Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Co-Op and weapon kit promotional image from Treyarch and Raven Studios

    Sharing Gunsmith Builds in Black Ops 7 Is About To Get Much Easier

    08/19/2025
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Indie Comics » REVIEW: “Good Game, Well Played” OGN

REVIEW: “Good Game, Well Played” OGN

Collier "CJ" JenningsBy Collier "CJ" Jennings05/04/20224 Mins ReadUpdated:05/04/2022
Good Game Well Played
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Good Game Well Played

Good Game, Well Played is an original graphic novel published by Mad Cave Studios. It’s written by Rachael Smith, illustrated and colored by Katherine Lobo, and lettered by Justin Birch. In 2009, a young woman named Sienna flies back home to her hometown of Boston to attend a funeral. Flashbacks circle back to 1999 when Sienna and her friends Hope, Art, Jo, and Sid work and/or hang out at the local video game store Game Champ. When Game Champ is threatened with potential closure, Sienna and her friends work to raise money to help its owner Tim, while also dealing with the ups and downs of adolescence.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

It’s no secret that I enjoy the coming of age genre. Whether it’s in films like Inbetween Girl and Booksmart or comics – most notably Spider-Man, stories that explore teenage life tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves and find innovative ways to tell stories. In the case of Good Game, the comic explores the theme of change. Sienna is shown to constantly wish that things would stay the way they are, but that’s not how life works. Change is a constant, and all of her friends are going through changes. Art is trying to balance his artwork and his feelings for Sienna. Jo is dealing with family issues – most notably her over-controlling father. Sid attempts to fine-tune his music while taking care of his younger sister. Hope has secrets of her own.

All of these plot points are handled with care by Smith, who lets her narrative unfold at a steady pace. Throughout the story, Sienna slowly learns more about her friends’ lives which conflicts with her desire to keep things as they are. When she finally reunites with her friends in the present day, she’s gone through some changes of her own, and those changes explain a great deal of her behavior. Smith doesn’t approach the narrative with kid gloves, either. There are some heavy themes tackled in this comic, and I freely admit to shedding tears at more than one moment. I also love that the comic is powered by a found family narrative; through all their ups and downs Sienna and her friends truly care for each other.

Good Game is brought to life by Lobo’s artwork, which takes on an anime-esque flair. Characters have expressive eyes and mouths leading to moments that are hilarious or heartbreaking, depending on the narrative. The ’90s era is perfectly brought to life as well; characters have smaller cell phones and, rather than fire up the X-Box, have to go to an actual store to play video games. Lobo even gets to play around with the style of her art, particularly when it comes to the crew playing video games.

The shooter Time Chaos is styled after the visuals of the Time Crisis series, and when Sienna and her friends play a Dungeons & Dragons styled game the art shifts to a 2D platform. The colors are also warm and vibrant, with heavy use of purples and pinks; Boston’s night sky has never looked more beautiful. Birch has some of the most creative lettering I’ve seen in a comic, especially when Sid plays his songs. The lyrics take the form of winding gusts of wind, circling around characters as they go about their lives.

Good Game, Well Played is a found family fable that wears its hearts on its sleeve, while paying loving tribute to video games and the 90’s. If you love coming-of-age films or manga, or you’re looking for a fresh breath of air when it comes to comics, this is the story for you. I truly hope that this creative team has the chance to make more comics together.

Good Game, Well Played is available wherever comics are sold.

 

Good Game Well Played
5

TL;DR

Good Game, Well Played is a found family fable that wears its hearts on its sleeve, while paying loving tribute to video games and the 90’s. If you love coming-of-age films or manga, or you’re looking for a fresh breath of air when it comes to comics, this is the story for you. I truly hope that this creative team has the chance to make more comics together.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Radiant Black,’ Issue #14
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Showtime 1958’ – What Cinema’s All About
Collier "CJ" Jennings
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)

Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. He currently resides in Seattle.

Related Posts

Speed Racer Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Speed Racer’ Issue 1

07/30/2025
No Saints Nor Poets Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘No Saints Nor Poets’ Issue 1

07/18/2025
Who Killed Sarah Shaw

REVIEW: ‘Who Killed Sarah Shaw’

01/20/2025
Katabasis #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Katabasis’ Issue #1 (2024)

11/20/2024
Space Ghost Issue #3

REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #3

07/03/2024
Space Ghost #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #1

04/30/2024

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here