What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – July 7, 2026 – The Drama, NCIS, Evil Dead, Rocky Horror, Scarlet Witch, & More!

By Mike Spring

 on July 7, 2026

What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – July 7, 2026

Well, not only do we have some notable home video releases this week with two theatrical releases and a TV hit, but it’s also the week of the YA graphic novel, with no less than five new entries hitting shelves! I guess summer is officially here. Read on for all the details!

In This Week’s Column:

• The Drama (4K Ultra HD)
• You, Me & Tuscany (Blu-ray + Digital)
• NCIS: Tony & Ziva (DVD) 
• The Evil Dead (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)
• Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror (Blu-ray)
• The Worlds of Lucille Hadzihalilovic (Blu-ray)
• House of Harkness: A Marvel Scarlet Witch Graphic Novel (Graphic Novel)
• Unico: Lost (Graphic Novel)
• Offside (Graphic Novel)
• My Tokyo Summer (Graphic Novel)
• Coming Out Perfect (Graphic Novel)

The Drama (4K Ultra HD)

Official Synopsis:

An explosive confession throws the wedding of a seemingly perfect couple (Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) off the rails as they spiral to confront whether they can truly make it to “I do.” A brilliantly inventive, darkly funny look at love that dares us to ask how much we really want to know about the people closest to us.

The Movie: 

I’ll be honest, the trailer for The Drama left me cold. The idea of watching two people’s impending wedding disintegrate because of one person’s secret from their past just didn’t really appeal to me. Sure, I was intrigued to find out what this confession/secret was going to turn out to be, but aside from that, the movie looked, well, just unpleasant. 

So I was surprised when I enjoyed the movie as much as I did. It’s far from a masterpiece, but it was definitely better than I expected. I won’t spoil anything here, but I think writer/director Kristoffer Borgli did a good job of making the secret something that is believable enough to cause chaos, but not so reprehensible that you can’t like the character anymore. It’s a tricky balance to pull off, and I think Borgli does it, anchored by what I think is Zendaya’s best performance of her career so far. This was the first time I was watching a movie she starred in and felt like I was watching her character, and not Zendaya the actress. She really impressed me. 

There are some flaws in the film as well. I always joke that A24 — who distributed the movie — have a playbook you have to follow in order to gain distribution. One of the things I always mention is that you have to have a soundtrack that is sparsely populated by a single instrument, and while I’m joking around when I say it, it’s true more often than not. And don’t you know it, The Drama’s score is performed entirely on the flute. It’s a little bit grating, but it al;so makes me laugh because it’s right out of the A24 playbook. There are also some flashback/flash-forward/imaginary flashes built into the narrative that are a little misleading at times. So I don’t entirely love the storytelling/filmmaking, but ultimately I found The Drama to be worth watching.  

The 4K Video/Audio:

The Drama is a stylish film with a unique look that hovers between cinematic and indie-aesthetic, and that’s represented here with a 4K Ultra HD transfer that looks very impressive. Color saturation presents very real colors, while image clarity is razor sharp. The surround soundtrack has a fair amount to work with and it makes the most of it, using the surround channels to fill in your living room with the sounds of the hustle and bustle of people, a wedding, and the city life around the characters, but the dialogue never gets lost in the mix. All in all, it’s a good A/V presentation of a unique movie.

The Bonus Features: 

• Audio Commentary with Costume Designer Katina Danabassis, Production Designer Zosia Mackenzie, and Co-editor Joshua Raymond Lee
• Unpacking the Drama
• Wardrobe & Camera Test
• Relationship Hotline Promo 
• Charlie & Emma’s Wedding Video 
• Six Collectible Postcards

Digital Copy Included: No

You, Me & Tuscany (Blu-ray + Digital)

Official Synopsis:

The producer of Girls Trip serves up a delicious romantic comedy about one little lie, one large Italian villa, and two people getting lost in the sauce of love. Impersonating a man’s fiancée while crashing at his home in Italy becomes a big problem for Anna (Halle Bailey) when she falls for the man’s cousin (Regé-Jean Page), and the heat between them ignites a fire that will transform her life.

