Faith Vol 1: Hollywood and Vine Graphic Novel Review

Faith Vol 1: Hollywood and VineErica Gives This Comic Four StarsFaith Vol 1: Hollywood and Vine by Jody Houser
Art: Francis Portela and Marguerite Sauvage

I was really excited to read this. Disclaimer: Valiant gave my ladies comic book club free comics of the first volume. Faith was an enjoyable story, but it didn’t quite stand out in the storytelling ways that I’d hoped it would.

The biggest drawback was the art. Portela’s pencils were extremely inconsistent. One of the greatest thing about this book is having a plus-sized superhero and having zero comments about her weight. However, Portela drew Faith inconsistently. Sometimes she had larger bellies or multiple chins more than in previous scenes.

There were also inconsistencies in clothing choices and fashion. When in her alter-ego Summer, Faith dresses down and in a disguise to be essentially transparent and invisible in public. She probably has one of the best secret identify differences I’ve seen. Except Portela doesn’t quite get fashion or Los Angeles weather. Faith wears so many layers, including her high-necked costume under everything, that she’d be sweltering in LA. So many terrible turtlenecks that I can’t even imagine what horrible fabric they’re made from. Continue reading “Faith Vol 1: Hollywood and Vine Graphic Novel Review”

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Vol 1 Graphic Novel Review

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Vol 1Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsThe Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Vol 1 by Jen Van Meter
Art: Roberto de la Torre

This book was very much hit or miss for me. There were aspects of Shan Fong’s story that I greatly appreciate and other parts that were muddled and seemingly without direction. This was the first Valiant title I’ve ever read so I’m completely unfamiliar with the universe and its rules. However, from what I’ve seen, they’ve been relaunching it and the stories are supposed to build the world for readers.

Van Meter did a wonderful job at showing the story between Shan and Hwen. About explaining how they met and how he died. I bought their epic love story which continued beyond Hwen’s death. I felt Shan’s pain over losing him and her depression and self-imposed isolation and how she locked herself away in the house they built together.

Torre’s art was somewhat of a miss for me. The scratchy and sketchy nature of it sometimes complimented the story and in other cases made it more muddled. With the otherworldly creatures, I wanted more definition. Torre’s art also didn’t lend itself to a wide variety of facial expressions. I would’ve loved to see more emotion from Shan’s face, especially since so much of this book’s narrative rode on emotions. Continue reading “The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Vol 1 Graphic Novel Review”