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Mother Panic #1
Mother Panic, Vol. 1: Work in Progress
Part of Gerard Way's new imprint, DC's Young Animal!
Gotham has long been the city of the Bat, but there's a new vigilante on the streets, and she's got her own brand of violent justice to deal out to the criminals of the city.
Enter Mother Panic! By day, Violet Paige is a celebutante with a bad attitude and a temper to match, whom no one suspects of having anything lying beneath the surface of her outrageous exploits. But Violet isn't just another bored heiress in the upper echelons of Gotham City's elite. Motivated by her traumatic youth, Violet seeks to exact vengeance on her privileged peers as the terrifying new vigilante known only as Mother Panic.
Collecting: Mother Panic 1-6
Gotham has long been the city of the Bat, but there's a new vigilante on the streets, and she's got her own brand of violent justice to deal out to the criminals of the city.
Enter Mother Panic! By day, Violet Paige is a celebutante with a bad attitude and a temper to match, whom no one suspects of having anything lying beneath the surface of her outrageous exploits. But Violet isn't just another bored heiress in the upper echelons of Gotham City's elite. Motivated by her traumatic youth, Violet seeks to exact vengeance on her privileged peers as the terrifying new vigilante known only as Mother Panic.
Collecting: Mother Panic 1-6
176 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2017
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800 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
June 13, 2019
Mother Panic appears to just be a combination of Batwoman and Batman who curses. She's a celebutante who wants revenge on anyone that has to do with this weird boarding school she was forced to go to for 10 years. The flashbacks come in such a disjointed way (sometimes just one panel) that it was really hard to make sense of what happened at the school. I learned more about the characters from the Who's Who entries at the back of the book then I did from the actual story. There wasn't a single likable or interesting character in the book. And the dialogue had such gems as "What the f#cking f#ck is going on?". Feels like the writing of an angsty teenager not the same writer that writes Faith over at Valiant (which is a great book).
The only things I really liked about the book were the visual design of Mother Panic's costume (It looks damn cool.) and the backup story. It was a story about an overnight talk radio jock who was pro-Batman. He's murdered and the owner brings in an anti-Batman podcaster to replace him. It has absolutely nothing to do with Mother Panic.
Received an advance copy from DC and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The only things I really liked about the book were the visual design of Mother Panic's costume (It looks damn cool.) and the backup story. It was a story about an overnight talk radio jock who was pro-Batman. He's murdered and the owner brings in an anti-Batman podcaster to replace him. It has absolutely nothing to do with Mother Panic.
Received an advance copy from DC and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2017
What if Batman really were a total jerk? And what if his world was as delusional as Gotham itself? And what if his story was told in a fractured, nonlinear way to strengthen that theme?
Well, you'd pretty much get the not-fun, not-interesting comic that is Mother Panic. It's hard to follow, it's got semi-ugly art, and the characters aren't particularly interesting.
This is one of those comics I was skimming by the end. I probably should have just set it down after the first few issues.
Well, you'd pretty much get the not-fun, not-interesting comic that is Mother Panic. It's hard to follow, it's got semi-ugly art, and the characters aren't particularly interesting.
This is one of those comics I was skimming by the end. I probably should have just set it down after the first few issues.
June 20, 2017
Reading this first volume of Mother Panic from DC’s Young Animal imprint reminded me of what was morally wrong about the character of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Although I thought the casting of Ben Affleck was spot-on, given the material he worked with, the role itself of a self-loathing vigilante with brutal methods who doesn’t mind the bloodshed seems to contradict what is great about the Dark Knight Detective in the comics.
Please click here for my full review.
Please click here for my full review.
June 25, 2017
Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure Mother Panic is not well-written, nor is it good. If you decide to read it, I would recommend reading Gerard Way's afterword first. Not that it is well-written either (it isn't), but it gives an insight into what the creative team was interested in exploring with this book, which isn't particularly clear from the collected issues themselves. According to Way (who all but claims ownership of the book, crediting writer Jody Houser mainly with snappy dialogue), the character of Mother Panic is designed to explore the invasiveness of modern-day wealth and celebrity. If Bruce Wayne's origin were to play out in today's world (Way suggests), a world in which being a part of the upper crust brings with it paparazzi, the public eye, and a certain loss of identity, how would that impact someone who is already dealing with the dual identity of being a superhero?
I think this is a sort of interesting question, but not one that Mother Panic deals with in practice except in the most cursory ways. This volume is divided into two three-part stories. In "Work in Progress," socialite Violet Paige returns to Gotham after an unspecified time abroad and immediately sets up shop as a high-tech superhero, for no clear reason, and with no obvious sense of an origin story. Not to say that there aren't a significant number of flashbacks to Violet's childhood -- there are, in fact, tons -- but it's hard to tell how all the pieces fit together into the character's present-day self. I don't even know if we find out what the character's superhero name is supposed to mean (and if it's a reference to some shitty band, Mr. Way, I will kill myself).
There's stuff to like about this first story regardless -- most of it due to the ways that the mood of the book is five degrees left of center, existing in a realm of dissonance and discomfort. Violet is genuinely unlikable -- during the story she kidnaps someone after saving them and promptly forgets she did so; she keeps her senile mother imprisoned in a tower garden; and she's just generally obtuse and unpleasant. The book's first villain is a pretty classic Vertigo-style sadist. There's interesting, subversive pieces here, but they all feel pretty rough-draft.
The dialogue is terse, attempting some kind of goth-noir-surrealism that's mostly just confusing and a little frustrating. It's not the kind of book that makes much sense, plotwise, on a first read, and I'm not sure if its methods feel as intentional as something like Batwoman: Elegy, which also takes a few reads to make sense of, but seems to know itself in a way that Mother Panic does not.
The next story, "Broken Things," goes more deeply into Violet's backstory, which is essentially that she was trained to be some kind of supersoldier (or super criminal or super something else) at an orphanage that acted as a cover for some weird military (or something) science lab. And I think she's trying to take down the people in the orphanage, or maybe she's just trying to take one of the other supersoldiers from the lab, although for most of the story she seems to be friends with the soldier, but then not...I mean, I genuinely had no fucking idea by the end.
"Broken Things" is drawn by Shawn Crystal instead of artist/co-creator Tommy Lee Edwards, and while Crystal has a lovely style, it's way too cutesy for a book as grim as this, and he's also an artist who seems relatively incapable of drawing more than one kind of face. This is a problem when the villain and the hero have the same builds and the same haircuts -- most of the time I couldn't tell who was speaking, much less what was going on.
Around the edges of both stories are some scenes in which Violet goes to clubs in order to keep up her alter ego's identity, but it feels no different than most any iteration of Bruce Wayne's doofy playboy. If this is the meat of Way's pitch for this character, there's nothing distinctive regarding these themes on the finished page.
If Crystal continues drawing the book, I doubt it's going to be worth reading to see if Way and Co. can figure out how to be self-critical enough to make the thing good. I will probably give this volume a reread, wait to see who's on art duties for Vol 2, and maybe otherwise I am done with Mother Panic.
I think this is a sort of interesting question, but not one that Mother Panic deals with in practice except in the most cursory ways. This volume is divided into two three-part stories. In "Work in Progress," socialite Violet Paige returns to Gotham after an unspecified time abroad and immediately sets up shop as a high-tech superhero, for no clear reason, and with no obvious sense of an origin story. Not to say that there aren't a significant number of flashbacks to Violet's childhood -- there are, in fact, tons -- but it's hard to tell how all the pieces fit together into the character's present-day self. I don't even know if we find out what the character's superhero name is supposed to mean (and if it's a reference to some shitty band, Mr. Way, I will kill myself).
There's stuff to like about this first story regardless -- most of it due to the ways that the mood of the book is five degrees left of center, existing in a realm of dissonance and discomfort. Violet is genuinely unlikable -- during the story she kidnaps someone after saving them and promptly forgets she did so; she keeps her senile mother imprisoned in a tower garden; and she's just generally obtuse and unpleasant. The book's first villain is a pretty classic Vertigo-style sadist. There's interesting, subversive pieces here, but they all feel pretty rough-draft.
The dialogue is terse, attempting some kind of goth-noir-surrealism that's mostly just confusing and a little frustrating. It's not the kind of book that makes much sense, plotwise, on a first read, and I'm not sure if its methods feel as intentional as something like Batwoman: Elegy, which also takes a few reads to make sense of, but seems to know itself in a way that Mother Panic does not.
