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.

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 This was a Read Now option on NetGalley (it has since been archived), and I was drawn in by the awesome cover and intriguing synopsis.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.

I enjoyed this, even if at times it felt quite rushed. I was like pieces of the story were missing. But anyway this was nice, I didn't like the art at the beginning but it grew on me.

I just couldn't get into this one. I really tried but I guess it just isn't for me

An interesting spin on La Llorona as an avenging spirit for children trafficking. The images of Fantomah & cover art are great.

*Digital review copy provided by NetGalley & the publisher.

This first volume of Fantomah introduces 24-year-old Paz Gallegos. Paz's family is what you might call broken: with a father who is constantly away at work, Paz has taken on a maternal role for her younger twin sisters. Everything is turned on its head when one day, her sisters go missing after school. Paz is suddenly thrown into a dark world of gangsters, trafficking, and... the supernatural. To be honest, I struggled with this graphic novel. It's only 112 pages, and yet it took me over a week to finish it. I had a hard time following the plot, and being invested in the characters.


So the story follows a woman named Paz. Paz is Hispanic, and lives in a lower-class Hispanic community that is troubled by gangsters and lots of crime. Her sisters are kidnapped after school, and she immediately knows who might be responsible. The plot was pretty clear to me up to this point. The gangsters Paz confronts... kill her? Honestly I'm not really sure if she died or not, but whatever happens, she wakes up with super-powers and an alter-ego of... La Fantomah.


The concept of La Fantomah is yet another thing I'm unclear on. After some quick Googling, I found out that Fantomah was originally the first female superhero in the entire history of comic books. But I quickly realized that the Fantomah of 
Fawkes's story is only loosely based on the original. I'm assuming that there is also some Hispanic folklore involved? But that was also not made clear..



Despite my confusions about the origins, I did like the idea of Fantomah in this graphic novel – a terrifying ghost/superhero that avenges/protects/saves children.
 Paz starts hearing the prayers of desperate parents, wanting to find their children. And somehow... that makes her transform into Fantomah? Her ability to access her powers was also poorly explained – it seemed she was Fantomah, and then wasn't.
 

From here out, the plot got pretty repetitive. Fantomah saves children, kills gangsters, saves children, kills gangsters... you get the idea. She gradually gets closer to her goal of finding her sisters, but the events between point A and B weren't really memorable. By the time I got to the end, I was just glad it was over.


Another major problem I had was the character building – it is virtually nonexistent. There wasn't really much to make me care whether or not Paz succeeded, nothing to make me feel like cheering her on. Artistically speaking, I think the character designs needed work – many of the side characters I couldn't tell apart from one another. Although, of all the characters, Fantomah had a spectacular design, (a vast improvement from the 1940s version).



Overall, I think the idea of Fantomah as a guardian and avenger of humanity's most powerless – children – is a strong concept. But it was poorly executed. I wanted more explanation behind Paz's transformation and Fantomah's abilities. The characters were sorely underdeveloped, and the plot was repetitive and much of it does not stand out. Because of all this, I settled with a two star rating.

The cover art is so gorgeous, and much of the internal art (particularly the brightly-coloured, double-exposure skull-face of La Fantomah) is lovely too. Shame about the story, though - it was confusing and dull. I'd still read the next in the series, though, just in the hope that this was just teething pains and the next story is better. Three stars for the artwork, no stars for the story.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The main issue I had with this comic was the format in which it was provided and the difficulties I had reading it; the pages would jump back and forth by up to 50 pages and it looked like various frames were cut off. Just prior to reading this comic I read another one and a collection of poetry in the same file type and with the same program and encountered no problems at all.
This plus the fact that the story is meant to begin by explaining very little and slowly unfolds towards the end (as I was able to discover from other reviews) made this reading experience very frustrating and lacked anything that could be considered flow of narration.
The graphics were good enough, but I was so preoccupied with trying to stay on the current page and figuring out if I had missed any frames that I could not fully appreciate the artistic talent on display.
Overall, it is a shame that the format did not work for the story, because I was really interested in reading it. I can’t honestly say if I would recommend it or give it a pass and my rating is reflecting the reading experience as a whole and obviously is not solely reflecting the author’s/artist’s work.

Up From The Deep is an average start to a comic series with a not-so-surprising story line backed by impressive illustrations.


