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geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'Welcome Back, Vol 1: Help, I'm Alive' by Christopher Sebela with art by Jonathan Brandon Sawyer is a trippy graphic novel about past lives, past enemies and moving forward when things seem stuck in the same cycle.
Mali lives an ok life. She's got a roommate, a place to live, a dog, and a boyfriend. She's also got a serial killer for a dad and has to live with that in her past. That's not the only thing in her past. She also finds out she has been living over and over and fighting the same enemy in all of her previous lives. In each life, one prevails in combat, and then commits suicide so that the cycle can start all over again. Mali is just waking up to this fact, but will it be in time?
The story also follows her rival Tessa, and does so in what I thought was a pretty easy way to follow both stories.
It's the kind of in your face story that you just have to read and not ask too many questions, like how can Mali be so good at combat when she doesn't seem to have ever trained? Reincarnated warriors who want things to stop doesn't seem totally new, but I like the way things were handled in this medium. The art is pretty good in this graphic novel. I liked it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Mali lives an ok life. She's got a roommate, a place to live, a dog, and a boyfriend. She's also got a serial killer for a dad and has to live with that in her past. That's not the only thing in her past. She also finds out she has been living over and over and fighting the same enemy in all of her previous lives. In each life, one prevails in combat, and then commits suicide so that the cycle can start all over again. Mali is just waking up to this fact, but will it be in time?
The story also follows her rival Tessa, and does so in what I thought was a pretty easy way to follow both stories.
It's the kind of in your face story that you just have to read and not ask too many questions, like how can Mali be so good at combat when she doesn't seem to have ever trained? Reincarnated warriors who want things to stop doesn't seem totally new, but I like the way things were handled in this medium. The art is pretty good in this graphic novel. I liked it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
mckinlay's review against another edition
2.0
*I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
I loved the artwork and it started strong, unfortunately, it went downhill from there. After a while I was just really bored. This is a very different type of comic than what I've read from Boom in the past. Hopefully it'll improve in the second volume, because the MC was very like-able.
I loved the artwork and it started strong, unfortunately, it went downhill from there. After a while I was just really bored. This is a very different type of comic than what I've read from Boom in the past. Hopefully it'll improve in the second volume, because the MC was very like-able.
iriszoe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
angelofmine1974's review against another edition
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/e4dJQxbPGOI
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/e4dJQxbPGOI
Enjoy!
deeoh's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ana1s's review against another edition
3.5
The concept and the characters are ready compeling but the ratio of thought bubbles vs actual dialogue and the drastic art style change in the middle of the volume makes me wonder if it cpuld be better under a novel form....
I was totally invested in the story and i love the punk styling though
I was totally invested in the story and i love the punk styling though
apologiesforeverything's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
bolynne's review against another edition
3.0
****I received a copy of this from NetGalley and BOOM! Studios in exchange for an honest review!****
It's been a long time since I've read a graphic novel, but this one was so damn kick-ass. It isn't the first time I've seen this concept of reincarnation and two people fated to find/kill each other (Kannazuki no Miko comes to mind pretty strong especially since that also had LGBT elements), but I did enjoy this gritter style.
I have always been intrigued by the idea of reincarnation in general, but the idea of retaining your memories across these different lives, and how all of the different cultures you've been a part of, is so freaking interesting to think about. How would someone act if they've lived countless lives? Could you still make the same mistakes over and over again, or will you be like perfect and never mess up beyond accounting for real surprises? I'm hungry for more information about this story's universe.
The art style is what really prompted me to request it, but I did seem to notice some change about halfway through, where I couldn't tell if it was the same artist. Otherwise, not much to complain about in this, it was fun and has a lot of elements that pull me in.
It's been a long time since I've read a graphic novel, but this one was so damn kick-ass. It isn't the first time I've seen this concept of reincarnation and two people fated to find/kill each other (Kannazuki no Miko comes to mind pretty strong especially since that also had LGBT elements), but I did enjoy this gritter style.
I have always been intrigued by the idea of reincarnation in general, but the idea of retaining your memories across these different lives, and how all of the different cultures you've been a part of, is so freaking interesting to think about. How would someone act if they've lived countless lives? Could you still make the same mistakes over and over again, or will you be like perfect and never mess up beyond accounting for real surprises? I'm hungry for more information about this story's universe.
The art style is what really prompted me to request it, but I did seem to notice some change about halfway through, where I couldn't tell if it was the same artist. Otherwise, not much to complain about in this, it was fun and has a lot of elements that pull me in.
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
4.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, I really enjoyed this one. I'd probably give it 3 1/2 stars, so I rounded up to four.
It's not perfect, so let's talk about the negatives first - 1) the art style changes mid-issue, and it can be confusing to figure out at first who everyone is after the change. 2) it can get confusing with a lot of internal monologues.
Now, onto the positives - it's a unique story, the writing is actually really good, and the characters are awesome. There are a lot of interesting details that help with the world building, and it raises a lot of cool questions.
I really liked this one and will definitely continue reading the series.
Okay, I really enjoyed this one. I'd probably give it 3 1/2 stars, so I rounded up to four.
It's not perfect, so let's talk about the negatives first - 1) the art style changes mid-issue, and it can be confusing to figure out at first who everyone is after the change. 2) it can get confusing with a lot of internal monologues.
Now, onto the positives - it's a unique story, the writing is actually really good, and the characters are awesome. There are a lot of interesting details that help with the world building, and it raises a lot of cool questions.
I really liked this one and will definitely continue reading the series.