The next story, "Broken Things," goes more deeply into Violet's backstory, which is essentially that she was trained to be some kind of supersoldier (or super criminal or super something else) at an orphanage that acted as a cover for some weird military (or something) science lab. And I think she's trying to take down the people in the orphanage, or maybe she's just trying to take one of the other supersoldiers from the lab, although for most of the story she seems to be friends with the soldier, but then not...I mean, I genuinely had no fucking idea by the end.
"Broken Things" is drawn by Shawn Crystal instead of artist/co-creator Tommy Lee Edwards, and while Crystal has a lovely style, it's way too cutesy for a book as grim as this, and he's also an artist who seems relatively incapable of drawing more than one kind of face. This is a problem when the villain and the hero have the same builds and the same haircuts -- most of the time I couldn't tell who was speaking, much less what was going on.
Around the edges of both stories are some scenes in which Violet goes to clubs in order to keep up her alter ego's identity, but it feels no different than most any iteration of Bruce Wayne's doofy playboy. If this is the meat of Way's pitch for this character, there's nothing distinctive regarding these themes on the finished page.
If Crystal continues drawing the book, I doubt it's going to be worth reading to see if Way and Co. can figure out how to be self-critical enough to make the thing good. I will probably give this volume a reread, wait to see who's on art duties for Vol 2, and maybe otherwise I am done with Mother Panic.
September 6, 2018
I really wanted to like this but just ...what the fuck? I mean yeah it's basically just a young female version of Batman ...but she's also a foul-mouthed jerk who was apparently trained as an assassin or something by a boarding school full of creepy nuns and let me tell you, nothing could be further up my alley. Unfortunately the plot and art are both so sketchy that I have only the vaguest idea what is even supposed to be happening which made the whole thing more frustrating than anything. I think I will probably check out volume 2 just because I really WANT to like this but I'm not very hopeful about it.
April 29, 2017
This book is as lost as Violet.
World: The art for the first 3 issues was good, I like the style, reminded my of Sean Murphy which is always a great thing. The other 3 issues were not so good, the exaggerated facial expressions shifted the tone and made for a janky read. The world building here is fragmented and broken much like the main character (more below), there is not enough context to engage readers and also not enough to build and establish Violet's little piece of Gotham that we are suppose to care about. The Bat family cameos tried to tie her into Gotham but they didn't do anything other than take away from the Bat family since after 6 issues you feel like the Bat family would have stepped in to do something about this character. A lot of work needed in the world building to make this book something.
Story: Fractured and broken and half assed. To dig into the core of the issue of the story we need to dig into the character of Violet (which I'll get into below), but wow the story is a mess. The pacing is all over the place, the scene jumps are choppy and not in a stylish way where pieces fit together in the end. After two 3 issues arcs readers are still lost to what the point of the series is and what the point of Violet's mission is. There is also not enough time with the side characters to care about what they are doing and what even is the matter. We get little glimpses of Gather House and don't get enough to truly know how this ties into the point of the story. We don't get enough context for the point of the story and in the end Violet's actions seem pointless and the story is mindless.
Characters: The heart of the book and the biggest issue of the book. I don't mind flawed and broken characters, Batman is the most broken of characters but he's well written and therefore relatable and can capture the interest of readers. Violet is damaged, we know very early on and we want to sympathize, we see her family, we see snippets of her past (there are a lot of similarities to her and Kate Kane). But her actions are not well motivated enough, or more precisely she's not well written enough for us to understand her actions and to see her crusade, all we get are snippets of her acting like a directionless character that has a moral compass that spins around so erratically we don't know what do expect and do. It's not that we can't predict how she will act, cause unpredictable characters are also fun, but it's inconsistent. The rest of the cast are throwaways, given the rich potential there is there they get snippets here and there and even no set-up and we are to accept them as is...this is just bad writing.
Poor writing and pacing hurts this series.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art for the first 3 issues was good, I like the style, reminded my of Sean Murphy which is always a great thing. The other 3 issues were not so good, the exaggerated facial expressions shifted the tone and made for a janky read. The world building here is fragmented and broken much like the main character (more below), there is not enough context to engage readers and also not enough to build and establish Violet's little piece of Gotham that we are suppose to care about. The Bat family cameos tried to tie her into Gotham but they didn't do anything other than take away from the Bat family since after 6 issues you feel like the Bat family would have stepped in to do something about this character. A lot of work needed in the world building to make this book something.
Story: Fractured and broken and half assed. To dig into the core of the issue of the story we need to dig into the character of Violet (which I'll get into below), but wow the story is a mess. The pacing is all over the place, the scene jumps are choppy and not in a stylish way where pieces fit together in the end. After two 3 issues arcs readers are still lost to what the point of the series is and what the point of Violet's mission is. There is also not enough time with the side characters to care about what they are doing and what even is the matter. We get little glimpses of Gather House and don't get enough to truly know how this ties into the point of the story. We don't get enough context for the point of the story and in the end Violet's actions seem pointless and the story is mindless.
Characters: The heart of the book and the biggest issue of the book. I don't mind flawed and broken characters, Batman is the most broken of characters but he's well written and therefore relatable and can capture the interest of readers. Violet is damaged, we know very early on and we want to sympathize, we see her family, we see snippets of her past (there are a lot of similarities to her and Kate Kane). But her actions are not well motivated enough, or more precisely she's not well written enough for us to understand her actions and to see her crusade, all we get are snippets of her acting like a directionless character that has a moral compass that spins around so erratically we don't know what do expect and do. It's not that we can't predict how she will act, cause unpredictable characters are also fun, but it's inconsistent. The rest of the cast are throwaways, given the rich potential there is there they get snippets here and there and even no set-up and we are to accept them as is...this is just bad writing.
Poor writing and pacing hurts this series.
Onward to the next book!
December 19, 2017
Focus is on a new vigilante with late 90s artwork (or so it seems).
Kind of good, kind of bad.
OVERALL GRADE: C plus to B minus.
Kind of good, kind of bad.
OVERALL GRADE: C plus to B minus.
March 24, 2020
4.5
I've had the Young Animal books on my to-read list for sometime now, and I finally decided with this isolation, it's time. Mother Panic is a unique spin on the average superhero/vigilante. Jody Houser was the right person to bring the character to life and while it isn't close to the Batman universe, I still found enough here to keep me interested. I had already read early issues of the new DC label, but being consumed by other books forced me to step back. I thought I'd start with the character closet to the Dark Knight.
Why the 4.5?
There's enough here to warrant the series. It leaves enough room to breath and maintain a character separate from the other Gotham vigilantes. I notice other reviewers weren't as kind as I am with my rating, but I won't adjust to be the crowd, who wants to be like everybody else anyway? Mother Panic for me is an interesting character and the expectations for the next volume/issues are very high.
I've had the Young Animal books on my to-read list for sometime now, and I finally decided with this isolation, it's time. Mother Panic is a unique spin on the average superhero/vigilante. Jody Houser was the right person to bring the character to life and while it isn't close to the Batman universe, I still found enough here to keep me interested. I had already read early issues of the new DC label, but being consumed by other books forced me to step back. I thought I'd start with the character closet to the Dark Knight.
Why the 4.5?
There's enough here to warrant the series. It leaves enough room to breath and maintain a character separate from the other Gotham vigilantes. I notice other reviewers weren't as kind as I am with my rating, but I won't adjust to be the crowd, who wants to be like everybody else anyway? Mother Panic for me is an interesting character and the expectations for the next volume/issues are very high.
June 27, 2018
Solid story but the jumping around different time lines made it more confusing. The art was really hars to follow and at stages not that appealing. Pretty disappointed with this one.
April 22, 2018
A reverse Batman type (Black/White, male/female, socialite/tabloïd trash...) totally unlikeable psycho character in a confused and badly paced plot.
Good art by Edwards on the 1st half- not his best though- with totally inappropiated art by Shawn Crystal on the 2nd. Way too cartoony for the would-be violent gothic story the plot wishes it were.
Young Animals never cease to disappoint.
Good art by Edwards on the 1st half- not his best though- with totally inappropiated art by Shawn Crystal on the 2nd. Way too cartoony for the would-be violent gothic story the plot wishes it were.
Young Animals never cease to disappoint.
December 29, 2017
Really good series, highly underrated! Does have a slow start, but this series has quickly become one of my favourites!
