Faith Volume 1: Hollywood and Vine

by Jody Houser

Other authorsFrancis Portela (Artist), Marguerite Sauvage (Artist)

Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

741.5

Publication

Valiant Entertainment, LLC (2016), 112 pages

Description

Orphaned at a young age, Faith Herbert - a psionically gifted "psiot" discovered by the Harbinger Foundation - has always aspired to greatness. But now this once ordinary teenager is taking control of her destiny and becoming the hard-hitting hero she's always known she can be - complete with a mild-mannered secret identity, unsuspecting colleagues, and a day job as a reporter that routinely throws into her harms way! Well, at least she thought it would. When she's not typing up listicles about cat videos, Faith makes a secret transformation to patrol the night as the City of Angels' own leading superhero - the sky-soaring Zephyr! But flying solo is going to be tougher than she ever thought when Zephyr uncovers a deep-rooted alien conspiracy. Two-bit burglars and car thieves are one thing, but when the world needs a hero to stave off an full-blown extraterrestrial invasion, will Faith find herself in over her head or ready for her biggest challenge yet?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member bluepigeon

Volume 1 of Faith collects issues 1-4. I received a partial galley from NetGalley, so this review is based on issues 1-3. (Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!)

Faith has left her superhero team. She starts a new life in L.A. She chooses the classic profession for a flying superhero like

herself, the journalist, except of course times have changed and she's more blogging than doing actual journalism. On the side, she is still fighting crime. The day job, she explains, is a part of being an adult, paying the bills, etc. The superhero stuff is really where her heart is. The first three issues just barely get into the big mystery of the psiots being abducted, psiots like Faith herself.

As many have already commented, Faith is not skinny gal. She is considerably chubby and she seems comfortable in her size. Though this is probably the first thing anyone will notice in the comic, Faith's size is never an issue. This is not a superhero comic about a chubby gal with a weight issue. Not to mean that Faith is not allowed to have this issue, just that it is refreshing that she does not immediately. The drawings of Faith are true to life, meaning it doesn't seem like Faith is posing for the cameras like in some other comics. The panels have an organic feel, especially when Faith is involved in a scene.

There are a few sets of panels that are a bit confusing. I am not sure if this was my lack of attention, but when her friend calls back to see if she is OK after the house blows up, I am not sure why a figurine (an action hero?) is floating, is it floating?, what is it a figurine of? This may very well be a reference to Faith's previous adventures, but it went over my head and the scene setup was confusing. Other than that, even though things are afloat often, the storyline and the drawings make sense together. The many types of communication involved require different types of balloons (thought balloons, speech balloons, text balloons, phone balloons...), which is something we're seeing more and more in visual media, and is done well in Faith.

The storyline, rather than the plot, is more attractive to anyone looking for an unconventional superhero comic, one that is not just about action and thrill, but about being a single woman with hopes and dreams and ridiculous daydreams. The melodrama I expect from superhero comics is still there, but not nearly as much, which is great.

Overall, the first three issues are entertaining and engaging with a good mix of everyday life and action/adventure. I'll keep reading Faith.

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LibraryThing member Mary_Overton

“Faith” is a fat-girl super-hero, lovingly drawn in Rubenesque splendor. She flies with sensuous, glorious abandon while modestly clothed in a white, skirted pantsuit that drapes just enough … like an updated costume for an angel. She is both innocence and experience … your favorite

co-worker, your special friend from high school, the no-nonsense neighbor you admire for her surprising sweetness and her iron code of ethics.
Faith indulges in cotton-candy day-dreams, yet keeps herself grounded in a world of demanding bosses, noisy apartments, arrogant ex-boyfriends, and bad guys who dognap puppies. Throughout her story, there runs the persistent question … how does one maintain balance amid life’s ambivalence and uncertainty?
From Faith’s favorite TV show, a character faces the dilemma: “Unit 517 had to make the choice that every cyborg eventually faces. …. Which matters more, the robot side or the human?”
Metal or flesh? Logic or passion? The alien or the familiar? Self-preservation or the helping hand? Faith's sun-shiny smile makes it seem easy on the surface.

