Belle: Thunder of Godsby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Belle follows up on a lead that Mel doesn't feel right about. What Belle finds is serious trouble ... with one eye!This appears to be a one-shot issue, though it's not labeled as such and does leave it open-ended enough for a revisit. Instead it's called an "oversized issue", but it's not that many more extra pages over normal. I haven't followed Belle's story completely after the first arc, so I appreciate that this issue points out when it references something in an arc or stand-alone issue that I haven't read. I like how the issue opens with a history of Greek mythology. It's quite relevant, and I like how it sets up the story in a positive way, ready to be undercut by the reality Belle finds. The end of the presentation provides a touch of backstory to Belle as well. The transition to the present day is very well done; it's a nice use of a phone call between Belle and Mel. I also like how the issue flashes back to earlier in the day, providing insight to Belle and Mel's friendship and business relationship, as well as some levity to counter-balance the seriousness of the fight scenes. And flashbacks show us what happened to Belle before she was lying hurt in a flaming and collapsing building; the pacing is very well done, and kept my interest. Mel finds Belle in a building that's going up in flames, yet she walks right in, and neither have any issue with the smoke (for breathing or visibility) or the fire itself. The fire is also almost completely ignored as far as lighting -- it's always in the background -- though it works as atmosphere for the fight, so most readers won't have any problem with it. Overall, the art is very good! Good expressions, pacing, and fight choreography. Though, the one panel of Belle leaping off a building is a WEIRD perspective, especially with the position of her legs, that's really trying too hard to show her cleavage. It's really the only time in this issue when I stopped reading, trying to puzzle out how the anatomy and perspective worked (diving face-first to the pavement from the rooftop while doing the pee dance?). Oddly enough, this same pose is used almost exactly later on, as she leaps sideways. It makes somewhat more sense there from a body-mechanics standpoint, but it's still trying too hard to show her cleavage. To be fair, she's very well endowed, and her outfit is designed to show massive amounts of cleavage, which is definitely not something that seems like a good or practical idea for fighting monsters. At least she has armor over her belly, but that hardly seems like a victory when her outfit is clearly designed for the male gaze regardless of this practical bit of armor -- focusing that gaze to just one specific anatomy point: her breasts. There's also some inexplicable switching of which of the villain's hands a weapon is in. It's an engaging enough read, but there's no plot. Belle is just jumping in to check out some shady goings on, accidentally makes noise while sneaking around, and has to fight her way out. There are aspects of this encounter that seem like they could tie to a bigger picture or be followed up on, but basically it's just an issue to see Belle fighting a monster from Greek mythology. Written: April 4, 2021
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