December 16, 2017
Probably the weakest out of the young animals line so far but still found it pretty enjoyable.
Violet is a character who has similar feel and background as Bruce Wayne. But she's a lot more unhinged, unstable, and pissed off. That might come as a surprise since all those traits apply to Bruce usually too but Violet is a little bit more violent and also a lot more cursing is introduced in Gotham thanks to her. This story focuses on her growth as a new superhero around Gotham while also giving some background which is downright weird. Yes, the whole book is weird with weird characters but the background is especially odd.
Good: I enjoyed the design of Violet, she looked badass both inside and out the costume. The character herself is pretty interesting and more angry version than someone I would expect. The side characters aren't all hits but some are highly entertaining and some side cameos from Batman/Batwoman are great.
Bad: The art can be a bit fuzzy and hard to read. I also thought the story was jarring sometimes with the jumping back and forth between modern time and the past. The fights also, while some good, sometimes hard to understand or see what's happening. Also have no idea where this is going to go.
Overall this is a solid read, with some interesting ideas, but not all connecting just yet. At the moment I'd probably give it a 2.5 but to keep up with the rest of my ratings I'll place it at a 3. I think this line of comics has all ranged from decent to good, so hoping for more!
Violet is a character who has similar feel and background as Bruce Wayne. But she's a lot more unhinged, unstable, and pissed off. That might come as a surprise since all those traits apply to Bruce usually too but Violet is a little bit more violent and also a lot more cursing is introduced in Gotham thanks to her. This story focuses on her growth as a new superhero around Gotham while also giving some background which is downright weird. Yes, the whole book is weird with weird characters but the background is especially odd.
Good: I enjoyed the design of Violet, she looked badass both inside and out the costume. The character herself is pretty interesting and more angry version than someone I would expect. The side characters aren't all hits but some are highly entertaining and some side cameos from Batman/Batwoman are great.
Bad: The art can be a bit fuzzy and hard to read. I also thought the story was jarring sometimes with the jumping back and forth between modern time and the past. The fights also, while some good, sometimes hard to understand or see what's happening. Also have no idea where this is going to go.
Overall this is a solid read, with some interesting ideas, but not all connecting just yet. At the moment I'd probably give it a 2.5 but to keep up with the rest of my ratings I'll place it at a 3. I think this line of comics has all ranged from decent to good, so hoping for more!
January 8, 2017
DNF -
Read the first two issues and have cancelled my ongoing subscription. Its a good premise but I find the main character to be rather boring and so up themselves that I honestly dont care about them.
Was hoping this new batch of DC would be something different but unfortunatley just like Marvel it has been very poor recently.
Read the first two issues and have cancelled my ongoing subscription. Its a good premise but I find the main character to be rather boring and so up themselves that I honestly dont care about them.
Was hoping this new batch of DC would be something different but unfortunatley just like Marvel it has been very poor recently.
September 7, 2017
Ohhh, this is too bad, it started out so promising!
Good art for the first part, but still the story was lacking.. well everything: direction, ambiance, feelings, a backbone,...
Nope, this character just won't do.....
Good art for the first part, but still the story was lacking.. well everything: direction, ambiance, feelings, a backbone,...
Nope, this character just won't do.....
June 15, 2017
Can it be possible to be both interested and disappointed at the same time? Damn. I really wanted to enjoy this book and in fact, I very much did for the first few issues. After that, there seemed to be a marked change in both the art and storytelling, but for now, let’s rewind a bit.
So far, I’ve been really intrigued by DC’s Young Animal titles. Some are way out there reboots, re-imaginings, reinterpretations, or retro whackiness! This however, falls under a new property and character that exists in the well-established Gothamverse.
Batman and Batwoman show up a bit, but you don’t need to have an in-depth knowledge of either to move with the story. However, because I’m a fan of the two, I saw some cracks in the veneer. First and foremost, this title really feels like it’s trying to channel some Batwoman: Elegy. In fact, you’re almost hit over the head with it if you’re familiar with that story and the fantastical, story book elements and rhymes throughout. I could tolerate it for a while in this, but eventually it wore thin when another character appeared who was in that mould.
What also really took me out of this story was the shift in art from Tommy Lee Edwards to Shawn Crystal. The first part was kind of edgy and sketchy looking which sort of fit well in my opinion about a story of a dejected, empty, annoyed, and rebellious young celebrity. However, when it switched to Crystal I was really confused. Yes, it did have a dreamy quality to it at times, but others the art was so jarring I couldn’t recognize characters from Edwards’ take on them. Add to that, Crystal’s felt almost like a hybrid style of MAD Magazine, Ren and Stimpy, and mid-Century manga. Maybe they were trying to appeal to a younger audience, but this story isn’t really age appropriate for them.
As for the character design, I found it pretty neat! Is it Bat Family-like or not? I tried to look past the hockey gloves from a marriage of the WWF’s Legion of Doom and the Road Warrior. I tried to remind myself that things are a bit different under the Young Animal imprint.
As for the story, I was a bit lost at times. So, wait is the surgeon helping her, the same one from the awful school? How did she become so famous? Why is she a celebrity? Is all to be revealed in another volume? Wait, the super-pretty person was a guy? Super smart rats? I guess it’s ok, cuz Ratcatcher’s in it. Why is Violet suddenly offended when some vapid hook up rejects her (she’s been doing that throughout the story)? The more it went on, the less I enjoyed it. Maybe it was too much of a good thing at first. Now, this might be for you as it’s really quite different for DC but does offer the familiarity of the Gothamverse. Although I had problems with this, I’d still say give it a go just to try something different.
So far, I’ve been really intrigued by DC’s Young Animal titles. Some are way out there reboots, re-imaginings, reinterpretations, or retro whackiness! This however, falls under a new property and character that exists in the well-established Gothamverse.
Batman and Batwoman show up a bit, but you don’t need to have an in-depth knowledge of either to move with the story. However, because I’m a fan of the two, I saw some cracks in the veneer. First and foremost, this title really feels like it’s trying to channel some Batwoman: Elegy. In fact, you’re almost hit over the head with it if you’re familiar with that story and the fantastical, story book elements and rhymes throughout. I could tolerate it for a while in this, but eventually it wore thin when another character appeared who was in that mould.
What also really took me out of this story was the shift in art from Tommy Lee Edwards to Shawn Crystal. The first part was kind of edgy and sketchy looking which sort of fit well in my opinion about a story of a dejected, empty, annoyed, and rebellious young celebrity. However, when it switched to Crystal I was really confused. Yes, it did have a dreamy quality to it at times, but others the art was so jarring I couldn’t recognize characters from Edwards’ take on them. Add to that, Crystal’s felt almost like a hybrid style of MAD Magazine, Ren and Stimpy, and mid-Century manga. Maybe they were trying to appeal to a younger audience, but this story isn’t really age appropriate for them.
As for the character design, I found it pretty neat! Is it Bat Family-like or not? I tried to look past the hockey gloves from a marriage of the WWF’s Legion of Doom and the Road Warrior. I tried to remind myself that things are a bit different under the Young Animal imprint.
As for the story, I was a bit lost at times. So, wait is the surgeon helping her, the same one from the awful school? How did she become so famous? Why is she a celebrity? Is all to be revealed in another volume? Wait, the super-pretty person was a guy? Super smart rats? I guess it’s ok, cuz Ratcatcher’s in it. Why is Violet suddenly offended when some vapid hook up rejects her (she’s been doing that throughout the story)? The more it went on, the less I enjoyed it. Maybe it was too much of a good thing at first. Now, this might be for you as it’s really quite different for DC but does offer the familiarity of the Gothamverse. Although I had problems with this, I’d still say give it a go just to try something different.
August 21, 2017
What do you get when you cross the line with Batman? Probably something like 'Mother Panic, Volume 1: Work in Progress' by Jody Houser with art by Tommy Lee Edwards and Shawn Crystal.
By day, Violet Paige is a cranky 'celebutante,' showing up at parties and showing diffidence to everyone. By night, she is Gotham City's newest vigilante, Mother Panic. She seeks revenge for things that happened in her past. When she was a child, her father died in a questionable incident. Her older brother was unable to care for their mother or his little sister. Mother was sent to a strange institution, and sister was sent to a cruel boarding school called Gather House. Her methods are darker than Batman and that puts her into conflict with Batman and Batwoman.