The Movie: 

You, Me & Tuscany is what I would call an elevated Hallmark movie, and I mean that as a compliment. As someone who loves Hallmark TV movies, I have no problem with a completely predictable rom-com that checks off a lot of the right boxes, and this movie does that. 

What it doesn’t do is surprise you at any point or wow you with any creativity. It’s kind of like the filmmakers went, “Well, we have two attractive leads and a gorgeous location to shoot in, do we REALLY need to spend a lot of time punching up the dialogue?” Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton) and Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid) do a good job of building chemistry and making you believe in their growing attraction, while the film’s central conceit – a twist on a case of mistaken identity – does give the movie a little conflict to build from. The supporting characters are fun enough and the cast is game, so there’s little to complain about. 

Ultimately, I wish You, Me & Tuscany had been a little bit stronger, because I thought it had the potential to be a really great rom-com. It isn’t that, but it’s a light-hearted and enjoyable way to kill 90 minutes filled with pretty people and prettier locales. 

The Bonus Features: 

• You & Me
• Racing Through Tuscany
• La Famiglia
• Taste of Italy
• Going Green in Italy
• Feature Commentary with Director Kat Coiro and Producer Will Packer

Digital Copy Included: Yes

NCIS: Tony & Ziva (DVD) 

Official Synopsis:

NCIS: TONY & ZIVA picks up after Ziva’s supposed death, when Tony left the NCIS team to raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before reuniting with Tony and their daughter Tali. Since then, Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter together in Paris. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must flee across Europe to uncover who’s after them-and perhaps learn to trust each other again, so they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

The Show: 

This won’t come as a surprise to longtime readers of my column, but I am a casual NCIS fan at best. I never watched it on TV, but I would always pop a few episodes in when a DVD set would come around for me to review, and I always enjoyed it more than not, even if I never got involved enough to follow any of the show’s major narrative throughlines. 

But for some reason, when NCIS: Tony & Ziva came out, I got really excited to watch it. I honestly have no idea why, but something about it piqued my interest. And once I started watching it, I couldn’t stop. I blew through these 10 episodes in no time, and frankly, I loved it. This time around, the show focuses solely on the titular characters as they go on the run across Europe after being framed for an international crime. With their safety and that of their daughter’s on the line, they have to use all their skills to survive and smoke out the true culprit. 

What’s nice is that because the show is only ten episodes and clearly had a decent budget, every episode feels big and bold. There are tons of action sequences, explosions, drones, gunfights, you name it. The filmmakers never feel like they’re pulling their punches and the action and stakes just ratchet up with every episode. Of course, Cote de Pablo and Michael Wetherly are fantastic together on screen, and while I can’t say if it’s exactly the reunion longtime NCIS fans are hoping for, I can say it’s extremely enjoyable!

The Bonus Features: 

• Gag Reel
• Two Deleted Scenes
• A Global Affair Featurette
• Shooting Abroad Featurette
• A Dress Worth Waiting For” Featurette

Digital Copy Included: No

The Evil Dead (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)

Official Synopsis:

Writer/Director SAM RAIMI’s relentless, gore-spattered debut is a landmark in horror cinema, a no-holds-barred onslaught of gruesome terror and nightmarish effects which has earned its rightful status as a legendary cult classic. Five college students travel to a remote cabin in the woods and unwittingly unleash a monstrous evil force hellbent on their total destruction. Now with newly restored state-of-the-art digitally remastered picture and loaded with incredible extras, THE EVIL DEAD is truly the ultimate experience in grueling horror.

The Movie: 

There are few movie franchises that have seen as many home video releases as the Evil Dead franchise. There were a countless number of DVD and Blu-ray releases for each of the three films in the original trilogy, but by my count there’s actually only been one previous 4K Ultra HD release of the original 1981 movie that started it all, The Evil Dead. Until now, that is, when Sony is celebrating the movie’s 45^th anniversary with a gorgeous new Steelbook 4K release. 

What’s interesting to me is that I feel like The Evil Dead is probably the least seen of the three movies. For a long time, it wasn’t even available on home video (like, way, WAY back when it was kind of an underground film), and Evil Dead II was really the movie that made the franchise a hit. Then Army of Darkness came out and, while it wasn’t a box office hit, it garnered its own huge fan following of people who hadn’t necessarily even seen the first two movies. The first film feels a little forgotten sometimes, but it’s easily the most visceral and intense of the three. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I’d seen it until I sat down to rewatch it. 

Without a doubt, The Evil Dead is the most horror-oriented movie in the trilogy, with the least amount of focus on humor, although of course there is some. It’s also a testament to indie filmmaking, as it looks much more accomplished than it has any right to. I mean, sure, the low budget is evident, but what Raimi was able to do with that budget is impressive. Ultimately, The Evil Dead is the kind of movie that both defines and transcends being a cult classic. 

The 4K Video/Audio:

This 45^th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD release of The Evil Dead looks and sounds very good in the premium format. The color saturation is strong but not quite what I would call overly vibrant, as the film has a lot of dark tones defining the look of the picture. The predominant look and feel of the film is meant to be kind of dreary to reflect the horrifying action on screen, and that’s captured well. Image clarity is sharp, however, and the overall effect is quite strong. The surround soundtrack isn’t the most immersive ever, but it is working from limited original source material, to be fair. Still, it does a great job of bringing the action and dialogue into your living room. Meanwhile, the powerful bass channel ensures there’s an occasional rumble through your bones. All in all, this is a very good A/V presentation for a low-budget movie that’s almost a half-century old.

The Bonus Features: 

Even though most of the bonus features are recycled from previous releases, you still get a nearly hour-long documentary, plus a picture-in-picture featurette/commentary that runs the length of the film. There’s about another hour of extras on top of that, so this is still a package brimming with extras. And for a guy who gets a lot of Steelbooks, I can say this is one of the sharpest looking ones to hit shelves this year, with amazing key art choices. 

• Audio Commentary with Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Bruce Campbell
• Picture-in-Picture: Join Us! The Undying Legacy of The Evil Dead
• One-By-One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga of The Evil Dead 
• Treasure from the Cutting Room Floor 
• At the Drive-In 
• Discovering Evil Dead 
• Make-Up Test 
• Trailer & TV Spots

Digital Copy Included: Yes

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

A London theater play evolves into a groundbreaking cult phenomenon, featuring iconic songs and performances that celebrate individuality. The legacy lives on through midnight screenings and a devoted following that spans generations.

The Movie: 

This isn’t a secret, as I’ve reviewed The Rocky Horror Picture Show on various home video formats at least three times over the years, but I’m not a particularly big fan of the movie. I’ve seen it on home video, sure, but I’ve also seen it in a crowded theater with people in costume yelling out dialogue and throwing things at the screen and all that stuff, and while the live experience is fun, the movie as a movie just doesn’t do much for me. 

That said, Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror defies how you feel about the movie, as it’s an absolutely fantastic documentary. Telling the story of the show’s journey from stage to screen to cult classic to audience participation phenomenon, this film was made by Linus O’Brien, son of Rocky Horror creator Richard O’Brien. But the senior O’Brien is still with us, and he’s interviewed in the film, as are Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, director Jim Sharman, and even Rocky Horror himself, Peter Hinwood. Even famous fans such as Jack Black show up to discuss the movie’s legacy. There’s even a philosophical subtext that runs through the documentary about the outsider nature of both the characters and the fans.

Even if you’re not a fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, you should definitely check out Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror. It’s a terrific and engaging documentary. 

The Bonus Features: 

There are no bonus features. 

Digital Copy Included: No

The Worlds of Lucile Hadzihalilovic (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

The Worlds Of Lucile Hadžihalilovi? presents a comprehensively immersive journey through the filmography of Lucile Hadžihalilovi?, “an artist of radical gentleness whose films each resemble a delicately poisoned fairy tale” (Le Monde). Originally known for her collaborations as editor and producer for longtime partner Gaspar Noé, writer/director Hadžihalilovi?’s own internationally acclaimed quartet of features craft poetically surreal tales where dreams and nightmares are layered in embraces of tenderness and terror. Two of the four films in this collection are North American Blu-ray Premieres and include over 4 combined hours of fascinating Special Features.

The Movies: 

I can always count on Severin Films for two things: 1) to create some of the most comprehensive box sets around, filled with bonus features and wrapped up in gorgeous packaging; and 2) to create those box sets around movies and filmmakers I’m completely unfamiliar with. 

