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Welcome Back #5-8
Welcome Back Vol. 2
Reincarnation is real, and two soldiers who have been part of a war that has raged for centuries wake up in new bodies, each on a quest to find the other.
Mali and Tessa remember now: they remember their roles as soldiers in a war without end, battling each other throughout centuries, reincarnating only to fight one another again. But now that they’re finally together, they’ve decided to break this cycle for good by choosing love over war. Unfortunately, factions on all sides of the conflict are at odds with their choice—including Tessa’s parents.
Critically-acclaimed writer Christopher Sebela (Dead Letters, High Crimes) and artist Claire Roe (Batgirl and the Birds of Prey) delve back into the darkly complex world where all lines have been blurred: between love and hate, war and peace.
Mali and Tessa remember now: they remember their roles as soldiers in a war without end, battling each other throughout centuries, reincarnating only to fight one another again. But now that they’re finally together, they’ve decided to break this cycle for good by choosing love over war. Unfortunately, factions on all sides of the conflict are at odds with their choice—including Tessa’s parents.
Critically-acclaimed writer Christopher Sebela (Dead Letters, High Crimes) and artist Claire Roe (Batgirl and the Birds of Prey) delve back into the darkly complex world where all lines have been blurred: between love and hate, war and peace.
112 pages, Paperback
Published April 18, 2017
4 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 13, 2020
This is the spoiler free review for Welcome Back volumes 1 and 2. There is no spoiler full review this time due to the length of the books.
Welcome Back is a two volume graphic novel series by Christopher Sebela.
It’s about an ancient battle that many fight but none can recall why.
Mali is the step daughter of a famous serial killer and has been trying to get away from her violent infamy her whole life.
That is, until she discovers that violence is her destiny.
She is a sequel. A sequel is a soldier. Born over and over again throughout history to find and eliminate another sequel. The two soldiers are tied together by the fates and are destined to find and murder each other over and over again. Kind of like soul mates but with war instead of love.
Mali is determined not to kill anyone in this lifetime. She will not play into this game. She will break the cycle even if it means finally losing her life for good.
Her sequel counter-part has different plans. She still fully buys into the war and has been training this whole lifetime to find and destroy Mali just so that they can do it all over again in the next life for the rest of eternity.
They come face to face at the end of the first volume and without spoiling it too much, hopefully, their trajectory is changed in a way that those monitoring this ancient war never predicted.
"Not a love story." That's how Welcome Back is described on the back of the first volume.
That might give you a hint that it’s actually very much a love story. Just not a traditional one.
As with any love story there is drama, fighting, sex, lots of sex, more sex, and problems with family.
Although the characters are centuries old assassins there is much to relate to in this book. If you've ever experienced a relationship that started as a powerful passion more than any logical reason to be together you can see how these two are drawn together. It’s more chemical than anything else.
There is a humor and sarcasm in the book provided mostly by the character of Mali’s step-father. Mali's step father is also a sequel. One that isn't so good at flying under the radar. His ostentatious murder scenes got him executed as a serial killer.
Now he’s been reincarnated as a young girl and runs away to coach Mali. The soul of a murderous adult man in the body of a 10 year old girl provides a levity to balance the violence in this book. Of which there is plenty.
The art is vibrant with primary colors but I sometimes found the appearance of Mali to be inconsistent. Confusingly so.
Additionally, there were some issues with formatting. Most of the pages read like a normal comic book but the book would randomly have a two page spread that required you to read across the top of two pages before going to the bottom and I got lost every single time that happened.
The ending was a little vague to me, almost like they weren’t quite sure how to wrap it up so just left a lot of questions unanswered.
Overall I enjoyed the relationships and action in this book and would definitely recommend it.
This is a more modern love story, one that involves an ancient war and unexplained magic. But it’s also a encouragement of finding your strength and those that enable you to be the best you can be.
Always question authority. Never blindly follow tradition. Find your soul mate.
for more reviews and content please visit my blog amanjareads.com
Welcome Back is a two volume graphic novel series by Christopher Sebela.
It’s about an ancient battle that many fight but none can recall why.
Mali is the step daughter of a famous serial killer and has been trying to get away from her violent infamy her whole life.
That is, until she discovers that violence is her destiny.
She is a sequel. A sequel is a soldier. Born over and over again throughout history to find and eliminate another sequel. The two soldiers are tied together by the fates and are destined to find and murder each other over and over again. Kind of like soul mates but with war instead of love.
