Boys Weekend

Sammie, an artist’s assistant, has been invited to a bachelor-party weekend by their longtime friend Adam. The festivities will take place in El Campo, a fictional, uber-hedonistic stateless society wrapped up in a Las Vegas– or Dubai-like package. Sammie, who has been out as trans for two years, has been asked to be Adam’s best man. Though Sammie is uncomfortable with this gendered title and the overall expectations for the trip, they still agree to attend. While the bachelor party guests are obnoxious, the real physical threat lies within El Campo, which is rife with ominous tech bro cult members, glowy-eyed sea monsters, and forced-labor gig-economy clones. As tensions rise and El Campo quickly reveals itself to be a high-tech hellscape, it’s not a question of if something zany yet horrific is about to happen, but when. Lubchansky is skilled at conveying a sense of deep anxiety from page one, while simultaneously maintaining elements of fun and surprise and even poignant moments of real tenderness and vulnerability. The illustrations are broken up with social media posts, gooey slime-green lettering, texting conversations, and increasingly dystopian advertisements, thus moving the action and plot along nicely.