Great story. Unique and a fun read. Glad that this story was told and loved the art and characters. Mythology was nice.

Sorry but this ended up in the pile of things I could not even finish reading, it was so bad. It was just senseless and the characters were awful and so obnoxious!

This was a pretty interesting story and I loved the art style. Things moved too fast and not developed (storywise) enough for me. But I really liked the blend of different mythologies and also mixing that with modern technology. It's a good quick read but it definitely made me wish there was more.

'Cloudia and Rex' by Ulises Farinas with art by Erick Freitas is a weird story with weird art, but I kind of liked it.

Cloudia and Rex are sisters and they are moving to Seattle with their mother. For no given reason, a group of gods trying to stop the end of the world get involved in their lives. Cloudia finds she has super strength, and Rex can turn into any animal she likes (for Rex, this is mostly extinct animals). The opposing gods seem to be easily foiled by technology like Cloudia's smart phone.

The art is strange and strangely colored, but I like the choices that Freitas has made here. The story has some abrupt transitions that felt a little confusing. It's a short story at only 3 included issues, but I liked the story it told.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

An interesting mix of myth and superpowers. I was intrigued because a female person of color was the lead, but everything because so quickly confusing. Part of my issue may have been that I don't know a lot of the mythological characters. That's my own fault. If it wasn't so hard to keep them separated, I may have been able to follow along better. I think anyone with the mythological knowledge would enjoy this more than I was able.

Goodreads Synopsis:
A lushly rendered supernatural fantasy that follows two girls and their mother who find themselves in the middle of a vast, supernatural exodus. On their journey Cloudia is bestowed the powers of hundreds of different gods, but even those don't help her come to terms with the death of her father.

My Review:
I received a copy of Cloudia and Rex from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is incredible. It's story is just so unique and I would never have been able to think this up. The art also matches it really well. I wasn't sure what I was getting into at first but once I actually sat down and read it I was pleasantly surprised. It holds your attention well.

The story itself is of a girl named Cloudia, of course, and her sister Rex, who after a mysterious flash and a car crash, has transformed into a rhinosaraus. The girls, along with their mother, are then confronted by otherworldly beings, and are transported to a world completely unlike their own. I really enjoyed reading this book, and although it's a super short read, i definitely recommend you check it out if you get the chance.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon!

https://www.amazon.ca/Cloudia-Rex-Vol-Ulises-Farinas/dp/1942367309/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1517884243&sr=8-2&keywords=Cloudia+and+Rex

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
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Art: Kind of ultraviolet look
Story: Halfway confused by certain events in the story did not like that, liked the art, the daughter is the typically written teen (actually not necessarily something you see in young adult books but more in television/movies), in the end I feel it was okay but not something I’d probably continue

I will say that this story is certainly ambitious. The cover art is cool but the rest is less polished. I cannot give this more than two stars. Cloudia is one of the most unlikable characters I have come across in a while. The synopsis is a fairly accurate description of what happens but when you read it you are dumped into the middle of the conflict causing the supernatural exodus without any context or real connection to what else is going on. Cloudia is in the process of moving with her mother and her sister Rex when things quickly get out of hand and then turn complicated with the introduction of the various gods and the entity trying to consume them. The resolution was convenient and unimaginative <spoiler> As this work is from three men, the blood sacrifice being paid because Cloudia suddenly has her period but failed to tell anyone was disappointing. I feel like the loss of her father and her being on her period is supposed to explain away her attitude and general unpleasantness throughout the entire story and I am not sure I buy that either.</spoiler>

I'm going to give this graphic novel an interesting. The color work is amazing, and it's a sheer joy to look at, but the story is a tad hard to follow. Cloudia and Rex are sisters. They are traveling with their mom but I'm not sure to where. Cloudia is all about her phone. She's actually a brat. Someone I would never want to be friends with. She yells and talks back to her mom. When gods and deities get trapped in her phone, and also in her and her sisters souls, it will be mom to the rescue. Then you get to the end. Cramps, seriously. Yeah not my thing. I will not be reading a sequel.

