A review by katharine_opal
Crowded, Vol. 1 by Christopher Sebela

5.0

After five billion years of this sitting on my TBR shelf, I finally read it, and now I'm smacking myself that I didn't read it sooner!

Shortly in the future, the job economy has devolved into gig apps, one of which is the crowdfunded assassination app, Reapr. Charlie Ellison, a social butterfly and a gig working queen, wakes up to discover she has a Tolar bounty on her head. In order to try and survive, she hires Vita, a bodyguard with a 1.4 star rating on the app Dfend. Insanity ensues. I really enjoyed the action of this comic, and the action is so wild it's nigh unbelievable. I also love the mystery slowly brewing behind both Charlie and Vita. Why does Charlie have a million-dollar bounty opened on her? What's going on with Vita's past? What is Charlie not telling Vita about how she could have gotten a bounty dumped on her head? It appears a lot of people don't like Charlie, but I honestly do. She's got the persona of being just a vapid party girl, but it's very clear this girl has an "always be hustling" mindset and is most likely much smarter than she lets on. To be able to flow and gain people's trust and become their "bestie" so fast is a skill not many have. There are also side characters that have, as of this volume, completely mysterious origins! I'm totally going to get my hands on the second volume when I can!