Mae Volume 1

Mae #vol. 1

by Gene Ha

When she was just a girl, Abbie discovered a portal to fantasy world and for the last couple of years has been having great adventures defeating horrible monsters, power-mad scientists, and evil nobles. But by the time she turned twenty-one it all came apart and she decided to return home. Her sister, Mae, has had no idea what happened to Abbie after all this time. Her tales are too hard to believe--that is, until the monsters and other terrible creatures start to cross over to our world...Collects the first six issues of the fantastical all-ages series, in the 6" x 9" format!Praise for the first issue of "I highly recommend checking this out, as it is not only fantastical but also... Fantastic, Five out of Five Stars."-Comic Crusaders

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Young Adult, Fiction, Adventure, Graphic Novels Comics

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2017

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like the Ryan Lochte of graphic novels—it looks powerful, graceful, poetic, and beautiful, right up until the point where the words come out. Then the cringing starts.

Okay, so that’s a slight exaggeration; it’s not Lochte bad. But, the story and writing definitely don’t hold up their end of the bargain relative to the art, which, as always with Ha, is gorgeous. Worth a flip through for that, if nothing else. But, if you’re looking for a better vehicle for Gene Ha’s splendiferious drawling skills, check out Top 10.

[Shai · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first volume of the graphic novel, Mae , has a good start. However, I find that I slowly lost interest in the latter part of the story. Nevertheless, I still appreciate the illustrations, and that I like how the story and relationship of Mae and Abbie as sisters was strongly emphasized. This graphic novel is good but not considerable to recommend to my fellow comic book enthusiast.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mae's sister has been missing for the last 7 years. Now she's returned and claims she's been in an Oz type dimension. When people from the dimension show up Mae and Abbie must return to her fantasy world to save her father.

I love the concept and the character designs. Ha has created a really nifty looking world. His art is fantastic. His coloring however leaves something to be desired. There are too many shiny spots. It gives the art a 90's computer animated cartoon look. The storytelling could be better as well. We don't find out anything about this world from when Abbie was queen here. The opening scene of the book takes place when Abbie went missing when she was 11 and introduces these otherworldly little characters who are never seen again. I often felt like there were some panels missing. Things just didn't quite connect.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 stars

Review to come (like the 12 others that need to be written)

This was a pretty fascinating urban fantasy - a bit of a mix of Treasure Planet, Dungeons and Dragons and Saga.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

When Abbie reappears in Mae's life she never expected she'd be followed by otherworldly beings willing to kidnap their father to get to her sister. Cutting their reunion short they head back to the world Abbie grew up in, a fantasy world full of terrifying monsters, power-hungry nobles, and nefarious scientists.

I knew from the cover that I wasn't sure about the art... but I LOVE portal fantasy and hoped that I could get into the story it any case. Well in the beginning I TOTALLY regretted picking this up... I HATED how the characters seemed outlined and the backgrounds were overly simple or quite dull. Then we hit the fantasy world and the art came together must better. Don't get me wrong the black outlined look is never going to be my favorite but it did work better with the fantasy races and the more detailed backgrounds.

Just like the art, I HATED the story in the beginning as we sat around with a random friend of Mae's to shoot the breeze. Even when Abbie appeared I wasn't impressed and thought about DNFing the story. Once we got to the fantasy world though I became more intrigued as we ran into pirates and animal races and mad scientists. I wish we'd started here with maybe a couple panels or a page back in Indiana to set up coming here. The story is still totally random but at least we could have gotten to the creative part faster.

I don't really care for their dad at all... I was more interested in the mad scientist that Mae met while Abbie was doing Abbie stuff. What this means is there was no tension... I was just along for the ride to check out this world that made the incredibly unique Abbie. I think this was just the totally wrong way to come at this story... I do understand that it started from Kickstarter and grew to be a sensation... And it is creative, but the story is a mess!

While I love the fantasy world that I've seen so far... nothing much makes sense! Abbie coming home and Mae going back with her... The other beings coming through after Abbie... Even the majority of humans being Czech was odd. It's weird that it was mentioned that most fantasy worlds are all white when there are two white chicks as protagonists! Like I mentioned above these two sisters weren't the right way to approach this story.

While I found Mae vol 1 an incredibly frustrating start I am intrigued by the world. I think reading further we may leave some of these initial problems behind and get to the creative and juicy part of the story. The art doesn't win you over at first but I got used to it and find it to be it's own style... it works in a way with the odd mix that makes up the world. Give this a go when you have Mae vol 2 standing by to read right after...