Mali is determined not to kill anyone in this lifetime. She will not play into this game. She will break the cycle even if it means finally losing her life for good.
Her sequel counter-part has different plans. She still fully buys into the war and has been training this whole lifetime to find and destroy Mali just so that they can do it all over again in the next life for the rest of eternity.
They come face to face at the end of the first volume and without spoiling it too much, hopefully, their trajectory is changed in a way that those monitoring this ancient war never predicted.
"Not a love story." That's how Welcome Back is described on the back of the first volume.
That might give you a hint that it’s actually very much a love story. Just not a traditional one.
As with any love story there is drama, fighting, sex, lots of sex, more sex, and problems with family.
Although the characters are centuries old assassins there is much to relate to in this book. If you've ever experienced a relationship that started as a powerful passion more than any logical reason to be together you can see how these two are drawn together. It’s more chemical than anything else.
There is a humor and sarcasm in the book provided mostly by the character of Mali’s step-father. Mali's step father is also a sequel. One that isn't so good at flying under the radar. His ostentatious murder scenes got him executed as a serial killer.
Now he’s been reincarnated as a young girl and runs away to coach Mali. The soul of a murderous adult man in the body of a 10 year old girl provides a levity to balance the violence in this book. Of which there is plenty.
The art is vibrant with primary colors but I sometimes found the appearance of Mali to be inconsistent. Confusingly so.
Additionally, there were some issues with formatting. Most of the pages read like a normal comic book but the book would randomly have a two page spread that required you to read across the top of two pages before going to the bottom and I got lost every single time that happened.
The ending was a little vague to me, almost like they weren’t quite sure how to wrap it up so just left a lot of questions unanswered.
Overall I enjoyed the relationships and action in this book and would definitely recommend it.
This is a more modern love story, one that involves an ancient war and unexplained magic. But it’s also a encouragement of finding your strength and those that enable you to be the best you can be.
Always question authority. Never blindly follow tradition. Find your soul mate.
for more reviews and content please visit my blog amanjareads.com
December 13, 2018
Love this short series
So I binge read the first one and second back to back practically. The artwork is actiony and love the color work. But my absolute favorite is the storyline. Sadly I wish it could go on more, it was ended nicely BUT sort of lackluster. I glad you girls took a stand for being themselves and finally stopping the war to potentially get a happy ending that they’d want. Being together seemed inevitable honestly. I questioned the targets often, ordering if in some way your target was a type of soulmate and maybe that’s why you were taught to kill them? I’m not sure my thoughts are all over the place with theory’s and ideas. But just know I loved every bit of this comic and if you’re in for a shorter more story inclined read don’t hesitate.
So I binge read the first one and second back to back practically. The artwork is actiony and love the color work. But my absolute favorite is the storyline. Sadly I wish it could go on more, it was ended nicely BUT sort of lackluster. I glad you girls took a stand for being themselves and finally stopping the war to potentially get a happy ending that they’d want. Being together seemed inevitable honestly. I questioned the targets often, ordering if in some way your target was a type of soulmate and maybe that’s why you were taught to kill them? I’m not sure my thoughts are all over the place with theory’s and ideas. But just know I loved every bit of this comic and if you’re in for a shorter more story inclined read don’t hesitate.
September 10, 2017
This series was fun and a great idea in theory but they just left so many things hanging by cutting it off so soon. There was literally nothing explained about the background of the sequels. They throw in the thing where the two main characters 'started' it somehow but never explain that. They never explain Atlases and what exactly they do. It was just a very unsatisfying ending, but I still enjoy the style and idea enough to give it 3 stars.
April 19, 2017
Loved this comic, but it benefitted hugely from being able to read all the issues at once. It would be great as a Netflix series.
February 2, 2018
there doesnt need to be a sequel like the story is definitely finished but i need a million more pages of mali and tess
May 4, 2020
Second volume is basically a lesbian romance mixed with family drama, spiced with occasional homicide, havoc and murderous kids. Story gets slightly slower, smaller in scope, more retrospective - unveils how things ended the way they are and honestly, have no problem with that.
Internal monologues still gets little annoying, art in not always as sharp as I wish it to be, few things were left unresolved but overall it's better that vol. 1.
Worth a read.
Internal monologues still gets little annoying, art in not always as sharp as I wish it to be, few things were left unresolved but overall it's better that vol. 1.
Worth a read.