Such is the case this week with their incredible release of The Worlds of Lucile Hadzihalilovic. Lucile (I’m going to use her first name because it’s so much easier to type) is a French filmmaker who started off as an editor in the 1980s and 90s, largely for acclaimed filmmaker Gaspar Noe. She then moved on to creating her own films in the 200s, and those are the movies collected here: Innocence, Evolution, Earwig, The Ice Tower, and two short films. 

Lucile’s movies often have a mysterious or supernatural quality to them, and that mystery runs through each of her productions. Coupled with that is an aesthetic that stands out, giving each movie a visual flair that goes beyond what you see in a lot of mainstream movies. My favorite film in the set is The Ice Tower, which stars Marion Cotillard, and follows an actress in the 1970s who meets a runaway fan who is obsessed with her and hiding out on the set of the actress’s newest production. It’s an intriguing film with a terrific performance by Cotillard, but while it was my favorite, I found all four feature films worth watching. 

This new box set includes four discs with over four hours of bonus features, all collected in a chunky box set that spotlights each movie. As always with Severin, it’s a top-notch collection, and fans of the filmmaker or more esoteric fare should definitely track it down. 

The Bonus Features: 

• Introduction To Innocence By Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
• 60 Page Collector’s Book
• Short Film De Natura With Introduction By Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
• Short Film Nectar With Introduction By Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
• Innocence Explained By Actress Zoé Auclair
• Video Essay On Innocence By Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Innocence Q&A At The IFC Center
• Introduction To Evolution By Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
• Discussion Between Evolution Cinematographer Manu Dacosse And Director Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
• Interview With Evolution Writer Alanté Kavaïté
• Introduction To Earwig By Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
• Interview With Lucile Hadžihalilovi? On Evolution
• Interview With Earwig Co-Writer Geoff Cox
• Interview With Earwig Cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg
• Introduction To The Ice Tower By Lucile Hadžihalilovi?
• Interview With The Ice Tower Cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg
• Interview With Lucile Hadžihalilovi? On The Ice Tower By Beatrice Loayza
• Two The Ice Tower Q&As At The IFC Center
• Video Essay On The Ice Tower By Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Trailers

Digital Copy Included: No

House of Harkness: A Marvel Scarlet Witch Graphic Novel (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

Calling all witches! Join Marvel fan-favorites Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, and Agatha Harkness in this spell-binding graphic novel adventure!

Sixteen-year-old Wanda Maximoff is eager for her first day at the highly coveted magic school, the House of Harkness. A place bursting with spellbinding secrets, misfits, and mayhem, Wanda, aka Scarlet Witch, finds herself at odds with the head student and heir to the school, Agatha Harkness. When evil threatens the school, Wanda and Agatha are challenged to put their differences aside to save the day.

The Book: 

I really like what Marvel and DC are doing with their YA graphic novels. Take Marvel’s newest offering, published by Graphix, House of Harkness: A Marvel Scarlet Witch Graphic Novel. Here we’re taking a Marvel mainstay character who’s been around since the 1970s and building off the popularity of her roles in movies like the Avengers films and the WandaVision TV show, and drawing in a new generation of readers with a book aimed squarely at them. And here’s the best part: if you’re an older reader who sees this and pouts about it, proclaiming “This isn’t MY Scarlet Witch!”, then guess what? You don’t have to read it! There’s enough Scarlet Witch to go around for everyone, you don’t need to force yourself to read a book that wasn’t written for you. 

Now, to be clear, I’m NOT one of those people. I’m perfectly happy to explore new takes on established characters, and this teen drama graphic novel sees Wanda/Scarlet Witch starting magic school at the House of Harkness, where she becomes frenemies with Agatha Harkness. The pair must reluctantly team up to defeat a magical menace that threatens everyone there. 

Author Preeti Chhibber and artists Jodi Nishijima and Kiichi Mizushima serve up a tale filled with teen drama that will appeal to fans not only of the Scarlet Witch and Marvel properties, but also series like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Nishijima and Mizushima’s artwork is beautiful, with influences from traditional American comic books, manga/anime, and even a hint of cartoon animation mixed together. I had a ton of fun with House of Harkness: A Marvel Scarlet Witch Graphic Novel and I think most other readers will as well, no matter how steeped in the comic book world they may or may not be. 