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐ Tension
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Art

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It started so good!! But in the end it was slowly fading into a more girlish/funny fantasy. At the beginning it was darker, more «serious» action/battle and the universe captivated me from the beginning. The illustration style was also really beautiful, but in the end, it fade too. It really look like it was a complete different writer/illustrator that did the last part of it... strange. It was going to be a five stars but, again because of the ending, I got to go with four!

[Kirsty Hanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do love a good graphic novel. I've always loved comic books and graphic novels, so I'm always on the lookout for new stories to immerse myself into. I think one of the things that really draw myself into graphic novels is the artwork; I love poring over the illustrations.

Mae's beloved older sister, Abbie, has been missing for years. Mae has her theories about where Abbie might be. But nowhere in her wildest imagination do those theories encompass a fantasy world full of terrifying monsters, power-hungry nobles, and nefarious scientists. That is until Abbie suddenly reappears in Mae's world. And not alone.

I didn't really enjoy reading this. I thought that the first little bit of the story was so enticing. We're with Mae as her sister goes missing, and then we fast forward a bunch of years to when Mae is an adult. It did seem quite suspenseful, and then when Abbie suddenly appears... I don't know... The graphic novel just went downhill.

I'll admit, I did find the premise of the graphic novel interesting (otherwise I wouldn't have requested it off of Netgalley), but it just didn't capture my attention at all, and there were points throughout where I wanted to DNF it. We don't find anything out about the world where Abbie was Queen so things just don't connect with each other.

Another thing that I wasn't so keen on was the artwork. It was kind of creepy. It was quite realistic, but then it was cartoony... So it just became weird and creepy.

Normally, I love portal fantasy. Give me a good portal fantasy storyline any day, and I'm 90% sure that I'll love it. But not this story. It just seemed SO random. So I think that when volume two comes out, I won't be reading it. I think part of me is intrigued to see where Gene Ha goes with this story and whether she provides more background to the characters and the world, but unfortunately, this graphic novel wasn't for me.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the fantasy element, how it gelled with the real-world aspect left me feeling mixed. Also, I wasn't so into the human character design/penciling and colors. (e-galley from NetGalley)

[Anya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this randomly from the library shelf, as I do with any graphic novels that show up where the art appeals to me and looks like it is vaguely speculative.

Liked:
-This is a story about what happens after a girl discovers a passage into a secret world and spends her childhood there becoming queen. Who did she leave behind and what happens when she tries to come back to our world? Definitely a wonderful premise
-The art is pretty good. It's not quite my favorite style, but it appeals to me more than average.
-Sisterly bonds are great to see in any fantasy story.

Didn't like:
-There is something about the shading of the art that just doesn't quite work for me, though I'm not knowledgeable enough about these things to say exactly what!
-All the villains so far are dark-skinned.... I'm pretty sure that will improve since apparently everyone in this magical world is dark-skinned pretty much, but for now it makes me uncomfortable given the white heroes.
-There is a whole lot introduced in this first volume that I have questions about, and obviously they will get answered in later volumes, but I am not satisfied with what we know so far. Abbie has super fighting skillz including super strength and Mae never questions that? This is a story that I think I would have liked better in written rather than graphical form so that these details could be better addressed.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty gorgeous to look at...
Interesting start with tons of references to media , sf , fantasy and manga to keep everyone happy.

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up from the author at a recent con in order to get a sketch. Was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did! Excellent world building and characters. Issue 6 seemed a little out of place but excited to start vol. 2!

[Completely Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork was beautiful. The story was just ok. From the very beginning I felt like I was dropped in the middle of the story and I didn't care too much for that. I think I would only read Vol. 2 if I could find it really cheap somewhere.

[Lata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy. Great looking start to a portal fantasy, with the sudden reappearance of Mae’s older sister Abbie after a disappearance of nine years. Her fantastical stories make no sense until various creatures show up.
I think this had the potential to be really interesting (the other world the sisters travel to looks fantabulous!) but the writing is weak.

[Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

This could have been a pretty decent story but overall I felt like it lacked depth. I love portal fantasy and the idea that this girl's sister has been missing for years and then pops back into town 'talking nonsense' and whisks her away back to another world is a really fun one. But the actual story line seemed to just jump from scene to scene with little explanation and only for the purpose of throwing in as many tired nerdy references as possible. People who like 'reference humor' will probably enjoy this, but I would have a little bit more substance to my stories than just going 'oh, I understood that reference!' every other minute.