I've read a lot of dark takes on Batman. This one takes the premise of a modern celebrity and how they would handle things. In this case, kind of badly. I get that Violet is messed up, but it's hard to feel anything for her, to be honest. Maybe that will change in later issues. I wasn't as crazy about Tommy Lee Edwards art. When Shawn Crystal took over, I liked his approach a bit better. This collects issues 1-6 or Mother Panic from the DC Young Animal imprint.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
By day, Violet Paige is a cranky 'celebutante,' showing up at parties and showing diffidence to everyone. By night, she is Gotham City's newest vigilante, Mother Panic. She seeks revenge for things that happened in her past. When she was a child, her father died in a questionable incident. Her older brother was unable to care for their mother or his little sister. Mother was sent to a strange institution, and sister was sent to a cruel boarding school called Gather House. Her methods are darker than Batman and that puts her into conflict with Batman and Batwoman.
I've read a lot of dark takes on Batman. This one takes the premise of a modern celebrity and how they would handle things. In this case, kind of badly. I get that Violet is messed up, but it's hard to feel anything for her, to be honest. Maybe that will change in later issues. I wasn't as crazy about Tommy Lee Edwards art. When Shawn Crystal took over, I liked his approach a bit better. This collects issues 1-6 or Mother Panic from the DC Young Animal imprint.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
March 25, 2018
There are already reviews of this which say everything I felt about this better than I could, but I want to discuss a plot point, because I've been thinking about it.
Apparently the 'origin' of Mother Panic is that her father and a buddy took her out in the woods to hunt deer, and then Violet overheard the creepy buddy asking her father for "one hour alone with her."
Then, Violet shot her father, instead of what would have happened in real life, the father would have shot his friend.
But then, back up a sec. Suppose for a SECOND that there was a creepy guy who wanted to rape, fondle, whatever.. a 13 yo, 15 yo girl... would he be discussing this with the father?
Well, they're hunting deer. They're OBVIOUSLY evil patriarchs. Don't they have an expression: Bros before 13 yos?
This isn't horrifying. It's completely ridiculous. The book didn't go downhill from there so much as stayed at that level throughout. One star above "I didn't like it" for the competence of the art, which wasn't as 'semi-ugly' as I'd been led to believe. The transition from "gritty" artist one to "animated series" artist two was pretty jarring.
I can't believe this has a volume two. And I'm glad I read it free on Hoopla.
Apparently the 'origin' of Mother Panic is that her father and a buddy took her out in the woods to hunt deer, and then Violet overheard the creepy buddy asking her father for "one hour alone with her."
Then, Violet shot her father, instead of what would have happened in real life, the father would have shot his friend.
But then, back up a sec. Suppose for a SECOND that there was a creepy guy who wanted to rape, fondle, whatever.. a 13 yo, 15 yo girl... would he be discussing this with the father?
Well, they're hunting deer. They're OBVIOUSLY evil patriarchs. Don't they have an expression: Bros before 13 yos?
This isn't horrifying. It's completely ridiculous. The book didn't go downhill from there so much as stayed at that level throughout. One star above "I didn't like it" for the competence of the art, which wasn't as 'semi-ugly' as I'd been led to believe. The transition from "gritty" artist one to "animated series" artist two was pretty jarring.
I can't believe this has a volume two. And I'm glad I read it free on Hoopla.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2017
There are some really great elements here. And some notable flaws. The central premise and character are interesting as a kind of alternate look at Batman and the vigilante character. What if Batman had the time and resources to fight crime, but without the same support system or moral code? Delving into an anti-hero of this type in the midst of Gotham City has some great potential and yields some interesting results.
In conjunction with this story, "Mother Panic" is told in a fractured and sometimes jarring art style that takes a little adjusting to. However, once I adjusted, it accentuated the tone and story in a way that really started to work for me.
However, when the artist changed partway through, I found myself upset. The initial style works much better in my opinion and there was some merit lost in the change. Additionally, while the storytelling has some great points, it also has a number of moments when it falters. As a whole, I think this creative team tried to take some risks with the project. I like enough of what is going on here to have a continued interest in the series, but the sum total of volume 1 is rather a mixed result.
In conjunction with this story, "Mother Panic" is told in a fractured and sometimes jarring art style that takes a little adjusting to. However, once I adjusted, it accentuated the tone and story in a way that really started to work for me.
However, when the artist changed partway through, I found myself upset. The initial style works much better in my opinion and there was some merit lost in the change. Additionally, while the storytelling has some great points, it also has a number of moments when it falters. As a whole, I think this creative team tried to take some risks with the project. I like enough of what is going on here to have a continued interest in the series, but the sum total of volume 1 is rather a mixed result.
May 31, 2019
Com certeza esses quadrinhos da linha Young Animal são diferentões. Mas diferentões não querem dizer que sejam bons, não é mesmo? E ninguém está disposto a desembolsar sessenta pilas e tanto num quadrinho capa dura que julga diferentão e nunca ouviu falar. A não ser eu, seu verme de estimação. Madre Pânico é um quadrinho bem fora do comum, isso é fato, mas lembra aqueles quadrinhos da Vertigo da primeira geração, que causavam um impacto na gente. Ele trabalha uma heroína de Gotham City, que se envolve com o universo do Batman, sim, mas que é totalmente seca e boca-suja e isso deixa a personagem sensacional. É muito engraçado. Além disso, tem a mãe da "heroína" que tem dons precognitivos e não fala coisa com coisa - mas fala, sim. O quadrinho começa com a arte de Tommy Lee Edwards (Terra X), que é sensacional, mas as três últimas edições são feitas por Shawn Crystal (Deadpool), que escorrega no quiabo, não curti muito a arte dele não. Vou falar o que estou sentindo: a linha Young Animal é bem divertida, tem um sopro de renovação, mas com certeza não é para todo mundo. Nem todos vão curtir e entender sua proposta. Tá falado!
June 22, 2017
Mother Panic is a brand new character created for the Young Animal line at DC which Gerard Way oversees. You never know what you're going to get with a brand new series about a brand new character. I'd never heard of any of the creative staff before either. That made it even more of an unknown.
Mother Panic is a member of the social elite that is always in the spotlight. Her real name is Violet. She's the kind of person that you'd expect to see hobnobbing at events hosting by Bruce Wayne. Some of her childhood is seen through flashbacks. Man, she had it rough. After her father's death, her older brother took over the family company, sent their mom to facility where she could be seen to round the clock by paid professionals, and shipped Violet off to a boarding school named Gather House. The people that ran this place treated the kids in their care as experiments. Violet survived, but I can't say she's really a better person for it. She now has returned to Gotham to seek retribution against the one-percenters that have wronged her thus far in life. She has spent a fortune on surgeries. Unlike the rest of the people in her social circles who are more apt to being addicted to plastic surgery, the surgeries she's undergone have amplified her strength, along with various other things that will help her out fighting, so she can become a vigilante.
The book contains 2 story arcs. The first deals with her just getting back to Gotham and deciding to take down the first person on her list of those that have wronged her. Along the way, we get glimpse of Violet's past that directly pertain to the person she's after. For the 2nd arc, Violet meets someone else that went to Gather House that's just as screwed up as her. He too is trying to take down all of those responsible for how he's become. Violet and this guy don't exactly see eye to eye on how to take down these social elites. As they part ways, I am left with the feeling that we'll be seeing a lot more of this other person as he may well be the main antagonist to Mother Panic.
You can't have a book about someone becoming a new vigilante in Gotham without having them meet Batman face to face. Batwoman also has a dust up with Mother Panic. A minor Batman villain named Ratcatcher becomes a supporting player in the drama that unfolds. There is Violet's personal doctor that takes care of Violet after battles and surgeries. A male that Violet rescues in the first arc looks to be headed towards becoming her Violet's version of Alfred. Then there's Violet's bat shit crazy mom who likes to sit around in the basement having tea parties with her imaginary friends. All of these supporting cast members make for an interesting mix. Being set in Gotham, I know we can look forward to more well established characters popping in from time to time as well.
Writer Jody Houser has already shown baby steps in Violet's growth as a character in the first volume of this series. While I don't think that this story is groundbreaking, I do like the direction it's headed and really enjoy seeing how the upper class is portrayed as far less than perfect. I also connected with the adult themes in this book since the story is aimed for mature audiences only. Things didn't have to be toned down to so that young teens could be incorporated into the target audience. This was a decent introduction of Mother Panic to the world, and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go from here. The writing gets 3.5 stars.