The Specs: 

• Publisher: Graphix
• Format: Softcover or Hardcover
• Page Count: 144 pages
• Cover Price: $14.99 (SC) or $25.99 (HC)

Unico: Lost (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

Unico’s friends race to save him from the evil goddess Venus! Lost and alone in a windswept desert, Unico seeks help from the Fey queen Titania. But danger lurks. The goddess Venus and the monstrous hunter, Iver, remain bent on destroying Unico. Meanwhile, Starrow, a celestial scientist, trains Unico’s friends, the cats Chloe and Toast, to travel across time and space. But can they reach Unico before Venus does?

Conceived anew by Eisner-nominated author Samuel Sattin and Eisner-winning artist team Gurihiru, and developed in collaboration with Tezuka Productions, Unico: Lost is the third volume in a groundbreaking reboot of a beloved manga by Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka, the “God of Manga.” With striking full-color artwork and reading left to right in the Western comics style to match the original manga, UNICO AWAKENING is a brilliant series featuring storytelling at its best. Join Unico on an unforgettable journey!

The Book: 

Three books into the Unico saga and I am hooked. And while I don’t want to say that I shouldn’t like it as much as I do, I will say that a manga-influenced graphic novel series aimed at young kids and featuring a unicorn as the main character isn’t exactly the kind of thing I usually go out of my way for. 

Based on a 1970s manga series by Osamu Tezuka, best known for creating Astro Boy, this new interpretation of the character by Samuel Sattin and popular new-era manga artist Gurihiru (who has done a lot of work for Marvel Comics) brings the character into a new age. And lest anyone be scared off by the idea of Unico being a manga book, it’s in full color and printed in traditional western left-to-right reading style. It’s not so much pure manga as it is heavily manga-inspired, and I think it will read just as well for kids who have no interest in manga but are simply caught up in this story of a little unicorn who goes on epic adventures. 

In this third volume, Unico is really up against it: he’s lost in a desert, being hunted by a goddess and a hunter, and must survive long enough for his cat friends Chloe and Toast to rescue him.  As with the previous two volumes, Samuel Sattin has crafted a story that’s full of both adventure and heart, and Gurihiru’s artwork – which sometimes I find a little simplistic on their Marvel projects – is detailed, lush, and beautiful. Personally, I would start with the first book if you’re new to Unico and work your way up to this newest entry, but definitely don’t sleep on this terrific series!

The Specs: 

• Publisher: Graphix
• Format: Softcover or Hardcover
• Page Count: 224 pages
• Cover Price: $14.99 (SC) or $24.99 (HC)

Offside (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

From the author of the USA Today and Indie bestselling Invisible, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who may just have more in common than they thought.

Winning is everything. For the first time ever, the Jackson Middle School soccer team is going co-ed–thanks to Nicky’s determination. Now Nicky and Fabiola are on a team with Al, Palmer, Seba, and the rest of the boys . . . but that doesn’t mean they’re all on the same side. Team captain Al is going to do whatever he can to keep the girls off the team, just the way his father wants. When Al and Nicky’s rivalry threatens to tear the team apart, everyone’s going to have to pick sides. That is, until Palmer looks into why Nicky joined the team, and he starts to realize that there’s a bigger problem than what’s on the field. . . And maybe the only way to truly win is together.

With text in English and Spanish, Offside features the groundbreaking format used in Invisible, paired with engaging, accessible, and entertaining storytelling. This is a must-have graphic novel about soccer, friendship, and what it really means to work as a team.

The Book: 

I’ve reviewed dozens of YA and younger reader graphic novels at this point, and sometimes I really fall for them, while other times I have to just respect them for what they are and the audience they’re created for. Offside is, for me, in the latter category. The book is aimed at younger readers, with at least a little emphasis on Hispanic culture (some dialogue is presented in both English and Spanish), with an art style that’s more cartoony in nature. 

