Ice Cream Man Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Image Comics via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Ice Cream Man Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artists: Martin Morazzo & Chris O'Halloran
Upcoming Release Date: June 26, 2018

Synopsis: Chocolate, vanilla, existential horror, addiction, musical fantasy...there’s a flavor for everyone’s misery.

ICE CREAM MAN is a genre-defying comic book series, featuring disparate “one-shot” tales of sorrow, wonder, and redemption. Each installment features its own cast of strange characters, dealing with their own special sundae of suffering. And on the periphery of all of them, like the twinkly music of his colorful truck, is the Ice Cream Man—a weaver of stories, a purveyor of sweet treats. Friend. Foe. God. Demon. The man who with a snap of his fingers—lickety split!—can change the course of your life forever.

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Review: I had no idea what to expect with this graphic novel. What I got was an adult Goosebumps comic, pretty much. There are four different stories in this book. They each involve the Ice Cream Man, but in different ways. The juxtaposition of the classic ice cream truck and the gruesome deaths gives the book a modern, creepy feel. 

The first story involves a boy and his pet spider. The second deals with drug addicts. The third focuses on a has-been one-hit-wonder and features a lot of trippy rock references. The last story is pretty creepy and involves a funeral.

I give this graphic novel a 3/5. The art was great, but the gory stories didn't have enough depth for me. It's definitely original, though.   


--PAUL