Redbone

Redbone is a full length graphic novel that was created with cooperation from the Vegas family, authors Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni. Pat and Lolly Vazquez started the Redbone rock n' roll group after playing their music for years on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles and on the radio. In their beginning, politics made them change their surname to Vegas. It was the only way to get gigs. The book is part biography and part research journalism and tells a the story not only of the group but also about the history of Native Americans.

The publisher's summary:

Experience the riveting, powerful story of the Native American civil rights movement and the resulting struggle for identity told through the high-flying career of West Coast rock 'n' roll pioneers Redbone.

You've heard the hit song "Come and Get Your Love" in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but the story of the band behind it is one of cultural, political, and social importance.

Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was "Jimi," and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.

Redbone was officially formed in 1967. Their first album was a double album. They went on a national tour as well as playing concerts in Europe. When the song "We Were Wounded at Wounded Knee" was recorded it was banned in the U. S. While it was popular in Europe the American powers that be thought it would encourage civil disobedience and there already was alot of unrest over the Vietnam War. At their last concert in 1974 they were told that if they sang the song, the concert promoter would pull the tour. Well, they sang it and the promoter, true to his word, ended the tour. This was also the end of the group's career. 

At least half of the book tells the history of Native Americans, especially the past 100 years. The authors delve into the U.S.'s attempts to assimilate them by sending Indian children to western schools. Many of these schools were boarding schools so the kids were separated from their families and culture. English only was required at the schools. If a student spoke their Native language they were severely punished. This assimilation attempt was news to me. I have never heard about it before and, yes, I was shocked.

The book ends with an interview of Pat Vegas by the authors. A bibliography and discography follow. 

The Infinity Particle

In this gorgeous graphic novel by Wendy Xu, a young inventor falls for a lifelike AI robot and confronts questions of freedom and autonomy.

The publisher's summary:

Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robots—she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human.

When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human? As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free—even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.

The plot premise is timely. We are just beginning to discuss the challenges AI poses as well as how it can be used to improve life on Earth. In this story, the author had secondary characters that were Asian, Muslim, disabled, African and white. She covered most of the protected classes! There was only one male character and he is the AI created robot that Clem fell in love with. All the inventors were women.

Clem had disagreements with Kye's creator Marcella concerning whether robots are their own people who should be treated with respect and allowed to have their own thoughts and interests. Marcella I was not happy about the romance between Clem and Kye. I  loved that one strip showed a character walking down a staircase and another person in a wheelchair using an adjacent ramp. None of the characters suffered any discrimination on Mars but they did talk about the challenges of life on Earth.

The art in this book is breathtaking and really pops in its minimal blue color palette. The pace was nice and fast but I expected that the plot would be more sci-fi with discussion on creating AI creatures. However, it was predominantly a romance story. That part was a disappointment to me. 

The novel was entertaining and a relaxing read. I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

Neptune

Neptune is a graphic novel with a theme of revenge and redemption. It was published in September 2024. The main character is Corey Harrison who has just been released from prison after serving 17 years for a violent crime. Now, Corey is seeking the truth surrounding the recent and mysterious death of his brother, only to discover a vast darkness surrounding his legacy. Corey's friends tell him there are job openings at Neptune and that he should apply. He is hired to work as a supervisor in a chicken factory, the same position that his brother held. On his first day Corey sees alot of young people working under him who work long hours and don't get paid much. They are human trafficking victims. His boss tells him that using traffickees was his brother’s idea. It made the business a success. 

There was a tremendous amount of foul language so I wouldn't recommend the book for children. The characters came from a rough part of town and their dialogue reflected this. It was depressing to read how people live like this. I know that there are lots of folks who have no choice but to live this lifestyle and I am not criticizing them. I just didn't like reading about it. That said, the author presented a realistic portrait about ex-offenders and their difficulty with obtaining employment and adjusting to life outside prison.

3 out of 5 stars.

Green Lantern Alliance

Last year I read Minh Le's Green Lantern Legend and loved it. As I was looking for a new comic to read this month, I found his Green Lantern Alliance. I knew I had to read it. This story did not disappoint. It was an exciting read and the illustrations were colorful and happy. It made me feel like a kid again. The book was published in October 2022 and is written for the 9 - 12 year old age range.

