Advance Review – She: At the Tower of all That is Known HC (Comixtribe)

Posted on January 7, 2021 in Other Reviews

Publisher: Comixology
Writer: Ryan K Lindsay
Artwork/Letters: Chris Panda Mercier
Release Date: 24th February 2021

SHE is a self-contained story of a retired bounty hunter in the far future who is lured back into the game with the promise of a huge score. Of course, this could quickly turn into your standard, run-of-the-mill adventure, but where would the fun be in that? Instead, as expected, things are not exactly what they seem and there’s a nice play on the past coming back to haunt the eponymous SHE.

The art direction is pretty solid throughout. Chris Panda Mercier provides a lot of neat little touches which bring to mind the likes of Halo or Mass Effect, but not so much as to feel like a straight copy. Indeed, the clean far-future look is one that has been covered at length, so it’s relatively easy to draw parallels if one tries. I like that Mercier has almost given a knowing nod to this early on and added a few ‘easter eggs’ in the opening scene. This could have perhaps felt a little hackneyed but it’s not in your face and adds some charm.

Whilst the intent remains good throughout, I personally felt that a few panels missed their mark, with the solid colour backgrounds distracting, and in some cases the action panels not feeling like they carried a lot of dynamic weight or oomph. That said, I really liked the way the flashbacks were achieved and the ‘drop’ splash in the centre feels almost like a bonus second cover image.

Story wise, SHE does exactly what is says on the tin by delivering a self-contained tale which you can get stuck into right from the very first page. There’s a fair amount going on in the fifty or so pages, but Ryan K Lindsay delivers a satisfying conclusion which hints that there may be more to seek out.

After a couple of read-throughs, I do feel that for the size of book, the intro is maybe a touch too slow. It doesn’t drag as such, more like takes up space from establishing up the premise of the “Tower of All That is Known” itself. This was a fabulous idea which could have perhaps been given a bit more gravitas in order to really hammer home the events leading up to the conclusion.

Overall though, Lindsay and Mercier deliver an entertaining book full of promising concepts, and which gives enough to get you on board through to the “zzap” and “pew pew” laser battles.

Rating: 3/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]