Reviews

Quincredible Vol. 1, Volume 1: Quest to Be the Best by Rodney Barnes

evermoreliterary's review

3.0

This was an entertaining comic about a young black boy in New Orleans dealing with the tough world around him as it struggles for justice. After a meteor shower he is granted a super lower that helps give him an edge up in the world and the confidence to help his community.

I think many teens will enjoy this comic and find many parts of it relatable and relevant to the real world of today. Complete with bullies, gangs, police violence, conspiracy theorists, and extremists.

On a personal level I wasnt a huge fan of the art, but there were some nice full spreads that were quite nice! This didnt grasp me enough to care to read further in the series but I think it will still do well among teens of today.

dame_samara's review

3.0

I wanted to love this book, especially since I honestly loved Quinn as a character, and I'm honestly intrigued by the superpower system.
But I finished it feeling like the hook just didn't get me as it wanted to. It was more like Velcro catching on me as I walk by grabbing my attention but not holding it for long.
If the second volume fell in my path I would definitely read it but, I can't see myself seeking it out.

kathy_reads's review

4.0

Quin, the main character recieved super powers after a meteor shower. But he got the most boring superpower, at least he thinks so, invulnerability.
His city, new orleans, is so close to absolutely chaos. There are riots, and lots of injustice. So Quin decides to use his new superpower to change that and make his home town a better and safer place.
He has to learn how to stand up for himself and his community.

I really enjoyed this and I'm happy I got to close out my year with this.
First of all, it features such a diverse cast, with lots of black characters.
Second of all, the way the main character had to grow and learn to see the world and himself/ his actions differently, amazing.
The art is also stunning!
I will definitely pick up volume 2 when I can, can't wait to read more of this!

4/5 stars

colleen987's review

3.0

The story follows Quin a high school student in Katrina, and meteor ravaged New Orleans. A place much like the real that how a class and poverty divide leading to descension among the citizens. The world also has superheroes, helping the police fight crime. Quinn quickly discovers he is an invincible and must come to terms with being a super, in a city that associates them with police oppression.

I loved the social message, it was very well put across. Tactfully written while still having a hard hitting message. The artwork is beautiful, with a whole cast of diverse and representative characters.

However, my main problems happened with pacing, and story. The first chapter was hard... the story is spoon fed to the reader "dad you know i don't have friends", there's is a lot of "telling" and not a lot of "showing", which for a graphic novel kind of defeats the point. It found it's feet around chapter 3, and i did thoroughly enjoy it after that. I admit at 27 I'm probably not the target market but lines such as "she's so woke", "more likes than a Kardashian" had me cringing.

thtblklibrarian's review

adventurous challenging hopeful informative reflective 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? No

5.0

I am not the person who reads superhero comics a lot, I often feel like there's too much squished on the page. However I saw this at my library and thought I would give it a try and I am REALLY glad I did. There's a lot traditional hero stories don't touch on for example the internet makes jokes and memes about how Batman is no better than a cop. He doesn't care what law your  breaking he uses full force and helps the cops lock people up when he could have used his AMPLE resources to the betterment of the community.

I deeply appreciated how there was attention given to the fact that the people committing crimes were pushed to their limit, were not bad people and did not need to be in jail. This is an important conversation I don't see other hero stories delve into. And the diversity is PEAK.

capesandcovers's review

4.0

I love superheroes, I have since I was a kid, and Quincredible is no exception. I picked this up without realizing that it was part of the Catalyst Prime universe, but figured out that it was connected to it pretty quickly. While you can tell that it's tied into the universe, it's definitely an easy introduction to it, and it didn't cause any problems with following what was going on, which I loved.

Quincredible follows Quin, a now invulnerable high school student, thanks to a freak meteor shower that occurred before the story begins. After meeting a known superhero, he decides to become one himself, and goes on a fun, action filled adventure.

This book really hit all of the traditional, new teen superhero trademarks without feeling overdone or repetitive. It's got high school pining, bullies, wanting to change the world but not really knowing how to, and trying to keep your powers a secret from your parents/guardians. It was most reminiscent of Spider-Man, but had elements that reminded me of Stephanie Brown, The Young Avengers and a bunch of others. In other words, it fits it's genre really well while still being original. Rodney Barnes did an excellent job with both the dialogue and plot, it felt natural while still keeping things moving forward, and taking a unique stance on how superheroes should be helping the community, including the members they put behind bars.

Selena Espiritu's art was great as well, the poses and motion the characters had was so good. Kelly Fitzpatrick's colors were ultimately what really tied everything together for me though. Quincerdible had a lot of night scenes, and the colors for them worked so beautifully. There was always a way to highlight the focus of the darker panels by giving it more color, and the results were perfect. The brightness of the daytime scenes when Quin was somewhere safe, he was happy, or just reminiscing into a positive moment from his past was a great storytelling technique.

If you love superheroes, especially teen ones, this is definitely a book for you! I'd love to see a second volume of this, and want to see it get the attention it deserves.

strange_fish's review

5.0

I've read quite a few superhero graphic novels but this is the first one in my memory that made a genuine attempt to try to humanize and understand the "criminals" and "bad guys". I found it intriguing and a breath of fresh air. The art style was gorgeous and the diverse group of superhero were beautiful. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series and will be keeping an eye out for more from this writer and artist.

I received a free E-ARC of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ljrinaldi's review

3.0

The problem with reading too many superhero comic books, or graphic novels is they all run into each other unless they do something extraordinary to make them stand out. Case in point. I read this, set it aside, and then a week or so later thought about writing this review, and had to reread it because it hadn't stuck with me.

This is not to say that there are good elements in this young man who has been gifted with a super power, and has to decide how best to use it. In this case it is invulnerability. He had be struck and punched and shot with a gun, and he will not get injured.

Typical super hero story other than that. He joins in with other super heroes and try s to take down the gangs that are taking over New Orleans, and pines for his best friend wishing she would notice him as more than a friend.



Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

librarypatronus's review

4.0

I liked this a lot! I have been on a quest to find a superhero comic that I like. You’d think it wouldn’t be hard! I like superhero movies and novels, I like graphic novels, but for some reason I haven’t found a lot of superhero comics that work for me. This was fantastic, I enjoyed the art style, and I loved how Quin struggles with how to be a hero and use his invincibility.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for the eARC of this comic, all thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

underoceanblvd's review

4.0

This book was literally Incredible!! I loved it so much!! I can’t wait for Vol. 2, I would immediately pick up the sequel :)
P.S. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this!!

I will try to write a more in-depth review later :)