The publisher's summary:

Tai Pham struggles with balancing school, his work in the family business, his friendships, and his new Green Lantern responsibilities. But Kid Flash arrives on the scene to become the super-hero partner Tai just might need. It’s only been a few months since Green Lantern Tai Pham inherited his ring from his ba and defeated his nemesis, Xander Griffin. But Tai knows their last battle was only the beginning-and even though no one believes him, Tai is determined to prove that Xander is up to his old tricks again. When a string of fires start popping up around Coast City, Tai finds himself stretched thin as he struggles to keep up with school, training, working at the store, and following Xander’s trail. That is, until a new hero, known as Kid Flash, shows up on the scene with an offer to help. Can the heroes find the arsonist before it’s too late?

This volume doesn't focus as much on Tai's Vietnamese heritage as in Green Lantern Legacy. It focuses more on his relationships to his mentor, friends and new ally Kid Flash. I loved reading about Tai's Vietnamese heritage in Legacy and was hoping it would be a big feature of this comic. This disappointed me and I liked Legacy more than Alliance.

Alliance continues the story from before but with more superhero scenes. Concerning characters, the protagonist is Tai Pham. However, he is the least interesting character in the book. We don't read much of anything about his life, personality or ethnic roots. Every time his grandmother Kim Tran is shown with the green ring, I wished that the book included her more.

The art is drawn in bright greens and yellows. I love these colors and they impact my enjoyment of the book big time. I am expecting a 3rd entry in the Green Lantern series. The last page says that the next adventure will be to planet earth. 

3 out of 5 stars.

She's Running on Fumes

She's Running on Fumes is a 2024 Comixology Original comic book. The book I read contained all 6 releases of the comic. The story takes place in Deepwater, Missouri in 1984. Note that this is a book for adults only as there is a ton of foul language, violence and dialogue about sex.

The publisher's summary is short:

When I was 3-years-old, my mother started a chop shop with a junkyarder named Corn Dog. My criminal father’s brain was damaged in a wreck that almost killed him. With hospital bills piling, us kids to feed and fifty-thousand dollars of biker cocaine gone missing, grand theft auto was Mom’s best shot at survival.

While the comic has an extensive plot that is well-written, I did not like how the characters spoke to each other. They were rude and crude with each other which created a stressful atmosphere. While I am aware that there is a segment of society that behaves this way, I wouldn't want to socialize with this group. That said, the author wrote a realistic portrait of this particular fringe group of hoodlums. The narrator was the son of Jody and Jeanne. Jody is the character whose brain was damaged in a car wreck. I feel that Jeanne should have left Jody long before she ended up with two rowdy kids. She is stuck accepting lousy, small paying jobs for the foreseeable future. I would have never put myself in this situation. 

The story was inspired by the author’s family history. Dennis Hopeless stated in an online interview with IGN:

“When I was 3-years-old my mother started a chop shop with a half-wit junkyarder named Corn Dog,” said Hopeless in a statement. “Dad was the criminal. Mom had never broken a law in her life, but with him brain-damaged, fifty-thousand dollars of cocaine gone missing and hospital bills piling up, grand theft auto was our only hope.”

Hopeless continued, “She’s Running on Fumes is based on the true story of how my mom lied, cheated and stole her way through dad’s tire fire and the freedom she found out the other side. The story is based on family stories and my father’s near-fatal accident from when I was a toddler. As I grew older, details were added that made it clear my father was a criminal and many of the events of my childhood were driven by his criminal dealings. The seeds of the idea came from asking my mother about these old stories as an adult and getting the real dirt.”

The illustrations were drawn by Tyler Jenkins with watercolor art painted by Hilary Jenkins. The letters were written by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  The drawings looked sketchy to me but I believe that they matched the type of story that was told. 

4 out of 5 stars.

The Fox Maidens

Robin Ha, author of Almost American Girl, is one of my favorite graphic novelists. Her 2024 graphic novel, The Fox Maidens, is based on a famous character from Korean mythology, Gumiho. The story takes place 400 years ago in Korea during the reign of the Joseon Dynasty and it was a fun read.

The publisher's summary:

Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior.

Still, Kai is determined. But she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before.

