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beorn_101's review
3.0
Let me start by saying, i'm a huge Mass Effect fan, so it was great to read something set in the universe.
I find Liara as a character a little boring and flat, but this story was still ok, with a nice mix of action and character interaction.
The artwork is hit or miss, readers will be inundated with gorgeous fights, biotic powers, and cityscapes , but then shown a wonky rendition of Miranda, whose face looks mushed and rushed.
Overall enjoyable, but nothing too special, and doesn't really do much to explore the universe or plots of the game. Just Liara being loyal to Sheppard.
I find Liara as a character a little boring and flat, but this story was still ok, with a nice mix of action and character interaction.
The artwork is hit or miss, readers will be inundated with gorgeous fights, biotic powers, and cityscapes , but then shown a wonky rendition of Miranda, whose face looks mushed and rushed.
Overall enjoyable, but nothing too special, and doesn't really do much to explore the universe or plots of the game. Just Liara being loyal to Sheppard.
shaanananaaa's review
adventurous
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
vylotte's review
3.0
Set between the prologue and start of Mass Effect 2, the novel introduces some familiar faces in a race to find Shepherd's body before the Collectors escape with it.
Written by ME2 lead writer Mac Walters, it is true to the universe and characters, though a very superficial cast. I was surprised to see Miranda and Liara working together for the Illusive man, which explains their prickly reunion in the game proper. And here I thought it was just because I had romanced both of them.
Also gives a setup for how Liara becomes the Shadow Broker, and shows a side of Omega not seen in the games. All in all, it was a nice return to the universe after the games are played but the itch remains.
Written by ME2 lead writer Mac Walters, it is true to the universe and characters, though a very superficial cast. I was surprised to see Miranda and Liara working together for the Illusive man, which explains their prickly reunion in the game proper. And here I thought it was just because I had romanced both of them.
Also gives a setup for how Liara becomes the Shadow Broker, and shows a side of Omega not seen in the games. All in all, it was a nice return to the universe after the games are played but the itch remains.
nina_al's review
3.0
Mass Effect is my favourite video game, which is why I wanted to read this. Nothing was a surprise and Liara is definitely my least favourite out of Shepard's friends (she also seemed to be acting a bit out of character - she's really mellow in Mass Effect 1 and in this one she's literally the opposite, more like she was in Mass Effect 2 if anything, so since this story happens in between, when did that transition happen?) so that in itself dampened a bit my enjoyment but other than that it was a very quick, fun read :)
kukushka's review
2.0
Redemption follows the search for Commander Shepard's body, taking place after Shepard's disappearance at the beginning of Mass Effect 2.
I'd venture to call myself something of a Mass Effect fan, and it's the story and characters that have always drawn me to the series (as well as BioWare's other big'un, Dragon Age). Unfortunately, this comic doesn't have much of either.
The plot follows Liara T'Soni in her search for Shepard's body, but she isn't alone. Cerberus and the Shadow Broker are both looking for it, too. Helping Liara is Feron, who seems to be sometimes working for Cerberus, sometimes for the Shadow Broker, sometimes for himself. As the comic puts it, he's "a double -- no, a triple agent". Pro tip from someone who has never written a comic: You can't have a triple agent in a 100 page graphic novel. You can barely have one in a 700 page prose novel.
So that's the whole story - the reader is given whiplash as we're given a guided tour through some of the games' set pieces, we get to see a few of the games' characters, and every couple pages gets punctuated by a shocking twist.
Who is Feron, anyway? What, in the end, does he stand for? *shrug*
I realize it's a little odd to complain about how Liara is presented here, since the games are pretty bad for sexualizing their female characters. But at least in the games they have some personality. Here, she just reacts to stuff while she models her skin-tight outfits in a series of spine-snapping poses. The closest Liara gets to arc is the hint we get from the title and a throwaway line toward the end - that she feels bad about leaving Shepard to die alone, and wants some kind of redemption by finding the commander's body. Okay...
There's a cutesy little gag toward the end about Shepard's body being so disfigured by the blast that it's "hard to tell if it's even a man or a woman". It's an obvious joke, but I'll admit to having a bit of a chuckle.
I'd venture to call myself something of a Mass Effect fan, and it's the story and characters that have always drawn me to the series (as well as BioWare's other big'un, Dragon Age). Unfortunately, this comic doesn't have much of either.
The plot follows Liara T'Soni in her search for Shepard's body, but she isn't alone. Cerberus and the Shadow Broker are both looking for it, too. Helping Liara is Feron, who seems to be sometimes working for Cerberus, sometimes for the Shadow Broker, sometimes for himself. As the comic puts it, he's "a double -- no, a triple agent". Pro tip from someone who has never written a comic: You can't have a triple agent in a 100 page graphic novel. You can barely have one in a 700 page prose novel.
So that's the whole story - the reader is given whiplash as we're given a guided tour through some of the games' set pieces, we get to see a few of the games' characters, and every couple pages gets punctuated by a shocking twist.
Who is Feron, anyway? What, in the end, does he stand for? *shrug*
I realize it's a little odd to complain about how Liara is presented here, since the games are pretty bad for sexualizing their female characters. But at least in the games they have some personality. Here, she just reacts to stuff while she models her skin-tight outfits in a series of spine-snapping poses. The closest Liara gets to arc is the hint we get from the title and a throwaway line toward the end - that she feels bad about leaving Shepard to die alone, and wants some kind of redemption by finding the commander's body. Okay...
There's a cutesy little gag toward the end about Shepard's body being so disfigured by the blast that it's "hard to tell if it's even a man or a woman". It's an obvious joke, but I'll admit to having a bit of a chuckle.
hogsandwich's review
2.0
A decent story and accomplished art ruined by the artists need to pose the female characters in unfeasible and painful looking ways, often to the detriment of what they are saying. The poses and words are often hilariously mismatched.
adubrow's review
3.0
Since all I seem to care about at the moment are Bioware games, I figured I would give these graphic novels a try. This first volume was enjoyable in terms of the storyline although I definitely wish the art had been better since a lot of the facial expressions (particularly those of the Turians) and the poses (particularly those of the Asari) seemed awkward or amusingly off. But overall I enjoyed the insight into Liara's and Feron's actions.
wilwa's review
2.0
Didn't like the drawing style. But it's always interesting to dwell in the ME-universe. Fun to get some extra background as well.
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