May 23, 2024
What I liked: Issue #5 was really great - it picks up right at the end of the previous volume and focuses entirely on Lorena as she tries to find Mali and Tessa.
What I didn't like: Despite only having 3 issues left to wrap up the story, the author focuses extensively on the romance side and repeatedly wastes pages showing how much the two protagonists enjoy frolicking about. This comes at the expense of the main plot, and even leaves a couple of seemingly important points unresolved.
Overall conclusion: The first volume has a caption on the back that says "This is not a love story". Sadly, this second volume doesn't follow suit and takes the story exactly in that direction. I would have rather read about the atlases or the reasons for the war, and have the romance part contained to flashbacks about how Mali and Tessa fell in love. Disappointing end to a promising series.
What I didn't like: Despite only having 3 issues left to wrap up the story, the author focuses extensively on the romance side and repeatedly wastes pages showing how much the two protagonists enjoy frolicking about. This comes at the expense of the main plot, and even leaves a couple of seemingly important points unresolved.
Overall conclusion: The first volume has a caption on the back that says "This is not a love story". Sadly, this second volume doesn't follow suit and takes the story exactly in that direction. I would have rather read about the atlases or the reasons for the war, and have the romance part contained to flashbacks about how Mali and Tessa fell in love. Disappointing end to a promising series.
January 31, 2017
I loved the ending and I was glad we got some more information on the whole war thing so it was less confusing and the story made a lot more sense as a whole. The ending was slightly predictable but yet still satisfying and I wouldn't want it any other way. I only wish we learned more about Showtime but that's my only complaint. Definitely recommend it to everyone!
August 9, 2020
“This is what walking away was about. Not being what someone told us we were. Not being their weapons. It’s about being something new.”
I wish this series had gotten to be a 12 or even 10 parter to get more into the backstory of the war, and Sylvia, some of which is hinted at but never overtly explored. That said, 2020 is a great year to read a short series about two characters who fall in love lifetime after lifetime regardless of their genders, and who team up to destabilize a violent system that exists only to let a select few profit at the expense of uncountable lives.
I wish this series had gotten to be a 12 or even 10 parter to get more into the backstory of the war, and Sylvia, some of which is hinted at but never overtly explored. That said, 2020 is a great year to read a short series about two characters who fall in love lifetime after lifetime regardless of their genders, and who team up to destabilize a violent system that exists only to let a select few profit at the expense of uncountable lives.
April 9, 2019
Better than book one, for sure. We kind of jump in and it doesn’t make a lot of sense. You need to read 1 & 2 immediately back to back. I forgot all about M's dad.
Here's part of my problem, I need cohesive, cleaned up endings I guess. This was pretty "clean" considering, but there is still so much information that we don't know, and I'm not the kind of person to be into that. I like to know. I am not creative or intuitive I guess, I'm a sheep that needs to be given more explanation.
Here's part of my problem, I need cohesive, cleaned up endings I guess. This was pretty "clean" considering, but there is still so much information that we don't know, and I'm not the kind of person to be into that. I like to know. I am not creative or intuitive I guess, I'm a sheep that needs to be given more explanation.
August 2, 2017
I wish the initial artist of the series had stayed on, but despite that I really loved this series. The characters and dialogue were great. Gave me all the feels <3
March 3, 2019
What an unexpected DELIGHT! My heart is very full for these perfect battle lesbians.
August 30, 2019
3.5 stars
January 23, 2020
Really more of a 3.5-felt it was kinda a let down from the last volume.
January 25, 2023
Solid conclusion to a series with a premise so strong, it could have gone on for more issues if readers had supported it more when it came out in single issues. Oh well.
May 8, 2023
Ok. The first book was eh, but the second wrapped up the whole story and was just disgustingly cute.
Stars for this story!
Stars for this story!
March 14, 2023
There was a bit of humorous antics that felt out of place, but overall, this was a good conclusion to the series.
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April 17, 2019The perpetually reincarnated nemeses-turned-lovers become the focus for the whole underworld whose tidy little war they've upended – in which sense this isn't so far from Saga. But as against that series' projected 108 issues, this one only has 8, meaning this second half can feel very rushed in places, especially given its puzzle box structure. There are interesting tensions within the lead couple – not least over whether to try evading the conspiracy, or blow it sky high – which don't get the breathing room they deserved. But ultimately I'll always be a sucker for a story about two hot immortals alternating between making out and killing the deserving.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews