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alexis_sara's reviews
350 reviews
The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley by Melissa Marr, Jenn St-Onge
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Superwomen in Love! Honey Trap and Rapid Rabbit Vol. 2 by sometime
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
Superwomen in love is a blast of a good time, as someone who values comedy and action in their stories but wants them to be sapphic this is really a book that scratches both itches bound up in tropes of Japanese kids media. I am not a Kamen Rider girly but I still find everything to be fun in this series and I think the jokes for the most part land with the exception of one move by X in this chapter where she grabs Rabbit's boobs without consent which lasts 1 panel. It was totally unneeded and didn't add anything, it wasn't even like a fan service moment or anything just X being a creep, maybe informing the character more but still frustrating.
Outside of that though this is a very good time series, we have a more classic one side is very explicitly romantically in love while the other is oblivious or unable to speak her feelings dynamic. Luckily this lands on the end of this trope in which it is clear the other woman has feelings for the other but just doesn't have the words for it with clear signs of her love showing. Honey and Rabbit are both super cute and them getting good at fighting together and everything is a blast to watch.
The new villain Cool Down is really fun, her being a big yuri fan is great and I love the weridos that make up the main villain crew of this cast. Their all fun to watch interacting with both our heroes and with each other. I do love all the little dynamics that are at play and the way the world is handled. There was some interesting twists and I love that it is playing with it's concepts really fast out of the gate rather than letting them linger.
I recommend it to anyone who likes action in their lesbian content or who wants a light hearted read. Content warning there is kinda some implied incesty vibes with some of the new characters but it's like not totally clear what their deal is so idk your millage will vary depending on how you read the characters and stuff.
I Am Hexed Volume 1 by Kirsten Thompson
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wish I liked I am Hexed but I don't. This comic's is sadly deeply flawed and even outside of the flaws I am not sure if the story would have been for me. I Am Hexed doesn't feel complete in a first read which makes sense it isn't it has a ending for book one but this is clearly meant to be a longer term project so in part I feel like I am judging it early but also I don't think I'd buy book 2.
I'll start positive and say there is really amazing talent across the board on this project, everyone on the book is great. I think there is a lot of potential in the concept of this story and there is clearly passion and love in this story. Making comics is hard and I am glad they made a comic even if it wasn't for me.
Okay so I said the nice things and now I can say my criticisms. The game is deeply entrenched in politics but has no real execution on these politics. We don't get a gran shifting political plot it's a girl on the run plot with the under pining of Washington D.C. as the back drop. Witches are kinda every single marginalized group but also the X-men and also they have some level of authority but also people basically can just do a hate speech on TV. There is a lot of name dropping witches into every moment in every time or whatever but it makes witches feel far less clearly fleshed out when they are kinda a metaphor for just oppression but also their magic and also the enemy is also a witch and also the witch advocacy group is a little bit evil but also they maybe aren't? The politics seem fairly left of center, ala Democrat with slogans at protests like "We Are Not Radical, We Are Magical" and I simply can't imagine a group of real life activists proclaiming their lack of radicalness post the shooting of a member of their group. They do these cut aways to fox news being bigoted and protests but these don't appear to be things the characters in the plot give a shit about at all. It is kinda like reading a book about queer people being hunted by queer people but because they were trying to stop oppression of queer people but randomly we cut into either homophobic debates or pro queer protests but it never figures into the actual plot. I think this is just a situation in which a lot was happening in the world when this was being written and as a writer myself I know there is a desire to comment on all of that so there was commenting on this stuff while also it just kinda doesn't interact with the plot at all.
I have no idea what Jaya's deal is, who she is as a person, what she wants, she is just Charlie's hot ex girlfriend who she seems to kinda get back with. Which I mean, I am all for cool magical hot ex girlfriends who the protagonist gets back with but I thought there would be more to her. She says early on that Charlie could work for her side of the circle, that isn't really explained because Jaya is not at all involved with "The Circle" the organization that Charlie's mom is the head of she doesn't know about Circle training or anything. I thought maybe Jaya was a more radical witch like an anarchist, a communist or something further to the left than Charlie's interacting with the system on it's level and believing in the Senator she worked for's ability to change the system from inside of it. Maybe they broke up because ideological differences or something but it's just confusing especially when something in the book is literally called The Circle. Also Jaya seems be pretty well off but how does she have money, we don't know, maybe she is a criminal master mind, I have no idea because the plot doesn't really get into it. I kinda get her ex boyfriends deal he's a lawyer, it's pretty clear on the tin what he is like, that he is a messy dude but ultimately a good one who cares about Charlie. Jaya I don't even have an idea for occupation other than she was or is in a coven which we don't really get to interact with much either.
I think this story boils down to an issue of too many ideas and not enough pages for those ideas and the way it was created gave it some wide gaps in time between issues to have a lot of things to say between issues for a small single issue of story to tell and still end up with an ending that like clears. Outside of that I found the shift in art a bit jarring, I like art style changes from time to time but typically I like a tonal reason for it to happen or a for it to happen between volumes or something but in the same flow of the story without a breath feels very jarring in the collected issues. I am aware this happens in comics regularly but it's been so long since I read like a story that was sold in single issues I still did find it a bit strange. I also think tone wise it feels a bit weird because this is written like it's for teens but also it's clearly made for adults. Like no teen is gonna care about the politics in Washigton D.C. especially a what now Gen Alpha kid. It really feels at home with a Millennial audience but it also kinda feels like it wants to be YA or New Adult or something when I think maybe it would have been better served aiming at just a firm adult audience.
Ultimately, it didn't work for me, I wish it did, I think the story does have a cast of characters who I would like to like, it has ideas I would like to engage with, it has concepts that are interesting but it sadly just misses the mark.
