Bury the Lede is a murder-mystery graphic novel by NTY bestseller Gaby Dunn, a queer writer known for their work with writing partner and frequent collaborator Allison Raskin, as well as their podcast “Bad with Money” and the associated financial memoir.
The book has beautiful art by Claire Roe, which really conveys the mystique and the dark energy of the story, while not venturing too deep into surrealism. The story follows intern Madison Jackson as she struggles to prove herself in the midst of a salacious crime. Content warnings include: sexual assault of minors, drugs, and graphic depictions of violence.
The story, while convoluted, is an interesting journey through a reporter’s big break. Madison, while clearly a sympathetic figure, crosses a lot of lines to get the story, and that makes her a morally ambiguous protagonist, one who you nonetheless root for. Despite her motives, it is difficult to watch Madison alienate herself from the people who care about her and destroy her relationships to get the headline. It will be interesting to see if there are further books that follow this character, to see if she can right the ship or if she’ll spiral deeper into darkness.
Dunn is an expert at creating well-defined characters, and the art aids in differentiating the characters populating the story. There are a number of interesting figures who will hopefully be explored in the future. Though Bury the Lede works fine as a stand-alone, further volumes could really deepen what already exists in the text. I guess we’ll see.
Bury the Lede can be bought wherever books are sold, or borrowed from your local library. If you can, support your local book store.
The Chamber of Spoilers 