I also didn't really like the art style. I'm sure there's a specific name for it that I'm not aware of but I would compare it to 3D animation for movies and I definitely prefer the more 'classic' styles. There were a few backstory issues at the end that looked like that, but by that point I had lost all interest so unfortunately I couldn't really enjoy them. There were some cool things in here - like that the fantasy world they go to has a majority black population and there's some panels about fantasy worlds always being ridiculously white - but unfortunately even these goods parts are delivered with such a drive-by style that I couldn't actually enjoy them.

[Sharla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because Gene Ha is coming to our local convention and I'm so glad I did! I'm a sucker for a female led anything, but this was incredibly fun. Ha has built a detailed, intriguing, and seemingly nuanced world that I desperately want to know more about. He drops you into this world with little explanation, but every clue and detail I read, enticed me because I could feel the care he put into the ideas and the artwork.

I hope this book goes on to spawn the huge, long running series it deserves!

[Wendi Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mae’s older sister, Abby, disappeared years ago. She returns with a strange tale of a fantasy world, not unlike Oz, where she’s had adventures galore. Mae is skeptical, until this fantasy world and its creatures start seeping into regular old Indiana. After targeting the girls’ father, Mae and Abby embark on their own epic journey to save him.

I have some mixed feelings about this graphic novel. I love the character of Mae, and her references to Doctor Who and Harry Potter. I also appreciated some of the details of the fantasy world, like the scene where Abby and Mae barter for silver.

The illustrations didn’t resonate with me, sadly. I sometimes felt that this was trying to emulate Lumberjanes or Rat Queens, but not quite succeeding. I also found the choice of bold words in the bubbles random. This is a small thing, but it was enough to take me out of the reading experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this at the library and it triggered a memory of seeing the kickstarter for the book. The pitch had sounded sort of interesting, if not quite my cup of tea, so I decided to check it out. Sadly not that great of a work in my opinion.

First off, I don't really like the art. The characters tend to have weirdly bold outlines that pop them out of the background, but there is also something about the coloring or shading that seems off. Another critical review that I saw compares the characters to Sims people, and that seems about right; they look sort of like computer renderings that don't quite fit in the illustration. Sometimes this isn't as noticeable, especially in action scenes or wider compositions, but it is very prominent in panels with closeup shots, compounded by a tendency to give the characters these weird, gape-mouthed expressions. I do like a lot of the creature design and setting detail, but the particulars of the art are all too often unattractive to me.

A common charge leveled against fantasy stories is that they are full of unpronounceable names. I feel like the author decided to just embrace that problem and run with it. In theory, it is kind of cool to highlight a relatively overlooked language like Czech, but man, I have no idea what to make of most of the names here. And I just traveled to Prague this past summer and tried to pick up a bit of the sound of the language, but it still felt like mental tongue-twisters getting through this. And I swear that some of those accents are applied in ways that aren't supported by the language. Even worse, it doesn't seem like the words are either justified. For one, the alternate world, Cimrteren, is full of non-human intelligent beings, though since some notes at the end reveal that it was settled by mad scientists, it is possible all the non-humans are just creations and not natives. But then there is the specific example of Krunyrves being founded by African Americans -- so why does it have a Czech-ish name, and not something derived from different linguistic roots?! (and that fact is related in a somewhat cringe-worthy scene where the characters comment on how silly it is that most fantasy is "lily white", ignoring the fact that they are two white main characters in a story where every black character is an unnamed extra, except two villains (at least I think they have African ancestry; they look a bit more green honestly, but I think that is lighting and/or cosmetics) and an ally/secondary character introduced on literally the last page of the main story in this volume; those in glass houses and all that)

There are also weird continuity breaks. Like the first scene we have Abbie and Mae's father talking to a police officer off-screen, and he is perfectly fluent, but when he shows up later in the story he speaks weirdly broken English. And sometimes the action jumps forward awkwardly, like the author just couldn't figure out how to do a scene transition. The worst example is in Abbie's fight with Rytir Kazisvet, where in one panel there is an explosion, mainly showing the two characters and some torn up pavement, and in literally the next panel there is a smashed apartment building, a cop pulling up, and a bunch of dead henchmen; that level of destruction and the time needed for a cop to respond to the issue are not adequately communicated in the art.

Finally, Abbie comes off as a complete idiot at times, and the people around her as only slightly smarter. I'm not sure if this is intentional or just poor plotting, but it doesn't really fit with the image of her as a great warrior queen. Though maybe she just got lucky? But I think it may actually be a consequence of an over-extension of the original story. The kickstarter was originally meant to be a single graphic novel, but it was so successful it became a series. But the title and the elevator pitch for it both suggest that the original intention was probably to focus more on the real world and how Mae dealt with her sister returning to mundanity after her fantastical adventures, and I think the making-of sketches and materials in the end of this volume support that idea. But maybe Abbie's stupidity makes sense. She never completed school, but rather ran off to live in this other world, which she probably understood through the lens of stories like Narnia; she had found her way there because she was a savior or hero, and so she never realized the true political complexity of the other world. Also, where did Abbie get her super-strength from? I suppose she could be concealing a secret, lest her power could be betrayed or stolen, but it is sufficiently notable that it is strange Mae doesn't ask about it.

