I like and dislike at the same time.

At first it was very slow for me and I got lost because there was a lot of dialogue. As the plot progressed, I got used to it.

It's supposed to be a comic about trying hard and stuff, but the ending didn't make much sense with the message.

I really liked that the vibes of the 90s are felt because the drawing was very colorful. My favorite character was mickey without a doubt.

Wow! This YA graphic novel was the blast-from-the-past, feel-good story that I needed right now. Kenny Keil has a talent that is simply undeniable. Smoove City follows four young R&B/soul singers, Ray, Ronnie, Mikey, and Vinnie, as they set out to achieve success as the next big boy band. This graphic novel screams 1990s and is obviously based on the very real experiences of artists of that era. I laughed, I got frustrated and angry, and I finished Smoove City feeling very satisfied and hoping that we'll be seeing more of these memorable characters. In addition to this entertaining tale, the author has also created an accompanying Spotify playlist of 90s R&B hits! As a lover of 90s R&B, this unexpected bonus was greatly appreciated. I recommend this graphic novel to readers of all ages, especially for 90s babies and lovers of R&B music such as myself.

Thanks to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Kenny Keil for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am unsure if I liked this comic or not. The drawings were really colourful and I enjoyed that a lot but sometimes, it was a bit too much and I was kind of lost in what to look at. I also felt like there was supposed to be a moral to this story but I cannot really find one. In a way, we can see that when you believe in your dreams, you can achieve them but at the same time, it didn’t show the work and perseverance you need to succeed at that. I didn’t really understand the polit points. Some jokes made me laugh in my mind but I think I missed most of them. Moreover, the characters were a little flat, not very relatable nor likeable. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the story a lot but I liked the art which was really colourful and had a real 90s vibe.

This comic is aimed for fans of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and I also got a glimpse of Hairspray in it but honestly the plot is conspicuous by its absence.
I liked the art style but didn't get to like any of the characters nor the confusing plotlines. The premise of this comic is about four singers trying to fit in the 90s music industry but I got quite bored pretty soon.

* reviewed from uncorrected eARC / netgalley

graphic novel / humor, nostalgia, friendship (4 friends on their way to becoming the next big R&B boy band in the 90s)
A funny comic with characters you'll want to root for. More, please!

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, and I think it was fun and a little different than others I've read in the past. I do think the story was a little bit confusing at times, since it tries to go over some stuff quickly to get to more "fun" stuff. I wish maybe it lingered on more of the moments and let us get to know the guys a little bit more, but really nice overall tho!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of Smoove City. This book is described as Fresh Prince meets Archie, a love letter to New Jack Swing. I grew up on New Jack Swing, so I was excited to see this. I wish it was a little more New Edition, and a little less jail. At times it felt disjointed, but mostly because it was focusing on a random arrest. That said, the nod to Bell Big Devoe is 100% the reason I’ll buy this book for my library!

This book feels like summer. The colors, the story, the style; it's a great time and a smooth read. The story is less about individual characters and more about a vibe. It's trying to impart a mood and a feeling the '90s. Like an Archie comic, you'll probably identify with one character more than the others but don't expect deep character development. That''s totally fine because it is also not the intention of this comic. Like other reviewers have said, there are a few spots where the story drags a little but it's not a deal breaker by any means. It's a fun, cool story that invokes that imparts some of the best feeling of the 90s. It's a great little laid back read.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a couple of this GN. I was so excited to read this but i ended up not like it very much

This is a wonderfully-written graphic novel about individuality, drive, and the many pitfalls of the music industry. The artwork is delightfully bright, original, and sure to catch the eye of young adult readers, Keil uses the medium to highlight the struggles of being young, talented, and ambitious in a world that jumps at the opportunity to exploit new artists. However, while some of the themes are heavier than they first appear, readers will love the vibrant personalities, relationships, and hilarious rapport between the characters. An exuberant addition to any young adult collection.

A nostalgic look at the boybands trends and stereotypes of the New Jack Swing era of R&B music. The story fuses of the aesthetic of "In Living Color" with a zany classic Archie comic. This book is sure to appeal to those who remember fondly remember New Edition and Kid 'n Play.

A group of four friends in the 90s try to be a successful R&B boyband in the music business, going through difficult phases to finally get to their goals. I was really excited when I got accepted for this ARC but I was sadly disappointed.
I really enjoyed the art style, I love the bright colours, it added to the vibe of a 90s boyband. However, I had several issues. First of all, I didn't particularly like any of the characters. The beginning was fun when we see the different characters and what they do, but after the first few pages there was little to no development in their individual character so I felt they were indistinguishable. Secondly, I didn't understand the jokes, maybe it is something wrong with me that I didn't understand, but nonetheless, I didn't laugh once. Finally, I felt that the story dragged a little and I didn't get most of the plot points, for example the jail part. I understand that they struggle a lot to get where they get in the end, but I felt some things were unnecessary. However, overall, it was a fun read.

