Tiffanie Ford

The trees, which were what initially drew me to comics, are relatively dormant (pun intended) throughout the story. My favorite story was most likely the one at science base in the snow. I've got admit this this volume was a bit boring for me. It felt like an introduction to what the story is actually going to be about. I feel like at least one of the half dozen story lines could have been cut out. All the character development felt rushed and unsatisfying. The amount of story lines made understanding the comic pretty difficult at first. The coloring does try to help you follow along, changing color schemes with the different story lines. I've got to say though, the art style was not my favorite. I definitely would have preferred a cleaner look to go with the story or at least with some of the story lines. It felt like there was a lot of detail where it wasn't needed and overall took away from the actual story line.

Overall, it was an alright read. I didn't like half the story lines and Spoiler at least one of them ends by the end of this volume. You're left wondering the whole time why the one scientist is so dedicated to this tree, but there's not even a hint of what it might be. The story lines that took place in Cefalu and Somalia were particularly boring to me. How long can you drag out bombing another city? You knew what he was going to do from the beginning. The story in Cefalu about the house and the assassin was a bit confusing and boring as well.

The story in Shu was interesting, but the sexuality aspect was a bit shoe-horned if you ask me. Boy goes to sexual paradise essentially? Plus the almost preachy speech given by the “uncle” to the kid. It really took me out of the story. It felt more like I was being given a lecture on sexuality than actually seeing two characters interact.

I did like the pacing. The issues are not clearly marked so the story just flows and flows until you've reached the end (although this also added to the confusion). There are some interesting story lines and developing characters. I'm hoping we can see something exciting in volume 2 with the character development done.

Not a huge fan of the artwork or font. The story was often hard to follow because of the art style. Also wasn't a huge fan of the main story. The background setting was alright, if somewhat boring. The main character, the mom, does not make me want to like her or follow the story. The brothers arch was interesting enough. Definitely had to push my way through the story. Definitely was not satisfied with the end.

Quite an interesting read for anyone interested in myth or folklore. I loved the artwork and would definitely read again in the future.