Tommy Lee Edwards starts off as the illustrator on the book. He draws the first 3 issues which is the entire first arc. I wasn't really a fan of the art in this half of the book. Too many of the characters' faces where either hidden in shadow or had these really scratchy looking details in them like the artist didn't really know how accent details are supposed to look. A good portion of the first half is really dark and there aren't a lot of panels that color really plays a major role unless you consider everything having too much black as being colored. I love the old Image style of art with heavy inks, but here the inks seem out of place, as I mentioned with the facial details. Towards the end of his half of the book, Edwards does lighten things and has some really beautiful coloring in his panels.
For the second arc of the book, Shawn Crystal takes over the pencil and ink work. Jean-Francois Beaulieu colors Crystal's work. All the characters drawn by Crystal look better than anything Edwards drew. Violet is actually attractive in the latter half. When Edwards drew her, you could barely tell she was a woman, much less the beautiful celebrity she is supposed to millions with hordes of followers. If the stories remain good and Crystal stays on as main artist for the series, I could grow to love this title. Edwards' art is around 2 stars. Crystal's is about 4 stars. Average those 2 together and I'll give the art a 3 star score and call it a day.
I had no preconceived notions before reading this book and went into it with low expectations. I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. Had Shawn Crystal been the artist on the whole book, the score would be a little higher. As is, Tommy Lee Edwards' art just hurt the first portion of the book too much. If you enjoy stories about the debauchery that takes place in Gotham, but want something with a more mature story, this is the book for you. Overall rating 3.25 stars.
***** I got a digital copy of this from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Mother Panic is a member of the social elite that is always in the spotlight. Her real name is Violet. She's the kind of person that you'd expect to see hobnobbing at events hosting by Bruce Wayne. Some of her childhood is seen through flashbacks. Man, she had it rough. After her father's death, her older brother took over the family company, sent their mom to facility where she could be seen to round the clock by paid professionals, and shipped Violet off to a boarding school named Gather House. The people that ran this place treated the kids in their care as experiments. Violet survived, but I can't say she's really a better person for it. She now has returned to Gotham to seek retribution against the one-percenters that have wronged her thus far in life. She has spent a fortune on surgeries. Unlike the rest of the people in her social circles who are more apt to being addicted to plastic surgery, the surgeries she's undergone have amplified her strength, along with various other things that will help her out fighting, so she can become a vigilante.
The book contains 2 story arcs. The first deals with her just getting back to Gotham and deciding to take down the first person on her list of those that have wronged her. Along the way, we get glimpse of Violet's past that directly pertain to the person she's after. For the 2nd arc, Violet meets someone else that went to Gather House that's just as screwed up as her. He too is trying to take down all of those responsible for how he's become. Violet and this guy don't exactly see eye to eye on how to take down these social elites. As they part ways, I am left with the feeling that we'll be seeing a lot more of this other person as he may well be the main antagonist to Mother Panic.
You can't have a book about someone becoming a new vigilante in Gotham without having them meet Batman face to face. Batwoman also has a dust up with Mother Panic. A minor Batman villain named Ratcatcher becomes a supporting player in the drama that unfolds. There is Violet's personal doctor that takes care of Violet after battles and surgeries. A male that Violet rescues in the first arc looks to be headed towards becoming her Violet's version of Alfred. Then there's Violet's bat shit crazy mom who likes to sit around in the basement having tea parties with her imaginary friends. All of these supporting cast members make for an interesting mix. Being set in Gotham, I know we can look forward to more well established characters popping in from time to time as well.
Writer Jody Houser has already shown baby steps in Violet's growth as a character in the first volume of this series. While I don't think that this story is groundbreaking, I do like the direction it's headed and really enjoy seeing how the upper class is portrayed as far less than perfect. I also connected with the adult themes in this book since the story is aimed for mature audiences only. Things didn't have to be toned down to so that young teens could be incorporated into the target audience. This was a decent introduction of Mother Panic to the world, and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go from here. The writing gets 3.5 stars.
Tommy Lee Edwards starts off as the illustrator on the book. He draws the first 3 issues which is the entire first arc. I wasn't really a fan of the art in this half of the book. Too many of the characters' faces where either hidden in shadow or had these really scratchy looking details in them like the artist didn't really know how accent details are supposed to look. A good portion of the first half is really dark and there aren't a lot of panels that color really plays a major role unless you consider everything having too much black as being colored. I love the old Image style of art with heavy inks, but here the inks seem out of place, as I mentioned with the facial details. Towards the end of his half of the book, Edwards does lighten things and has some really beautiful coloring in his panels.
For the second arc of the book, Shawn Crystal takes over the pencil and ink work. Jean-Francois Beaulieu colors Crystal's work. All the characters drawn by Crystal look better than anything Edwards drew. Violet is actually attractive in the latter half. When Edwards drew her, you could barely tell she was a woman, much less the beautiful celebrity she is supposed to millions with hordes of followers. If the stories remain good and Crystal stays on as main artist for the series, I could grow to love this title. Edwards' art is around 2 stars. Crystal's is about 4 stars. Average those 2 together and I'll give the art a 3 star score and call it a day.
I had no preconceived notions before reading this book and went into it with low expectations. I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. Had Shawn Crystal been the artist on the whole book, the score would be a little higher. As is, Tommy Lee Edwards' art just hurt the first portion of the book too much. If you enjoy stories about the debauchery that takes place in Gotham, but want something with a more mature story, this is the book for you. Overall rating 3.25 stars.
***** I got a digital copy of this from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2017
The good:
-Good punky art.
-The violet background.
-The first arc villain.
The bad:
-The main character doesnt hace a defined personality.
-The story is confusing at times.
-The plot is a cliché.
-Good punky art.
-The violet background.
-The first arc villain.
The bad:
-The main character doesnt hace a defined personality.
-The story is confusing at times.
-The plot is a cliché.
July 3, 2017
ENG/ESP
Mother Panic, part of Gerard Way’s new adult DC comics line Young Animal, takes a well-worn concept and injects a punk freshness to it.
Anyone who knows anything about Batman can realize that the Through the Looking Glass concept of the character is perennial in all the new incarnations of the character. His rogue gallery consists mostly of dangerous parallels to the Dark Knight (Joker for craziness, Riddler for his intellect and detective skills, Bane for rage and so on and so on) and his allies normally share some form of his pathos. Mother Panic is a comic about an ultra-famous Gotham millionaire that becomes a vigilante. The concept itself is to imagine a Batman-like character but with a XXI century outlook of life. Violet Page is the sort of infamous celebrity who is only famous for being rich and unlikable (cue Kardashian reference). She has a dubious past full of controversy and a mean streak and her vigilante persona is reflective of it. In all, this is not a new concept but it might be one of the smarter versions of it.
This is not a dark and gritty comic or a 90’s rip-off. It is dark, yes, and a post-modern look at superheroes. It’s cynical and deconstructive, but not in a Zack Snyder of Frank Miller kind of way. Jody Houser is careful to construct a reluctant heroine that resembles Batman & Co. more than she would care to admit. Mother Panic is a bad-ass who constantly finds herself derailed from her vengeance because of her (admittedly shoddy) moral compass. She is a true Batman analog that represents in a lot of ways the good and bad of him.
In the tradition of a Superhero looking at itself through the mirror, Mother Panic is a white and rat-like whilst Batman is dark and bat-like. Both are violent, but the latter feels justified by his mission and the former is justified in her thirst for revenge. Both fuel their passion in their childhood trauma, but Bruce became his persona while Violet was forced into hers. Both deal with overall craziness, depression and guilt, but take their characters to opposite ends of the spectrum. However, Violet is not only an antihero. She is constantly being watched by the do-gooders of Gotham and, much to her annoyance, constantly being validated by them. Her story is going less in the direction of the Crow and more in the direction of a DC character like the Red Hood.
Regardless of how unoriginal the comic’s motivations may be, Mother Panic lays it’s point across beautifully. The story needs fleshing out, still, and the jury is still out on how well the character can distinguish itself as original, but for now Young Animal has another interesting addition to its lineup.
Mother Panic, parte del nuevo sello Young Animal, de Gerard Way, toma un concepto bien usado y le inyecta una frescura punk muy interesante.
