Cover Image: Fantomah Volume 01 Up From The Deep

Fantomah Volume 01 Up From The Deep

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

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So this was not at all what I was expecting. Paz is a young woman that has been helping to raise her younger sisters after their mother died. The father is a detective and is always busy, so she is basically doing this by herself. The story kicks off after some young children start to go missing. While her dad is trying to figure out what is going on, Paz becomes possessed by a spirit that uses her to go after the people involved in the disappearances.

The story has slow build, which worked pretty well. Especially because early on it isn't clear what is going on with Paz. She is just as confused as what is happening as the reader. I liked seeing her growth over the course of the book. A lot of the characters aren't extremely well developed though. Normally that would bother me more, but I liked Paz so much that I think she lifted up the book in areas where it would otherwise fall short. The art is the real winner of this book though. Some of the images are just amazing. It has just the right amount of creepiness to it.

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It was an interesting concept, but honestly this first volume just felt way too rushed. I would have preferred it if it had been either longer and more fleshed out, or if the story hadn’t kind of wrapped up so quickly... Still, the art was beautiful and I will certainly look out for the next volume!

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Female lead ✓
Female lead that's a person of color ✓
Not Romance ✓

*Slight spoilers ahead* This graphic novel has everything I like in my story, a strong female lead that is a person of color who has an identity that isn't romantic. However, Paz doesn't really have her own identity either. She is just a vessel being used. Paz as a character just wants to find her sisters, everything revolves around her sisters. Here is what we learn about Paz. She is an older sister, she used to date a gang banger, and she is hardworking. She never undergoes a character arch or anything. She just gets possessed and along for the ride. The story isn't bad and the plot does progress well. The artwork isn't the greatest though.

.I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

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The cover of this book is eye catching and what first drew me in, then the premise for the story gave me the final push. I love mythology and lore of all kinds, however, felt this was slow in some places and needed padding out. However, I hope things will improve in further volumes.

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This is a really interesting ghost story about Paz hunting those who kidnapped her sisters. She's a great character. I'd like to see more of her story!

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I love Ray Fawkes' Underwinter - gorgeous, oblique horror, not like anything else I've read. But this is a fairly bog-standard supernatural avenger vs Mexican gang yarn. I believe there's some connection to an old pulp character, but I couldn't tell you more because on the Netgalley ARC - and I really hope only there - the introduction, blurb &c all relate to a different comic entirely. Smooth.

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La Fantomah is beautifully drawn and has a great concept but, I found it to be rushed, too short to fully flesh out the characters and develop a better-paced storyline. I enjoyed the inclusion of Latinx legend and generally had fun reading the story.

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I really enjoyed Vol. 1 of Fantomah. It wasn't the best graphic novel I've ever read, but it was a really promising start to the series. I thought the new take on the La Llorna myth was refreshing and interesting. The whole graphic novel was very captivating and I'll definitely be keeping up with the series.

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I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley/Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review.

Like many others I'm sure, the first thing that drew me to this comic was the cover. I've never previously heard of La Fantomah before so wasn't sure what to expect and I do feel the characterisation could be improved upon, as there were times it felt I had missed a page that would have developed the character more, particularly with the execution of the supernatural/paranormal elements.

The illustrations definitely appealed to me though I agree with other reviewers who've mentioned that the character design could have been better in order to distinguish characters as it ended up looking sort of same-y. This I think ties in with the criticism of characters could have been better developed within the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the idea, though found myself losing interest as the story went on. I didn't hate it, but it didn't impress me much either,

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First of all cover is gorgeous. I really enjoyed reading it. But i really want to read more of La Fantomah's past. I really like to read more of her story.

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'Fantomah Vol. 1: Up From The Deep' by Ray Fawkes with art by Soo Lee and Meaghan Carter is about a supernatural hero that seeks vengeance.

Fantomah is a character that dates back to the middle of the last century. She is a sort of ghost girl that fights crime. This time around Fantomah is connected to Paz Gallegos who is trying to care for her two younger sisters. When they go missing, and a local gang might be behind it, she confronts them. When Paz is thrown off a bridge and left for dead, it unleashes something inside her that thirsts for vengeance for the missing children and some dead ones too. Paz will face some evil on her way to find her sisters.

I'm vaguely familiar with the character and she's shown up more recently in other comics. I was drawn to this title by the cover, and all the covers are fairly striking. The internal art is not as good, and the plotting feels a little confusing in places. Maybe this will even out in later issues.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

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Unfortunately, I missed the archive date and will be unable to review this graphic novel. It has a beautiful cover.

