B.B. Free #1 is published by BOOM! Studios under their BOOM! Box imprint. It is created and written by Gabby Rivera with art by Royal Dunlap.
It’s been over a hundred years since “The Plague That Ate Greed” wiped out half of the human population. A young girl, b.b., is about to turn 15, a special age where kids are given the choice of staying or experiencing freedom, hence its name “Freedom Fifteen.” Still, a kid is supposed to receive a parent’s blessing first and b.b.’s overbearing father isn’t about to let her venture the Fractured States.
But b.b. wants to see the world, in particular she wants to broadcast her underground radio show (that she does with her best friend, Chulita), from more than just her remote swamp community. What b.b. doesn’t realize is her destiny calls for more than just a radio show. B.b. is actually the chosen one and soon she’ll learn the truth about the world she lives in and about the power within her she never knew existed.
I already love b.b. and Chulita. I love that they’re both Spanish speaking, that Chulita is paraplegic, that neither of the girls fit the stereotypical mold in terms of physical appearance, and that they are bursting with personality. B.b. wants her radio show to be fearless and uncensored like she and Chulita are. A show that talks about, as she puts it, “feelings, dumb dad rules, weird body stuff, and all things freedom fifteen.” I can’t wait to join them on their adventure across what is now a very broken and separated United States (hence why they call it the “Fractured States”).
Although she makes it relatable, Gabby Rivera gives this future world new slang and terminology in b.b. Free #1. This is something I have seen many times overlooked in stories like this – things take place in another time, but they still talk like its 2019. Grammar is just as important to world building as creatures and technology. b.b. Free #1 is Royal Dunlap’s debut and it’s a perfect blend of gorgeous and adorable. The colors are vibrant and it reminds me a lot of the Latin American art style with how colorful everything is.
OVERALL SCORE: 8 / 10
Make sure you grab a copy of b.b. free #1 from your local comic shop!
Happy reading!
