REVIEW: No Angel #1

There are a lot of women in various forms of media being portrayed as what was typically seen as “manly”“, or some other stupid term. Meaning, they are the bread winners, they kick ass, and they go out and take the world on their own. There is quite a fine line, however, between being lonely and being alone.

The main character of this story, Hannah, isn“t notably unidentified as being either. She comes across a bit harsh, a little sullen, but nevertheless intelligent. I like the idea of her not being clearly defined yet, as this is only the first issue of “No Angel”“. I am wondering if we“ll get to see both sides to her, as it seems that she is quite a complex character. Having served in a war and now working for the FBI in Chicago, Hannah is tough without being so in your face about it.

I didn“t honestly know where this book was leading, and it seemed like it was just going to be a first issue that set up the characters and a bit of the setting without delving too much into the storyline. Surprisingly, Adrianne and Eric Palicki make good use of nice segways into each segment without feeling like it“s being thrown at you. As the book goes on, things definitely start picking up, and little details are added in. The one that sticks out the most is the subject of alcohol, and it is mentioned and indulged in several times throughout this issue, as the characters are indeed in a lot of stress, this seemingly being their outlet. However, unlike a lot of other stories, Hannah does not seem like that hardened war hero who is dealing with too much, having to drink to take the edge off. Yay!

The artwork by Ari Syahrazad is sketchy without the laziness, and really goes along with the storyline. The art describes the grittiness of the story, and can still pull of the few instances where things get a little bit weeiiirrrddd. The color scheme is interesting in the way that a bright palette doesn“t necessarily mean happiness, and vice versa. A lot of the brighter colors are used to contrast and shadow, and Jean-Paul Csuka did a pretty supreme job at doing this well.

My favorite thing I noticed about the book: a character is wearing a St. Vincent t-shirt. Oh Annie, I do love you so. It“s just the little things in life, dig?

Story: 5 Stars
Artwork: 4 Stars
Colors: 5 Stars
Cover: 4 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by: Adrianne Palicki & Eric Palicki
Art by: Ari Syahrazad
Colored by: Jean-Paul Csuka
Lettered by: Jim Campbell
Cover by: Amancay Nahuelpan