I really REALLY love the SLAM! series. ( )

This volume wasn't as fun as the first one. I thought the first did a good job of showing the balanced ups and downs of roller derby, the violence and exhilaration, the stress and delight, the way it created friendships but also deep problems in other areas of their lives; however, this volume felt more like the negative aspects and I didn't really care for the off-track mean girl antics of the teams.

It feels unfair to say that the first issue lost me, but I don't understand the bad sportsmanship for things like showing compassion for an opposing team player. Especially since it's supposed to be premised on bonding. Why would you want to bond with someone hazing and punishing you? I dunno.

I just didn't connect to these last few issues. ( )

Maybe I should have re-read the first volume before diving into this one, because I felt a little lost and adrift, but then again, so did the story here. The main friends from the first volume are separated into their own parallel storylines and that separation drains away some of the sweetness that drove the first volume.

It's not bad, but not as good. Mostly I found my mind drifting and wondering why roller derby is so obsessed with puns.

Still, I'm happy to see that HBO is developing a series from these books. That could be fun.
https://deadline.com/2021/03/roller-derby-comic-novel-slam-hbo-max-animated-pame... ( )