Dark Swan: Storm Born Vol 2 (Sea Lion Books - Mead / Alter / Hamann)

Eugenie Markham is a freelance shaman, guarding our world from the invasion of Otherworldly creatures. Those who try have ‘The Dark Swan’ to contend with.

But Eugenie’s about to cross into the Otherworld alone to rescue a girl that nobody else will.

Will she make it back across alive?

A few weeks back, I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed the first issue of Storm Born – and now, after reading the second issue of Sea Lion Books’ translation of Eugenie Markham to comics – I am not taken back at all at with how impressed I am with this series.

The gorgeous yet rock-steady protagonist takes on all the issues that a single young twenty-something woman deals with in the modern world and more: self-doubt, fear of rejection, fear of commitment, balancing personal life and family issues, where to put your trust… and oh yea, battling evil spirits and monster elementals.

The synthesis of the Grant Alter’s translation of Richelle’s Mead original content with the edgy pseudo-realistic art of Dave Hamann create a product that I think will make fans of Eugenie and Mead even out of even the most weary of reader.  Mead’s work has gotten an unfair label of supernatural “chick lit”, as if this has no action or depth to it – Mead is a fantastic writer and the story framework found here is well thought out and delivered at a perfect pace.  As I stated in my previous review (here), this graphic novel series has done nothing but turn me on to Mead as an author and makes me really interested to see what Sea Lion Books has next on deck.

The Bottom Line:  Get this series in your hands – you will not be sorry!

Issue Grade: A

Series Grade: A

Pullbox Warning: While I do find this series very entertaining and being a father of daughters I always promote strong female heroes like Eugenie – this series is not for all ages – there are scenes and situations in these books that definitively make it PG-13 (the opening pages has Eugenie and new found acquaintance / bed buddy Kiyo battling an ice elemental in their birthday suits).