Salvage Comic Review

by Catalina Bonati

4.5/5 stars ★★★★⯪

Salvage: A Graphic Novel by Renée Nault (published July 2026) is the colorful and lighthearted story of Paolo, a boy who lives in The Flats, where houses float on the water and the main income comes form diving into the Old City, a submerged city center where priceless artifacts, such as old designer clothes, phones, and music records, must be scavenged and brought to the surface to be salvaged and sold. Paolo dreams of more—he wishes to experience what he sees on social media from the people in the Uplands. The Uplands are the part of the city which is highest on the hill, where the rich people live amongst beautiful high rises and cool thematic night clubs. Upon making a secret discovery in the Old City, Paolo takes a chance and makes his way to the Uplands, where he comes across a tight-knit group of friends who take him in and show him the Upland life. Paolo finds himself torn between two worlds, and his crush on the Uplands girl Jules begins to dominate his life.

The worldbuilding in this comic is incredibly rich, made vibrant and alive by the colorful and skillful art. The Flats seem to be a world of their own, which reminded me of Bacigalupi’s The Wind-Up Girl, Ark by Stephen Baxter, and The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard. Paolo’s dives into the submerged past can be creepy (not too creepy, as the overall tone is quite light) and serve to establish exactly how much time has passed, the state of the world, and the gaps in technology between the old world and the new. The Uplands, in turn, are like the Hunger Games’ Panem and like the New Pretty Town in Uglies. It has the vibe of fancy, prettied-up Los Angeles from Blade Runner, without the constant night, rain, or pollution. The technology here is focused mainly on cell phones and social media and not much else. It’s hard to believe that these two places belong to the same city. Phones seem out of place in the Flats, where technology is mainly old world scrap that needs to be fixed and cleaned, but in the Uplands they are integral to life.

The art is lively and joyful and uses full-page illustrations just as much as frames. The friend group, who are four (five with Paolo) are diverse in personalities and hobbies. Emi, an influencer who is invited to club openings every nights, is also a fashionista who changes her look every night and is sometimes hard to identify. She also provides many of the comedic bits. Jules is a sculptress and famous actress’ daughter whose mother does not have time for her. Paolo and Jules’ passion for art brings them closer together. Although much emphasis is placed on Jules’ being a recognized artist about to present in an important gallery, very few frames are dedicated to her actually working.

The main theme of this story is meant to be class disparity, but it’s not really explored in a profound way. I would say that a stronger theme is a teenager in search of himself, looking for ways to grow and finding a path into adulthood. Paolo’s friendships are faceted; no two friendships are alike. This is heartwarming and really delves into the many forms which friendship may take. Near the ending, the dialogue becomes a bit corny. The story is followed by some ending notes on the world and the chosen art style, which are very interesting.

All in all, this is a simple story with great art and a good storyline execution, a sci fi YA comic for the ages. This is recommended to readers of YA, readers of cli-fi, and readers of romance.