Everything comes crashing down the day Kai learns the deadly secret about her mother’s past. Now she must come to terms with the truth about her identity and take her destiny into her own hands. As Kai desperately searches for a way to escape her fate, she comes to find compassion, and even love, in the most unexpected places.

Set in sixteenth-century Korea and richly infused with Korean folklore, The Fox Maidens is a timeless and powerful story about fighting for your place in the world, even when it seems impossible.

First of all, I cannot be more excited about a comic's illustration than with The Fox Maidens. The color palette is gorgeous. Most of the comic book strips are drawn and colored with cool tones of every color but with a splash of bright colors such as red. It's very appealing.

Concerning the writing, it is fast paced with compelling characters and an action packed plot. Kai is the main character. She is presented as a feminist by her desire to fight alongside the men in her village. She is fearful of marrying and having children and hopes that her parents won't force her into marriage. At the end of the story we see her love for another female character. Kai's mother, Meorhu, is a physically fragile woman with a surprising past as a fox maiden. She hopes that her daughter will be able to escape the same fate. Then there is Gumiho. Gumiho is the deadly fox spirit who destroys the lives of all the others with her magic. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story but must say that the first half was more exciting. During this part of the story we read about Kai as a human being. Her life in the village depicted the type of life a girl in Joseon Korea would live. In the second half she becomes a fox and here we really see the fantasy aspect of the story. The author’s note at the end explains her inspiration for writing this graphic novel. I found it as fascinating as the story itself.

4 out of 5 stars.

Animal Pound 1 and 2

Animal Pound is a hilarious 4 part comic book series where the caged animals stage a take over of the pound. Led by a cat called Fifi and dog Titan the doors to all of the cages are unlocked and all of the cats, dogs and rabbits roam freely throughout the building and grounds. Author Tom King and illustrator Peter Gross give us an updated version of Animal Farm for 21st century America, where a two-party system gives way to fear and facism. Volume 1 was released on December 20, 2023. 

Animal Pound #1 opens with an old dog named Lucky talking to a kitten named Fifi. Her explains that he is going to be euthanized the next day but before he goes Lucky explains how unfair the world is for animals. He hopes that some day the animals will rebel against the humans who control them and become free. Several years go by and Fifi is still in the pound. A new dog named Titan is scheduled to be put down the next day. The two of them decide that they must enact the escape plan that they have been working on. Fifi rallies the rest of the cats and Titan rallies all of the dogs. When the next day comes they enact their plan. While Titan distracts the humans working at the pound, Fifi opens the cages. The dogs are able to expel the guards. Volume 2 shows the animals trying to come up with a government that works for all of them.

Animal Pound has no violence or foul language and is suitable for young children. The story is a fast and fascinating read and I highly recommend it. I am looking forward to reading the next volume when it is released on April 17, 2023.

The Joy of Quitting

Keiler Roberts graphic autobiography about being married with a toddler and MS is full of humor and is a fun read. Her story is told in black and white comic strips drawn in a childlike style. It is a collection of a decade of her work that was previously published in five separate titles. The titles are Powdered Milk (2012), Miseryland (2015), Sunburning (2017), Chlorine Gardens (2018) and Rat Time (2019). 8 years of Roberts' life is covered in this book.

The author uses dry humor to tell her story. It was enjoyable but I had to take it in small doses. I put the book down quite a few times before finishing its 264 pages this week. Daughter Xia provides alot of the comedy as does her husband, and parents. Xia is the real comedian though. The reader gets to listen in on Roberts' random thoughts and mostly they are silly. Some are so mundane that they're boring, giving the reader a less than experience.

3 out of 5 stars.

Ephemera

Ephemera is a melancholy graphic biography that portrays the author's struggle to handle her mother's mental illness. It poignantly blends memoir, magic realism, and graphic medicine with ethereal artwork. From the early days of her childhood, Brianna had to get used to her mother being physically absent from her life to being psychologically absent. Her mother never got well and Brianna accepted as much of her mother’s behavior as she could. I thought it odd that none of the characters had names. However there was only author Brianna, her mother and her father. There wasn't much dialogue either. The story took place in a garden, a forest, and a greenhouse. The story drifts among a grown woman, her early memories as a child, and the gossamer existence of her mother. 

