When the acolytes of a god approach a band of thieves to secure an artefact, the signs of a potential apocalypse starts showing itself. Aside from the thieves being betrayed from within, there is a small matter of a company of a dragon and an assassin who are also after the artefact. Adding to that is the presence of a mysterious being who can read minds, thus manipulating anyone that comes in contact with it. All these pointing to the beginning of absolute chaos.

Chimera: The Righteous and the Lost is full of strange characters with hidden motives. Aside from the themes of power and betrayal, there is a constant undertone of religion and its influence in this book, but it is not deep enough to warrant philosophical thought. The art of Chimera pleasant to the eyes. The dialogue is smooth and believable. Also, the plot is well-weaved and the ending kept me gasping for more.

Many thanks to Comicker Press for review copy.

Loved it! The art style was great! The storyline was interesting. The characters were dynamic.

Just right when the story got more interesting and thrilling, I didn't noticed - IT'S THE LAST PAGE!

That was a cliffhanger and I am sad for what happened to Russell!

I was unable to read past the first few pages because of all the profanity in this graphic novel. I'm very disappointed. So I guess I can't really write a review, because I only read 5 pages. The colorful artwork looks beautiful, which is mainly why I wanted to read this. Too bad it looks beautiful, but the dialogue is ugly.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

I have no idea what this graphic novel was about, even having read it! It made no sense and was so choppy and disjointed, jumping back and forth between sometimes seemingly unrelated events that even when they turned out to be related offered no clue as to what they were actually all about.

The art work was fine enough, but there was no coherent story there so all we had was a coffee table art book. The blurb claims that "...a crew of thieves is hired for a covert mission in the midst of a galaxy being ripped apart by an interstellar holy war." but I don't recall ever a crew being assembled. There was a rag tag group of four creatures who might be the crew referred to, but not a one of them was appealing as a character.

I did see relentless images of an artist's attempt to invent bizarre and threatening alien creatures, none of which had any inventiveness about them, and some made zero sense, which is what happens when an artist with no idea of biology, or evolution tries to invent alien organisms. I cannot recommend this at all.

A really great book that I enjoyed. Feels like Star Wars, mythology, and so much more. Interesting style that I really want to continue.

First Off, HAPPY RELEASE DAY to this book!

I really liked this. The art was solid, the story line was engaging, thought-provoking and most importantly, unpredictable. I adored the subtle nods to the queer characters and I’ll admit that sealed the 5-star rating for this book.

I must say, that the ending threw me for a loop and you best believe I’ll be looking for the next books in this series. Great work Tyler Ellis! You have a new fan!

I truly enjoyed Chimera: The Righteous and the Lost. It hit almost all the perfect notes from me. From the on the surface stuff such as art style and lettering to the deeper stuff such as the actual story itself.

One of the things that I absolutely adored was that the main female character isn’t the hottest chick in the universe. There’s no emphasis on her great boobs, small waist, she doesn’t have lips that would look ridiculous on an actual human, etc. Instead, she’s actually kind of plain. Let me just repeat again how much I loved that! And there doesn’t seem to be an emphasis on the sexuality of the other female characters, either. Thank you, sweet baby Cthulhu!

It was also good to see some positive LGBTQ+ representation in the pages, as well. (I feel like we’re seeing this almost enough now that we don’t have to keep pointing it out. But I also know that’s probably wrong, so I’m going to keep pointing it out when I see it for now.)

Pretty much the first panels in Chimera: The Righteous and the Lost hooked me. A wolf-thing and a chameleon having snarky words over a certain game was definitely smile-inducing. There were a few times when I got a little frustrated with the flashbacks. However, I knew they had to do it for a reason. By the end of the book, I was all into it, and when the final scene happened, definitely a bit agoggle. Very curious to see what happened in the next book!

I think Chimera: The Righteous and the Lost will appeal to a lot of sci-fi fans. I’ve seen others say this as well. Thus far it’s not quite as fun or daring as some of the big names its being likened to, but I think the potential is there. The pacing is good, the characters are fantastic, and the dialogue will have you laughing at times.

Highly recommended.

A promising start to a new series.

— 3.5 stars —

Reminiscent of FIREFLY and SAGA, CHIMERA follows the exploits of a rag-tag group of space traveling misfits. There’s Alice, the captain, who was the war-hungry Emperor-God’s champion in a previous life; her brother Charlie, who went AWOL from the rebel coalition; Russell, a three-eyed, telekinetic, wolflike alien; and Wex, the crew’s translator, who just so happens to look like an iguana. Their latest heist? Retrieve an artifact called the “chimera” – and use the funds to get the heck out of the ‘verse, and the holy war that’s tearing it apart.