The story is loosely inspired from Fantomah—one of the first female superhero who was introduced in the Jungle Comics—and is intertwined with the Mexican legend of a ghost called La Llorana. And if you couldn't have already guessed, the main character is famous in this series by the name of La Fantomah. The story revolves around Paz, a strong female who keeps an unemotional facade, when one day her younger twin sisters go missing. She finds herself frustratingly sad, helpless, and disappointed. Things go worse when she starts hearing prayers of those who are in trouble. 

The start was strong but it failed to interest me throughout. Two-thirds had me hooked to see where this La Fantomah would head to or how this would narrow down to her story, but the other two-thirds not only bored me but also failed to develop any of the characters I could've cared for. There were predictable plot-twists that annoyed me in the end because literally, nothing came by as a surprise. While there are gangs and ghosts and criminals and murders, there isn't much action. In fact, there wasn't a good enough use of onomatopoeia either, according to me. A few scenes could've been elaborated with cool graphics and sound effects but there's only so much I can ask for. 

Even the characters are developed much. The supporting ones are a far-fetched option when the main character, Paz, isn't developed herself. Nothing about her story or how she came about to be whatever she was isn't hinted at. The paranormal aspect wasn't worked upon, either. It's just there and apparently, there's nothing that the reader should wonder—at least an indication as to how it all came about to be would've been appreciated. Though, this is only the first volume in a series so I'm relying on the subsequent comics to get my answers about her. 

While the story was okay, the illustrations were fairly good. The sketch style was different from the type I usually lean on, with the grunge colors and hard strokes, but I liked it. Some might think of the style as rough and not polished but given the setting this was aiming for, it worked—dark hues and bold scribbles. Overall, I definitely liked it but it could have been better in terms of the ideas and writing.

Fantomah was one of those comics that I requested just because I immediately fell in love with its beautiful/creepy cover.

I haven't heard about this character before, but apparently her  first appearance dates from the 1940s. She was one of the first comic book super-heroines. In this volume, the authors reimagine Fantomah and take her from being the "mystery woman of the jungle" to a latina girl possessed by a spirit that reminisces the popular legend of "La Llorona" (The Weeping Woman).

For those of you who aren't familiar with La Llorona, she's the restless spirit of a woman who murdered her children and now is condemned to walk the earth, repenting from her cirme, while crying and moaning for her kids. In this story, Fantomah is trying to save the kidnapped children of her town, using her superpowers to confront latino gang members.

While the premise might sound very interesting, the development of the story wasn't so great. At times, the story didn't feel cohesive, and I kept wondering if maybe I had skipped a page or hadn't understood something. I really wanted to like it, especially because I love ghosts and I'm latina, but sadly the only thing I can say about this story is that it was ok, quite average tbh.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Up From The Deep (Fantomah, #1) . Being a fan of graphic novels, this one was so different but in the best way. I had never heard of the weeping woman before reading this. Paz is a young girl who ends up running late to pick up her twin sisters from school, The twins end up going missing. Paz develops the ability to become La Fantomah when she hears the cries of children. While La Fantomah is a different kind of hero, this graphic novel is incredible and the artwork is also cool as well. A great, quick graphic novel to read!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. However, I can only access ARCs on NetGalley using my kindle.

This is really good! I love the art and the story line, it feels like watching the movie and it flows really well. I also love that Fantomah is based on La Llorona, she's one of my favorites and I never see her in literature! I just wish there's more explanation on how the Fantomah come to be, but overall, it's a solid opening!

Canada has a rich history of comics that seems to have been forgotten. In comes Chapterhouse who reboots Captain Canuck, shortly followed by Northguard. Then they take World War II comic hero Freelance and give him a modern look. Fantomah, however, is not Canadian, but she is the world’s first female superhero–predating Wonder Woman. Fantomah Vol. 1: Up From the Deep sees Chapterhouse’s modernization of that forgotten character.

Paz is a 24-year-old woman who has been holding her family together for years, taking care of her younger sisters while their absentee father works–until one day they disappear. She dives into the gang world to try to find her sisters, all while struggling with the sudden changes of becoming Fantomah.

Fantomah Vol. 1 is Chapterhouse’s first horror series, and its written by Ray Fawkes–one of comic’s best horror writers in my opinion. What makes this really scary isn’t that there’s a phantom haunting everyone; it’s that Paz is the phantom and her sisters have been kidnapped. The fear of losing her family and not understanding what’s happening to her is way scarier than any Hollywood monster. Fawkes has planted this in reality and twisted it just enough to be something we’ve never seen before while still being recognizable.

