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rbreade's review
I was eager to read Gabby Rivera's take on Marvel's first queer Latinx superhero, America Chavez. Rivera is a novelist, and in places the prose seems to strain for the lyrical swing found in some books. Also, the story is crammed with incident, so much that the story hasn't the room to breathe and let us get to know Chavez and the other characters. In part, this is a baked-in hazard when your title character has the ability to travel to other dimensions--in this collection, the reader is whipped hither and yon--but the writer's job is to make sure this ability doesn't overwhelm the story. Still, I'm sufficiently interested to give this another couple of collections.
moonpie's review
3.0
This is my first exposure to this title, maybe my first run-in with America Chavez at all. Turns out I like her, although her character can be... let's say "abrasive." (It's alliterative!)
I also liked a lot about America, Vol. 1. It is a little try-hard at times but I appreciate the TRYING part of it. There were some good characters in this story and the plot wasn't the worst; this entire volume was a little heavy on the exposition side of things, but I'd prefer that to not having any clue what's going on, and I did need MANY of the pop-ups informing the reader who each new character was. I could use those in a lot of contexts, actually.
The art in issues 5/6 was not my fave. I had a hard time following the story because I was so distracted by the art, and I don't mean that in a good way.
I also liked a lot about America, Vol. 1. It is a little try-hard at times but I appreciate the TRYING part of it. There were some good characters in this story and the plot wasn't the worst; this entire volume was a little heavy on the exposition side of things, but I'd prefer that to not having any clue what's going on, and I did need MANY of the pop-ups informing the reader who each new character was. I could use those in a lot of contexts, actually.
The art in issues 5/6 was not my fave. I had a hard time following the story because I was so distracted by the art, and I don't mean that in a good way.
saidtheraina's review
4.0
I'm not generally a superhero person. I prefer Graphic Novel travelogue, memoir, nonfiction to Marvel and DC. But this is a queer, brown, spanish-speaking superhero named America, and I am here for her.
As someone who doesn't read much of the genre, and only dips in when I hear there's something like [b: Ms. Marvel|20898019|Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 No Normal|G. Willow Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413031883s/20898019.jpg|41250341] or [b: Faith, Volume 1|29332093|Faith, Volume 1 Hollywood & Vine|Jody Houser|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456858096s/29332093.jpg|49564767] or [b: The Shadow Hero|18465601|The Shadow Hero|Gene Luen Yang|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381948340s/18465601.jpg|26123579], it doesn't feel surprising to me that this exists. I mean, of course it does.
But I know I'm not reading the bulk of superhero comics throughout (his)tory. I know I'm coming in at a time when Marvel's hiring the likes of [a: Mariko Tamaki|483588|Mariko Tamaki|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1387259250p2/483588.jpg] and [a: Jason Reynolds|1229281|Jason Reynolds|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1513807568p2/1229281.jpg] and [a: Roxane Gay|3360355|Roxane Gay|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407278304p2/3360355.jpg]. My heroes. So I don't really have a sense of what a BIG DEAL this is. How long fans of my persuasion have been waiting for this.
So I have to manufacture the chills, juuuust a little bit. And recognize that I'm still not really a superhero person, I don't feel desperate to read the next one, but I am still happy that this exists.
As someone who doesn't read much of the genre, and only dips in when I hear there's something like [b: Ms. Marvel|20898019|Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 No Normal|G. Willow Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413031883s/20898019.jpg|41250341] or [b: Faith, Volume 1|29332093|Faith, Volume 1 Hollywood & Vine|Jody Houser|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456858096s/29332093.jpg|49564767] or [b: The Shadow Hero|18465601|The Shadow Hero|Gene Luen Yang|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381948340s/18465601.jpg|26123579], it doesn't feel surprising to me that this exists. I mean, of course it does.
But I know I'm not reading the bulk of superhero comics throughout (his)tory. I know I'm coming in at a time when Marvel's hiring the likes of [a: Mariko Tamaki|483588|Mariko Tamaki|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1387259250p2/483588.jpg] and [a: Jason Reynolds|1229281|Jason Reynolds|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1513807568p2/1229281.jpg] and [a: Roxane Gay|3360355|Roxane Gay|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407278304p2/3360355.jpg]. My heroes. So I don't really have a sense of what a BIG DEAL this is. How long fans of my persuasion have been waiting for this.