Finally, I am left wondering why the portal stone gate is activated by an I Ching hexagram, and how making that arrangement counts as a puzzle and not random meddling (the meaning of the hexagram is roughly "opposition," which seems appropriate enough). Though I was disappointed by this work, I don't absolutely hate it. As I said, I like the visual design in many places, like all of the cat-ogres, mole-goblins and dunkleosteus-headed guards. And the girl in blue in the foreground of the cover page to chapter 3: I love her design and wish she was a main character (which would also help the whole racial inclusion issue). And Kvido is adorable. But overall, not impressed, and not inclined to read any more.

[Mutated Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads Synopsis:
When she was just a girl, Abbie discovered a portal to fantasy world and for the last couple of years has been having great adventures there: defeating horrible monsters, power-mad scientists, and evil nobles. But by the time she turned twenty-one it all came apart and she decided to return home. Her sister, Mae, has had no idea what happened to Abbie after all this time. Her tales are too hard to believe--that is, until the monsters and other terrible creatures start to cross over to our world...

Collects the first six issues of the fantastical all-ages series, in the 6" x 9" format!

My Review:
I received a copy of Mae from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly the art in this book is really eye catching and unlike any of the other comics I've read lately. It fits well with the story and I really like it. It reminds me of a video game. It begins nine years before, with Mae sitting on the stairs listening to her dad talk to the sheriff about her missing sister, Abbie. They're convinced she's run away but the sheriff thinks otherwise. She runs up into her sisters room to look through her stuff, and ends up finding a box of seemingly random items. She activates one of the items by mistake and ends up just throwing it aside when her sister shows up and claims she was camping.

This story is about Mae as an adult, and nine years later Abbie hasn't changed. Apparently she's been adventuring in places like Neverland and Oz, through a portal to another world. She carries axes around to fight off the monsters and comes out on the other side without even a scratch. Does Mae believe her? Or is Abbie just spouting nonsense? After all, she wasn't around when they were kids, and does it really change anything that she's back now after all those years? Monster's are starting to show up all over the place, apparently from the other world Abbie has been talking about, and she might be the only one who can get rid of them. But does anyone really believe what she's saying? On top of that, the same people who are hunting Abbie have now kidnapped her dad. Will they be able to save him? Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and definitely recommend checking it out.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the authors twitter.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1506701469/r...

https://twitter.com/GeneHa

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

[Susan Wilander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was first posted on Read, Write & Publish

May contain spoilers.

Gene Ha’s Mae is a surprising, dreamy journey to another reality. Two sisters, Mae and Abby meet after a long separation and try to locate their dad, kidnapped into another dimension. The story is original and exciting, and the illustrations are superb. I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel and learning to know its resourceful and fearless main characters.

Abbie is a ruthless warrior, who’s found a way to survive in a world that is strange and unforgiving. She often takes action before thinking about the consequences, but this ability to function has also saved her from many potentially deadly situations. Mae is new to Abbie’s world and only beginning to understand its workings. Apparently Abbie has been a queen there, but is now chased by some bloodthirsty hunters. The plot was a bit confusing, but I hope it’ll clear out in the volume II. Because – for the sake of the superb illustrations I definitely want to see how this story develops.

I checked a few Goodreads’ reviews of this title while writing my own review, and was quite surprised that so many had not liked the illustrations. I loved them. Some reviews stated that they would’ve preferred more traditional style and others were put off by Gene Ha’s line art… I don’t know. This is of course a matter of taste, but in my opinion the illustrations show good technical ability and skill and also work very well with the story.

In the end part of the book, there are lots of information on how the story was created, sketches of the characters from the development stage and drawings of the characters by other artists on their own styles. There is even a glossary, as many of the names in the book are based on Czech words.

All in all a wonderful reading experience. I’m looking forward to read the volume 2…

[Kathryn Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mae Vol. 1" is a wonderful new graphic novel about two sisters, Mae and Abbie. The story begins on the night that Abbie disappears. Several years later, as Mae and one of her friends is eating dinner, some strange characters show up and then BAM! Abbie is back!