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When reading any kind of comic, I value the quality of the artwork above all, and... there's unfortunately a great discrepancy between the beautiful cover image and the art style on the pages. From what I can gather, Fantomah is a reboot of a classic comic franchize, which I'm not familiar with, but it hardly brings anything inventive or at least new to the landscape of comics. There are so many references to La Llorona, but the chance to work with that myth is never seized. The plot is, to be cancid, not noteworthy, so I'm giving this one a vague shrug and moving on.

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**Disclaimer: I received a copy of this volume on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Fantomah was a comic I went into with no knowledge of the history of the title character. The cover art and premise art intrigued me. When I read the foreword and introduction, I had to double check what volume I was reading, since both reference work on revitalizing a Canadian comic book hero, Free Lance/Lance Valiant. It was until after I finished the volume and a quick google search that I realized the connection was because this volume was bringing back and modernizing another comic hero that was left behind.
In this rendition of Fantomah, the title character is no longer in the jungle, but the modern equivalent: the city. As part of the modern rework, her mythos is tied to or La Llorona, as her powers don’t fully manifest until after she is thrown over a bridge, in a river and drowns while searching for her little sisters. This tie to the legend of La Llorona is so overriding that it almost seems less like a rework and more like a new character. The only aspects of the character that connects this Fantomah with the one of the past is her flaming blue skeletal form and mysterious origin of powers.
As a new start, the story arc was intriguing but nothing was particularly evoking. It read like a set up story and ended up a bit forgettable. There was nothing in the story that makes me want to pick up the next volume. There are a few places where an extra panel could help with the pacing, which moved too fast in some places of the story. Other times, it seems the lack of an extra panel is intentional to keep things a mystery. In some of these cases, it hurt the story more than helped. It left little room to connect with the title character and her story, particularly as many of the reactions are glazed over or treated with indifference.
For example, when Paz’s father discovers that she is La Fantomah. He doesn’t seem particularly surprised by the development or startled. THe brushes over it quickly, which can be attributed to concern for his daughters and the consequences of his actions immediately prior. However, at the end when he could have more room to breathe there is again nothing. The brief explanation for his lack of surprise is instead delivered by the villain, who says that her powers could potentially run in the family, which still leaves a few questions, none of which get posed by Paz to her father. Could it be a connection through her father’s family or her unnamed mother? It’s a mystery that doesn’t look like it will be solved in future issues as Paz leaves her family behind.
Overall, it was an interesting read but nothing that makes me want to add it to my pull box at my local comic book store. I am intrigued and hopeful enough to give the next volume a shot, but if the story and characters don’t develop, I won’t be giving it another chance.

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Interesting story concept. I may continue with the series to see if it becomes even more interesting as it progresses.

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Not sure why this isn't called La Llorona as it's a superhero version of the Weeping Woman lore popular in Latin America. It seems only to be called Fantomah to capitalize on the Fantomah in Jungle Comics name that only comic historians would know. I'm not sure how this ties in with the other Chapterhouse books as it takes place in Latin America instead of Canada.

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I like that the main character fights back and defends herself, but I did not enjoy the story as much as I thought. The artwork is really well done though.

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La Fantomah could have been a really great graphic novel. The concept was great, but unfortunately, the execution felt really rushed. Disappearing children and a vengeful spectre has a lot of potential, but the genesis of La Fantomah, and the entire plot with the antagonist was over in seconds and really needed a lot more development. The art style was fine, but most of the characters ended up looking exactly the same, so it really made it difficult to engage with the story. There was so much that wasn't discussed or explored that I found it a somewhat disappointing read.

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Thank you NetGalley and Chapterhouse for providing me with a free e-arc to read for an honest review. This was a Read Now option on NetGalley (it has since been archived), and I was drawn in by the awesome cover and intriguing synopsis.
This comic was super quick, and it had a nice set-up for future stories.
I really enjoyed the coloring of Fantomah, and especially enjoyed the art style of the actual character of Fantomah. She was pretty creepy to look at. The rest of the character art was just okay. It seemed to be put together kind of quick. Almost a rushed drawing style.
The story was all right. It zipped right along. It could have been more fun if it had been a little longer, a little more developed.
I was also a little confused by the introduction to the comic, before the Fantomah comic even started. It was talking about this Canadian Super Hero, who I had no idea who he was. I'd never heard of him. So, I thought the comic was going to be about him, but it wasn't. There was also a lot of Canada patting itself on the back for this wonderful super hero they'd created. Honestly, the introduction kind of put me off a little. And then it was confusing because those characters never showed up or were mentioned in Fantomah. Maybe it was just a mistake in my review copy, but it didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Fantomah was an enjoyable enough read. It was very quick, kind of interesting. I enjoyed aspects of the art style. If you're unaware of what Fantomah is based on, I think you could go into this blind and be okay. That's what I did and I still enjoyed it.
Thanks again NetGalley and Chapterhouse for letting me review it.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.3/5
Not Bad.

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