Amber Blake

by Jade Lagardère, Jackson Guice (Illustrations)

Action and intrigue abound in this modern graphic novel thriller that shines a light on the dark corner of international human trafficking.

Amber Blake was only a child when she was recruited to the Cleverland Institute, a school for gifted children, where she was promised a bright future. But predators hide in the shcool's administration and, on the verge of exposing them, Amber finds herself fleeing for her life from the very man who recruited her. Now a top recruit of a covert agency dead-set on ending human slavery in all its forms, she's going to destroy everone who's ever hurt the people she loves.

First published by Glenat, IDW is proud to bring this exciting graphic novel to readers in the U.S. for the first time.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2019

Reviews

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the character of Amber Blake. I want to bring a positive message behind her story: As much as you suffer, as long as you live, keep going, fight and believe in yourself. Most of all: Love yourself as you are, as when you believe in yourself you are you own superhero. — Jade Lagardère (Author's Note)

This is a story that doesn't have the most creative of all plots it is the protagonist that makes it a bit different. Amanda is designed as a superhero who is relatable and who's power is more grounded. It achieves that. But I like the story. I like the characters and the writing style and the art marry together well. I will say issue for is a bit, it suits the genre the author was aiming for though.

Amanda is a strong, smart, dangerous woman in spite of horror story of a background. Her whole scene with the Yakuza is a great deal of fun. I don't know if it should show or not but Amanda is half Argentinian half British, it's a brilliant mix. Her and two of the other central characters Amber and Matt are all likeable in different ways. Amber and Amanda are protectors. When the reader meets Amber she is physically protecting Amanda. Amanda wants to use her intelligence to protect, particularly exploited children. Matt is just someone who never quite recovered from his past. Their dynamics are so well done they feel natural given their pasts and their growth together. The time skips show how they develop and they are linked to these three.

The art is great. This is a graphic novel that needs a diverse style to be shown to it's best advantage. Butch Guice has that style. Movement, wet weather, snow, night and computer lighting. There are full glowing screens that light faces. It's not clean, it a bit gritty. It is the right style for the story. As an aside Catherine Nodet's alternate covers in the back or so ethereal, quite different to Butch Guice's almost brutal cover style.

I didn't love it as much as I hoped to, but I didn't hate it, I'm rating it's 3.5 (up to 4). Just some warnings: there is death, child exploitation, sexual assault, I'm likely missing a few things (there is a bit). Would I read more of this series? I would need to be in the right mood. But it does feed my love of badass women protecting those in need of it.

A representative gif:

legit this makes sense in context.

[Ken Yuen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't really enjoy this one. I think the comic was meant to be sexy and violent, but was only successful with the latter for me?

I thought the plot was needlessly confusing. It's not much of a character dynamic if all the characters end up betraying the protagonist in one way or another

Was this empowering for women? In a lot of ways, it falls into the tropes that these kind of stories tend to go in. Whether that was good or not, I don't feel qualified to judge.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is excellent. The artist Guice keeps it flowing, keeps it interesting. It’s never dull to look at and is the high point of the book. The actual plot leaves something to be desired. While I get the author wants to make a broad statement about child abuse and the abuse of power, I never really bought the entire premise of the book. The vast scape of the operation and the sex trafficking ring seem far-fetched, and the villains of the operation seem a little bland actually. I never got a chance to really hate them, or root for their downfall.

The plot in short is that Amber Blake after running away from her elite boarding school due to sexual abuse and is recruited by Argon, an independent crime-fighting organization, waging a war against a world-wide sex trafficking ring. While there’s plenty of great violence, the last part of the book is riddled with plot twists – most of which make no real sense - and exposition, some of which might have been better off sprinkled throughout the novel. It simply packs too much in at the end.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art is solid, the story incoherent. Amber Blake is an orphan who is recruited into a school run by pedophiles. When she escapes that hell, she is recruited into an organization that finds and kills sex criminals. When she's kicked out of that organization...I don't know, the story continues, but I was long past caring.

"Abused woman kills violent men" is a fine, if over-used, basis for a plot. Amber Blake attempts that without ever bothering to make the hero (Amber) or villains (violent men) into interesting people. Also, Amber has a sidekick male the whole way through? He's mostly useless until the obvious twist arrives. But still - a strong woman story shouldn't need a sidekick male.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to like this more. Soft three stars. The art is pretty good, though its use of panels could be more adventurous. The script is okay, often pretty conventional and not very ambitious. All of the characters could be more engaging. I don’t necessarily think it’s too short, but more that it isn’t able to use that concise length to its best effect. There’s a good concept, story, and character here, but this opening volume doesn’t quite get us there. Lots of promise though that I hope future volumes can tap into.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The human trafficking premise is what hooked me, but the story flow was fairly pedestrian. Things happened too quickly and too much was coincidental. Maybe something was lost in translation. I'd like to have seen Amber in action outside of the main story. Liked the Butch Guice art a lot--traditional and realistic, thought the four pages in the back by Catherine Nodet (alternate covers?) were outstanding.

[Li Jin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would rate this lower if I could :^/ choppy panels that were hard to follow and jumped around the story too much. Not visually appealing. “inspiration for powerful women”? What a joke.

This book felt so male gaze + protagonist gets saved at every chance !! and of course she’s also into the only other guy in her life.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

A promising start ruined by a poor ending.

[Angelika Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. It's something I would definitely continue to see where story progression goes. I can't get over the motorcycle sequence, because it reminds me so much of an anime I'm watching.

[Chris Trag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Al Wenhuda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great artwork but found the flow of the story a bit hard to follow, still enjoyable

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

DPL hoopla