leave any lasting impression.
The ending was so abrupt and surprising that I'll buy the second volume as well. I really want to know what will happen.
Instead I got a highly confusing story about a very unpleasant character living in a weird world and the author didn't even bother to explain how life on Mars works. I mean, I know she had only 56 pages to draw her comics and you can't explain anything in 56... Still... I was more focused on understanding how Mars worked rather than enjoying the story. Not funny!
As I say, the main character is rather unpleasant. I don't like the way she acts and I don't like the way she treats people around her. All the other characters? No idea. There were so many of them that they didn't leave any lasting impression.
The ending was so abrupt and surprising that I'll buy the second volume as well. I really want to know what will happen.
December 22, 2017
Trish lives on Mars with her aunt and uncle, and although she’s only 7 (in Mars years – 15 in Earth ears), she sneaks into the tryouts for the Hoverderby. She’s actually doing great until prima donna “Hanna Barbarian” claims she fouled her. Then the truth comes out. But Trish is able to sign on as skategirl, who helps repair the teams’ skates and equipment (she’s also a whiz mechanic). The job is not as glamorous as she’d thought, plus her aunt is annoyed that she’s not pulling her weight on their moisture farm. Trish also makes an interesting discovery toward the end when she helps a thirsty Martian. An intriguing beginning! Lots of skating action (and drama), plus a clever and determined female protagonist with dark skin and kinky hair. Concludes with some encyclopedia entries about Hoverderby and the history of life/colonists on Mars. Eager to see where this goes next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2018
Jessica Abel has put together a winning concept by transporting a roller derby story into space, with a badass girl of colour protagonist, Patricia Nupindju. Patricia is a girl living with her aunt and uncle on Mars and working on their moisture farm, while dreaming of starring in the hover derby. She's too young for a real contract, which leaves her with limited options, but the moisture farm isn't enough to keep the family afloat.
Abel's artwork takes us to a partially-terraformed Mars and brings to life the characters of Trish, her family, and the other derby participants and coaches. The end of the book also uses reproductions of fake Wikipedia pages to fill in key world-building facts like how hover derby got started and how humans ended up on Mars. The only reason I can't give this book five stars is that it was so short that it was hard to get really invested in it.
Abel's artwork takes us to a partially-terraformed Mars and brings to life the characters of Trish, her family, and the other derby participants and coaches. The end of the book also uses reproductions of fake Wikipedia pages to fill in key world-building facts like how hover derby got started and how humans ended up on Mars. The only reason I can't give this book five stars is that it was so short that it was hard to get really invested in it.
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