So I have to manufacture the chills, juuuust a little bit. And recognize that I'm still not really a superhero person, I don't feel desperate to read the next one, but I am still happy that this exists.
helpfulsnowman's review
2.0
Lately, I've learned that a good way to look at a work is to talk about the "opportunities." Rather than saying something stinks, where are the opportunities in the story? Which seeds are planted without enough care, or which crops grow without being harvested?
Here's a summary. Read it if you're into that kind of thing or it helps you make a decision:
The opportunities here sit in the forming of summary into story. We get summaries of a lot of things, very quick versions of them, a lot of characters telling us about a thing that will happen, has happened, or is happening, and then telling us how they feel about it. The reader doesn't often get to live in the story moments. Things move so quickly from one thing to another that there's no time. It's BAM, someone gets socked in the face, BAM, we're in a car, holding a flower, crying about a breakup.
Maybe this is a style issue that just doesn't speak to me as a reader. It's entirely possible that this sort of thing works better for others.
There's also a lack of textures here. What I mean is, the entire story is told in dialog. There are ways to let the art carry some weight, let the actions do some of the work, and there are ways to do dialog where the characters aren't speaking literally, saying exactly what they feel all the time.
When you have balloons doing all the work, you get stuff like this:
"I, Peggy Carter, leader of the French Resistance." This happens when dialog is used in an expository way. Characters are forced to introduce themselves in odd ways. Have you ever introduced yourself by saying, "It is I, Pete, Occupation: Painter"? I chose that because I touched up paint on a wall today. And I'm fixing a chair later. Work somewhere long enough, you get all the weird shit...
This happens more than a couple times:
The dialog also gets ping-pong-y. Person A speaks, Person B directly addresses what Person A says, and they toss it back and forth that way. There's a rhythm when that happens, and it's hard to tell what is important to the speaker and what isn't.
And that's the real thing. Because there's a lot of summary, and because of the way things are paced out, all of the events, and all of the dialog in the book have the same weight. Breaking up with a girlfriend has the same emotional weight as a brief battle on another planet has the same weight as the return to that same planet at a later time. Nothing seems particularly important or unimportant. At no point does it feel like America's in danger, and her confident moments are shaded the same grey as her unsure moments.
Some added textures could change the weights. Speed things up in places and slow them down in others. Provide tissue that connects these different stories and events. Makes them feel more like part of a single story, which they are because this is the story of America's life.
Let's talk about the other part.
Again, like I felt with Moon Girl, thumbs-up for representation, and thumbs-up for hiring diversity too.
There's a big but here though.
America punches Hitler. I'm certainly not opposed to the idea of punching Hitler in the face. That's a light way to put it. But then Hitler is just sort of led away by a couple buddies, reeling. Wha? And then Peggy Carter asks America why it might not be the best idea to just run in and sock someone, alluding to the idea that there were plans in place here to not just do something that feels good, but actually stops Hitler...but the question dies on the page.
The thing is, it felt like we wanted this Nazi punching moment. But it happens, and then it's like we can't get away from it fast enough. It's representative of a lot of the book. The stories can all feel like asides. There was zero build-up to this moment. We hear the name, America turns her head, and then she punches Hitler. And then it's over.
And by making it actual Hitler...I think it weakens the statement. It's watered down when it's actual Hitler. Who wouldn't punch actual Hitler? What's the argument for not punching actual Hitler, who just happens to be wandering around a battlefield? Any argument regarding not punching modern day Nazis does not apply when punching Hitler.
It makes an argument about a societal discussion, but the argument is mostly about what happens within an altered set of parameters. The question is changed from, "How do you feel about Richard Spencer being punched in the face?" to "How do you feel about a fictional superhero traveling through time, spotting Hitler, and pasting him one?"
And that's how I feel about a lot of the social aspects of the book. They sort of bring up a question, but rather than distilling a question to its essence, it swerves around the question, and it can't take a breath before we're on to something else.
~
The fate of this book comes down to a chicken and the egg argument: Does all of this different stuff get crammed into this book because the creators fear its cancellation, and therefore want to accomplish a lot in a limited space? -or- Will the book be cancelled because it's cramming so much this happened, then this happened, into a limited space, therefore not really giving readers a lot to enjoy or a character they get to know?
