The New York Five

New York Four #2

by Brian Wood, Ryan Kelly (Illustrator)

The long-awaited sequel to THE NEW YORK FOUR! There’s nothing more exciting than college life in the big city. But complications can follow you from dark places – and not just from your boring hometown. In THE NEW YORK FIVE, Riley’s sister Angie is making a name in the Lower East Side with her new band, and now Riley is the black sheep of the family. Lona’s murky past appears to have been hiding an alarming proficiency for stalkerism, and Merissa and Ren will confront uncomfortable situations involving older men. But who is the “five” in THE NEW YORK FIVE? This collection also includes special bonus material!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, Fiction, Slice Of Life, New York, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2011

About the author

Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is the conclusion to The New York Four, but this is five, because it's the sequel, and there's one more main character...kind of. Kind of six actually now that I think about it. Anyhow....

It's basically builds upon the last book. Riley is now dating Frank who is still dating her sister. It's messy and wrong and we deal with that. We also get a little bit more story of the other 3 girls who all have their very own issues to deal with. Then we have Angie, who becomes a part of the story more (that's Riley's sister). Last but not least is this emo/tattoo girl who's a bum who occasionally gives the girls advice and hangs out with them.

Good: Riley's story with her sister is by far the best one and most interesting. The frank storyline gets a much needed conclusion. I also thought the twist with the pregnancy was out of left field but that's kind of what happens. The art also remains solid throughout once more.

Bad: The ending feels kind of up in the air. Which I guess slice of life stories are like that. However, too many loose ends with the other girls to get a satisfying ending.

This was good once more. This series isn't going to change anyone's life but enjoyable YA style story. I'll hit it with a 3 out of 5.

[David Schwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice follow up to the "The New York Four." We are given the second half of the 4 girls story as freshmen at NYU. The graphics are very well done. The story is good (up to the same standard as other Brian Wood graphic novels I've read). The story line is rather complete, if there is a follow on book it could be sometime in the girls future lives.

[A David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huh, who'd have thought that a bunch of cutouts with hardly any personality and a tenuous "bond" between them wouldn't cut it as a friend group? I guess this is supposed to be heartbreaking, but um... I don't know why we should care.

[Tiffany Blose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending easy read!!

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Wood creates a hipster ode to New York that is very much an artifact of its time and place. The musical references are solid, the landmarks diverse, the social situations universal. I'm pretty far removed, both from college and being a privileged white girl in NYC, but it all resonates with a sense of "yeah... been there"... at least in spirit.

I'm actually most interested in how female readers view this work (and the previous, New York Four) if it is all a sympathetic and believable view of young women... because once again, it is written by a guy. Where are the women writing works like these? That's what I want to know.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10 (Good)

After reading The New York Four and coming away feeling a bit frustrated with the ending (thinking that the book was a one-off and annoyed with how things were left), I almost missed the conclusion of the story found here in The New York Five . In this book we are giving the second half of the story arc and it wraps things up nicely. It's certainly not the best story or the most interesting, but it is a worthwhile read if you enjoy stories about everyday life such as Brian Wood's Local or Demo .

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda wish this and the first book New York Four had all been one, or that this had come out as a Minx book as originally intended. the art in the last issue wasn't as good as the previous installments, either, I'm guessing due to the rush of deadlines (Jim Rugg came in and inked some of the pages, I'm guessing to help Ryan Kelly out). But it's a good conclusion to the previous story of NY4 and worth reading if you liked that book.

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as I did New York Four. Except for Riley's story, all the other plots seemed to have come from a random plot generator. It took a lot of heavy lifting to get them all resolved by the end, and the effort was obvious. The art was still pretty good, even if all the girls kind of looked alike.

[Nick Kives · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a quick message about this book. This is a continuation of The New York Four, but where Wood had good character development and interesting story for the main characters, this one just lacked that, and seemed to all be rushed into the conclusion.

[Brandy Shark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I needed to know the resolve from the first book, but honestly, it was not worth it.

Very choppy story-telling (I never really got the sense that the four were really great friends, or that Olive was really apart of their little group), and soap opera storylines. (I couldn't stand the fact that Riley kept going back to Frank even though she decided in the first book to cut him off). The only saving graces of the book are the great art and the inserted NYC tips.

(Honestly, there probably would have been better characterization if the series had been written by a woman; everything here reads like a man who has been watching the Lifetime channel to gather research on women in college).

[Tim Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and fun read. Nice follow up to The New York Four with the added benefit of much larger pages and quality paper to better enjoy the Ryan Kelly artwork. The whole series is basically a soap opera but with enjoyable characters. I liked that there was a clear resolution to the tale.
Recommended for fans of NYC.

[friendo]

My sophomore english teacher made us read this instead of Lord of the Flies. It sucked so bad and he told us that if he were her age he would have a really big crush on the white broad with dreadlocks. Not surprised that the guy who wrote this was accused of sexual harassment

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wished the secondary characters were a bit more developped. Some storylines felt a bit rushed.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read.....

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read The New York Four so long ago that I've forgotten much about it, other than that I really liked it. This sequel holds up very well.

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the art style. The story went really fast—too fast, in my opinion—& I couldn’t always tell whose perspective we were in. Probs should’ve read the first book… first.