The art in Fantomah Vol. 1 is beautiful and haunting, like the character herself. My favorite pages are the full-page splashes. They’re dramatic and command your attention. Soo Lee does a great job showing characters’ expressions, and uses a simple and easy to follow panel layout. Meaghan Carter’s colours are fantastic. The use of purples and blues successfully sets up a dark and brooding atmosphere, and they make Fantomah look absolutely haunting!

The Verdict:
Buy it. Do you want a strong female character? How about a great horror series with gangs, ghosts, and conspiracies? Then you need to read Fantomah Vol. 1. I can’t wait to read the next volume.

Fantomah Vol. 1 will be available in stores Wednesday, January 31, 2018.

Lately, I have gotten the hang of comics and graphic novels. I have always read the occasional graphic novel, usually something Sherlock Holmes themed, but I'd like to get into more genres and Fantomah seemed like a good opportunity to get into comics, as it has a badass female protagonist and supernatural elements.

Story:

The story starts quite promising, but by the end, it had somehow lost its grip on me. The comic is quick-pacing, however, this does not allow for insights into the characters, especially Paz. We know only a few things about her and her background (although she seems to like to keep to herself, so this is not necessarily the fault of the story). I hope the next issues will draw upon her character in more detail, to understand her motivations and actions. 

Moreover, while the general idea behind the story sounds thrilling, there is a lack of surprising plot twists, in my opinion. Yes, some actions did not go into the direction I thought it would, but there are still some stereotypes included that made it not entirely unique and original.

Characters: 

I really like the protagonist, Paz. She is such a strong, female character and is determined to fight for her younger siblings. Her family is more important to her than anything else and she is desperate to do anything it takes to keep them safe - even if that means leaving corpses on the way. It's good to see an independent, strong young Latina fighting her way through the story and kicking some a**es on the way. 

Her father seems to have some secrets he has not let his daughter in on and now it might be too late for that. He has a lot of potential to determine the fate of the story and Paz.

Drawing:

The colours are very bright and there are a lot of lilac and neon-tones in it, referring to the supernatural elements of the story. Some pictures are kept more minimalistic and the background is often rather blurry, although this indicates that the main events are happening in the foreground. Additionally, I sometimes felt like the proportions of the characters are a bit off.

All in all, I enjoyed this comic, although it could not manage to thrill me completely. It's a quick read, yet the story did not include many unforeseeable plot-twists or interesting turns, even though the initial idea is nice.

Although I'm not entirely sure where this title is going, I definitely enjoyed this first volume. I'm assuming it is supposed to be partly an 'updated' version of Fantomah from Jungle Comics because she shares the same general appearance and it also explains why she is called La Fantomah rather than the more traditional La Llorona that most people would be expecting from a story like this featuring Latinx characters. Still, it's a pretty entertaining read and the art is amazing, I definitely plan on checking out the next volume.

The Weeping Woman! 

I’ve only been introduced to this tale - recently, through comics, actually. It’s a fascinating legend. 

And this series does well in bringing it to life. With a woman of color protagonist <i>and</i> artist, no less. 

I enjoyed the story - and the art was a good math. Worth reading. 

(But what happened to all the kids in the greenhouse?!?)

Anyway, I’ll definitely check out the sequel. 

<i>Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Chapterhouse Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

First of all the artwork is amazing! And so many different cover arts at the bonus content, all amazing. 

But the story itself was a bit confusing for me. Although it was fast pased and super fast read, I didn't really enjoy it. I mean there's a lot if different questions running in my head right now.
I mean, it started with Paz passing out at work, then her twin sisters went missing because she was late from picking them up after school and suddenly she's thrown off if a bridge and then there's the weeping woman. How did this happen and why?
Next thing I know, she's become a hero who saves the good ones and kills the bad ones and that's it. 

I don't know, I was left to wanting something more from this. I think the artwork was the best thing in this comic and so I give this the actual rating of 2,5 stars.

What we have here folks, is a middle aged white Canadian guy telling a story about a teenaged Hispanic girl living in the inner city and incorporating the Latin American folk tale of La Llorona, whom he for some reason is calling "La Fantomah." 
The basic gist is that the local gang is kidnapping children, ostensibly to sell them into sex-trafficking. The protagonist's little sisters get kidnapped, she gets thrown in the river by her gang-member ex boyfriend while looking for them and she is somehow (though it's never explained how to any degree of satisfaction) becomes "La Fantomah" and can hear the prayers of people in crisis. She also becomes super strong, is able to fly and is invulnerable to bullets. So in the process of rescuing the kids, she goes on a massive killing spree of gang members. 
The art was nice, but there are WAY too many plot holes, and the story itself is total cultural appropriation. I was not impressed.