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A review by hobbitfreddie
Middlewest Book One by Skottie Young
4.0
The art in this comic is so great so it hides it's story flaws really well. But it doesn't just have have amazing art, but a pretty good story.
Art: There is so much going on in the panels. The backgrounds are clean, colorful, and full of life. So there aren't many talking head scenes or backgroundless panels. The poses and expressions are also very nice. The style is really nice. I couldn't find many flaws in the overall art.
Character: Not the strongest. While they probably are guilty of being there just to move the story along, they do it so well, I still find myself liking them. Abel is a pretty good fantasy protag because you actually see his life before going on an adventure, something rare in my eyes. Which makes up for his lack of much personality. Some reviews here bring up bland characters, but I can't really see that. Abel is a flawed character who has his own arcs he must overcome. That's really the big thing you need to me when you make characters. Abel's dad at first seems like a stereotypical cartoonishly evil parent, but actually has a bit of depth, and perhaps a chance at redemption. The bonds formed by Abel in this volume are really sweet. I think that's another one of the volume's strengths.
Story: Story is pretty good. It's a fantasy quest, but it's very unique. I do think the worldbuilding is the one thing holding things back, not much is explained. But it is a little better that they're showing not telling, you have to figure out how the world works from context clues. To the actual story, the setting and atmosphere really holds it up. A bit chunk of the volume is spent at a modern day carnival, I'll give that points for uniqueness. The magic's mysterious and grand making it really fun. The story is centered on character arcs, making you want to follow them on their journey.
All in all a unique urban fantasy with amazing art, and some really nice arcs.
Art: There is so much going on in the panels. The backgrounds are clean, colorful, and full of life. So there aren't many talking head scenes or backgroundless panels. The poses and expressions are also very nice. The style is really nice. I couldn't find many flaws in the overall art.
Character: Not the strongest. While they probably are guilty of being there just to move the story along, they do it so well, I still find myself liking them. Abel is a pretty good fantasy protag because you actually see his life before going on an adventure, something rare in my eyes. Which makes up for his lack of much personality. Some reviews here bring up bland characters, but I can't really see that. Abel is a flawed character who has his own arcs he must overcome. That's really the big thing you need to me when you make characters. Abel's dad at first seems like a stereotypical cartoonishly evil parent, but actually has a bit of depth, and perhaps a chance at redemption. The bonds formed by Abel in this volume are really sweet. I think that's another one of the volume's strengths.
Story: Story is pretty good. It's a fantasy quest, but it's very unique. I do think the worldbuilding is the one thing holding things back, not much is explained. But it is a little better that they're showing not telling, you have to figure out how the world works from context clues. To the actual story, the setting and atmosphere really holds it up. A bit chunk of the volume is spent at a modern day carnival, I'll give that points for uniqueness. The magic's mysterious and grand making it really fun. The story is centered on character arcs, making you want to follow them on their journey.
All in all a unique urban fantasy with amazing art, and some really nice arcs.