Dept. H

Dept. H

By Matt and Sharlene Kindt

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Dept. H is a futuristic murder mystery set in a deep sea research base known as Department H. The main character Mia is sent in, after her father was killed in an "accident," due to the people on the surface suspecting a mole, and sending her to investigate. As a scientist and close friend to many of the people down there, she might figure out what happened. Deep beneath the waves, Mia must face disappearances, sabotage, attempted murder, and the constant pressure caused by the miles of water on top of her, while dealing with her own internal demons.

I had issues with the book. I thought that the writing was clunky and bizarre, without a good sense of flow. Way too many bad things happened too fast, leaving me without the time to catch my breath. The story also has a bad habit of telling rather then showing. Often, critical details that could have been shown in flashbacks or through the drawings are instead written out in thought bubbles that don't add very much to the story. The art is bizarre, combining a more sketchy style with watercolor, which sometimes works, but the character designs seem off. The faces often look blurry, without detailed eyes. The backgrounds and sea creatures are very pretty and good to look at, but over all it isn't the best. My main problem with this murder mystery is I couldn't figure out who the killer was. This is partly because the book leaves itself open ended, but again, that is no excuse for lazy writing. There are also a bunch of story threads that don't fit in the story, and merely break the flow.

TL;DR: 5/10

100 Nights of Hero

100 Nights of Hero

By Isabel Greenberg

Published by:

100 Nights of Hero is more about the setting then the characters. It focuses on an extremely patriarchal world, where women can't even know how to write. In it, Cherry and Hero two secret lesbians must try and outsmart a villainous suitor. To do this Hero tells a large and unending story for one hundred nights, all about the world and the many injustices against women that have happened.

I liked this book for the most part. The writing is good, and successfully juggles the two stories of Cherry and Hero as well as the internal stories themselves. The art is very stylized and interesting. The characters are a little exaggerated, but it works for the story. My main problem with the book is how heavy-handed the message is. It can be a bit off-putting to have it so forcefully pushed into your face. I understand why it's there, but it distracted me from the stories of the characters.

TL;DR: 7/10