[Kasey Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Local, but this unfortunately recreates too many of the low points of that book without reaching for the highs.

Place
Wood and Kelly make their settings more than just backdrop for their characters: in a lot of ways, their settings is the main character. This was done to great effect in Local. Unfortunately, The New York Five does not manage the same immersion. Local cut a broad swatch across America while New York Five tried to cut deep. Every time I read a book about New York City, it seems designed for the consumption of other New Yorkers. This wasn't an exception.

People
Alright, I'll come to terms with the fact that Brian Wood's writing is inconsistent. Here, his "five" (actually four) are propelled by desires that operate below the surface -- we only know them when the young lady telegraphs her intentions. The "five" travel resolutely along one path until another character verbally bats them in another direction. Not a lot of character development. Speaking of character development, girl number "five" is a nonentity -- a mirror through which the story of the New York Four can be told.

Passing Time
That's really what the story is about. Nominally, it fits into a coming-of-age tale inasmuch as there is supposed to be living and learning, but really it is just a disguised slice-of-life comic. Nothing against either slice-of-life or coming-of-age stories, but New York Five missed its mark by trying to fit into both categories. It felt like things just happened until they stopped happening. Then something else happened.

[Heather V ~The Other Heather~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having gotten this only because our monthly comic book club opted for it to be our February read, I didn't initially realize FIVE was a sequel to anything (I gather the recommending member didn't, either). Maybe if I'd read FOUR ahead of time I'd have enjoyed this one more; as it stands, while the artwork is lovely and I adore NYC, I didn't care for any of the girls whatsoever, and their fates felt kind of predictable and hollow. The entire Olive storyline fell short of any emotional connection or payoff, not that the other four were well developed. I even had a hard time distinguishing between Lona and Mer in several panels, and I'm no n00b to the comic world.

Not my cup of tea/iced latte, I suppose.

[Timothy McNeil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wood needed to better develop his stories. I remain befuddled on how Lona is taking the same Creative Writing class for two semesters (without retaking it). Merissa's situation seems permanently detached from the consistent reminders that she has five boy friends. The Wilder family reunion feels like some ill-conceived deus ex machina that does little to move the story forward. But Wood does try to capture the confusion and sense of everything happening at once that fits for the characters' ages. And the art remains solid. My only wish is that both volumes had been done more like the character studies at the end.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not a fan of the first book starring these characters, The New York Four, as that I found all the characters to be self-absorbed narcissists that even their own painful secrets couldn't humanize. The second installment is no different. Some things are so rushed that the characters never develop, while other characters don't seem to be doing much of anything.

However I do love the format and the art. It manages to show the rushing busy feel of NYC wonderfully. I just wish that the story lived up to the style.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel to the New York Four was better than the first one. I really liked everything about this graphic novel. I liked the story, the drawings. Everyone was growing up. This takes place the second semester of their freshman year. Less emphasis on Riley - perhaps that's why this appealed to me.

Glad I read it.

(It's frustrating that Goodreads thinks this book and New York Four are the same book. I had a hard time keeping a review for Four and a review for Five without being told it was a duplicate and overwriting one.)

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had been so long since I read the first title (New York Four) that I forgot I had read it. That being said the book has enough detail and background in it to work as a standalone. Unfortunately the title still didn't totally work for me. Some things were resolved too easily after being long drawn out problems. Other things weren't really resolved at all. It's just a frustrating series for me.

The artwork though is pretty amazing which gives the book it's second star.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hadn't realized that this was a sequel until I read the intro. I enjoyed the storyline although it felt rushed. I want to read The New York Four now. The art was great, and made me think about being back home and heading into the city to see friends and shows. The overall vibe on how it ended with a sadness for most of the girls got me a bit down.

[Christina Gossett · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good transition from The New York Four; which was the very first Graphic Novel I've ever read. The New York Five ended very well and tied up all the loose ends from the first book. I'll be more open to reading Graphic Novels in the future with Brian Wood's work as my introduction to the genre.

[Steve Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork and the insider details about NYC were the two things I enjoyed most about this short graphic novel. The story lines were engaging enough to keep me reading, yet I did not feel a deep connection with any of the five female protagonists. "The New York Five" possesses a bit more style than substance, but it is an enjoyable, light read nonetheless.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved (SUPER LOVED) the art in this just as much as the previous book but thought the storyline lacked a little oomph--the Olive stuff was just barely touched on. But doesn't look like there's a follow-up.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Wood is always amazing to me, but Ryan Kelly's art is the drving force behind the New York stories. Beautiful and unbelievably detailed, the art puts you right into multiple NY neighborhoods and makes you long to be there like Patti Smith's Kids did.

[Elvira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five young women trying to figure out themselves and their place in New York City. I was very pleased to see the continuation of Riley and her friends and their antics during their second semester at NYU. Great illustrations and story.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A continuation of the lives of 4 college girls in NYC, with the addition of a homeless girl who hangs around on their apartment steps. I wish their characters had a bit more development; perhaps there will be more vols.in the future.

[Michael Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick but enjoyable read. I really like Brian Wood's work, and this doesn't disappoint. It is just nice to read a graphic novel with no super heroes or villains or crazy powers. Just a group of people living their lives and being able to peek in.