I was sad after reading this book. It was highly recommended by reviewers so I obtained a copy of it. I wish I hadn't, though, because it is a story with no happiness whatsoever.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr  explores the fine line between living and dying in Mumbai through the lens of magical realism. Humanity is on the verge of discovering immortality. As a result, the avatar of Death is cast down to Earth to live a mortal life in Mumbai as twenty-something Laila Starr. Struggling with her newfound mortality, Laila has found a way to be placed in the time and place where the creator of immortality will be born. Will Laila take her chance to stop mankind from permanently altering the cycle of life, or will death really become a thing of the past? This 2021 5-part series was written by Ram V and Filipe Andrade. 

Our Laila has died several times during her time on earth as a mortal. Each time she has had contact with Darius, a child who was expected to bring immortality to all upon his birth. In the beginning, Laila wants to kill Darius when he is born so that death can continue. However, something keeps her from killing him, a humanity that she did not know she possessed. The reader watches Laila as she grapples with the emotions of mortals. 

During the series we see Hindu mythology as a theme. There are characters such as the funeral bird, a talking cigarette and a Chinese temple. These characters are fun and give the series a light feel. The artwork is colored with bright hues that also contribute to the hilarity of the story. With each issue of the comic the reader gets a full story but they all fit within the plot of a larger story.

Highly recommended. 5 out of 5 stars.

Arca

In this dystopian comic thriller, planet earth is burning up but the rich and powerful have a plan to save humankind. When society fell apart, a select group of billionaires had an escape hatch: a rocket aimed at the nearest habitable planet, a ship equipped with many of the luxuries of life on Earth—why survive if you can’t survive in style? Their every need is tended to by teenagers who are willing to act as slaves in return for the promise of a new life. This is a good story. But, like so many stories, it is not true. Inside a great, sealed survival chamber, one slave, a teenage girl named Persephone, discovers that the promised future of comfort is a myth. And with that knowledge, she must fight for her survival against the billionaires, who would gladly kill her to protect the hidden truth.

Arca is an entertaining story with a fast pace and plenty of twists. Our heroine Effie, nickname of Persephone, has three months left serving the rich inhabitants of Arca before graduating to a Citizen when she turns 18.  As a Citizen, she will be served instead of serving. She begins training her replacement but begins to wonder why she has never seen on the ship any Settlers who have graduated. Effie knows she can't ask too many questions to her superiors but discusses the issue with her Settler friends. They have been told that the spaceship is heading for Eden and that it has been flying in space for several decades.  Effie finds proof that the spaceship has been traveling for 157 years and secretly starts looking for where these graduated Settlers are living on the ship. She is constantly being monitored and this makes her quest dangerous. Effie would be severely punished, maybe killed, for her efforts to find the answers to her questions. 

Arca is a page turner and even though it is a graphic novel, I recommend it for all readers.  It has an extensive plot that many will enjoy. 5 out of 5 stars.

Census

Census is a 5 part Comixology Original comic by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman. It is advertised as a horror comedy by the publisher. I have read the first 4 installments of the series and the final part will be published January 17, 2023. The story is about Liam Malone who takes a job as a census taker for $32 an hour. Liam has no ambition in life. After six years attending college he has not been able to obtain a degree and is looking for any job other than cleaning up human waste. While riding a bus in New York City he sees a sign that says "Good pay, flexible hours, no experience necessary" so heads over for an interview and gets a job working for the Census Bureau. What Liam doesn't know about this new job is that he will be counting demons for the Underworld census. He has to count and register all of the demons, djinns, changelings and other supernatural beings in New York. Liam learns that to get the job of a lifetime you sometimes have to sell your soul.

The idea for the story is rather creative but with Liam meeting female supernaturals who rape him for his blood, this is obviously written by a man. A woman writer would never create a character who is unappealing physically but cannot fight off the women who want him. The adolescent stuff aside, Census is hilarious. The reader sees Liam going door to door, never knowing what he is going to find when that door opens. Liam's home situation is also hilarious. He shares an apartment with two other men and they alternate who gets to sleep in a bed and who has to sleep in the bathtub. One roommate is always shown naked sitting on a toilet so the adolescent element continues throughout the story.

Each installment of the comic shows Liam coming across different types of creatures. For example, in part 2 he comes across a group of leprechauns that he must register. I enjoyed the story and wish it could keep on going. However, there is only one more release before this comic ends.

