Me and my fascination with female-led comic book tales. I've always been drawn to comics that have strong female leads. Wonder Woman. Birds of Prey. Batgirl. Supergirl. She-Hulk. Ms. Marvel (now Captain Marvel). Ms. Tree. Squirrel Girl. Power Girl. Huntress. Countless others. So, it should come as now surprise that when I saw the first IDW solicits for a new mini-series called
Amber Blake, I was going to give it a try. The fact that it has art by the magnificently talented Butch Guice, well that was simply icing on the cake. And the cover for that first issue, with that determined young woman, all in black, carrying that gun - that pretty much solidified the deal.
What I did not expect was that the comic is not your standard comic-size; rather, it is magazine size (which means larger comic panels inside, with greater detail and more story!). What I also did not expect was a story about a young girl abandoned by her mother at an orphanage who is then taken away to study at one of the world's most prestigious schools - only to learn that the school is a smoke-screen for a man who takes advantage of his position - - and his students!
It's part spy story, part mystery story, part adventure story, part self-discovery story, part romance story - but overall, it's one heck of a great story! I enjoyed every minute of every issue. I am thankful that the writer, Jade Lagardere, did not feel the need to drag Amber's "origin" out for 6 to 12 issues to fill trade paperbacks; instead, readers get a direct, less-than-one-issue origin tale that gives readers everything they need to know about Amber, about the school, about the villain she will be chasing throughout this four-issue series, and leaves plenty of mystery to be discovered along the way (the readers learn more about Amber's past as she does throughout the adventure).
As in real life, not everyone is who they seem to be in this series, and Lagardere manages to pull some really good punches in the last two issues, surprising even me with a couple of very good soap opera moments and reveals (and no, I'm not going to say what they are, as it will spoil your reading of the story). Suffice to say, it is definitely worth it for the story alone; however, the art by Butch Guice is absolutely magnificent. The man knows how to draw, that's for sure. Some amazingly detailed backgrounds, some beautifully rendered expressions, and some unbelievable movement from panel to panel. The only drawback (and it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the books too much) is the coloring. There are some panels, which are meant to be night time scenes, but they are colored with so much dark blue and black that it is difficult to tell what exactly is going on in the scene. But, I've seen some movies with the same problem, where the night scenes are so dark, it's impossible to see anything at all on the screen - so, as I said, it didn't take me out of the story, and I just kept going, because I HAD to know what was going to happen next!
This book has a very cinematic feel to it, and I sure hope Lagardere and Guice have plans for more future Amber Blake stories, because I would definitely get them!!
RATING: 10 unexpected returns from the dead out of 10 for a freaking great story, superb art, and a wonderfully satisfying read!
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