Love Me

October 1, 2024

Author Perillo, in her debut, and illustrator Cardoselli (Don't Spit in the Wind) present a sci-fi romance set in a future where humanity has ceded performing manual labor to robots. Jojo, a robot, is New York City's friendliest taxi driver. He tries his best to connect with each and every person who gets into his cab, despite the fact that many of them regard him with either total disinterest or absolute, open disdain. Then one day he picks up a woman named Gilda, who loves the music of Nina Simone and old movies just as much as he does. Jojo is elated when Gilda invites him on a date to see Sunset Boulevard, but when the night arrives, she never shows up at the theater. Jojo is heartbroken until he receives a message indicating that Gilda may be in some kind of trouble, inspiring him to set out on a rescue mission that quickly leads him into conflict with both the police department and New York's most powerful crime family. VERDICT Clich�d dialogue and predictable plotting aside, this is an ultimately charming story about a robot's quest to rescue the human woman of his dreams.

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2024
In Perillo and Cardoselli's graphic novel, a robot in a dystopian future fights for the woman he's just fallen in love with. JoJo is a round-bodied, thin-limbed robot living in a crowded city. Even though he drives a taxi for humans who don't mask their hatred of robots, he stays positive and appreciates life's "little extraordinary things." His own life takes a pleasantly unexpected turn when Gilda Atkinson Pedretti hops into his taxi cab. She's a beautiful woman who, like JoJo, has a fondness for Nina Simone and old black-and-white movies. They make a date, but then Gilda seemingly vanishes. When she finally calls, she fearfully asks for help before the call is cut off. As JoJo soon learns, Gilda is the lawyer for the Polpette Mafia, and the mob boss' son is apparently obsessed with her. The tenderhearted robot, convinced this woman is his only chance at happiness, has no qualms about facing off against trigger-happy gangsters if there's a chance he can save her. Perillo's writing, coupled with Cardoselli's artwork, delivers a smashing blend of sci-fi, romance, and noir (JoJo's bug-eyed cat Frida narrates with the cynicism of a world-weary detective). The author wisely keeps the narrative simple while providing glimpses of characters' backstories, including those of Gilda and robots in general. The handful of bullet-riddled action scenes include delightful touches of humor; JoJo doesn't carry a gun like the mobsters and uses what he can for a weapon (a phone proves especially handy). Cardoselli sublimely captures all of this chaos in pages bursting with vivid visuals (like a recurring gag of heavily advertised Perillo's Cakes and Donuts) in jumbled panels fighting for space. And while JoJo is an undeniably winsome hero, it's gleefully self-absorbed Frida who steals the show. A witty, wildly diverting romantic SF thriller.

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