I understand the impulse to say, "We're lucky if we get 12 issues out of this, so let's make sure to say EVERYTHING we want to say in that assumed space. We can't waste a lot of time setting up big arcs if we're not going to get to pay them off."
As a reader, I'd rather read a book that ends prematurely, doesn't pay off an arc, and has me thinking, "Damn, that should have gone on longer. I wanted to see where that was going. This was a mistake." "Damn, I'm sad to see this character go."
Right now...I just don't feel that way about America. I bought the first trade (digitally), but I don't need more. There's no payoff that seems to be coming. And America, for all that sets her apart demographically, is kinda wooden.
I guess that's my argument in favor of going the other way. I'm not left wanting more because...more of what?
Well, okay. More of the covers. The covers are pretty fuckin' great.
Here's a summary. Read it if you're into that kind of thing or it helps you make a decision:
The opportunities here sit in the forming of summary into story. We get summaries of a lot of things, very quick versions of them, a lot of characters telling us about a thing that will happen, has happened, or is happening, and then telling us how they feel about it. The reader doesn't often get to live in the story moments. Things move so quickly from one thing to another that there's no time. It's BAM, someone gets socked in the face, BAM, we're in a car, holding a flower, crying about a breakup.
Maybe this is a style issue that just doesn't speak to me as a reader. It's entirely possible that this sort of thing works better for others.
There's also a lack of textures here. What I mean is, the entire story is told in dialog. There are ways to let the art carry some weight, let the actions do some of the work, and there are ways to do dialog where the characters aren't speaking literally, saying exactly what they feel all the time.
When you have balloons doing all the work, you get stuff like this:
"I, Peggy Carter, leader of the French Resistance." This happens when dialog is used in an expository way. Characters are forced to introduce themselves in odd ways. Have you ever introduced yourself by saying, "It is I, Pete, Occupation: Painter"? I chose that because I touched up paint on a wall today. And I'm fixing a chair later. Work somewhere long enough, you get all the weird shit...
This happens more than a couple times:
The dialog also gets ping-pong-y. Person A speaks, Person B directly addresses what Person A says, and they toss it back and forth that way. There's a rhythm when that happens, and it's hard to tell what is important to the speaker and what isn't.
And that's the real thing. Because there's a lot of summary, and because of the way things are paced out, all of the events, and all of the dialog in the book have the same weight. Breaking up with a girlfriend has the same emotional weight as a brief battle on another planet has the same weight as the return to that same planet at a later time. Nothing seems particularly important or unimportant. At no point does it feel like America's in danger, and her confident moments are shaded the same grey as her unsure moments.
Some added textures could change the weights. Speed things up in places and slow them down in others. Provide tissue that connects these different stories and events. Makes them feel more like part of a single story, which they are because this is the story of America's life.
Let's talk about the other part.
Again, like I felt with Moon Girl, thumbs-up for representation, and thumbs-up for hiring diversity too.
There's a big but here though.
America punches Hitler. I'm certainly not opposed to the idea of punching Hitler in the face. That's a light way to put it. But then Hitler is just sort of led away by a couple buddies, reeling. Wha? And then Peggy Carter asks America why it might not be the best idea to just run in and sock someone, alluding to the idea that there were plans in place here to not just do something that feels good, but actually stops Hitler...but the question dies on the page.
The thing is, it felt like we wanted this Nazi punching moment. But it happens, and then it's like we can't get away from it fast enough. It's representative of a lot of the book. The stories can all feel like asides. There was zero build-up to this moment. We hear the name, America turns her head, and then she punches Hitler. And then it's over.
And by making it actual Hitler...I think it weakens the statement. It's watered down when it's actual Hitler. Who wouldn't punch actual Hitler? What's the argument for not punching actual Hitler, who just happens to be wandering around a battlefield? Any argument regarding not punching modern day Nazis does not apply when punching Hitler.
It makes an argument about a societal discussion, but the argument is mostly about what happens within an altered set of parameters. The question is changed from, "How do you feel about Richard Spencer being punched in the face?" to "How do you feel about a fictional superhero traveling through time, spotting Hitler, and pasting him one?"
And that's how I feel about a lot of the social aspects of the book. They sort of bring up a question, but rather than distilling a question to its essence, it swerves around the question, and it can't take a breath before we're on to something else.