Cualquiera que sepa aunque sea un poco sobre Batman puede darse cuenta que el concepto de “A través del espejo” es perene en todas las encarnaciones nuevas del personaje. Su galería de villanos se conforma en su mayoría de paralelos peligrosos del Caballero de la Noche (Joker para su locura, Riddler por su intelecto y capacidad como detective, Bane por su rabia y la lista sigue y sigue) y sus aliados normalmente comparten alguna forma de su pathos. Mother Panic es un cómic sobre una millonaria ultra famosa que busca justicia por propia mano. El concepto en sí es imaginar a un personaje tipo Batman pero con una visión más cercana al siglo XXI. Violet Page es la clase de celebridad infame, que sólo es famosa por ser rica y pesada (inserte aquí su referencia a las Kardashian). Tiene un pasado dudoso lleno de controversia, es irascible y su versión justiciera es un reflejo de ello. En general, este concepto no es nuevo pero esta podría ser una de las representaciones más inteligentes del mismo.
Este no es un cómic oscuro al estilo de la década de los 90. Es oscuro, sí, y tiene una visión posmoderna de los superhéroes. Es cínico y deconstructivo, pero no en el estilo de Zack Snyder o Frank Miller. Jody Houser construye con cuidado a una heroína reacia que refleja más a Batman y compañía de lo que quisiera admitir. Mother Panic es un personaje duro que constantemente se encuentra desviada de su objetivo de venganza por culpa de su (lo admito, torcido) compás moral. Es un verdadero análogo de Batman que representa lo bueno y lo malo del personaje.
Siguiendo la tradición del Superhéroes viéndose a través del espejo, Mother Panic tiene un uniforma blanco y con forma de rata mientras que Batman es obscuro y con forma de murciélago. Ambos son violentos, pero el segundo lo justifica por su misión y la primera se justifica por su sed de venganza. Ambos obtienen su pasión de sus traumas infantiles, pero Bruce creó a su alter-ego mientras que Violet fue forzada a él. Ambos lidian con una locura general, con depresión y con culpa, pero esto lleva a sus personajes a lados opuestos del espectro. Sin embargo, no considero que Violet sea una anti heroína. Los “buenos” de Gotham siempre la están observando y, muy a su pesar, constantemente aprueban de su comportamiento. Su historia parece ir menos en la dirección de El Cuervo y más en la dirección de personajes de DC como Red Hood.
Independientemente de lo poco originales que puedan ser las motivaciones del cómic, Mother Panic expresa sus opiniones de manera bellísima. La historia aún necesita desarrollarse y todavía está en tela de juicio si el personaje puede distinguirse por sí mismo y sentirse original, pero por ahora Young Animal ha agregado un nuevo título interesante a sus galeras.
Mother Panic, part of Gerard Way’s new adult DC comics line Young Animal, takes a well-worn concept and injects a punk freshness to it.
Anyone who knows anything about Batman can realize that the Through the Looking Glass concept of the character is perennial in all the new incarnations of the character. His rogue gallery consists mostly of dangerous parallels to the Dark Knight (Joker for craziness, Riddler for his intellect and detective skills, Bane for rage and so on and so on) and his allies normally share some form of his pathos. Mother Panic is a comic about an ultra-famous Gotham millionaire that becomes a vigilante. The concept itself is to imagine a Batman-like character but with a XXI century outlook of life. Violet Page is the sort of infamous celebrity who is only famous for being rich and unlikable (cue Kardashian reference). She has a dubious past full of controversy and a mean streak and her vigilante persona is reflective of it. In all, this is not a new concept but it might be one of the smarter versions of it.
This is not a dark and gritty comic or a 90’s rip-off. It is dark, yes, and a post-modern look at superheroes. It’s cynical and deconstructive, but not in a Zack Snyder of Frank Miller kind of way. Jody Houser is careful to construct a reluctant heroine that resembles Batman & Co. more than she would care to admit. Mother Panic is a bad-ass who constantly finds herself derailed from her vengeance because of her (admittedly shoddy) moral compass. She is a true Batman analog that represents in a lot of ways the good and bad of him.
In the tradition of a Superhero looking at itself through the mirror, Mother Panic is a white and rat-like whilst Batman is dark and bat-like. Both are violent, but the latter feels justified by his mission and the former is justified in her thirst for revenge. Both fuel their passion in their childhood trauma, but Bruce became his persona while Violet was forced into hers. Both deal with overall craziness, depression and guilt, but take their characters to opposite ends of the spectrum. However, Violet is not only an antihero. She is constantly being watched by the do-gooders of Gotham and, much to her annoyance, constantly being validated by them. Her story is going less in the direction of the Crow and more in the direction of a DC character like the Red Hood.
Regardless of how unoriginal the comic’s motivations may be, Mother Panic lays it’s point across beautifully. The story needs fleshing out, still, and the jury is still out on how well the character can distinguish itself as original, but for now Young Animal has another interesting addition to its lineup.
Mother Panic, parte del nuevo sello Young Animal, de Gerard Way, toma un concepto bien usado y le inyecta una frescura punk muy interesante.
Cualquiera que sepa aunque sea un poco sobre Batman puede darse cuenta que el concepto de “A través del espejo” es perene en todas las encarnaciones nuevas del personaje. Su galería de villanos se conforma en su mayoría de paralelos peligrosos del Caballero de la Noche (Joker para su locura, Riddler por su intelecto y capacidad como detective, Bane por su rabia y la lista sigue y sigue) y sus aliados normalmente comparten alguna forma de su pathos. Mother Panic es un cómic sobre una millonaria ultra famosa que busca justicia por propia mano. El concepto en sí es imaginar a un personaje tipo Batman pero con una visión más cercana al siglo XXI. Violet Page es la clase de celebridad infame, que sólo es famosa por ser rica y pesada (inserte aquí su referencia a las Kardashian). Tiene un pasado dudoso lleno de controversia, es irascible y su versión justiciera es un reflejo de ello. En general, este concepto no es nuevo pero esta podría ser una de las representaciones más inteligentes del mismo.
Este no es un cómic oscuro al estilo de la década de los 90. Es oscuro, sí, y tiene una visión posmoderna de los superhéroes. Es cínico y deconstructivo, pero no en el estilo de Zack Snyder o Frank Miller. Jody Houser construye con cuidado a una heroína reacia que refleja más a Batman y compañía de lo que quisiera admitir. Mother Panic es un personaje duro que constantemente se encuentra desviada de su objetivo de venganza por culpa de su (lo admito, torcido) compás moral. Es un verdadero análogo de Batman que representa lo bueno y lo malo del personaje.
Siguiendo la tradición del Superhéroes viéndose a través del espejo, Mother Panic tiene un uniforma blanco y con forma de rata mientras que Batman es obscuro y con forma de murciélago. Ambos son violentos, pero el segundo lo justifica por su misión y la primera se justifica por su sed de venganza. Ambos obtienen su pasión de sus traumas infantiles, pero Bruce creó a su alter-ego mientras que Violet fue forzada a él. Ambos lidian con una locura general, con depresión y con culpa, pero esto lleva a sus personajes a lados opuestos del espectro. Sin embargo, no considero que Violet sea una anti heroína. Los “buenos” de Gotham siempre la están observando y, muy a su pesar, constantemente aprueban de su comportamiento. Su historia parece ir menos en la dirección de El Cuervo y más en la dirección de personajes de DC como Red Hood.
Independientemente de lo poco originales que puedan ser las motivaciones del cómic, Mother Panic expresa sus opiniones de manera bellísima. La historia aún necesita desarrollarse y todavía está en tela de juicio si el personaje puede distinguirse por sí mismo y sentirse original, pero por ahora Young Animal ha agregado un nuevo título interesante a sus galeras.
February 7, 2024
У 2016 році DC запустили імпринт "Young Animal" куратором якого був Джерард Вей. Суть імпринту пролягала в тому, щоб відродити деякі старі концепти та персонажів в новому й осучасненому погляді для дорослої аудиторії які б відрізнявся від загальних тайтлів DC. Однією з початкових серій у цьому імпринті стала "Mother Panic" від сценаристки Джоді Гаузер.
Першочерговий концепт Мати Паніки був створений Джерардом Вейом та художником Томмі Лі Едвардсом. Суть у тому, що Вей задумався, поки сидів у черзі до стоматолога, що було б якби Брюс Вейн поводився як сучасна знаменитість і чи змогло б таке альтрего працювати. Більше деталей навколо героїні з'явилося вже після того, як DC найняли Гаузер на роль сценаристки серії. Тож давайте дізнаємося чи вдалося Гаузер вдало представити нову героїню Ґотему.
