Jook Joint, the latest from Tee Franklin and Alitha E. Martinez, is uncomfortable even before the story starts with the big red "trigger warning" alerting people that there are some heavy, difficult subjects ahead, but don't let that stop you. Read Full Review

This debut issue crams a whole lot of emotion, action, and blood in it's 27 pages and every bit of it is well written and beautiful illustrated and colored. If the entire series is as good as this first issue, we will be talking about it for a very long time. Read Full Review

At the end of issue one, many questions are still left unanswered, questions such as where does Mahalias power come from, who are the women she cares for, and what will Heloise chose? Will she leave her abusive husband and join Mahalias coven? These questions and more will hopefully be answered in the next issue. Jook Joint is difficult to read, but well worth it. Read Full Review

Jook Joint appears to be an emotionally compelling tale. The fact that the creative team cares so much about taking care of their audience while also telling this story speaks volumes to their sincerity and humanity. Regardless of how long this series ends up running, it seems like it'll be worth keeping an eye on. Read Full Review

There wasn't a time where this issue failed to grab my attention. Each scene is a page turning. Each character brings something unique and powerful to the story being told by Tee Franklin here. If you are a fan of horror and fantasies of burning the patriarchy to the ground so you can dance on its ashes, I suggest you pick up Jook Joint right now. Read Full Review

Despite the subject matter, Franklin has created an incredibly empowering first issue that will send chills down the spines of abusers. In an era where #MeToo defines the current climate of society, Jook Joint fits in perfectly. It has a great message and is an enjoyable comic book to boot. Don't let this one slip under your radar. Read Full Review

The subject material is intense, and Martinez illustrates the raw, beautiful power of women. The juxtaposition of death, violence and gore against dance, beauty, and enjoyment of life is clear. Jook Joint is clearly a horror comic, yet Madame Mahalia's goal is clearly a life without fear. This book is angry, impassioned, and liberating. I appreciate how much of herself Franklin poured into Jook Joint and am both excited and terrified to see what comes next. Read Full Review

This is a good first issue that is definitely going to appease horror fans, but it also has meaning in its murders. It's stories like these that push the envelope and make us all stronger for it. Read Full Review

Jook Joint is intoxicating. Issue #1 introduces readers to the world of 1950s New Orleans, portraying the sensual jazz era alongside the violence of the time. Tee Franklin packs her issue with one helluva punch, creating the world of Jook Joint as a female-centered powerhouse comic. Read Full Review

The characters themselves were compelling as well. I want to learn more about this world and the characters in it, especially Mahalia and Heloise because their dynamic is shaping up to create some interesting drama for the series as it progresses. Read Full Review

For some victims, I imagine this book could be therapeutic but for me, it just came off as too much. I usually enjoy horror comics and did look forward to this book. However, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. If you enjoytorture porn type horror movies this may be a comic for you. Also, if you have any triggers regarding sexual assault, sexual violence or rape I would tread lightly before reading this book. The publisher did say they would include trigger warnings and I respect them for that. Jook Joint is currently out now in comic shops. Read Full Review

Juke Joint is a Strange Bird. It is a shockingly brutal comic that has a great premise. if it tightens up in a couple areas it may be one of the most memorable reading experiences of 2018-2019. 

The story follows the happenings of a Louisiana Juke Joint. It's run by a group of women that seem to have a supernatural bent and prey on men that abuse women and violate the rules of the Joint.


The comic doesn't really spell out what's going on with the residents of the Juke Joint but I'm sure we'll learn more as the story develops. They share traits of Vampires but the lead character, Mahalia is able to travel during the day so that throws the Vampire idea into question.

During a wild and horrific night in the Joint Mahalia takes interest in one of the Patrons Heloise. Heloise and her daughter are victims of domestic violence.  After conducting a ritual to influence her, Heloise is drawn to Mahalia the next day. Heloise asks for help and is given a protection bag to put in her window. Mahalia continues to influence the woman by pushing her into the direction of killing her husband.


 The comic ends with Heloise following the directions of Mahalia and wondering if she's done the right thing. 

Tee Franklin acknowledges the fact that she was the victim of domestic violence. This series comes out of her writings while she was going through therapy. Seeing that this story was inspired by such a dark experience, it's understandable that the comic is so brutal.

The women of Juke Joint are Alpha predators. The violence isn't pretty and a couple scenes actually made me wince. The only issue I have with the script is that I think the story should have been slightly longer. I suspect that there is a better cliffhanger a few pages away.

After reading the comic I handed it to my wife and she loved the strength of the lead character. We had an interesting chat about the comic. It was a great experience because I rarely share my hobby with her. 
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 Alitha E. Martinez is the artist of Juke Joint. She's amazing and gets point for making all of the characters look distinct. I also appreciate that the Women of Juke Joint come in all shapes and sizes.

My only gripe with the art direction here is with the colors and inks. Considering that the story is set in a "Juke Joint" I would expect the colors to be more distinct and vibrant. I'm sure this is an artistic choice due to the horror elements but there are a couple of panels throughout the comic where hard to make out what's happening. At one point one of the men fall under the influence of voodoo doll but without any context, I had no idea of what was going on. 

Aside from technical gripes Juke Joint is great and could easily translate to a television series or a movie. I'm interested in seeing where the story goes. The premise is interesting and if the relevalations continue to be imaginative the series may develop into a classic.  more

The story is fine but the visuals are way too gory for my taste. If you like graphic horror, this may be your thing.

This comic runs into the same problem that a lot of similar comics are hitting at the same time (unbelievable dialogue, caricatures instead of characters) but I think the premise is cool.

Artwork good. Story predictable. Trigger warning not necessary. Won't be reading beyond this issue.