Cover Image: Accell Vol. 2

Accell Vol. 2

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

'Accell, Vol. 2: Pop Quiz' by Joe Casey with art by Damion Scott and Robert Campanella is a graphic novel about a speedster superhero.

Daniel Dos Santos is new to his superpower of being able to move fast. When a date with his girlfriend is interrupted by a woman with strange dark powers, Daniel takes on the fight. He is then approached by a group of scientists who want to try to measure his abilities.

It's hard not to make comparisons with another famous speedster. It is even more difficult when this new hero can seemingly enter another dimension. The art is quirky and angular, and I really like how unique it is. I did like this volume better than the first one.

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

Was this review helpful?

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

Was this review helpful?

This is one of my favourite new 'finds'. I love the energy of this book, the art style and the storyline. I also like the characters (fresh and not cliched) and the snappy dialogue. Give it a try. Hope you like this one as much as I do. One tip though, do yourself a favour and start with Volume one first!

Was this review helpful?

Feels a lot like bottom of the barrel Flash in terms of tropes and characters - very flat female characters, the self-centered Daniel/Accell ... Then again, it feels reliant on the first volume, which I didn't read.

Was this review helpful?

Why should I read this when The Flash has better writing, artwork, and villains? There's just not much here that's original or interesting. The writing feels like it's written for kids. Maybe Casey has written too many scripts for his Man of Action cartoons like Ben 10. Damion Scott still needs to take some classes on how to draw anatomy.

Was this review helpful?

This comic book was alright. It had an interesting enough plot line, but left me mildly confused at the end of the volume. Maybe it was because I did'nt read Volume 1, but I didn't really connect with the main character at all. I will say that the artwork was beautiful, and I loved the vibrant and deep color choice. I will probably give this series another go, but at this moment I'm certainly not raving about it.

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I read the first volume of Accell and quite enjoyed it, but this volume simply did not resonate. It was all over the place, and the artwork was indifferent, so there nothing that special to look at or to read. Accell himself isn't a very impressive character. He's very self-absorbed and self-important, and he objectifies women (maybe it should have been titled Pop tart given the female character who's introduced?). On the other hand, given his jackass of a girlfriend, maybe some of this is understandable.

She was an unrelenting nag, and yet he had no spine to ask her to back-off or to lay it on the line that if she doesn't quit this endless complaining, he was going to be getting out of this relationship; then we get this other girl who's presented as stereotypically evil, but she's not really. It appeared to be a ham-fisted change of wind in relationships, but even that went nowhere. Overall the story was like a day in the life of a superhero, but it was a derivative and boring day.

This character borrows too much from DC's The Flash, and brings nothing new. The guy is supposed to be faster than sound, but there's never a sonic boom when he takes off, and never any complaints about one! And where are the other heroes in this world? Do none of them ever show up to help out a fellow hero when a bad guy turns up? I guess not. I wasn't at all impressed by this outing and I cannot recommend it. I'm done with this graphic novel world.

Was this review helpful?

About six months ago, I had the opportunity to read Accell Volume 1. I picked it up because it reminded me of The Flash and because I really like superhero comics. As it turned out, it was a lot like the Flash, but not nearly as good.

We have a 20 year old guy as our main man (I keep forgetting his name; it's Daniel) and after some big event he finds out that he has superpowers. In Volume 2 he knows a bit about his powers, but he is still figuring out what exactly he can do and what this weird reality is, that he keeps falling into. In The Flash, Barry Allen gets help from S.T.A.R. Labs and he himself is capable of thinking along and turns out to be a smart cookie. Daniel a.k.a. Accell, is no such thing. He isn't a very likable character: he only thinks about himself, has to mention he is a superhero like every other frame, he keeps making all the wrong decisions, there's nothing funny about him and even though he is the superhero in the story, he feels like a very 'empty' and flat character to me. To keep in line with The Flash, Daniel allows a shady scientific organization to test him in exchange for money.

Again, I am not the biggest fan of the artwork in these comics (except for the cover artwork which is amazing). The artwork in the story itself isn't always as readable as I would like. I want the images to be clear, the characters to be clean and sleek and a consistent 'look' throughout.

The storyline, again, feels very unfinished and rather vague. There seem to be a couple of storylines, most of them are still building up to some kind of endgame. There is mr. Hayes and his croonies, the weird reality Daniel keeps getting into, the scientific side and the monsters he has to fight of as Accell. I really can't tell you what it's supposed to be all about. Which is a shame, because some interesting things happen. There is some mention of how he got his super powers, but there's hardly any background.

It is still a story with great potential, but I like my stories a bit more fleshed out. I like background, I like relatable characters and I like superhero stories. I am still looking forward to the next volume, because I really want to figure out what the end game is in this story.

Was this review helpful?