4 out of 5 stars.

Night at the Belfry

James Ransom is 74, and a far cry from the tough young boxer he remembers from the 80's. Sick of growing increasingly powerless and reliant on others in his old age, James reconnects with a former trainer and hatches a possibly fatal plan to regain the control he believes he's lost. He plans on training for a final boxing match during which he hopes to die. His trainer is searching for the right opponent while James trains. In the meantime, James' daughter is constantly checking on him and wonders whether he should be living in an assisted living facility. James wants to avoid that possibility at all costs.

As I advance in age I find myself liking stories about seniors more and more. There is no reason to accept crappy behavior from the younger generations and our hero James finds an interesting way to become stronger. After getting mugged on a train by a kid he gets up early one day to see if he runs into the kid again. James sees him on the street and punches him in the face but gets injured in the process. The important idea here, in my opinion, is that he gets his revenge.

The artwork is beautiful and I liked the cool toned purple and blue palette. Xavior Saxon not only wrote this engaging story but he also did the artwork. Night is his first graphic novel and I am looking forward to seeing what he brings us in the future.

5 out of 5 stars.

Blood Oath 1 Through 4

Blood Oath is a  5 part Comixology Original by Rob Hart and Alex Segura. I have read installments 1 through 4. Installment 5 will be released soon. The story takes place during Prohibition with Hazel Crenshaw tending to her Staten Island farm, caring for her younger sister and running her business. Her business becomes tangled up with the New York gangs that will eventually coalesce into the mafia. With the farm not doing as well as Hazel hoped, she helps bootleggers by letting them store their alcohol on her farm. When the Crenshaw farm is attacked, Hazel has to defend her home but realizes that her flirtation with the gangs also put her and her family in danger.  

Blood Oath blends bootlegging and vampires into a horror story that entertains. While it is a horror story, it is also a family story as both Hazel and the vampires act in their respective family interests. A fun read, I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Hotell

Hotell is a graphic novel about an off the beaten track hotel. If you drive down Route 66 in the middle of the night and you are desperate for shelter, sanctuary or secrecy, you will see its battered sign on the side of the road. The Pierrot Courts Hotel is where the tormented made their last stand as well as the demons that haunt them. It's where customers check in but few check out. 

Some of the characters include Jack Lynch, the hotel check-in clerk, who gives his customers more than enough evidence that he is much more than a strange man. The first customer is a pregnant woman named Alice who is running away from a physically abusive boyfriend. Alice is the reason why I found this horror story compelling. As she sleeps in her room, she has nightmares about the boyfriend which is understandable. She also has dreams about her unborn child who comforts her as much as she comforts him. Hearing noises from an adjoining room, Alice knocks on the door and meets a man intent on killing his wife, but she does not know that. Going back to her room Alice tries to convince herself to leave the hotel but she is just too tired and needs another night's sleep. The story then moves on to the tenant next door. Several more storylines concerning other tenants follow and all are gripping.

While I am not a horror or noir fan, Hotell had me captivated. I couldn't put it down and though it is only 96 pages in length, I felt like I had read a full length novel. 5 out of 5 stars.

Barnstormers 1, 2 and 3

Barnstormers is a 3 part Comixology Original about a pilot named Hawk Baron. Barnstormers is an adventure romance story set in the 1920s when airplanes were just coming on the scene and barnstormers traveled throughout the country giving air shows and rides for a fee. 

Baron is an attractive war hero from WWI who flies his plane in the Southeastern part of the U. S.  After convincing a telephone operator to call ahead to other towns, Baron always finds a crowd waiting for him, which is the only way he can make money. One day, he flies to Barnville and instead of seeing a crowd of townspeople waiting for him, he accidentally crashes into a wedding. The wedding party and guests are angry but the bride-to-be, Claire, uses Baron to flee a marriage that she does not want. Along the way, they have adventures and begin to form bonds of their own. 

This is an entertaining story that I hated to see end. 5 out of 5 stars.

