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celadon's review
4.0
Having a queer superhero team sounds cool, and it mostly was.
Despite its faults I entirely enjoyed myself.
I think what made this book stand out to me was how it presented allyship. Rather than a couple of words being said, being an ally is a constant fight alongside those in the community. Being united on a front against a common enemy (or villain) brings people together. It shows that anger can unite people rather than pity. The examination of privilege in this book leads the characters to ground themselves in what they do have going for them while knowing that their experiences are not to be compared, but only a background from which they can plant and grow empathy. Only then are we able to connect to each other's humanity in different ways.
In the beginning, I was so close to putting down this novel. The Pride only fought homophobic crimes and therefore there was copious amounts of hate speech, hate crimes, and homophobia. Why should a queer superhero team only respond to LGBTQ crimes? That does get better later on.
The other thing that was severely lacking was the types of representation. The main group has at least five white, cis, gay guys. None of them made huge efforts to be accepting unless Honey (drag queen) puts them in their places. Later on, there’s more varied queer representation but still little BIPOC and no disability rep. I want the whole book to start halfway in. When they recruit allies and other superheroes. It introduces more perspectives and, well, a much better storyline.
Lastly, the art constantly changed and was distracting. This wasn’t as much of a big deal for me but I thought it was worth mentioning.
I don’t feel like this book was bad. You could see the author’s journey through the plot and character development as it turned itself around. I will be repetitive and continue to highlight the amazing allyship representation. As much as it is important to have people like you that you can see yourself in, it is just as important for that safety to become a phenomenon that occurs outside that space, room, or closet. We can all get there, we just need to make the first step.
Despite its faults I entirely enjoyed myself.
I think what made this book stand out to me was how it presented allyship. Rather than a couple of words being said, being an ally is a constant fight alongside those in the community. Being united on a front against a common enemy (or villain) brings people together. It shows that anger can unite people rather than pity. The examination of privilege in this book leads the characters to ground themselves in what they do have going for them while knowing that their experiences are not to be compared, but only a background from which they can plant and grow empathy. Only then are we able to connect to each other's humanity in different ways.
In the beginning, I was so close to putting down this novel. The Pride only fought homophobic crimes and therefore there was copious amounts of hate speech, hate crimes, and homophobia. Why should a queer superhero team only respond to LGBTQ crimes? That does get better later on.
The other thing that was severely lacking was the types of representation. The main group has at least five white, cis, gay guys. None of them made huge efforts to be accepting unless Honey (drag queen) puts them in their places. Later on, there’s more varied queer representation but still little BIPOC and no disability rep. I want the whole book to start halfway in. When they recruit allies and other superheroes. It introduces more perspectives and, well, a much better storyline.
Lastly, the art constantly changed and was distracting. This wasn’t as much of a big deal for me but I thought it was worth mentioning.
I don’t feel like this book was bad. You could see the author’s journey through the plot and character development as it turned itself around. I will be repetitive and continue to highlight the amazing allyship representation. As much as it is important to have people like you that you can see yourself in, it is just as important for that safety to become a phenomenon that occurs outside that space, room, or closet. We can all get there, we just need to make the first step.
jkw7072's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt
queersubtext's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
willmar25's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rex_libris's review
3.0
Standard superhero fare with a rainbow twist. Reads a little worthy at times but also standard for the genre. Cynicism aside, it was fun to see stereotypes made power and classic hero types reimagined through a queer lens.
quackthump's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
graypeape's review
5.0
A good way to end Pride Month! This omnibus encompasses three volumes of The Pride graphic novels. I'm not going to describe the story arcs too much, because I don't wanna spoil any details- nobody likes spoilers, amiright? The first book gives us the origin story of the team, introduces the heroes, and covers some well-known and not as well-known issues of the LGBTQA+ community. There are some things I've seen mentioned that bothered some readers: some characters are obviously based on other superheroes -Wolf is essentially Batman, for example. I didn't have a problem with this, it's not the first time it's been done, and it won't be the last, but it bugged some readers, so it's possible it might bug anyone reading this review as well. Also, the artists and art style changes frequently, sometimes in the middle of a chapter. I'm cool with a different artist per chapter, but switching in the middle was a bit disconcerting; it was cool seeing the different styles though. Some people complained that for a group that's supposed to be inclusive, representing everyone, there wasn't that much diversity. A fair point, but this is just the set-up, that can be changed. Overall, I had fun. The story kept me interested, and I'm learning/adding to knowledge I already have about issues within the LGBTQA+ community, which is a good thing!
In the second and third books, the creators seem to be taking criticisms of the first book into consideration- the art style still switches up, but the switches flow better. We get to know the characters better, which is always good, and get some surprises. The team is coming together more, getting the hang of working with each other instead of being solo. They also decide to add some new team members, realizing they need more representation and also more help sometimes, while the creators remind us they can't possibly represent everyone. Plus, new costumes, and a new hero name for one member! There's a good balance between action scenes and more quiet moments, with more issues covered. This really brought the feels, all of them, so much going on, and it's all such important stuff! And omg, did the storytelling grow as this progressed! The first volume was a bit wobbly, and readers raised some issues, and wow, the creators actually listened. You can see the story "grow up," as it were, and it became a really great story, with characters I felt truly invested in. Some of the issues touched on I knew about, but many I didn't, and by reading this book, I feel I will be a better ally now. Just, wow, so good.
tl;dr: This book is fabulous, and y'all should read it!
In the second and third books, the creators seem to be taking criticisms of the first book into consideration- the art style still switches up, but the switches flow better. We get to know the characters better, which is always good, and get some surprises. The team is coming together more, getting the hang of working with each other instead of being solo. They also decide to add some new team members, realizing they need more representation and also more help sometimes, while the creators remind us they can't possibly represent everyone. Plus, new costumes, and a new hero name for one member! There's a good balance between action scenes and more quiet moments, with more issues covered. This really brought the feels, all of them, so much going on, and it's all such important stuff! And omg, did the storytelling grow as this progressed! The first volume was a bit wobbly, and readers raised some issues, and wow, the creators actually listened. You can see the story "grow up," as it were, and it became a really great story, with characters I felt truly invested in. Some of the issues touched on I knew about, but many I didn't, and by reading this book, I feel I will be a better ally now. Just, wow, so good.
tl;dr: This book is fabulous, and y'all should read it!
saviorcomplexdiehard's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
pjmurphy3's review
5.0
Having read the series on comixology, it was great to have them in a physical book. I loved the series. I makes me happy to see LGBT representation in comics and super heroes.
zorse's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75