Booknote: Pherone

Viktor Kalachev, et.al., Pherone. Berkeley, CA: Image Comics, 2011.  ISBN: 978-1-60706-412-1.

Genre: comics and graphic novels
Subgenre: spies, crime
Format: trade paperback
Source: I owned this. Bought on clearance at Half Price Books. Weeded out.

I wanted to like this series more, but the plot is too convoluted and/or incoherent at times. Eve is some kind of spy or agent who appears to have memory loss. She is quite lethal at what she does. She has all kinds of people pursuing her, including men who appear to be her handlers, who she does not trust either. All those elements have potential for a good thriller. The main issue is the author keeps throwing elements in and not really tying anything together. The result is that readers at times are never sure where the story is going, if it is going anywhere at all.

According to the book's introduction, this series started as a side project, then it was serialized in Heavy Metal magazine, then writers changed halfway in the series, plus this volume has a section of deleted scenes. Overall, this feels more like a pilot project that is not quite complete. It may have been published prematurely, and it shows.

The art is a good quality in the work. It is reminiscent of Frank Miller's Sin City in a good way with use of dark, shadows, and some color contrasts. Overall, the art may be the only good thing in this work.

Overall, this was OK. If you must read it, borrow it. This is not a keeper. It's basically to read once and move on. We also need to note that given the mature content, it is not for young readers. I have no issue with mature content, but I feel a need to give the warning.

2 out of 5 stars.