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A review by thebooklender
Faith Vol. 1: Hollywood & Vine TPB by Dave Sharpe, Pete Pantazis, Michael Spicer, Marguerite Sauvage, Francis Portela, Andrew Dalhouse, Jody Houser, Stephanie Hans, Joe Quiñones
4.0
Faith Herbert, also known as Zephyr (sometimes also known as Summer Smith) is a superhero in the Valiant universe. She's not a new character - she's been around since the early 1990s - but has just (well, about a year ago) gone solo in her own series. Here's the blurb from the first issue of Faith:
So Faith has moved to Los Angeles to start anew. She creates an alter-ego for herself (Summer Smith) and gets a job creating listicles and quizzes for Zipline (a thinly disguised Buzzfeed parody). Some evil force is kidnapping potential psiots, and it's up to Faith and her sidekicks (Archer - an archer, and @x - a hacker) to find out who and stop them. That's pretty much it, as far as the plot goes - enjoyable enough, but nothing to stretch the imagination too much.
However, where this title really shines is with Faith herself. She is a great character - a likeable, engaging, capable, optimistic, nerdy badass fangirl (her Summer Smith pseudonym comes from her love for Buffy and Dr Who). And did I mention that Faith is a fat person? Neither does the book. It is really refreshing to see a fat female superhero not apologising or worrying over her weight. There are no rude jokes, no teasing. Faith is fat, but is not defined by this.
From "Comic Love: Having FAITH" by Jessica Boyd, Feb 2016. comicosity.com
There have been several interesting articles in the mainstream media about Faith's fatness, including NPR, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. And while I'm dishing out links, here's an interview with Faith author ,a href="http://www.themarysue.com/interview-jody-houser-faith/">Jody Houser.
I like Faith, and I look forward to reading more of her adventures - a new series of Faith comics is underway (issue 9 will be coming in March).
When a car accident left her orphaned, Faith Herbert was raised by her loving grandmother and found comfort in comic books, science fiction movies, and other fantastic tales of superheroes. In her teens she would discover her fantasies were reality when it was revealed she was a psiot – a human being born with incredible abilities. Imbued with a telekinetic ability to fly and a companion field that allows her to physically move objects, Faith joined a group of fellow psiots called the Renegades to stand against the forces of evil. She’s since left her Renegade family behind to take on the world’s challenges on her own. She may have a lot to learn about the superhero game, but if there’s one thing she’s always had, it’s... Faith.
So Faith has moved to Los Angeles to start anew. She creates an alter-ego for herself (Summer Smith) and gets a job creating listicles and quizzes for Zipline (a thinly disguised Buzzfeed parody). Some evil force is kidnapping potential psiots, and it's up to Faith and her sidekicks (Archer - an archer, and @x - a hacker) to find out who and stop them. That's pretty much it, as far as the plot goes - enjoyable enough, but nothing to stretch the imagination too much.
However, where this title really shines is with Faith herself. She is a great character - a likeable, engaging, capable, optimistic, nerdy badass fangirl (her Summer Smith pseudonym comes from her love for Buffy and Dr Who). And did I mention that Faith is a fat person? Neither does the book. It is really refreshing to see a fat female superhero not apologising or worrying over her weight. There are no rude jokes, no teasing. Faith is fat, but is not defined by this.
Weight and body type are not Faith’s story.
・Being young and dealing with the unexpected
・Dealing with loss
・Finding a guy who seems like the perfect dream, but then isn’t willing to compromise for fame
・Loving comics and science fiction
・Wanting to help others and save the people who can be saved, as the hero Zephyr
These are the elements that make-up Faith’s story.
From "Comic Love: Having FAITH" by Jessica Boyd, Feb 2016. comicosity.com
There have been several interesting articles in the mainstream media about Faith's fatness, including NPR, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. And while I'm dishing out links, here's an interview with Faith author ,a href="http://www.themarysue.com/interview-jody-houser-faith/">Jody Houser.
I like Faith, and I look forward to reading more of her adventures - a new series of Faith comics is underway (issue 9 will be coming in March).