Перший сюжет "Work In Progress" який триває три номери є історією в якій ми знайомимося з нашою героїнею Вайолет Пейдж та її оточенням. Так, наприклад ми дізнаємося, що з її батьком стався нещасний випадок коли він взяв її з собою на полювання, що її матір має психологічні проблеми, а також, що після смерті батька її старший брат відправив Вайолет в приватну школу перебування в якій було для неї пеклом. Ми ж як читачі застаємо Вайолет, коли вона прибуває в Ґотем для того, щоб розібратися з багатієм Фредеріком Гемслі. Однак, чому вона на нього полює і що ж такого приховує Гемслі, через що йому доводиться найняти людей для вбивства свого тілоохоронця. Мені перший сюжет досить таки сподобався, він непогано знайомить нас з героїнею, показує її характер та мотиви, з цікавого також порадувало невеликі камео Бетмена та Бетвумен які зацікавилися появою нової героїні в Ґотемі. Що ще мені особливо сподобалося в перших трьох номерах так це досить атмосферний малюнок Томмі Лі Едвардса.
На жаль наступний сюжет "Broken Things", який відбувається з 4 по 6 номер, вийшов набагато слабшим. У нас тут відбувалася зміна художника, Лі Едвардса замінив Шон Кристал. І його малюнок не те щоб поганий, просто такий різкий перехід від одного стилю до іншого б'є по атмосфері перших номерів та викликає дисонанс я який я останній раз відчував тільки тоді коли "USM" почав малювати Лафуенте замість Баґлі. За сюжетом Мати Паніка пересікаєть з чоловіком який порадив її брату відправити нашу героїню в пекельну школу й вирішує помститися йому. У результаті вона пересікаєть з одним з колишніх учнів із тієї ж школи над яким проводили експерименти й вони разом починають здійснювати помсту. На жаль, при досить цікавій зав'язці цей сюжет дуже швидко набридає й в один момент змінює фокус з помсти на конфлікт нашої героїні з хлопцем, в результаті перша лінія просто повисає в повітрі, тому сподіваюся її якось продовжать в наступних номерах.
Загалом враження від першої половини "Mother Panic" вийшли досить суперечливими. Серія має досить класний початок, але другий сюжет вийшов досить таким собі, сподіваюся, що в другій половині ситуація виправиться.
Першочерговий концепт Мати Паніки був створений Джерардом Вейом та художником Томмі Лі Едвардсом. Суть у тому, що Вей задумався, поки сидів у черзі до стоматолога, що було б якби Брюс Вейн поводився як сучасна знаменитість і чи змогло б таке альтрего працювати. Більше деталей навколо героїні з'явилося вже після того, як DC найняли Гаузер на роль сценаристки серії. Тож давайте дізнаємося чи вдалося Гаузер вдало представити нову героїню Ґотему.
Перший сюжет "Work In Progress" який триває три номери є історією в якій ми знайомимося з нашою героїнею Вайолет Пейдж та її оточенням. Так, наприклад ми дізнаємося, що з її батьком стався нещасний випадок коли він взяв її з собою на полювання, що її матір має психологічні проблеми, а також, що після смерті батька її старший брат відправив Вайолет в приватну школу перебування в якій було для неї пеклом. Ми ж як читачі застаємо Вайолет, коли вона прибуває в Ґотем для того, щоб розібратися з багатієм Фредеріком Гемслі. Однак, чому вона на нього полює і що ж такого приховує Гемслі, через що йому доводиться найняти людей для вбивства свого тілоохоронця. Мені перший сюжет досить таки сподобався, він непогано знайомить нас з героїнею, показує її характер та мотиви, з цікавого також порадувало невеликі камео Бетмена та Бетвумен які зацікавилися появою нової героїні в Ґотемі. Що ще мені особливо сподобалося в перших трьох номерах так це досить атмосферний малюнок Томмі Лі Едвардса.
На жаль наступний сюжет "Broken Things", який відбувається з 4 по 6 номер, вийшов набагато слабшим. У нас тут відбувалася зміна художника, Лі Едвардса замінив Шон Кристал. І його малюнок не те щоб поганий, просто такий різкий перехід від одного стилю до іншого б'є по атмосфері перших номерів та викликає дисонанс я який я останній раз відчував тільки тоді коли "USM" почав малювати Лафуенте замість Баґлі. За сюжетом Мати Паніка пересікаєть з чоловіком який порадив її брату відправити нашу героїню в пекельну школу й вирішує помститися йому. У результаті вона пересікаєть з одним з колишніх учнів із тієї ж школи над яким проводили експерименти й вони разом починають здійснювати помсту. На жаль, при досить цікавій зав'язці цей сюжет дуже швидко набридає й в один момент змінює фокус з помсти на конфлікт нашої героїні з хлопцем, в результаті перша лінія просто повисає в повітрі, тому сподіваюся її якось продовжать в наступних номерах.
Загалом враження від першої половини "Mother Panic" вийшли досить суперечливими. Серія має досить класний початок, але другий сюжет вийшов досить таким собі, сподіваюся, що в другій половині ситуація виправиться.
January 4, 2018
Mother Panic, Volume 1: Work in Progress by Jody Houser is a new addition to the Batman Universe. A violent vigilante whose tragic and traumatic past has shaped her into a jaded and bitter anti-hero. With the wealth at her disposal and science behind her, she is able to battle, not crime per-say, but her own agenda.
Violet Paige is an amoralistic celebrity with an entitled attitude and bad temper. She is fodder for the paparazzi and works hard at her bad reputation. But its all a sham. Its a distraction from who she really is; Mother Panic. Paige is a bored heiress by day and a violent vigilante by night. But she does not seek out crime on Gotham's streets, instead she looks to take revenge on her own peers, whose appetites for perversion and greed have shaped her own life.
Now Mother Panic is on the hunt for an art dealer who makes paintings from blood and uses discarded children to do her work. But in her search, will Mother Panic find something far worse?
I am on the fence over this character. She does seem in too many ways to be a mirror of Bruce Wayne if he had allowed his hurt to turn him into a vengeful vigilante with a personal agenda instead of adhering to his code of justice. Making Mother Panic a young woman is a nice twist but is not really explored very well. This book isn't about justice, its about revenge and the justice that comes from it comes by accident. Perhaps this has to do with character growth but only time will tell.
I cannot help but believe that it would have been much better served if it had been turned into a Vertigo comic instead of a DC book. It reminds me a little of Marvel's MAX line, sex and violence and curse words that are not normally found in a Batman title, fill the pages. But not for shock value, they actually work within the framework of the comic. Again, perhaps this is a Vertigo comic in disguise.
Overall it was decent to good and worth following for a bit more. Hopefully the character will become something more than a distraction and short lived experiment.
Violet Paige is an amoralistic celebrity with an entitled attitude and bad temper. She is fodder for the paparazzi and works hard at her bad reputation. But its all a sham. Its a distraction from who she really is; Mother Panic. Paige is a bored heiress by day and a violent vigilante by night. But she does not seek out crime on Gotham's streets, instead she looks to take revenge on her own peers, whose appetites for perversion and greed have shaped her own life.
Now Mother Panic is on the hunt for an art dealer who makes paintings from blood and uses discarded children to do her work. But in her search, will Mother Panic find something far worse?
I am on the fence over this character. She does seem in too many ways to be a mirror of Bruce Wayne if he had allowed his hurt to turn him into a vengeful vigilante with a personal agenda instead of adhering to his code of justice. Making Mother Panic a young woman is a nice twist but is not really explored very well. This book isn't about justice, its about revenge and the justice that comes from it comes by accident. Perhaps this has to do with character growth but only time will tell.
I cannot help but believe that it would have been much better served if it had been turned into a Vertigo comic instead of a DC book. It reminds me a little of Marvel's MAX line, sex and violence and curse words that are not normally found in a Batman title, fill the pages. But not for shock value, they actually work within the framework of the comic. Again, perhaps this is a Vertigo comic in disguise.
Overall it was decent to good and worth following for a bit more. Hopefully the character will become something more than a distraction and short lived experiment.
July 3, 2017
(This post is currently submitted as a draft for Westmont Public Library's Book Recs blog.)