Based on the cover – specifically, its minimalist, playing-it-oh-so-close-to-the-vest artwork – I wasn’t sure what to expect from CHIMERA, or whether I really wanted to bother with it at all. I’m glad I did, because the artwork is stunning. Seriously, the cover doesn’t begin to do it justice. The world building is easily the best part of CHIMERA, from the desolate desert landscape to the plethora of wonderful and imaginative aliens.

Less shiny is the actual story line, which I sometimes found muddled and confusing. There are so many different factions to keep track of, and their relationships to one another aren’t always clear. The true nature of the titular “chimera” remains a mystery throughout most of the book, and even when we get more information on it, it’s alternately referred to as both a piece of tech and a planet, which is hecka confusing.

You know the old admonition to “show, don’t tell”? It’s the exact opposite with CHIMERA.

Additionally, the first book feels incomplete; it ends before the story arc can be wrapped up, and as a result is deeply unsatisfying.

Still, I regret nothing. THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE LOST is a promising start to a new series, and I look forward to the next installment. Maybe the inevitable re-read will even improve my grasp of the first book.

A good science fiction fantasy mix-up. Many people will find it similar to Saga, however I feel the religious undertones of the series allows it stand out in it's own light. The characters so far in the story are believable, a fair number are likable, and their motivations are understandable.

A darker story than similar titles, Chimera balances the bright pallets of it's art style with moments of ruthlessness and low cunning. I look forward to seeing how the story progresses from here.

A wonderful blend of Saga, Star Wars, Firefly, and even a little Stargate. The art and coloring are spectacular. They really bring this world to life. It's full of those "Ack! I can't believe he just did that!" moments, wonderful characterization, and fantastic world-building.

The galaxy is in the midst of a religious war. Four pirates have been deceived into tracking down the one device that will allow "God" to conquer the rest of the galaxy, the Chimera, a device capable of opening up portals between worlds.

Special thanks to NetGalley for giving me the free ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Star Wars meets The Guardians of Galaxy meets Greek mythology. Yeah, I know THIS IS SO FREAKING AWESOME. Another unexpected fave for this year!

I've been nursing this reading slump of mine and finally, I get to read NORMALLY again after this beauty! Chimera narrates the adventure of a crew of thieves heading on an almost suicide mission in order to gain their desired freedom from the war. What more can I say? A group of misfits in a suicide mission is too enthralling for my part. I love the overall pacing of this graphic novel, the inclusion of a twisted Christian theme really got me, as well as the diversity of every character and how they were fleshed out in a digestible manner. It's not overdone, it is just right for my taste. Other than that, I really reaaaaallly love how some of the characters were named after Greek myth personas and how they actually fit w/ the character. OMOOO (view spoiler)

The whole graphic novel also uses an amazing array of colors and graphics. They're really pretty to look at and had established the world effectively through it. This is my cup of tea and I really enjoyed reading this. DO NOT BE DISSUADED BY THAT HARMLESS COVER.

"There's good and there's evil but it seems like those lines are constantly being bent or blurred. Or is that just me being overly skeptical?"

Chimera has been compared to Saga and ooooh yeeesss ; it's as good if not better.

Most of all, I loved how complex the world seems. As in Saga, multiple POVs and plot-lines are wound together, and the result is an action-packed but beautifully told story. To me, Chimera was hilarious, innovative and heartbreaking. I seriously can't wait for the second installment!

Although I loved Saga, Chimera got me excited. I'm invested in the characters already after reading book one, and the plot seems like it can go any which way at this point. Similarly to Saga, Chimera has violence, swearing and a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. But dissimilarly, there are no explicit sex scenes which just mmm I'm grateful for.

Highly recommend!

This was one of the most enjoyable graphic novels I’ve ever read. The characters are all cleverly written and the story balances out creepy as hell evil, heart warming moments and general hilarity.

The illustrations are a perfect fit for the story, my favourite aspect being that the women are drawn to be powerful rather than sexy (always a good way to judge a graphic novel).

The story flips back and forth between ‘then’ and ‘now’, which tells us how the ragtag group of alien and human thieves got together and found themselves on a mission to steal a mysterious artefact. The synopsis isn’t wrong when it suggests that fans of Star Wars and Firefly will enjoy this story, it’s got all the best bits of those series and a fascinating slant to it.

I picked this graphic novel up because of it's crazy beautiful cover art, the promise that it would be perfect for fans of Star Wars and the description on Netgalley (a covert mission in the midst of a galaxy being ripped apart by an interstellar holy war; whuuut?!). As it turned out, actually getting through the entire story was pretty hard. I started reading this novel about 5 times, before actually being able to finish it.
There were actually a couple of things that I really liked about Chimera. The artwork is just beautiful. I loved the color schemes, the details and the overall look of the entire novel. I also liked the idea of a galaxy, multiple planets, all sorts of creatures and a war amongst them. We get to see a lot of characters, both human and not so human, of all kinds of shapes and sizes, and all of them are shown in great detail. What was also pretty good about this novel, was the fact that we shift between "now" and "then" which creates a bit of a backstory as well.

