VINCENT BOOK ONE

A furry, bestselling Brazilian comic-strip star makes his U.S. debut.

Vincent, an anthropomorphized dog, is unlucky in love. The socially awkward high schooler (who lives in a world of anthropomorphic animals) falls hard for Lady, a cat he spots during his bus ride. Despite his extreme attempts to woo Lady, she overlooks him in favor of her ex-boyfriend. Vincent bounces back by falling for someone new on his bus route, a panda named Princess. What follows is the dream of every nerdy boy who feels entitled to female attention—Lady and Princess both (somewhat inexplicably) become infatuated with Vincent and he is left happily juggling their affections. Those who can swallow the cringeworthy depiction of cardboard-cutout female characters will have the chance to be charmed by the graphic novel’s accessible full-color art and sarcastic humor. The omniscient narrator’s snarky tone lets readers in on the joke that is Vincent’s life, while the pup’s advice-dispensing female monkey best friend offers a levelheaded and relatable perspective. The text-heavy panels are full of punchlines, evidence of the book’s beginnings as a syndicated comic.

Entertaining in style and humor but ultimately disappointing for its elevation of a lovelorn male protagonist at the expense of his female love interests.