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Shadoweyes, Volume One (2010)

by Ross Campbell(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1593621892 (ISBN13: 9781593621896)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

SLG Publishing

series

Shadoweyes

review 1: I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not a big reader of graphic novels. In fact, this is probably the first comic type book I've read in about two decades.That said, I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the quality of the storyline here. The protagonist, Scout Montana, lives in a futuristic dystopian society where crime runs rampant and justice is not often quick to be dispensed. In this world, Scout does everything in her power to help the downtrodden. It's after just one of these attempts that she begins to transform into a super-human creature, possibly as a result of an injury she sustained trying to defend a helpless victim against violence in her city.Okay, cool. She's a big blue (undeniably cute) creature who can now fight crime even more easily. Wha... moret's more, there comes a time when she's unable to change back.Sounds cool, right? The only problem is everything seems really half-assed. Again, this might just be the limited scope of a graphic novel, where pictures are supposed to have a larger impact than words. The problem is that most of these pictures don't. That's not to say they aren't lovely pictures. I actually really enjoyed the artwork in Shadoweyes (even when it left me wondering exactly what the crap was going on from time to time). It's just that there are so many themes that get touched upon too briefly to really leave an impact on the reader/viewer.We've got Scout's friend, who we discover is a transgender woman (meaning, born in a male body but presenting as female). We've got Scout even touching on her own identity when she speculates that maybe her blue form is her true self.But these are fleeting moments throughout a graphic novel that really seems a bit ludicrous. You can make something seem realistic, even in a fantasy setting. Or you can make characters' reactions to certain things feel forced and illogical. Unfortunately, there's a lot more of the latter going on here than any of the former.
review 2: Scout Montana is a vigilante in the making even before she gets hit in the head with a brick and consequently develops the ability to transform in a pointy blue creature. Needless to say, she takes this as a Sign that she was meant to be a superhero. But when she loses the ability to change back to her human self, she begins to realize that there are some things she's taken for granted.I really liked the diversity of the cast in this story--there are characters of color, GLBT characters, people with a variety of different and realistic body shapes. And I like what Campbell is doing with some superhero tropes. Scout has powers, but she's also a homeless kid who wants to go home; the bit where Sparkle wants to know her origin story had me cracking up. I wish the art was just a little more skillful; the character faces are not as expressive as I would like. At one point, Kyisha asks Scout if she ever changes her expression...but that's sort of what I was thinking about Kyisha! I enjoyed reading this, but I will need some persuading before I think it's great rather than good. less

Download links for: Shadoweyes, Volume One

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