Belle: Oath of Thorns #1by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Belle goes on missions for C.H.I.P. with Mel as backup on her headset. She gets an update on Alex and Candlestick.I enjoyed the first arc following Belle as a modern-day, tech-savvy monster hunter, so I'm looking forward to more. That includes learning more about C.H.I.P., Alex's curse, and the larger world of monsters and such. However, this opening issue wasn't really the hook I was expecting or hoping for. Belle's on a mission with Mel as backup. I didn't see that coming, which is fine. What bothers me is that Mel is a distraction or afterthought. And I'm not sure if Mel is officially on board, meaning I don't know if C.H.I.P. knows about her. That could work to Belle's advantage; I just wish I knew for sure what Mel's role is. Belle's fight against the satyr is not bad. It's fairly well choreographed (even with some panels looking like she must be quite uncomfortable with her breasts like that), but the narration and all the talking to Mel is quite distracting, as are the mysterious kids who are held prisoner by the satyr. I can't help but wonder if the kids really aren't just innocent kids, even with Otts' guesswork about them. There's definitely some angle with the kids, since no one expected them, based on all their advanced intel and the nature of the artifact Belle recovered. The scene back at headquarters forces two random character introductions. Was there a crowdfunding backer reward to include certain people's names? One wasn't even able to complete saying his name because he saw Belle. It's weird and doesn't fit. The intro to C.H.I.P.'s experiments is interesting, but they fail to compare to the red portal Belle sends the satyr and herself through or the crystal rose artifact she recovers from them. No real update on Alex, despite the tease with the experiments and the artifact. Candlestick's words at the end are the most effect part of this issue, and they're a cliffhanger. Written: September 10, 2019
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