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hanz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.0
The pacing is very strange and I wasn't really a fan of the art style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Car accident, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.75
- We've got another entry in the Villains universe and I loved it!! I'm a big fan of Vicious/Vengeful, so I was excited to see a graphic novel set in the same universe. The story follows a teen girl named Charlotte Tills who survives a bush crash and becomes an EO in the process. With her new powers awakened she soon finds herself on the run, as organisations like EON hunt people like her and others like Eli also mean to get rid of her kind. It was interesting to follow a different EO, as we're used to seeing Victor's perspective.
- Charlotte's power is seeing her and other's deaths in any reflection, a disturbing power, as it means she can see the cause of her own death - in this case: Eli Ever who's still hunting EOs. It was easy to sympathize with her, as she's still so young, but already cannot trust anyone, as spies lurk everywhere. I really liked seeing some new EOs and I'd love to read more of Charlotte's story! My edition had a 'To Be Continued' in the end, but I sadly haven't seen any announcement of a continuation 🥺
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Death, Murder, and Medical content
Minor: Suicide attempt
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Violence
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you want just a small taste more of Schwab’s Villains universe, this comic collection is for you.
This story moves quickly, but it’s not particularly involved. This collection book captures issues #0-4 and gives just enough information I was able to learn Charlotte’s background quickly. I do think prior knowledge of the Villains universe helps, as there’s a little bit of Victor but a decent amount of Eli in these pages. I found ExtraOrdinary to be a good sister story to the duology, but I’m not convinced it would stand alone as successfully. Maybe if it was a little longer?
The somewhat sudden end after issue #4 also threw me off. This may be a “me” issue, but I don’t love how quickly the comic book tied everything up but clearly left the story open for more. The storytelling was successful enough that yes, of course, I’d like more of Charlotte’s story! But I’m not sure if Titan has commissioned any more of this tale or if Schwab is writing anything more. Like any series that feels as though it has ended when it just begun, I found this frustrating.
Let’s shift focus and talk about the art.
As much as I enjoy Schwab’s writing as a rule, the art in this collection is spectacular. Enid Balám is probably better know for his Hawkeye: Kate Bishop art done for Marvel, but it doesn’t make his work on ExtraOrdinary any less impressive. I’m not always a fan of tall figures and the blue/orange tinted color scheme, but Balám weaves it all together extremely well. Charlotte’s EO ability is gruesome: the ability to see peoples’ deaths in reflected surfaces. For this to really come to life, the artists needed to be subtle but piercing and Balám delivers that in spades. As much as Schwab has given us three different stories tied together, Balám shows us the world Charlotte lives in, and the one that haunts her dreams. I’m almost definitely going to flip back through the collection and review the drawings in all the reflections because there’s so much insight there to Charlotte and the world. Likely hidden secrets, too.
We also need to acknowledge the cover. The one pictured in this review is the one I have and I absolutely love it. The covers for every issue are positively stunning, though. Anyone who says comic artistry isn’t art is a fool.
I absolutely enjoyed this in-between story and I’m glad I read it between Vicious and Vengeful to give me a bit more world expansion. You don’t need to read this to enjoy the other books, but I do think reading Vicious will increase enjoyment of reading ExtraOrdinary because of the background you’ll have going into the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Car accident, and Child death
Minor: Medical content
stardustandrockets's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I initially rated it 4 stars because of the cliffhanger ending, but I also didn't realize there would be more comics after this one. At least that's what I read in another review. I don't think Schwab themself has actually said or not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Blood, Gore, Car accident, and Medical content
bookcrushin's review
dark
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization
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