A review by crookedtreehouse
Faith, Volume 2: California Scheming by Jody Houser

4.0

This volume of Faith was what I was hoping for in the first volume. A character with a meta-commentary inner-monologue who loves pop culture and saving people, does her best Superman trope by trying to be a mild mannered reporter in disguise.

There are really two different stories in this volume, 1: Never Meet Your Heroes, Lest They Become Supervillains; and 2.) How To Behave At A Comic Con.

I much preferred the second story, as it really could serve as a guide to how to navigate the cosplay and collectibles communities without being a toxic shitmonster. There's also a robbery angle, and a bonus Faith, which are fun, but the How To Behave angle is woven perfectly throughout.

The first story isn't bad, but it's clearly a setup for a larger story coming up in the run. I'm not sure how interested I am. But I will say it feels like some of the early set-up arcs of [b:Invincible, Vol. 1: Family Matters|214867|Invincible, Vol. 1 Family Matters|Robert Kirkman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1288076032l/214867._SY75_.jpg|5238594], so I'm not writing it off, either.

This is one of the better Valiant series that I've read so far. I'm sort of dreading that, to truly follow the Valiant Universe chronology, I have to take a short break to read the much less whelming [b:A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong, Volume 2: Romance & Road Trips|31338824|A&A The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong, Volume 2 Romance & Road Trips|Rafer Roberts|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474508569l/31338824._SY75_.jpg|52013518]. Fingers crossed that the inclusion of Faith can elevate that title. I'm not sure the inclusion of Archer has elevated this series, but it hasn't dragged it down.