So it’s not that Offside is bad at all, it just didn’t really resonate with me. The story was fine, but the artwork was a little too simple for my tastes, and the bilingual dialogue was more tedious for me than it might be for a younger reader. That said, if I was an eight-year-old who loved soccer, I’d probably be all over this book, and I’d learn some great Spanish phrases while I was poring over it again and again. 

Ultimately, Offside is great for younger readers, soccer fans, and Spanish-speaking readers (although that’s not a requirement; people who don’t already speak Spanish will be able to follow along just fine). 

The Specs: 

• Publisher: Graphix
• Format: Softcover or Hardcover
• Page Count: 224 pages
• Cover Price: $14.99 (SC) or $25.99 (HC)

My Tokyo Summer (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

A charming and vibrant true story about an unforgettable summer in Japan!

Abby lives in the United States and loves comics, zines, and punk music. Yuuko lives in Japan and loves manga, American movies, and creating art. When Yuuko visits New York City and sees a comic that Abby made, she writes a letter to Abby and they become pen pals. Later, Abby takes the opportunity to enroll in a summer university program in Japan, and the two girls get the chance to meet in person. What follows are charming and funny adventures in Tokyo as Abby and Yuuko explore the city together. Things get even more exciting when they decide to combine their talents and make a comic to sell at Comiket, one of the largest comics conventions in the world. This will be an extraordinary summer of life-changing friendship!

The Book: 

This charming autobiographical tale by author Abby Denson and artist Utomaru is an enjoyable tale about how two young girls who lived in New York and Japan became pen pals, then real-life friends, and then comic book collaborators. 

Interestingly, one of the girls in the book, Yuuko, who is an artist, didn’t actually draw the book. I’m sure there are plenty of valid reasons for that, but it would have been cool to see this story of two girls who became collaborators actually collaborate on the book. That said, throughout the story, we follow the story of Abby and Yuuko, how they got started in creating comic books and loving pop culture, how they met in person, their first comic convention experience, and more. 

Author Abby Denson has published a few nonfiction guidebooks, and that shows here. If I have one complaint about the book, it’s that sometimes it feels like you’re reading a tourist guide rather than a narrative story. I appreciate that she explains nuances of Japanese culture that would be unfamiliar to western audiences, but it does sometimes take you out of the story. Overall, though, My Tokyo Summer is an endearing book that will both educate and entertain young readers. 

The Specs: 

• Publisher: Graphix
• Format: Softcover or Hardcover
• Page Count: 208 pages
• Cover Price: $16.99 (SC) or $25.99 (HC)

Coming Out Perfect (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

From Ignatz-nominated cartoonist Richard Mercado comes a refreshingly honest and moving YA graphic novel perfect for fans of queer coming-of-age stories like Heartstopper. When Kevin’s parents ignore his attempts to come out of the closet, he devises a plan to become more like Raymond, the popular gay kid at his high school. After all, if Kevin can do everything perfectly, too, then people will have to pay attention to him. But life under Raymond’s wing isn’t easy: a dress code, new things Kevin can and can’t do, and even abandoning his old “uncool” friends. Perfection comes at a cost, and Kevin must decide whether it’s worth the sacrifice.

The Book: 

I really enjoyed Coming Out Perfect, even if on the surface there’s very little for me to relate to in it. I’m not gay, Filipino, or in high school, so the story of Kevin, a Filipino teenager who’s coming out of the closet, is clearly not speaking directly to my soul. But at the same time, throughout the book Kevin questions who he is, makes bad choices, alienates his friends, and feels ignored by his parents. I can’t speak to everyone, but as someone who was once a teenager in high school, I can certainly relate to THAT. 

Richard Mercado writes and draws Coming Out Perfect, and he does an excellent job. His artwork is a little loose and sketchy, but it really fits the vibe of the book. His characters are where he really shines, though, as each of the book’s main characters feel like, real, fully fleshed-out people. I imagine he’s drawing from his own experience here, but the book feels more narrative and less autobiographical, and for some reason, that works very well. 

A perfect read for anyone in high school dealing with any kind of complicated emotions at all, Coming Out Perfect is a terrific read that I think just about anyone will enjoy. 

The Specs: 

• Publisher: Graphix
• Format: Softcover or Hardcover
• Page Count: 208 pages
• Cover Price: $16.99 (SC) or $25.99 (HC)