I'd never heard of this comic, or anyone involved with it, but grabbed it off Netgalley simply for that cover, which correctly gives the impression that this is one of the most nineties things you'll ever read. Not in the nineties comics sense of Image pouches, guns, and improbable anatomy (though there is a running joke about Spawn), nor of Vertigo's terribly serious brooding. No, this is the nineties of Fido Dido, big blocks of bright colour, new jack swing. Our heroes, for a given value of the word, being no-hoper R&B band Smoove City, whom we meet dreaming of success while running for their lives – and, which is the bit that makes it for me, each running from something different and meeting up over the course of their escape. Maybe it's the basic nature of a sitcom (which pretty much requires each of the characters to be an idiot in a slightly different way) combined with being in a band, but it reminded me a little of the much-missed Timewasters, the only good ITV show of the past decade. Still, this is more about the outright silliness, callbacks to ridiculous trends, and riffing on music biopic clichés. Can Smoove City escape the mockery of their peers ("What was the name of y'all lil' group again? Fauxdeci? Wack Street? Phony! Phoni! Phoné!?"), skintness and their own general hopelessness, and go on to fame and fortune? Almost certainly not, if they keep on accepting fabulously unconvincing explanations for what an 'ownership clause' is in a recording contract: "That's supposed to read ownership claws. All it means is, 'If ya own a pet, don't bring it into my booth!'"

A fun comic about a '90s new jack swing boyband trying to make it in the music industry. The art is very '90s - think 7 Up's Fido Dido but with eyepopping colours. The story has fun with music industry clichés, and although it doesn't do anything special, it is nicely filled with jokes.

3.5 stars

Smoove City is a fun 90's inspired graphic novel that follows a group of friends trying to make a big break as a boy band. It was a fun, vibrant and humour filled comic with great art work!

I enjoyed the story for the most part but after the first half of the novel, I felt the story dragging out and the jokes became less funny and I found myself slightly bored in the middle but it did pick up towards the end! Overall, I enjoyed the graphic novel and it was a fun read, it reminds me of me and my brother trying to start a band when we were kids.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and providing me with the opportunity to give my own, honest opinion.

Oni Press shares yet another beautiful graphic novel experience. Smoove City is absolutely gorgeous, complete with an engaging narrative and a fluid style all its own. So glad I had the chance to read it!

Thanks NetGalley and ONI Press, was a sweet trip down memory lane into the 90's. It's a little goofy, the art style is very 90's American TV and fashion and the story is an easy fit like a well worn, comfortable well loved jacket. I enjoyed inhaling Archie and Betty and Veronica comics as a child. This was reminiscent of that, but better, I was surprised how 'into, the story I got after a while. Fun, straightforward yet engaging read. Beautiful drawings,

I'm not really sure what I think of this one. I really liked the idea of these 4 friends trying to make it in the '90s music industry, but I was quite disappointed. I'm not a huge fan of the art, the colors are too bright for my liking and I didn't like the way these characters were illustrated. I didn't really like any of the characters: they were so naive in my opinion. I found myself to be quite bored while reading this, but I would recommend reading this if you're really into graphic novels/comics and don't mind the art style.

I received an e-copy of Smoove City through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Smoove City follows a group of friends who are trying to make their big break into the '90s R&B boyband scene and a bunch of wacky mishaps happen on their way to the top. This is described as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air meets Archie and I can definitely see that.

Smoove City it such a fun and vibrant comic and it has so much potential. For the most part, I really did enjoy it and I absolutely loved the art and the coloring they are both so much fun and just so 90's I loved it, but Sadly that is kind of where the love kind of ended for me.

While the story was fun a lot of the jokes kind of when on a bit too long and for the first half of the book I did laugh but by the second half it just started to drag on and lost a lot of the humor for me as well as feeling like the story was getting dragged out.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Smoove City in exchange for an honest review!

This graphic novel is marketed as Fresh Prince meets Archie and it's easy to see why. An ensemble piece with a lot of heart and an art style unique enough to be its own, but familiar enough to transport you back to that classic comics you grew up with, Smoove City is a fun look at a group of friends trying their best to become a boy band.

I'd say my main issue was that a disproportion amount of jokes fell flat for me. I wasn't sure why because it does have a very similar vibe to Archie but after pulling out a few old Archie's to see if it was just my taste in jokes evolving, I think Smoove city's main issue is that it drags out it's jokes. Part of the charm of Archie is the quick, snippy wit most of the jokes have. We get a page or two of build up then one or two panels of the punch line and move on. Smoove city does this in reverse, with a few panels of build up then a page of the punchline. All in all though, it was a fun read.