I'll start positive and say there is really amazing talent across the board on this project, everyone on the book is great. I think there is a lot of potential in the concept of this story and there is clearly passion and love in this story. Making comics is hard and I am glad they made a comic even if it wasn't for me.
Okay so I said the nice things and now I can say my criticisms. The game is deeply entrenched in politics but has no real execution on these politics. We don't get a gran shifting political plot it's a girl on the run plot with the under pining of Washington D.C. as the back drop. Witches are kinda every single marginalized group but also the X-men and also they have some level of authority but also people basically can just do a hate speech on TV. There is a lot of name dropping witches into every moment in every time or whatever but it makes witches feel far less clearly fleshed out when they are kinda a metaphor for just oppression but also their magic and also the enemy is also a witch and also the witch advocacy group is a little bit evil but also they maybe aren't? The politics seem fairly left of center, ala Democrat with slogans at protests like "We Are Not Radical, We Are Magical" and I simply can't imagine a group of real life activists proclaiming their lack of radicalness post the shooting of a member of their group. They do these cut aways to fox news being bigoted and protests but these don't appear to be things the characters in the plot give a shit about at all. It is kinda like reading a book about queer people being hunted by queer people but because they were trying to stop oppression of queer people but randomly we cut into either homophobic debates or pro queer protests but it never figures into the actual plot. I think this is just a situation in which a lot was happening in the world when this was being written and as a writer myself I know there is a desire to comment on all of that so there was commenting on this stuff while also it just kinda doesn't interact with the plot at all.
I have no idea what Jaya's deal is, who she is as a person, what she wants, she is just Charlie's hot ex girlfriend who she seems to kinda get back with. Which I mean, I am all for cool magical hot ex girlfriends who the protagonist gets back with but I thought there would be more to her. She says early on that Charlie could work for her side of the circle, that isn't really explained because Jaya is not at all involved with "The Circle" the organization that Charlie's mom is the head of she doesn't know about Circle training or anything. I thought maybe Jaya was a more radical witch like an anarchist, a communist or something further to the left than Charlie's interacting with the system on it's level and believing in the Senator she worked for's ability to change the system from inside of it. Maybe they broke up because ideological differences or something but it's just confusing especially when something in the book is literally called The Circle. Also Jaya seems be pretty well off but how does she have money, we don't know, maybe she is a criminal master mind, I have no idea because the plot doesn't really get into it. I kinda get her ex boyfriends deal he's a lawyer, it's pretty clear on the tin what he is like, that he is a messy dude but ultimately a good one who cares about Charlie. Jaya I don't even have an idea for occupation other than she was or is in a coven which we don't really get to interact with much either.
I think this story boils down to an issue of too many ideas and not enough pages for those ideas and the way it was created gave it some wide gaps in time between issues to have a lot of things to say between issues for a small single issue of story to tell and still end up with an ending that like clears. Outside of that I found the shift in art a bit jarring, I like art style changes from time to time but typically I like a tonal reason for it to happen or a for it to happen between volumes or something but in the same flow of the story without a breath feels very jarring in the collected issues. I am aware this happens in comics regularly but it's been so long since I read like a story that was sold in single issues I still did find it a bit strange. I also think tone wise it feels a bit weird because this is written like it's for teens but also it's clearly made for adults. Like no teen is gonna care about the politics in Washigton D.C. especially a what now Gen Alpha kid. It really feels at home with a Millennial audience but it also kinda feels like it wants to be YA or New Adult or something when I think maybe it would have been better served aiming at just a firm adult audience.
Ultimately, it didn't work for me, I wish it did, I think the story does have a cast of characters who I would like to like, it has ideas I would like to engage with, it has concepts that are interesting but it sadly just misses the mark.
Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Grand Slam Romance is a really fun time, I am not at all a sports girly and even less so a fan of baseball or softball but this story was a total blast to read with lots of lesbians having sex, being messy as shit and tons of great goofs. Astra Maxima is one of my favorite characters in any medium that I read in 2024 being a really fun and messy character who has a lot of solid funny scenes. The comic does a good job of keeping a light tone while also keeping you invested in these characters and their feelings for each other. At first it's hard to read Astra but getting to know her feelings near the end really feels like a nice pay off, everyone is fun and it's just a simple good time.
It does feel like the story didn't totally wrap everything up intentionally for a second book to exist but I want to read that second book, I think there MIckey and Astra end up is great and I adored seeing all the different kinds of sapphics represented from our He/hims to our non binary lesbians to femmy lesbian fuck boys we really had it all here. The character designs are top of the line and the pair of Ollie and Emma really work amazingly together. It's the kind of comic project you can tell the creators love each other and that love shows up in the world, a beautiful dance of collaboration that any artist who has got to work with someone they love will see the fruits of.
I bought this book on a whim and I for sure do not regret picking up the hard cover. It's a really great time and one I think other people should check out too. I look forward to the future book and seeing how the follow up to this works.
It does feel like the story didn't totally wrap everything up intentionally for a second book to exist but I want to read that second book, I think there MIckey and Astra end up is great and I adored seeing all the different kinds of sapphics represented from our He/hims to our non binary lesbians to femmy lesbian fuck boys we really had it all here. The character designs are top of the line and the pair of Ollie and Emma really work amazingly together. It's the kind of comic project you can tell the creators love each other and that love shows up in the world, a beautiful dance of collaboration that any artist who has got to work with someone they love will see the fruits of.
I bought this book on a whim and I for sure do not regret picking up the hard cover. It's a really great time and one I think other people should check out too. I look forward to the future book and seeing how the follow up to this works.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content