~
The fate of this book comes down to a chicken and the egg argument: Does all of this different stuff get crammed into this book because the creators fear its cancellation, and therefore want to accomplish a lot in a limited space? -or- Will the book be cancelled because it's cramming so much this happened, then this happened, into a limited space, therefore not really giving readers a lot to enjoy or a character they get to know?
I understand the impulse to say, "We're lucky if we get 12 issues out of this, so let's make sure to say EVERYTHING we want to say in that assumed space. We can't waste a lot of time setting up big arcs if we're not going to get to pay them off."
As a reader, I'd rather read a book that ends prematurely, doesn't pay off an arc, and has me thinking, "Damn, that should have gone on longer. I wanted to see where that was going. This was a mistake." "Damn, I'm sad to see this character go."
Right now...I just don't feel that way about America. I bought the first trade (digitally), but I don't need more. There's no payoff that seems to be coming. And America, for all that sets her apart demographically, is kinda wooden.
I guess that's my argument in favor of going the other way. I'm not left wanting more because...more of what?
Well, okay. More of the covers. The covers are pretty fuckin' great.
luckyniko's review
3.0
I love that she had her own stand alone series but it kind of jumps around a lot so it’s easy for me to put down and come back another time
jackelz's review
This plot was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the inclusion of other Marvel characters in America’s story. The art in the first four issues was beautiful, and the art in the last two was fine, but it’s always an ajustment when there is a sudden shift midstory. I’m totally shipping America and Kate Bishop.
soupwitch86's review
4.0
This is really my first dip into comics because normally I can't follow along or the story doesn't do it for me (not big on superheroes). BUT.
But, when Gabby Rivera writes something, there I am. This was so cute (the references to Selena, Buffy, Lil Wayne lyrics, Dirty Dancing, and I can't remember the rest), even if I didn't get into the overall story, I very much enjoy the references. I also enjoyed the parts focused on America's platonic relationships, especially with Kate Bishop, Storm, and Xandria - their interactions were probably my fave.
I also loved the art in the first half very much, the outfits, hairstyle changes, etc. - it was all very fun. This hasn't converted me to comics, but I'll still read the second volume to see how it turns out.
But, when Gabby Rivera writes something, there I am. This was so cute (the references to Selena, Buffy, Lil Wayne lyrics, Dirty Dancing, and I can't remember the rest), even if I didn't get into the overall story, I very much enjoy the references. I also enjoyed the parts focused on America's platonic relationships, especially with Kate Bishop, Storm, and Xandria - their interactions were probably my fave.
I also loved the art in the first half very much, the outfits, hairstyle changes, etc. - it was all very fun. This hasn't converted me to comics, but I'll still read the second volume to see how it turns out.
theminiarcanist's review
4.0
Not sure why it’s taken me so long to get around to reading about America Chavez. Anyhow. This is a wonderful set-up to getting to know America, and I adored everything in this volume. The various art styles were great, the endless positivity and pep talking from characters, everything! And I got to see Kate Bishop, which is always a plus for me. I’m interested to read more!
readerpants's review
5.0
HEART EYES HEART EYES HEART EYES
That was a DELIGHT. Love love love love love. I liked the new Kate Bishop Hawkeye but I loved this one and I just want so much more.
That was a DELIGHT. Love love love love love. I liked the new Kate Bishop Hawkeye but I loved this one and I just want so much more.
moonbites's review
2.0
The writing and the story wasn't something I could get into. I really hate all the lingo like, "clutch," and "fire," I feel like it's trying too hard to set a time and fit a certain age group. Meanwhile the storylines just didn't grab my attention. The two story arcs in here weren't that great. I liked seeing Kate Bishop in the end arc but not even their awesome friendship could make me bump this to a three stars.
I really loved the character of America in the [b:Young Avengers, Volume 1: Style > Substance|17824752|Young Avengers, Volume 1 Style > Substance|Kieron Gillen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408316436s/17824752.jpg|24934356] but I couldn't buy into her storyline here. It felt very jumbled, because it wasn't an origin story, but instead felt more like an info dump, because halfway through it was realized we readers may not know all that much about America Chavez. She also wasn't as likable here, I felt like her character was a bit flat. The representation in here was good, but it still didnt make the story vibrant for me.
It was just dissapointing...