The Mantle: Volume 1

author: Ed Brisson
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/03/23
date added: 2016/03/23
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'The Mantle: Volume 1' by Ed Brisson with illustrations by Brian Level is an interesting idea that kind of gets bogged down for me with being a bit too crass.

A hero is chosen to be The Mantle. That hero is hunted down by a villain known as The Plague. The problem is there is only one Plague, and there have been many, many Mantles. The Plague has gotten so good at defeating Mantles that they barely have time to train before they are dispatched which leads to the formation of a team of heroes to try to help the new Mantles adapt and survive. When the latest Mantle is picked, then killed, his girlfriend Jen is the next one to be picked. Barely able to adapt to her grief, she now has to come to terms with probably being defeated by her new enemy in a war she didn't choose to fight.

It seems like a new approach to telling a superhero story, with a reluctant hero and an impossible villain, but we've had new approaches before, and this doesn't seem all that different. It's violent and filled with the kind of crudeness that just makes me feel like all the excess is there to give it all an edge, but it doesn't. And the twists and turns aren't all that clever. The final twist had me shaking my head. I liked the idea, but found it lacking in creativity or execution.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.


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