I'm cool with books that get us to engage with mythology in new ways so long as the exploration is done carefully and respectfully. I won't say that I actually loved this book. I had a hard time following what was going on at first and didn't really relate to the characters.

Cloudia and Rex was available to download and read on NetGalley so I did on a whim because the cover looked cool. Oh and the synopsis had me interested too.

What I didn’t know what was that it was only 80 pages.

Cloudia and Rex had a lot going for it. But a lot missing.

So I’ll break it down as softly and simply as possible to avoid any major spoilers.

Things I liked
> correctly portrays 2 children of different ages
> each character acts in ways one would consider to be correct
> they’re unique and identifiable even in such a short book
> it was interesting to see them all cope with their loss in a variety
> it worked puberty into the storyline very well too

Things I didn’t liked
> not enough expansion on the gods, so if you don’t know about god already you may be a little confused by their powers or relevance
> it was too short, it really would’ve benefited from even a few extra pages to allow us to get more familiar with each character
> it felt like it ended very abruptly

I would happily read more about these characters and more by these authors, the world, rules, and magical elements were so lovely. I just really needed more.

One last thing, I really enjoyed the art as it complimented the story well with it bright and vibrant colours too.

This is a story with realistic characters -two girls and a mother. Cloudia is 12 years old with a younger sister, Rex. They are moving after the death of the father to Seattle which has Cloudia upset. When the car crashes they are taken to a different plane where Cloudia can communicate with the gods. Powers and abilities start to appear with the family. Cloudia is the only hope for the gods to find a realm that they can continue their life.

I found it interesting that the gods came from many different cultures. The gods acted in interesting ways that I didn't expect. There is a lot of action in the story. The art is amazing. It changes as the story evolves in different colors. Read this amazing graphic novel!

Story of a mother and her two daughters, one of who is a snotty little teenager, the kind of which makes you regret ever having children. They are visited by forgotten gods who are fleeing from a god who is trying to kill off all other gods. The story is intriguing, but confusing at times, especially when the gods get involved. The art is quite good, but wasn't a fan of the muted purple color palette. It's a quick read at only 60 pages of story.

Received a review copy from Lion forge and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is wicked weird!

As the comic opens, I can only say, “What the…?”

I like the design. It’s really different.

And I don’t think I’ve ever seen angels portrayed like they are really described in the Bible!

It gets a little confusing at times, but overall, I like the story. There are just some parts that are a tad unclear. This is one of the things I find with sequential art - when the story is told in pictures, if the pictures aren’t perfectly clear, the story sometimes isn’t clear.

But also, when it’s part of the art and the art is the story, that’s sometimes the beauty of it.

I thought it was worth reading, and I’d pick up something by these writers and artists again.

The concept behind Cloudia and Rex is a pretty interesting one, at its core. A mother and her two daughters (Cloudia and Rex, the namesakes of the graphic novel) are heading out on a journey to find a new life for themselves. However, what they find along the way isn’t something any of them could have predicted; gods and a war or celestials (and thus for life itself).
In actuality Cloudia and Rex was a bit of a letdown, and I feel bad saying that. The dialogue was pretty childish (even when considering that two of the characters are children themselves) and felt like it was ninety percent shouting (not exactly a relaxing read). Because of this I never really got attached to any of the characters, so I didn’t really worry about their safety, or feel for their sacrifices.
The plot was pretty rushed as well. I think I would have liked this much more had it been double in length, allowing us time to first get to know the girls, the celestials, and then finally the plot. Instead it all kind of ended up all mashed together. Not only was this off-putting, but it was confusing as well.
I loved the twist about the cell phone, and how the gods thought it was important. I’m not sure if this was thrown in as a joke or not, but it was really a stroke of brilliance. If that had been more of a focal point, I think I would have liked this series a whole lot more.
My complaints about the dialogue and plot aside, the artwork was lovely. I really enjoyed seeing the way the artist decided to represent each god, and the color palettes that went with them. I would love to see more work from this artist, so I sincerely hope they continue doing what they’re doing.