I'll leave the story telling to the author, because I truly enjoyed learning about the sisters and the magical world that they end up exploring.

The artistry here is fabulous. I like the color scheme, because I'm partial to anything purple or blue. The people feel realistic, the settings enticing, and the various types of creatures/people are believably drawn.

I have high standards when it comes to graphic novels. I don't like it when the art interferes with the story telling, or when I feel like I have to guess where to read next or where to look next. I also don't like when graphic novels use weird fonts that I have to decipher. Happily, "Mae" does none of these bad behaviors, which allows a reader to get sucked into the story and the novel.

Frankly, I finished the book without realizing how much time I'd spent.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

[Kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://klearsreviews.blogspot.com/20...

I love the drawing, it reminds me a bit of Life is Strange, well at the beginning anyways. I absolutely love the nerdy references. Of course who doesn't love nerdy references when you are a nerd though. What kills me is the fact that this is based in Indiana and I want to go buy this and show my cousin and his friend in Indiana because they hate being in Indiana and living there. This is great I really want to read the next one to see what happens next just because of the way it left off I was a little frazzled. It went into a bit of a hey here's the back story here's the this and yada yada. But it didn't get back to the story itself. I am happy that Gene did decide to go with Mae as the focus instead of having her sister as the main character because I very much enjoy Mae. She really focuses with her head and doesn't just go and gets herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! Mae's big sister Abbie disappeared nine years ago without a trace. Now in the present day, Mae is trying to live her life and take care of her sick father when a phone call from the police changes everything. Abbie is back and in jail for beating up some of the locals at a bar. Mae doesn't believe her sister found a new world through a mysterious portal-just found a new favorite drink at the bar. When Mae and Abbie's father goes missing, all clues point to the House of Zemetrasi from the other side of the portal. With no other options left, Mae and Abbie set out for the portal to find their missing father. Mae enters a world far different than her own where her sister is a famed warrior and chocolate is worth it's weight in silver.
This is an action packed ride full of humor and heart. Amazing artwork and a compelling story that draws you in until the last page.

[ReadBecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sisters Mae and Abbie are reunited after Abbie's long absence, only to learn she's been swashbuckling queen of another world the whole time. She's back, but unfortunately the baddies have followed her, and kidnapped their father taking him back into the other world.
The story is an odd mash up of modern earth, portal fantasy to a somewhat classic fantasy land, but set on its head by having predominantly african and czech humans having come though from earth in their history, most of the naming in the land seems to derive from the czech. At the same time you've also got mad scientists, robots, and laser guns... So, not traditional sword & sorcery fantasy at all, yet somehow it works incredibly well. Oh, also adorable talking animal races!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this! We (the readers) aren't provided with a lot of information right away, but bam-bam-bam we are given information about the two sisters. One has been away a long time, no one knows where, and the other is a fairly responsible (although with dead-beat musician boyfriend) adult who still loves and misses her missing sister unconditionally. Since she has been "running away" since grade school Ani's long absence isn't held against her. Then they go off to rescue their dad in another dimension. . . sisterly hi-jinks, amIright?

One of my favorite parts was the ending, where we kind of backtracked into a battle Ani fought before making it back home.

[Reggie_Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mae and Abbie go on amazing adventures and kick ass and are magical and fierce and everything you could ever want in a fast-paced, fantasy teen graphic novel based around sisters! Readers are dropped right into the story, and things keep moving from there. Abbie is quirky and quick with a sword, while Mae is smart and new to a world that is not her previous reality. Add a talking animal side-kick, and it's like a weird fantasy/disney mash-up. I cannot wait to see where it goes and how the girls will continue to build their relationship after the years they lost.

[Cresta · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing art and a gripping story, I was hooked quickly and seriously hope there are more either on the way or on the shelves. I will be anticipating more for ages!!

Alternate world girl comes back to reality and the problems she left behind, only for her new more fantastical problems from her new life follow her! If this sounds good pick up this book!!

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free electronic ARC of this graphic novel from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I love the world-building in this book. The details are precise. The artwork outstanding. I felt a connection to the characters. I saw some really original concepts in here. I want to know more!

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong fantasy/urban fantasy elements, great artwork, and clever dialogue. The story proper is great but I didn't care much for the 'prequel' material that used a different style of art. Should appeal to fans of PAPER GIRLS and Joss Whedon's Buffy/Angel work.

[Katherine Paschal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this odd, beautiful sci-fi/fantasy meshed graphic novel! I really hope there is a next one because the ending was not even a little bit an ending, it just kind of stopped in the middle of everything.

[Kevin L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun! Great storytelling, setting and characters. An absolute blast!