Midnight Radio: 09/05/19

Midnight Radio by Iolanda Zanfardino is a graphic novel taking place in San Francisco, consisting of four different stories. Each story is color coded: green, red, blue, and yellow.

The green story is "The Woodpecker" about a web designer/web producer working for a dubious diet pill company. The website is under attack by a hacker who goes by the name "Woodpecker." The attack stems from the death of seven teens.

The red story is "Inner Pulse" which follows a severely depressed and possibly suicidal young woman. As the story unfolds we learn what has pushed her into her depression. The story mirrors the attack on Pulse in Orlando.

The blue story is "Robin Hood" and follows a Japanese woman who is coerced by the police to infiltrate a Mexican forgery ring. While she expects them to be dangerous gang members, she learns that the police are the dangerous ones and have no plans to bring in the forgers alive.

The yellow story is "Insta_king." The main character, shown on the cover, has given up talking, deciding instead to use Instagram and texting as his voice.

The four stories all feature protagonists who are forced through circumstances to make a tough decision. They have to decide to break the rules or break the law, do ultimately do the right thing.

Overall I liked the book but found some of the text difficult to read as there's not always enough contrast. Dark green text on a slightly lighter green text, for example, isn't easy to read, even with my glasses on.

Four stars

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