Straight Forward Reviews : Fathom : Kiani # 1

Kiani has come back for a third chapter of stories. This time coming back to the surface world a changed person after the events of The Elite Saga.

Writer - Vince Hernandez

Artist - Giuseppe Cafaro

Publisher - Aspen

Review by Jeremias de Leon

Story

The story starts off in a way that seems like the right thing to do for introducing a new arc and re-introducing a character. It's a little cliché to have her run into normal people who happen to have a kid that thinks the protagonist is cool. But at the same time it makes sense for her being someone from below the waters and doesn't really hang out much on the surface before to be in a remote area and run into locals that would either be fishers or farmers. She can't just pop up from the ocean depths into the middle of a major urban population. It doesn't waste time with these locals either and when they are seen they do seem to do some good in humanizing her. If not that, at least grounding her.

The other part of the story focuses on people who want to obtain her for scientific purposes. Although there is action in this comic, most of it is focused on setting the stage for what's to come and not so much on super powers and fighting. In this issue it's all about knowing who the characters are and what they want so you can get invested in them first.

Art

The art in this is gorgeous. If the reader is someone who can't keep their attention on something unless an explosion happens the beautiful art should keep them occupied. Which is a good thing since you'll want to know everything that's said in this issue. The colorist Wes Hartman seemed to know exactly which hues to use on every page and it really makes Giuseppe's lines come alive. Just about every page has at least one panel that I wouldn't mind having a really big version of to hang on my wall.

Verdict

This comic has gorgeous art both lines and colors. It has a story that seems to be different than most other comics about super powered people. It could be said this comic is therapeutic in a way, just pick it up and relax with the beautiful art and get inside the extraordinary life of Kiani. I give Fathom : Kiani # 1 a 9 out of 10.

Straight Forward Reviews: Tales of The Family Ashe

Welcome to Straight Forward Reviews where we look at comic books and tell you as plainly as possible, if it's worth your time or not. This time we're looking at the other collection of one shots set in the Princeless universe. Tales of the family Ashe.

You can see a review on the other collection of one shot short stories: Girls Who Rock

Review by Jeremias de León

Story

Since these are a collection of shorts there's naturally more than one storyline here. The story of the first short is a comedic look at Adrienne's older sister Angelica and her adventures in trying to plan an event.

The other story gives a look at the past of king Ashe as a young man, perhaps even a teenager. It's not dark but I would have to say it's the most serious of the stories. This story seems to have the most to do with the plot too. Especially if you remember the beginning of one of the issues in volume 2 and a dream Adrienne had.

The final story has to do with Adrienne's other sister Angoisse and her encounters with a man who seems to swoon over her but you wonder if he actually cares or not. This one is a comedic story too but more serious than the first story.

The writing in each short is great, as always the dialog and character interactions are what stands out the most in Princeless. The stories add something to the understanding of the characters or the universe and in this case that's a really good thing since the characters these shorts focus on are integral to the plot.

Art

Like the previous set of shorts the art for each story is done by a different artist. I have to say it was a real treat seeing these art styles. The artist for the first story Adriana Blake did a great job of having things look like a funny cartoon. Cullen Gardepe on the second story has a fantastic take on serious art that has a nostalgic feel to it. Considering the story the art was for was a flashback in a way it definitely works. Finally Autumn Crossman in the last story has a great way with the line-art as the flowing hair and clothes of Angoisse and the few people she meet give a great stylized look for the story.

Verdict

Each story is captivating for the few pages they get to themselves. The art for each story is really well thought out having a different style that fit each story. Finally the star of the show the writing and dialog is top notch. This is definitely a must get I give it a 9.5 out 10.