Batman isn’t the only hero in Gotham, anymore. Violet Page is on the scene now and she’s not happy. A celebrity of every gossip magazine in Gotham, there’s something boiling under the surface of this rich young woman and she’s not afraid to show it. Betrayed by someone she loved as a child, a traumatic event in her past fuels her rage. By day she’s on the cover of Gotham City’s gossip magazines and showing her disdain on televised talk shows. When the moon rises, however, she’s Mother Panic. A perfect foil of Batman, instead of in black, she’s in white. She shows reverence for violence and inflicts rage on those that wronged her in the past. Things get tricky, however, when she finds it’s not as easy as she thought to bring her revenge to a permanent end.
Mother Panic is a book full of rage, feminism, and punk-rock attitude. Violet Page suffered extreme betrayal when she was a child and Jody Houser, author of the much-different Faith comic series, does a superb job at building complex characterization through history. While Mother Panic is an in-your-face revenge character, some subtlety lies in the pencilling of Tommy Lee Edwards. MP’s costume looks like any off-the-wall super hero garb at first glance, but after reading more into Page’s history, one may pick up that it looks eerily familiar to that of a nun’s habit. Panels are littered with abstract, animalistic symbols from Page’s past, frameworking the story in the present. MP literally spits venom at her enemies, mirroring the malice she harbors within herself for those who did her wrong. A few familiar faces also show up on the scene worried by the new line of revenge in Gotham eerily familiar, yet different, than the Bat’s. For anyone a fan of revenge stories, strong female leads, and books full of passionate grit, Mother Panic is sure to please.
Batman isn’t the only hero in Gotham, anymore. Violet Page is on the scene now and she’s not happy. A celebrity of every gossip magazine in Gotham, there’s something boiling under the surface of this rich young woman and she’s not afraid to show it. Betrayed by someone she loved as a child, a traumatic event in her past fuels her rage. By day she’s on the cover of Gotham City’s gossip magazines and showing her disdain on televised talk shows. When the moon rises, however, she’s Mother Panic. A perfect foil of Batman, instead of in black, she’s in white. She shows reverence for violence and inflicts rage on those that wronged her in the past. Things get tricky, however, when she finds it’s not as easy as she thought to bring her revenge to a permanent end.
Mother Panic is a book full of rage, feminism, and punk-rock attitude. Violet Page suffered extreme betrayal when she was a child and Jody Houser, author of the much-different Faith comic series, does a superb job at building complex characterization through history. While Mother Panic is an in-your-face revenge character, some subtlety lies in the pencilling of Tommy Lee Edwards. MP’s costume looks like any off-the-wall super hero garb at first glance, but after reading more into Page’s history, one may pick up that it looks eerily familiar to that of a nun’s habit. Panels are littered with abstract, animalistic symbols from Page’s past, frameworking the story in the present. MP literally spits venom at her enemies, mirroring the malice she harbors within herself for those who did her wrong. A few familiar faces also show up on the scene worried by the new line of revenge in Gotham eerily familiar, yet different, than the Bat’s. For anyone a fan of revenge stories, strong female leads, and books full of passionate grit, Mother Panic is sure to please.
October 6, 2018
A very solid book. Really enjoy this new anti-hero. I seem to have a thing for vigilantes wearing all white. The plot is fairly simple, but effective. Characterization is top notch. Love how punk Violet is. She always speaks her mind, usually to the point of rudeness, and I found that to be very refreshing. Equally refreshing was the way her bisexuality was written; very casual, but bringing enough attention to it to make a few points here and there. The art by Tommy Lee Edwards is insanely good in the first 3 issues. Unfortunately I had to detract some points from the final score because the artist for issues 4-6, Shawn Crystal, just didn't quite suit the tone of the book. I found the somewhat cartoony style to be dissonant, and the action scenes lacked impact and dynamism. That said, his art isn't bad as a whole, just ill-suited for this book. Looking forward to volume 2. Unfortunately Crystal is still on it, but I think half of the issues are by the incredible John Paul Leon, so that's exciting. Can't wait to see where DC/Young Animal take this character. I know she has another short series after this, so it's nice to see she is still getting attention and development.
Final score: 8.5
Extra: Worth noting that the backup feature, Gotham Radio, included in the back of the book is very good.
Final score: 8.5
Extra: Worth noting that the backup feature, Gotham Radio, included in the back of the book is very good.
September 9, 2017
Interesting to see how they made up this new character which of course has a Batman vibe to it but is in fact so different. Yes it more or less starts out as a revenge driven thing but quickly turns into much more. So many topics are touched in here:abuse, "excess is access", addiction, dark sides of celebrity culture, mental health and more.
The artwork: it's interesting to see that half way through the book they brought in a new artist and separate colorist.
While the first artist, Tommy Lee Edwards, has a more gritty and rough style, the second artist team, Shawn Crystal and Jean-François beaulieu are more clean and a lean towards the style of the Batman animated series. Edwards is awesome doing backgrounds, always showing a great level of detail. But in terms of characters he fails to make them distinguishable. For example the heroine and one of the antagonists look almost the same and that's not on purpose.
Crystal and beaulieu are far better in that regard giving each character distinctive features. However, in terms of surroundings and backgrounds they are quite flat and boring. So we have a bit of a conundrum there...
Oh and there's a great afterword by Gerard Way in this, too! And a small bonus comic!
The artwork: it's interesting to see that half way through the book they brought in a new artist and separate colorist.
While the first artist, Tommy Lee Edwards, has a more gritty and rough style, the second artist team, Shawn Crystal and Jean-François beaulieu are more clean and a lean towards the style of the Batman animated series. Edwards is awesome doing backgrounds, always showing a great level of detail. But in terms of characters he fails to make them distinguishable. For example the heroine and one of the antagonists look almost the same and that's not on purpose.
Crystal and beaulieu are far better in that regard giving each character distinctive features. However, in terms of surroundings and backgrounds they are quite flat and boring. So we have a bit of a conundrum there...
Oh and there's a great afterword by Gerard Way in this, too! And a small bonus comic!
February 17, 2023
A solid adult label comic with interesting characters and a great addition to the Batverse! Violet has an interesting personality and and even more intriguing backstory. She's a great anti-hero. I found myself leaning in and trying to uncover more about her as she revealed a very dark side of Gotham. The other characters not so much... Violet gets the spotlight while the minor characters are unique and interesting, they aren't given much beyond their fun intros. I wanted to know more about her mother's illness and the guy Violet initially wanted dead. There's a gap in the story there and that steal a lot of potential away from the project.
The story line is okay... It staggers from chapter to chapter. I thought there was an overarching story with the introduction of Gala but she's quickly forgotten when we move to another antagonist. The only connecting factor between issues is Violet's backstory. The more you read, the more you get on her origin. That simply wasn't enough for me. I wanted bigger connections to keep me reading! With such a dark, intriguing story the authors have plenty of material. That said I did enjoy watching Violet's battles and I'm optimistic going forward.
The art is awesome! It stands out and leaves an impact! I loved the character design and the artists they brought in for this project! I want all the covers framed on my walls!
In summary: interesting story line but room for improvement.
The story line is okay... It staggers from chapter to chapter. I thought there was an overarching story with the introduction of Gala but she's quickly forgotten when we move to another antagonist. The only connecting factor between issues is Violet's backstory. The more you read, the more you get on her origin. That simply wasn't enough for me. I wanted bigger connections to keep me reading! With such a dark, intriguing story the authors have plenty of material. That said I did enjoy watching Violet's battles and I'm optimistic going forward.
The art is awesome! It stands out and leaves an impact! I loved the character design and the artists they brought in for this project! I want all the covers framed on my walls!
In summary: interesting story line but room for improvement.
June 28, 2024
The TPB cover features a larger image of Batman (who appears in less than five frames of the overall collection here) than the titular character, indicating there's an underlying problem in character recognition. However, even after reading the collection I still don't recognize this hero. Mother Panic has a silly look, a silly character, and poor plotting does not help the situation. There's no clear origin story, though one is certainly warranted since there's no rationale for why Mother Panic does what she does: She's wealthy, moody, curses a lot, and keeps her deranged mother in weird hotel--and wears a white costume with a huge headpiece. Not once is her hero name used: Not once does an outraged henchman yell "Good God! It's Mother Panic! Get her!"
A pointless, meandering mess.
A pointless, meandering mess.
April 29, 2018
That was big 'ouch' for my brain and time I could spend on better things. But there were moments I whisper to myself it's not as bad as books from some Slovak women written on the toilet, so 2 stars at least it deserved.
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