A Huge Leap of Faith
Opening remarks:
This is the first review I've done in months as I've not been able to keep up with comics so please bear with me. :-( This was one of those titles I knew absolutely nothing about when I saw it at a lcs, but I saw who the author was and immediately, and perhaps foolishly, took the plunge. Joe Hill, author of Locke & Key, my hands down favorite comic series, also wrote this series, so I had high hopes and enough trust in him to pick up the first two issues.
Plot summary:
We cross paths with the series’ main character, Mallory Greenan, just as she’s come home from serving time in Iraq. Her father died before she came back home and she experiences a little regret over not having seen him before he passed. They share the common thread of military service, but while he served honorably, her actions, to put it lightly, left a little to be desired. This story draws upon some of the infamous atrocities done by U.S. troops at the Abu Ghraib prison so this gives you a little idea of the kind of unsavory acts she committed. We follow her in her daily now civilian routine and it’s pretty run of the mill, until she finds fingerprints in her mailbox that she recognizes from her time in the service (cue the series title).
Art:
The art is okay, but there’s nothing that really stands out about it It’s a little plain if you’re used to superhero stuff, but it definitely works with the feel of the book. The colors used during time periods that take place during the daytime and contrast well with interior and nighttime scenes. As you all know, I don’t have an eye for art but it has a watercolor kind of look to it.
Final verdict:
I was surprised by the seriousness and gravity of Mallory’s past in this issue as well with how quickly it is revealed-almost literally at the very beginning of the book. I’m not big on books that deal with wartime, and that, coupled with the freshness of what happened at the Abu Ghraib prison, was almost enough to turn me off of this book. That being said, it does a good job of solidly orienting the reader and setting up the plot and brings up some interesting questions that’ll hopefully be answered such as: Who sent her the fingerprints? Why? Will she remember where she’s seen them? Will the issue of individuality, anonymity, and personal responsibility be explored? Only time will tell. Final rating: 3/5