In the Flood

Trapped and separated by an apocalyptic rainfall, Mike and Clara, devoted husband and wife, have sworn to find their way back to one another.  Rising waters are threatening the dream home that Mike built but they quickly discover that the rain, and their predicament, is not what it seems. Clara was/is a singer who does magic tricks with cards. Her singing and tricks are half of the story. The main thrust of the story is whether they can they figure out the grand trick that's being played on them and overcome it to reunite.  In the Flood is a surrealistic comic by Ray Fawkes. Comixology has collected all of the installments of the series into one volume which they published in March 2022.  I obtained a digital copy of the book from them.

I have no idea what this story is about. There didn't seem to be any purpose for the storyline, if there is one.  While I was reading, I thought that I would figure out the plot toward the end of the book. I didn't. The art was done in manga style and I liked the color scheme of bright pink and blue.  The scenes with Clara were pink and those with Mike were blue. Other than that, I cannot comment any further on the book.  No rating.

Cold Iron #1

Cold Iron is a 5 part comic by Andy Diggle. While the copyright is from 2020, Issue 1 was just released as a Comixology Original in May. Next week Issue 2 will be released. Cold Iron is a supernatural thriller that takes place on the Isle of Man. Steeped in Celtic myth, Viking history and Faerie folklore, the island is nestled in the Irish Sea midway between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, to aspiring singer-songwriter Kay Farragher, it feels a million miles from anywhere. She dreams of escaping the humdrum life of a sleepy backwater, and gives no credence to her grandmother’s old folktales and odd superstitions. But when she saves Mona, a traumatized girl lost in the night of Hop-tu-Naa, Kay quickly realizes this is no mere Halloween prank gone wrong. In the mossy glens and rainswept valleys of the island, the shadows of a forgotten past are gathering once more. There is another world, an older world, close by our own but out of reach. On this night the walls grow thin, and someone, or something,  has clawed its way through and it is here to hunt.

The story has a lovely British flavor with slang terms and a British accent here and there in the dialogue. The setting is dominate in this installment of the series.  We see neolithic burial sites, Celtic stone circles and Viking castles. The use of Celtic folklore creates a specific mood for the island and sets up the plot. All of the characters were introduced and they are fully developed in the comic's short 27 pages.  The author did a great job of setting up the story that will follow. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Red Tag

I have read Issues 1 through 3 of Rafael Scavone's Red Tag comic. He co-wrote the comic with Rafael Albuquerque and Roger Cruz. Issue 4 will be  released tomorrow and issue 5, the final issue for Season One, will be released next month. It was a captivating story about three friends searching for justice on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Lis, Lu and Leco are street artists and they bonded over their love for Brazil's unique street art called "pixo" which is a Sao Paulo fixture. After discovering that dangerous people, holdovers from Brazil's brutal dictatorial past, are plotting against the reform movement in Sao Paulo, the three of them gain the attention of these people and their lives become endangered. Afraid that one of the reformer's life is in danger, overnight they spray paint warnings to him in pixo on Sao Paulo's buildings. 

This is a fast paced thriller with appealing characters.  I especially loved the villain - Noronha.  He is a military policeman who works undercover and earns money by extortion. The drawings of his facial expressions were amusing. The plot itself could take place anywhere on the planet, not just in Brazil. Youths from many countries are protesting against corruption wherever they see it. In this respect, the story is timely.

I loved this comic and plan on reading the 2 future installments of the series.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Panic #1: Coffin

Issue #1 of The Panic was recently published. It's a 5 part comic that is one of Comixology's Originals. Release #2 comes out next week and in early November a paperback version containing all 5 issues will be published.

The Panic opens with Annie Delgado on a train for her commute into New York City. The train suddenly derails and Annie's best friend dies. The train car that she is trapped on is beneath the Hudson River and neither she nor her ten other fellow commuters can get  their cell phones to work. The group decides to help each other in order to survive the night. They begin to make plans on how to climb out of the train to safety but they each have cultural, racial and political biases that get in the way of communicating. They soon realize that one of their fellow commuters was not on the train before the crash and all are suspicious of him. 

The comic is advertised as a horror story but I felt is was more a suspense thriller.  I did not see any horror aspects in issue 1. Perhaps it is coming. The artwork was interesting. Most of the pages are colored in blue and the varying funky hairstyles of the characters helps the reader figure out who is who. The publisher stated in their summary that the theme of the comic is loss of security and control of your surroundings. I did not analyze the story as such but enjoyed it immensely.

5 out  of 5 stars.