Finally, something that is a change of pace! Today’s review is a quick read, just as quick as the book itself! It’s a crime graphic novel, one of my favourites that I hope to read more soon.
Bylines in Blood
by Erica Schultz, Van Jensen, Aneke
get it here
BOOK SUMMARY
The future. The very concept of truth has died. Politicians invent their own facts, and independent newspapers no longer exist. In this world, private detectives serve as ronin, searching out the hard truths that people are desperate to keep hidden.
The best of these is Satya, a former journalist turned gumshoe who runs every lead to ground. But Satya has just received her hardest case yet: her old editor has been murdered. Someone wanted him silenced, and the trail points toward the highest bastions of power. To find justice for her friend, she’ll have to put everything – and everyone – she knows at risk.
A prophetic neo-noir thriller with unexpected twists at every turn, BYLINES IN BLOOD is co-created by Ringo Award-nominated writer Erica Schultz (M3, Forgotten Home, Strange Tails) and comic writer and former newspaper crime reporter Van Jensen (Two Dead, Cryptocracy, Superman: Man of Tomorrow), aided and abetted by Spanish art sensation Aneke (DC Comics Bombshells, Legenderry: Red Sonja).
BOOK REVIEW
*A review copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I haven’t read a graphic novel in so long and the change of pace is so refreshing.
Bylines in Blood is action-packed and fast-paced. A crime investigation, set in a sci-fi, dystopian future, filled with interesting characters in both major and minor roles. 100+ pages went by so fast, you wish there were more.
While I liked some parts of the story, it’s very predictable. Sure, predictability is a sign that the storyline is sound and there’s enough support for the outcome, but there wasn’t enough tension built into the story. So while the characters stood out, it all felt flat. There’s definitely potential to improve in the later volumes.
As I’m writing this now, nothing particularly stood out, but I did wish the minor characters will appear again in the future. They were enjoyable. Satya’s a pretty okay character, but without her friend and sibling, I doubt I’d like this as much.
One thing that I absolutely loved was the art style and colouring. Many of the pages were monochromatic, and you’d think it would be difficult to make the subject stand out, but wow they did it so well. The gradients, pops of red during intense scenes… the design is definitely something to look forward to.
SKAVANSIEUR 