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Reviews
Umbral: Vol. 1: Out of the Shadows by John Rauch, Christopher Mitten, Thomas Mauer, Antony Johnston
geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'Umbral' is a fantasy graphic novel that I found unexpectedly good. While the art is a bit looser than I like, there are still enough interesting characters and plot twists to keep it going.
Rascal is a young thief out to steal a precious gem. She is also friends with the prince. While she and the prince are having an adventure, an unspeakable evil visits the kingdom, putting Rascal on the run and finding allies in unexpected places. The Umbral are a strange, evil race that can possess anyone, so who do you trust? Every time she thinks she can take a breath, the Umbral are right at her heels, seeking the gem she stole. It turns out Rascal can't trust many people, but she finds a homeless guy who turns out to be more powerful than she thinks.
There are some pretty typical fantasy tropes in here, but it's a light enough read, and there are some interesting characters. I'm curious to know how the story will continue to unfold. Like I mentioned, the art is a bit loose. I found a couple characters a bit hard to distinguish. All in all, not a bad fantasy graphic novel.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Rascal is a young thief out to steal a precious gem. She is also friends with the prince. While she and the prince are having an adventure, an unspeakable evil visits the kingdom, putting Rascal on the run and finding allies in unexpected places. The Umbral are a strange, evil race that can possess anyone, so who do you trust? Every time she thinks she can take a breath, the Umbral are right at her heels, seeking the gem she stole. It turns out Rascal can't trust many people, but she finds a homeless guy who turns out to be more powerful than she thinks.
There are some pretty typical fantasy tropes in here, but it's a light enough read, and there are some interesting characters. I'm curious to know how the story will continue to unfold. Like I mentioned, the art is a bit loose. I found a couple characters a bit hard to distinguish. All in all, not a bad fantasy graphic novel.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
alilfish's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Pretty fun. Pretty intriguing. It's a graphic novel I've had lying around for years and years but never actually read it... I'm tempted to read the rest, but I'm not overly attached to Amy of the characters or plot too much.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars. When I found all 12 of these comics in the $1 bin on a day when the $1 bin comics were on sale, it was a no brainer to pick them up. The art looked cool and it seemed like a kind of fantasy/horror thing, which is right up my alley. It really was good, I liked the characters and the world seemed fully-realized. Lots of action and suspense.
And then it ended. That's when I found out the series was cancelled and never finished. It wasn't a terrible ending, but kind of like a season finale, that left the big story unfinished (like the show American Gods).
And then it ended. That's when I found out the series was cancelled and never finished. It wasn't a terrible ending, but kind of like a season finale, that left the big story unfinished (like the show American Gods).
atris_lauraborealis's review against another edition
3.0
Just okay, not amazing. It almost felt like someone went through to edit it, but forgot to go back through and smooth it out once they took out anything they had removed. But I like the concept and the art isn't half bad.
roklobster's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read, neat art, semi-twisty story that reminded me of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Looking forward to the next installment.
samwescott's review against another edition
4.0
I'm thinking 3.5 stars for this one.
First off, it's really, really pretty. The comic is highly stylized with tight angles and saturated colors. The story is fun fantasy that seems to be following the Chosen One narrative. We have a bit of historical backstory and a mentor (who has already had a Gandalf moment in the first volume - wow), so I'm assuming that's where this is headed.
I will say, though, that the story is pretty muddled. In the chaotic arc, important details are easy to miss and I found myself having to go back several pages to remind myself of the story every time I picked the volume back out.
I'm hoping they work out a less frantic narrative structure, though, because otherwise I am pretty interested in this series.
First off, it's really, really pretty. The comic is highly stylized with tight angles and saturated colors. The story is fun fantasy that seems to be following the Chosen One narrative. We have a bit of historical backstory and a mentor (who has already had a Gandalf moment in the first volume - wow), so I'm assuming that's where this is headed.
I will say, though, that the story is pretty muddled. In the chaotic arc, important details are easy to miss and I found myself having to go back several pages to remind myself of the story every time I picked the volume back out.
I'm hoping they work out a less frantic narrative structure, though, because otherwise I am pretty interested in this series.
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
Good fantasy comics are hard to find, but Umbral is really good. It's, in many ways, a standard fantasy tale (which is fine) with some interesting artwork and ideas. If anything, I sort of wish it was a full book as opposed to a graphic treatment, but, overall, I'm excited about what will ultimately come next. A solid read.
mistled's review against another edition
4.0
No idea what book Sam read. I had a really good time with Umbral.
skyepieonthefly's review against another edition
1.0
Really didn't like this graphic novel. The art and the paneling was very confusing. All the characters looked alike and often it would cut jump to the next scene leaving me confused on how we go there. This was often the case of some one morphed into a Umbral. It would take me pages to figure out if the Umbral just came and killed the person or changed from the person. I really didn't like the art at all. It didn't add anything to the story. Also the placement of the text could have been better done to create more of a flow.
For the actual story, it was really confusing. There was little to no world building and just jumped into the action. We aren't told anything till almost the end of the book, even though the character apparently knows the myths. Character development was non existent, and part of not know who was who made me unable to connect with them or the world.
This was a huge disappointment for me since I have been looking for a good fantasy graphic novel. I will not be carrying on with the series and will be selling my copy of this book to a used book store.
For the actual story, it was really confusing. There was little to no world building and just jumped into the action. We aren't told anything till almost the end of the book, even though the character apparently knows the myths. Character development was non existent, and part of not know who was who made me unable to connect with them or the world.
This was a huge disappointment for me since I have been looking for a good fantasy graphic novel. I will not be carrying on with the series and will be selling my copy of this book to a used book store.
woowottreads's review
2.0
I might look into this again, to see if it gets better. The story follows a girl named Rascal as she tries to escape the shadow creatures called the Umbral in a fantasy world. The Umbral are after 'mist,' which are, I guess, magical crystals, and Rascal has a massive chunk of one that belonged to the now-dead royal family. There are pirates here, a one-eyed woman, demon creatures, and a mysterious tramp who knows more than he lets on. So, y'know, tropes.
The problems are that the script is rather choppy and unclear, and the art follows suit. This is a bit too difficult to follow, and that's a trifle annoying.
The problems are that the script is rather choppy and unclear, and the art follows suit. This is a bit too difficult to follow, and that's a trifle annoying.