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joghansah's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
4.0
What's not to love? Abbott is a tough journalist who's also a Black, bisexual woman determined to get to the bottom of a bunch of bizarre murders.
repobi's review against another edition
4.0
Komik horor/misteri berlatar di Detroit tahun 1970-an. Abbott adalah seorang wartawati yang terbawa ke konspirasi elit sehingga harus menghadapi setan setengah manusia. Good art. Good writing.
ehmannky's review against another edition
The kind of hardboiled detectives/journalist characters just aren't for me.
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this quite a bit.
The story throws us right in - there's no time spent on origin stories too much background. Enough info comes through in the characters' interactions with one another to get a solid idea of who Abbot is and what she's about. It's the 70s, racial tensions are high, and police accountability is low.
And what she's about is poking her reporter's instincts into the places her city is least comfortable. She has a track record of forcing the main stream press to take note of what's happening to the black community, police excess, and other important but awkward subjects.
She's in the middle of just such a story (about grisly murders in a majority black part of town) when she runs into a masked man wrapped in shadows - shadows very much like the ones that killed her husband.
The heroic deeds and dark secrets aspect of the comic is a fine example of the type. The outgunned heroine, the helpful-yet-annoying mystic adviser, and other aspects are all there and well executed.
The meat of the story, though, is Abbot and her crusade for the truth. It deftly illustrates some of the historical tensions of the time, including some that continue to this day. In the course of the volume, Abbot deals with racism, police harassment, sexism and class warfare. Not to mention her own purely personal pains, like the loss of her late husband or
The art is pretty amazing as well. As though in deference to the setting, the line art and inking evoke a classic comics feel. At the same time the color and details continue to use modern techniques to their fullest.
What keeps this out of the 5-star range for me is mostly pacing. Parts of the story seemed rather abrupt, and I felt like the story could have been told over a few more issues with a bit more investigation and putting facts together.
The story throws us right in - there's no time spent on origin stories too much background. Enough info comes through in the characters' interactions with one another to get a solid idea of who Abbot is and what she's about. It's the 70s, racial tensions are high, and police accountability is low.
And what she's about is poking her reporter's instincts into the places her city is least comfortable. She has a track record of forcing the main stream press to take note of what's happening to the black community, police excess, and other important but awkward subjects.
She's in the middle of just such a story (about grisly murders in a majority black part of town) when she runs into a masked man wrapped in shadows - shadows very much like the ones that killed her husband.
The heroic deeds and dark secrets aspect of the comic is a fine example of the type. The outgunned heroine, the helpful-yet-annoying mystic adviser, and other aspects are all there and well executed.
The meat of the story, though, is Abbot and her crusade for the truth. It deftly illustrates some of the historical tensions of the time, including some that continue to this day. In the course of the volume, Abbot deals with racism, police harassment, sexism and class warfare. Not to mention her own purely personal pains, like the loss of her late husband or
Spoiler
her love of another woman.The art is pretty amazing as well. As though in deference to the setting, the line art and inking evoke a classic comics feel. At the same time the color and details continue to use modern techniques to their fullest.
What keeps this out of the 5-star range for me is mostly pacing. Parts of the story seemed rather abrupt, and I felt like the story could have been told over a few more issues with a bit more investigation and putting facts together.
chaosandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
With a nod to noir, Saladin Ahmed spins a fantastical tale in the forces of light versus darkness. Elena Abbott is a badass black female bisexual journalist in 1970s Detroit and I absolutely love her. I wish the supernatural and horror elements had been developed further into a longer series, but maybe there will be a follow-up in the future. Regardless, the art is absolutely gorgeous and the commentary is both witty and cynical. I highly recommend and am so glad I found this through Neil Gaiman's Twitter.
ladyk2387's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ohhdeanna's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.5