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LibraryThing member jen.e.moore

I wanted to like this more than I actually did; I think part of my problem was that the character is clearly written *so hard* to appeal to exactly my demographic. Also, I just don't care about anyone's romantic fantasies enough to have them brought up on every other page.

LibraryThing member DanieXJ

After all is said and done this is actually quite a regular sort of superhero TPB.

It's the story of Faith as she goes to LA to make a new life after she's broken up with her boyfriend and left the superhero team she was on.

She's Summer Smith in LA, whose secret identity is as a content writer for

Zipline. And she's also trying to save the world (or at least LA). She first tries to do it as a Solo act, but, then she enlists other hero types to take on a cult that are hurting Faith's fellow powered people.

I have to say that the number of allusions was insane, and I thought that the scenarios in Faith's head were sorta cool too.

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LibraryThing member photonegative

This book was just okay. It's the first Valiant title I've read, and I think they did a pretty good job of explaining backstory while still letting this be a stand-alone title. But overall, I just didn't really care that much about the characters or what was going on (possibly because I'm not at

all familiar with the Valiant universe). I might consider picking up the next volume, but it won't be at the top of my list of things to read.

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LibraryThing member photonegative

all familiar with the Valiant universe). I might consider picking up the next volume, but it won't be at the top of my list of things to read.

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LibraryThing member BraveNewBks

Fun to see a really full-figured superheroine. I feel like the plot had really just started to pick up steam when suddenly the mystery solved itself, the bad guys came out into the open, and lots of things got wrapped up pretty neatly & tidily. I would have preferred more lose threads and

open-endedness heading into Vol. 2, but I'm a fan of Faith and will keep reading.

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LibraryThing member villemezbrown

The only hook this series has is the physical appearance of the main character. The story and artwork are aggressively generic. The characters don't have much character.

LibraryThing member Criticalnes

Francis Portela's art is ugly all-round, I would've much preferred if Marguerite Sauvage had done the whole issues. She draws Faith beautiful, and the rest of the cast too, which is great to see a plus sized character get that kind of treatment.

LibraryThing member tldegray

I read a partial galley containing issues 1 & 2 (with previews of 3) only. WOW. I am so in love with this book. First, she's fat. Second, she's fannish. She's basically me in a supersuit except she actually has powers. The art is gorgeous. Two panels stick in my mind: one of Faith flying centered

over the moon, just her and it floating there in our sky; and another of her flying in from the top left of the page, moving into the panels.

More, please.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.]

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LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

I know this got lots of awards but I didn’t like it that wel. The art is OK but I don’t like how they drew the super suit. I do love seeing a plus size superhero but that’s about it. The story is all over the place and you have to have read arm the Renegades first to know what is going on.

Half this story is action and half this story is Faith daydreaming and it just sorry didn’t work for me. This is a solid three not something I care if I read the rest of the series.

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LibraryThing member photonegative

all familiar with the Valiant universe). I might consider picking up the next volume, but it won't be at the top of my list of things to read.

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LibraryThing member LibroLindsay

Glad I read it, but not overwhelmed enough to continue. Liked that there was a fat superhero, the geeky references. Some LOL moments. But there was something about the overall plot that just didn't hook me...or that wasn't fresh enough to stand out as a superhero comic.

Read Harder: Superhero comic

w/ female lead

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LibraryThing member lexilewords

How have I not heard of this before? This is one of the best comics I've read in a while!

Faith...she was the kind of hero I loved growing up. The one who didn't give up, who had clever plans to beat the bad guy, who cared enough to give it her all no matter what.

And honestly, it was so nice to see

a Heroine accepted for who she was. Aside from one line from a villain, no one questioned Faith or that she used to be with. No one questioned her ability to get the job done.

I loved it.

I do wish we had a bit about what exactly "the Vine" was doing to the psiots". They hooked them up and made them brainwashed zombies...or something? It was a bit skiffy, but that's fine. I want more please.

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