ADVANCE REVIEW: 'You've Been Cancelled' #1 by Curt Pires, Kevin Castaniero, and Jason Wordie

 

YOU'VE BEEN CANCELLED #1

Writer: Curt Pires

Artists: Kevin Castaniero, Jason Wordie

Letterer: Micah Myers

Publisher: Mad Cave Studios

 Available June 07, 2023

Price: $4.99

FOR MATURE READERS

In the near future, cancel culture means more than just losing your job...it could mean your life. The world's premier entertainment event is CANCELLED - a live-streamed program where elite bounty hunters called cancellers kill individuals who society has voted to "cancel" following heinous actions or offenses. Our story follows Roland Endo, the world's #1 ranked Canceller. Because of this status, Roland lives in a constant state of paranoia with a target on his back...

Score: 

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

In real life, "cancel culture" isn't the career ender many think it is. For every mogul finally held accountable after decades of sexual abuse, there are many more performers who return to the stage despite their racist, transphobic, antisemitic, or misogynist pasts. Getting canceled most of the time is a temporary setback, albeit warranted, but hardly ever permanent. Unless, of course, getting canceled turned into a live-streamed event where targets are killed by elite bounty hunters. There's no coming back from a shotgun to the head. 

This is the premise of 'You've Been Cancelled' by Curt Pires, Kevin Castaniero, and Jason Wordie. An exciting new action series that's part satire and part homage to films like 'The Running Man,' 'Deathrace 2000,' and 'Escape from New York.' It's got the gritty, loose-cannon style of violence and dystopian commentary that is as thought-provoking as it is pleasingly savage. You'll recognize the targets found in the first issue and there's a little bit of satisfaction with their outcomes capped off with the catchphrase, "You've Been Cancelled!" It's cathartic wish fulfillment that moves along briskly and confidently as Pires adds great fight sequences as the number one ranked hunter, and protagonist, the middle-aged badass Rolan Endo has to fight off other top-tier killers, or "Cancellers" as they're called, to bag the bounty. Endo, for all his fame and fortune, battles demons too which adds some layers to become more than just a one-note killing machine. 

Bringing this dystopian future world to life is the fantastic work of Kevin Castaniero and Jason Wordie. The delicate linework, and the intricate designs, coupled with the more outlandish depictions of exaggerated facial expressions and over-the-top violence give the series a unique look and feel. It's a fast-paced story beautifully colored by Wordie that really accentuates Castaniero's details. It's vibrant, raucous, and compelling. 

'You've Been Cancelled' is a wildly exciting new action series that is violent but cleverly put together that brings to mind comics of the 90s with the action movies of the 80s. A satirical look at cancel culture in the most extreme way possible that feeds on the insatiable appetite of a gawking audience. Brutal, fast-paced, and thoroughly entertaining.