WE CAN NEVER GO HOME #3

The only negative thing I can say about this issue and this book is that it's not exactly original. The hook is basically "what if Bonnie & Clyde had super powers?" The super-power angle is new but the rest is an oft-told tale also similar to other Bonnie & Clyde rip-offs, Badlands and True Romance. But those are classics. I guess it's okay to re-hash quality. And this is, without a doubt, one of the year's best books (and from a new publisher, Black Mask Studios). The story has a male teenage nerd/outcast/loser hooking up with the hottest, prettiest girl in school and they hit the road and rob drug dealers and fight cops amidst humorous quips. I will say the best aspect of the book is the dialogue. It's cool and funny but also realistic. This can be a hard line to move along. I remember reading The Fault in Our Stars and being completely taken out of the story by how unrealistic the "cool" and "clever" dialogue was. It was as if the characters stopped for awhile to think of what to say before they said it...creating perfect, funny, smart lines that no one has ever or will ever speak outside of a book or pre-written speech. The dialogue in We Can Never Go Home is funny and cool and clever but realistic when it comes to teenagers. What's not realistic is that the nerd/loser/outcast would ever score the hottie...but who doesn't like a bit of escapist fantasy? The book is just too good to focus on the minor flaws. It's a wild, entertaining, totally engrossing read and the last page in this issue (shown above) is a fucking killer ending. ***1/2 (out of ****)