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cfinnigan's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I bought the first one because this was really good.
golden_lily's review against another edition
3.0
Magical Girl Crisis by Patadag - ***
Very cute little story about a witch fighting against her natural necromancy powers because she’d rather be a cute, lolita magical girl. Unfortunately at six pages, way too short for any real development. We don’t even get a good shot of her final, gothic lolita outfit.
Heirloom by ClaraEm - *
The art is not for me. The characters are very simplistic and there are a lot of perspective choices that I don’t think work, especially in the initial argument and the ghost section. I found the plot flat and straightforward, without any resolution.
Mahk Jchi by Sunny Ochumuk - ****
Very, very pretty art.
At her first meet up of other native women, our main character initially wants to be known as Catherine, but as the day goes, Waanutam discovers parts of her heritage, including her cousin’s dancing which summons beautiful spirits. Rather than end with a romance, which is where I assumed we were going, she embraces her cousin and asks to learn to dance too. A sweet, short look at a culture I never see in graphic novels, I liked this a lot.
Mu by Yeon Kyung Cha - ***
One of my favorite plots, a female shaman who can speak to the dead sets out to seduce and kill men who abused and killed the girls she speaks to. Unfortunately, I felt almost like this was issue two of a book I hadn’t read the first part of. Mu clearly had some link to Ji-Hye and Ji-Hoon but I never understood what it was or why the ghost (Ji-Hye?) stayed.
Art wise, this one starts out super detailed and beautiful, but by the last few pages we’re mostly looking at gray boxes in place of background details. I’m not sure if this was an intentional stylistic choice or not, but it makes the story feel rushed and unfinished.
Admonitions by Amber Huff - ***
The differences in art in the real and spirit realms set this story apart. It’s also the first one that’s felt like it really lived up to the “darker side of magic” theme of the anthology. Again though, I wish this was longer. There’s backstory I’m missing, world building that’s not fully coming through in fourteen pages.
An Unexpected Specter by Francis Quintero - ***********
Cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I need a six season animated series and a movie.
The Woman who Waits by Lira Kraunik and Kyka ****
Really beautiful with an unexpected twist ending.
Hungry by Joamette Gil - ***1/2
Last line is a real gut punch. Not crazy about this art, it reminds me of like 2002 webcomics.
Requium by Ayanni C Hanna and Melani Tingdahl - ***
Another I wish was a hair longer. A pair of nurses in an unnamed war torn country tend to survivors, until soldiers show up and start shooting. This one does not have a happy end which I don’t knock it for, but I don’t know. The lack of acceptance and abrupt end hurt.
Bon Voyage My Chains by Sonia Liao - ****
Absolutely the best drawn comic in the book. CW reads: non binary person faces mortal peril. That’s one way to describe an enby character’s father trying to stab them, sure. Probably needs a stronger warning. The length on this one is right, it’s got good world building, a cute romance, and even a last minute beta romance that made me laugh.
Very cute little story about a witch fighting against her natural necromancy powers because she’d rather be a cute, lolita magical girl. Unfortunately at six pages, way too short for any real development. We don’t even get a good shot of her final, gothic lolita outfit.
Heirloom by ClaraEm - *
The art is not for me. The characters are very simplistic and there are a lot of perspective choices that I don’t think work, especially in the initial argument and the ghost section. I found the plot flat and straightforward, without any resolution.
Mahk Jchi by Sunny Ochumuk - ****
Very, very pretty art.
At her first meet up of other native women, our main character initially wants to be known as Catherine, but as the day goes, Waanutam discovers parts of her heritage, including her cousin’s dancing which summons beautiful spirits. Rather than end with a romance, which is where I assumed we were going, she embraces her cousin and asks to learn to dance too. A sweet, short look at a culture I never see in graphic novels, I liked this a lot.
Mu by Yeon Kyung Cha - ***
One of my favorite plots, a female shaman who can speak to the dead sets out to seduce and kill men who abused and killed the girls she speaks to. Unfortunately, I felt almost like this was issue two of a book I hadn’t read the first part of. Mu clearly had some link to Ji-Hye and Ji-Hoon but I never understood what it was or why the ghost (Ji-Hye?) stayed.
Art wise, this one starts out super detailed and beautiful, but by the last few pages we’re mostly looking at gray boxes in place of background details. I’m not sure if this was an intentional stylistic choice or not, but it makes the story feel rushed and unfinished.
