Reviews

Quincredible Vol. 1: Quest to Be the Best! by Rodney Barnes

ellelainey's review

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5.0

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

Quincredible, Vol. 1: Quest to Be the Best
Rodney Barnes, Selina Espiritu, Kelly Fitzpatrick
★★★★★
144 Pages
Themes: BLM, bullying, supers, politics, self-discovery


Quincredible is a brilliant, clever comic that is desperately relevant and necessary for 2020. With a strong message of hope and power, it puts a young, black, loner geek centre-stage.

The story is part adventure, part self-discovery and part self-belief. It has a good balance of strength, hope, danger and adventure, promoting an open mind and reminding kids that there is a balance between good and bad, that the world is full of shades of gray and people aren't always what they seem.

I haven't read the “shared universe” this book belongs in, but I don't think I need to. Though there are a host of superheroes introduced, Quin explored how that came about well enough that I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

What I really loved was the message about people and society, in general. Yes, there were hugely relevant and important references to BLM, to police action and important instances in American history, such as Katrina and the politics of white vs black, cops vs black. But the story was deeper than one single issue, and more than the sum of its parts. It's a perfect message for kids, wrapped up in a superhero adventure.

Quin is a brave kid, despite having no friends, bullies, and a super power. He's got a girl he wants to impress, but he's discovering lines he's not willing to cross, even in Volume 1. Don't be woke for the sake of it. Don't blindly follow, if you know it's wrong. Some freedom fighters will follow the crowd to whatever end, never stopping to think of whether it's right. Some people – even those we trust, and people in power/authority – have an agenda. But it also shows that people have a breaking point, and when pushed, people can snap. Not all bad guys are evil, but can be misguided and feeling helpless when all other avenues have failed.

I can't wait for the next volume.

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Favourite Panel

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sannareads's review

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5.0

This story really captured me!

The art, the writing, the story, everything. It was simply great.

I’m a big fan of superhero’s and watched my fair share of marvel and dc movies, still this graphic novel really managed to bring something new to the genre. The superheros of course had superpowers but somehow the author really made them seem human, it was easy to think of them all as regular people as well, that want to come home to their families after a day of bad guy fighting. Which I really enjoyed.

Quin is such a good main character, he’s funny, charming and he kind of reminds me of Spider-Man with his playfulness. He’s impossible not to like!

The story had the perfect amount of action and even though quite some characters were introduced the author made sure not to give too much information about them at once. I really look forward to get to know them and Quin more...and see how it goes with him and his love interest.

Also a huge plus to the author for making Quin still care and hang out with his family even though he’s a hero. In stories like this I feel like the main character often forgets everyone in their “regular” lives.

“Quincredible Vol 1: Quest to Be the Best!” gets 5/5 stars from me!

This review and my thoughts about this book is mine and mine. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

thenextgenlib's review

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5.0

I LOVED this graphic novel! This is the exact superhero comics I like to read. It had an origin story, beautiful graphics and artwork, humor, romance, action and adventure, good vs evil. Quin’s humor reminded me of Mile Morales. Loved the diverse characters and the references to the Black Lives Matter movement.

octobertune's review

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4.0

I love Marvel comics, but I'm always looking to branch out to other superhero comics and I think this comic has a lot of potential. It kind of reminded me a bit of how Kamala Khan got her powers, but with a little bit of Luke Cage mixed in, but I also think this story made those tropes its own. I liked Quin as a character, and I also liked how his parents were very much involved in the story as well. Honestly absent parents is a very big thing in books nowadays, and I'm kind of tired of that trope.

The art style is amazing and I loved all the diverse characters this comic has! Highly recommend, especially if you've enjoyed Marvel and/or DC comics in the past, I will definitely be picking up the second volume asap!

colleen987's review

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2.0

With thanks to the publishers for a copy of this ARC

The story follows Quin a high school student in Katrina, and meteor ravaged New Orleans. A place much like the real that has a class and poverty divide leading to descension among the citizens. The world also has superheroes, helping the police fight crime. Quinn quickly discovers he is an invincible and must come to terms with being a super, in a city that associates them with police oppression.

I loved the social message, it was very well put across. Tactfully written while still having a hard hitting message. The artwork is beautiful, with a whole cast of diverse and representative characters.

However, my main problems happened with pacing, and story. The first chapter was hard... the story is spoon fed to the reader "dad you know i don't have friends", there's is a lot of "telling" and not a lot of "showing", which for a graphic novel kind of defeats the point. It found it's feet around chapter 3, and i did thoroughly enjoy it after that. I admit at 27 I'm probably not the target market but lines such as "she's so woke", "more likes than a Kardashian" had me cringing.

conceptuallysound's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

citymouse's review

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3.5

I was expecting more of a fight at the end of this book but it was so short and finished without much pomp or circumstance. I’ll probably read the next volume though. 

saramarie08's review

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4.0

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Quin is a sophomore trying to stay out of trouble in New Orleans. After some of the horrific events of his life, including living through Hurricane Katrina ravage his city, Quin just wants to build the ultimate security system to keep his family safe from as many harms as he can think of. His crush is involved in community activism, and he becomes inspired to help his community. He’s also trying to dodge bullies, mostly so they don’t find out his secret - a meteor shower that ravaged the city after the hurricane gave Quin and many others super powers. Quin is indestructible, at least as far as he knows. A recent spike in crime has Quin working with the other enhanced heroes he’s only ever read about. Quin acts fast to save his neighborhood and his family from the evil machinations of a criminal mastermind.

Quin is a really sweet kid trying to do what's right by himself, his family, and his community. He's also still trying to figure out what he truly cares about and who he's willing to stick his neck out for. The ending of this volume was incredibly rushed. There was such a good amount of time spent building Quin and his interaction with his family, then the storyline wrapped up within three pages. There is definitely things left open for more volumes, so I'll be interested to see where Barnes takes Quin's adventures after this origin story.

This story is part of a larger event called Catalyst Prime from Oni Press. There are stories about some of the other enhanced heroes Quin works with, but reading all of those is not pivotal to understanding or enjoying this story.

Quincredible is rated for grades 7 and up, which seems appropriate. There is a little bit of violence when the bullies are going after Quin, but the rest of the story is just superhero violence, which includes them using their powers against the bad guys. There are some deeper themes of social justice, police violence against minorities, and the government's response for Katrina Victims that may fly over the heads of some disconnected readers.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-10

cupcakesandsmut's review

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5.0

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review. the thoughts and opinions are my own.
A great origin story. i absolutley loved this book.

painfulac's review

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hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5