This comic is a story about a family that gets involved with world-ending gods. The gods in this story come from every religion. It is an interesting concept that each god exists as long as mortals have at least a cursory understanding of them. I liked that the story takes place on December 21, 2012.



The vibe of this comic reminds me of Saga and Jupiter Ascending. It's the modern world, but there is crazy fantastical things happening. The family gets powers from gods fleeing from their own demise. One girl starts transforming into extinct animals. Another has a phone possessed by gods. I liked seeing these ancient gods interacting with modern technology.



This is a fun, imaginative, and somewhat messy story. I enjoyed it and give this graphic novel a 4/5. I would definitely read a second volume.

I really wanted to love this as there were many elements I typically enjoy in a graphic novel (the art, female leads, fantasy) but overall I felt this really suffered from rushed pacing. We didn't have enough time to grow attached to or learn more about Cloudia and her family, it made some parts hard to follow, and overall it just lessened the emotional weight of important moments. I would like to read more work from this author in the future but this one didn't land for me.

This was a surprisingly okay read. It's my first time with these authors, and I took a chance on this series. I'm both cool with it and thinking that I may or may not read any more from them. I liked the illustrations. The dialogue was a little lacking. I didn't know where the story line was going and it didn't flow for me as much. The ending seemed abrupt and just overall I'm gonna say this isn't for me.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This was a great story which I really enjoyed, although I have to say it was a bit confusing at times. The art was lovely and the story was different from the usual fare. I always appreciate that! For one thing, it presented African American females as protagonists. It was nice to see strong female characters of color, who are far too few in comic books, and strong, independent females who are equally rare. I would not recommend a graphic novel if that was all it had to offer, but I would sure be tempted! Fortunately this offered much more.

In the story, two young girls, the eponymous Cloudia and Rex, and their mother run into ancient gods who are seeking safety which can only be found in the mortal world. An antagonist named Tohil wishes to destroy those same gods and is hot on their heels.

Somehow the gods end-up being downloaded into Cloudia's phone, and some of their power transfers over to the girls. Rex is somewhat bratty, but she finds she can change into an assortment of animals. It's amusing and interesting to see what she does with that. Cloudia is a bit strident, but maybe she has reason when her life is screwed-up so badly and unexpectedly.

Daniel Irizarri's coloring is bold and pervasive, and it really stands out from the comic. It's almost overwhelming, actually, but overall the story was entertaining and the characters were fun, I recommend this one.

I received this ARC for NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A big thank you to Ulises Farinas, Erick Freitas and Diamond Book Distributors!

This book has so much potential. But sadly it suffered in so many areas that it just didn't become what it could have been.

Cloudia and Rex is a graphic novel about two girls and their mum as they fall into the middle of a vast, supernatural war. They encounter countless gods as they become entwined in the survival or destruction of each of them.

I mean that blurb sounds fantastic, right? And yet, the story is all over the place. There is no clear-cut plotline. The MCs are kinda just thrown into this war between gods for absolutely no reason. There is very little backstory for any of the characters.

The MCs' story develops a little, but not until late in the story. But I had very little understanding of what was happening with the gods. Why were they were fighting? Who were they? Were they representative of actual religion or not?

The story is, all in all, kinda bizarre. Also just the fact that the book is named after the two daughters despite the fact that their mum plays just a big a role in the story, makes no sense to me.

What the story did have working for them was the artwork. While it still completely unbeknownst to me whether the gods are meant to represent actual religious figures, I love how they were presented.

While largely it felt forced and just didn't work, there were moments where having a POC teenager full of attitude as one the MCs was just highly entertaining. I mean, I freaking love some of the sass.

In conclusion, however, the vivid illustrations just made me want more of a solid, easy to follow storyline.