BINGO LOVE: VOLUME ONE - JACKPOT EDITION

‘Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition’, is a 160-page graphic novel written by the fantastic Tee Franklin, drawn by the amazing Jenn St. Onge, and published by the always creative, Image Comics. There are three different formats available, including a softback, hardback, and digital version, plus as an extra added bonus, it also comes with six new stories created by veterans from the industry.


Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition [Hardcover]


The Story:

In 1963, two African-American girls named Mari McCray and Hazel Johnson meet up at a church bingo game and slowly fall in love. After a while, though, their respective families find out about their relationship and they stop them, prise them apart, and force them to go their separate ways for a long, long time. 50 years, to be more precise, during a period of their lives where both Mari and Hazel are older, wiser, bingo playing grannies who still go to church. Yet the question remains, can they continue from where they previously left off? Or do they just keep their heads down and hope for the best?

The Relationship:

Have you ever played a game of bingo? Either in real life or online, such as Cheersbingo, for instance. Well, if you have, then I’m sure you know that playing this game is very much like finding true love. Sometimes you're lucky and you win the jackpot, sometimes you're unlucky and you lose-lose-lose, and sometimes you have no other choice but to go with the flow. Similar, in fact, to the life Mari and Hazel were forced to lead way back in the sixties. After all, this graphic novel doesn’t feature superheroes fighting supervillains for the sake of humankind, but rather, it features heart, real heart, which is purely focused on the love of two noble individuals. It also shows us that there comes a time in everyone's life where we need to take a chance and gamble on our future, instead of reflecting on our collective past. Otherwise, nothing will progress or have any meaning if we constantly dwell on the road less traveled.

The Bonus Material:

Unlike the ‘Regular Edition’, this ‘Jackpot Edition’ comes with six short stories created by the following writers and artists: Shawn Pryor, Gail Simone, Paulina Ganucheau, Gabby Rivera, Sara Alfageeh, Alyssa Cole, Ariela Kristantina, Marguerite Bennett, and Beverly Johnson. Each of these stories is related to bingo and aim to satisfy the questions left behind by the main tale. Questions, I hasten to add, which are about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness. 

The Future:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a sequel to ‘Bingo Love’ is going to be released in February, 2020, and even though the artwork will be created by another talented artist, Beverly Johnson, the actual story will still be told by Tee Franklin and continue from where this one left off. Volume two, entitled ‘Dear Diary’, will mainly feature Mari’s granddaughter who gradually attempts to explore the diaries her grandmother had written throughout her life. So go on! What are you waiting for? Please pick up Volume One today and brace yourself for the second part next year. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. If anything, you'll end up falling in love with a new type of romance! Or at the very least, have a good old-fashioned game of bingo. Game On!!!!!