Even though this novel seems to have everything I like, from beautiful artwork to an actual backstory, there still as something that made it difficult for me to finish this book. I didn't really feel invested in the story, there wasn't a connection with any of the characters, and the plot line was a bit confusing. I am not the best in keeping up when there are a lot of names/organizations/planets/etc. thrown at me without much of an explanation, and that is kind of what is going on in this graphic novel. I'm not the kind of person who has the patience to go back a couple of pages to re-read something, so I was confused at times.

All in all, I think this is a decent graphic novel, it just wasn't the right fit for me.

WOW! I loved this graphic novel. I loved the dark fantasy story line, and was (as always) amazed by the illustrations in this collection. The wide variety of characters kind of reminded me of Star Wars. This is going to be a popular choice at the comic book stores, and personally, I would love to see more volumes in this collection. I will definitely be recommending this to all of my Saga loving friends. Can't wait to see this blow up all over the internet. People are going to love it!

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Chimera is a beautiful story with gorgeous artwork. Now where is volume 2?! The end was intense. This would be a good read for any Numenera players out there.

I see a lot of people comparing it to Saga. I can see where the similarities lie. (I read it thinking it was illustrated by the same artist.) The story telling is similar, profanity dropping and killing without a lot of fanfare. The story, however, is unique. Very interested in seeing where this leads.

This is a great read-alike for Saga. (I'm not going to compare its merits to Saga because Saga is one of those singular series that is so spectacular it seems unfair to compare other books to it - I will only go so far as to say that readers who enjoy Saga will find similar elements in this comic). The illustrations are inventive, along with the world-building, and the plot is satisfyingly complex. That complexity makes it a slow read during the first quarter of the book or so, while the reader grapples to understand exactly who the players are and what the heck is happening, but the weirdness of the characters is enough of a hook to keep going. I'm eager to find out what happens in the next volume. Recommended for middle school and up (swearing, violence)

Chimera is a graphic novel that will have a huge appeal for fans of Star Wars or Dune, or people who enjoy their sci-fi with a heavy dose of religious existentialism. It's not my ideal read, but I have to admit it was very well crafted. The colours used in all the art are spectacular, with the rich oranges and yellows of the desert that open the book contrasting beautifully against the introduction of Cassandra, in a stark, dark, grey world.

I was delighted to see that one of the main characters, Charlie, has a boyfriend, and even more delighted to see that said boyfriend, Gideon, has a large birthmark on his face. Neither the guys' sexuality nor Gideon's birthmark are ever mentioned, which is astonishingly refreshing - particularly the latter, since this is a graphic novel so it is very visible. Kudos to the author for including this representation so matter-of-factly.

You do have to focus to keep the various flashbacks straight, but I liked that we got an insight into most characters, showing how they got to where they were. The camaraderie between the thieves' gang was very well written - you could believe they had travelled together for a while. I love found families like this.

One small negative point is that I didn't love the font used in the majority of the speech bubbles. The slanting of the letters made it a little difficult to read, especially the letter D, meaning that I quite often read words like 'godhood' as 'gophoop'. This jarred me out of the story a little, when I had to stop and reread.to get a sense of what was going on.

Overall, this one wasn't my cup of tea story-wise, but I thought that the artwork was stunning, and I'll definitely be recommending it to my friends who like their sci-fi a bit heavier than I do.

3 stars

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this story! It reminded me of Marvel’s Gurdians Of The Galaxy, AND YAS, they are my favourites!

Basically, we follow 4 thieves who are sent on a suicidal mission, when in the meantime, there’s a war starting, bc this creepy thing called “the God”, wants to be the true & also the only one in the whole universe - and he can achieve that just with this mysterious object called the “Chimera”. And yeah, you guessed right, the quartet of our thieves is also trying to find this major object.

The characters are amazing, every single one of them has its own backstory (sometimes the past and present was confusing but nothing I couldn’t handle), flaws & sufferings....

My favorite character was Russel, for sure. This “doggy” creature ( really reminded me of the Egyptian god Anubis ) was just precious. His story was the most interesting & also, I would say the hardest one.

Alice... warrior who vanished from the “God´s” sight as far as she realised something was really off.

Wex... intelligent reptile & translator who has its own demons & is trying to forget about it by helping these 3 individuals.

Charlie... Alice’s brother who was just an ordinary boy, but one day everything changed after he lost his love & home at the same time.

The adventure was really enjoyable, great plot twists (time to time I was just like “What!?” “Are u kidding me?”) & OMG the ART... just wow. All those colors & details... I am speechless.

When i was a kid I’ve never read comic books... but after this novel, I think, it will definitely change.