Admonitions by Amber Huff - ***
The differences in art in the real and spirit realms set this story apart. It’s also the first one that’s felt like it really lived up to the “darker side of magic” theme of the anthology. Again though, I wish this was longer. There’s backstory I’m missing, world building that’s not fully coming through in fourteen pages.
An Unexpected Specter by Francis Quintero - ***********
Cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I need a six season animated series and a movie.
The Woman who Waits by Lira Kraunik and Kyka ****
Really beautiful with an unexpected twist ending.
Hungry by Joamette Gil - ***1/2
Last line is a real gut punch. Not crazy about this art, it reminds me of like 2002 webcomics.
Requium by Ayanni C Hanna and Melani Tingdahl - ***
Another I wish was a hair longer. A pair of nurses in an unnamed war torn country tend to survivors, until soldiers show up and start shooting. This one does not have a happy end which I don’t knock it for, but I don’t know. The lack of acceptance and abrupt end hurt.
Bon Voyage My Chains by Sonia Liao - ****
Absolutely the best drawn comic in the book. CW reads: non binary person faces mortal peril. That’s one way to describe an enby character’s father trying to stab them, sure. Probably needs a stronger warning. The length on this one is right, it’s got good world building, a cute romance, and even a last minute beta romance that made me laugh.
alexis_sara's review against another edition
4.0
Immortal Souls is a short little anthology by a very talented group of queer folks. The first Power and Magic Anthology was one of my favorite books ever so I was very hyped for this. Sadly, this one wasn't as much for me as the previous anthology. This book had some sad or somber stories and I am really not a fan of sad endings. With as few stories as there were they stood out in the shorter read time then the first. Pretty much all the stories are great in here but the couple with sad ends did leave me kinda feeling bummed out. What I can say is even the stories that weren't really for me were amazingly crafted, I can tell they are a great story and the art is really well put together. I think overall there is still more happy stuff then sad. There was also a couple of things that felt odd to me, didn't sit super well with me probably just because the page count didn't allow for some things to be explained. Regardless I would pretty highly recommend this title, I would just be prepared for not everything to be super cheery it is covering the dark sides of magic. If you really don't want any sad stories maybe pass but I do think it's well worth reading.
indeedithappens's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Body shaming, Bullying, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexism, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, and Death
theybedax's review
4.0
This was another great compilation in the Power & Magic series. While some of them didn't quite move me either from art style or story the whole book is well worth your time!
emeelee's review
3.0
A bit shorter and not as strong in quality as Power & Magic, but still an enjoyable graphic anthology! My favorites of the collection were Magical Girl Crisis by Patdag and Bon Voyage My Chains by Sonia Liao.
TW: abuse, gaslighting, body horror, grief, war zone and gun violence
TW: abuse, gaslighting, body horror, grief, war zone and gun violence
steggellettea94's review
3.0
3.5 ⭐️. I broke down each of the stories as follows:
- Magical Girl Crisis: 2.75
- Heirloom: 3
- Mahk Jchi: 3.25
- Mu: 3.5
- Admonitions: 2.75
- An Unexpected Specter: 4
- The Woman Who Waits: 4
- Hungry: 3.25
- Requiem: 3.75
- Bon Voyage My Chains: 4.5
(The .25 and .75 are more because I couldn’t decide between two numbers, usually a whole number and a .5). My main and really only complaint about this anthology is that most of the stories felt like introductions or somehow unfinished. Like they were missing the beginning or some exposition. They weren’t bad, and they were all well-drawn, but I felt like I A) didn’t know the characters, and B) needed more background for the situation to have full weight. I would have paid extra for each story to have just a few more pages.
- Magical Girl Crisis: 2.75
- Heirloom: 3
- Mahk Jchi: 3.25
- Mu: 3.5
- Admonitions: 2.75
- An Unexpected Specter: 4
- The Woman Who Waits: 4
- Hungry: 3.25
- Requiem: 3.75
- Bon Voyage My Chains: 4.5
(The .25 and .75 are more because I couldn’t decide between two numbers, usually a whole number and a .5). My main and really only complaint about this anthology is that most of the stories felt like introductions or somehow unfinished. Like they were missing the beginning or some exposition. They weren’t bad, and they were all well-drawn, but I felt like I A) didn’t know the characters, and B) needed more background for the situation to have full weight. I would have paid extra for each story to have just a few more pages.
jr_the_pin_witch's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
vortacist's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0