It was an interesting read, but I wanted more from it. The plot was a little bit weak. But being the first in the series I don't want to be to severe about that volume. I will probably pick up the next one.
I really enjoyed the art style.

Final Grade: B-

TL;DR - Cyberpunk heist with a lot of unrealized potential.

Similar vibes: Invisible, Inc., Little Brother

I liked this graphic novel, but I think I liked the idea of it more. I'm a sucker for cyberpunk settings, and I'm a sucker for heist stories. But at the end of the day, it leans on dystopian tropes (e.g., state surveillance, corporate overlords) a bit too heavily, without bringing new ideas to the table. If you want cyberpunk heist for cyberpunk heist's sake, it's a fun time and worth a read.

A note about representation/inclusivity:
The main character is genderqueer (cool!), but the dialogue handles it a little heavy-handedly (oof). I strongly believe there's a robust conversation to be had about whether representation needs to be narratively meaningful for it to be effectively inclusive. On the one hand, if a character's underrepresented identity isn't explored and examined, are we really giving voice to underrepresented stories? And if we aren't doing that, then we very well may be guilty of [identity]-washing for the sake of optics. On the other hand, underrepresented identities should also be included in stories without making a big thing of it every time. Maybe inclusivity means it's also important for those identities to become a part of the "default" landscape in a way that majority identities always have been.

That being said, I felt that this work fell a little too squarely in the latter camp. The writing makes a point of the main character being genderqueer, but then it doesn't really go anywhere with it. Then again, as someone who can't speak to that experience, maybe I'm underestimating how important the bare fact of representation is to some readers. Who am I to say?

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for unbiased feedback.

A very stylish technothriller heist story, set in a near-future dystopian panopticon. Niki, the teenage child of two famous thieves, decides to follow in their parents' footsteps after they mysteriously disappear. Niki is genderqueer and cycles through both male and female disguises; their pronouns are respected without hesitation by all, including (interesting, I thought) the villain. I'm not sure if this is intended to be a continuing series but this volume ends with a satisfying conclusion.

Ah, this was such a cool graphic novel. I loved the mystery around the main characters and just the whole shadowing tone of both the plot and the art. Totally looking forward to vol. 2.

This is an amazing new graphic novel with a genderqueer main character.

I was hooked on this story right from the beginning. It started with Niki pulling off some stealth thefts by changing their identity. It was so exciting to see them change their entire look with a special mask that draws on make-up. The plot was very exciting and the book was hard to put down!

It is so important to see genderqueer characters in books so that readers can relate to the characters. Niki’s genre idenity is only a small part of their story, but it helps out when they can change their look into either a man or a woman. It made the thefts more intense when they could disappear into a crowd by changing their identity in that way.

I loved this story!

Thank you Aftershock Comics for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unable to access the title and it’s not letting me put it into the “Will Not Give Feedback” section on netgalley!

'Moth & Whisper Vol 1' by Ted Anderson with art by Jen Hickman is a fun ride in the world of very capable thieves.

The Moth and the Whisper are legends in the city they live in. Sometimes at odds, sometimes partners, and never caught. When they go missing, their capable child Niki tries to find out what happened by assuming both identities and using tech left behind.

It's an interesting premise with interesting characters, but the story sort of starts to feel pretty standard, and there are interesting world-building things that just kind of get looked over. The main character binary queer. This didn't really add anything to the story, but apparently it was important enough to state twice. Perhaps that becomes a story point going forward. It does add to the character being comfortable posing as either sex in disguises. Maybe that's all that needed to be shown?

The art isn't bad and the plot does move along at a brisk pace.

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

I really liked this, and here's why:

- Nice art! How it looks on the cover is basically how it looks inside (but, you know, with panels and whatnot).

- Cool premise! A bit superhero-esque, a bit spy-esque, except the main character is a thief-for-hire with high-tech gadgets, taking up the mantle of their parents who recently disappeared.

- A genderqueer main character! They even state it on the page, and they use they/them pronouns. They also have a high-tech suit that's mostly used for missions and safety, I think, but it allows them to have different gender expressions, sometimes masculine, sometimes feminine.

- Diversity/inclusivity! There weren't too many characters in this volume, but Niki was genderqueer, Niki's mother and the character helping Niki had dark skin, and every character didn't have the same typical "perfect" body types sometimes found in comics.

- Futuristic cyberpunk world! Lots of technology but also with a creepy, overbearing government vibe.

- Likeable characters! Niki seemed very down-to-earth, determined, and maybe a little sassy. But they also seemed kinda lonely and a bit lost, what with their parents having disappeared. I felt for them in their plight and wanted to just give them a hug, chill with them, and be friends. I'll be curious to get to know them better and see if/how their character changes throughout the series. There were only two other non-villain characters, but I liked them too.

- Possible future romance? This is pure speculation, and I'll be happy to keep reading whether there's romance or not, but I sense there might've been a bit of chemistry between Niki and Walter.

The blurb calls this a "YA cyberpunk thriller." I don't know exactly how old the characters are (maybe I missed that) and I didn't get any particular YA vibe from the story, but I see no reason why this couldn't be read by teens.

All in all, I'm looking forward to more!

Recommended For:
Anyone who likes graphic novels, genderqueer characters, heists, and cyberpunk worlds.

If you're picking up this comic it is most likely because you are drawn to the genderqueer star Niki, which is a good thing, because the premise and the plot feel tired and overused. I do like that the creators allow the reader to make inferences about the worldbuilding based on the drawings instead of exposition, but it is really just your bog standard highly monitored future that is seen in countless books and movies and TV shows and therefore not worthy of more detail. Back to Niki... I'm very happy to see genderqueer representation on the page but at the same time it's how I felt about Children of Blood and Bone, it's a book that's a good starting off point but really brings nothing original to the table other than treating people who are genderqueer as equals. So it's a good first step but it just didn't work for me. Also, while the creators just wanted to have the star be genderqueer without backstory of how they discovered that this is who they were I have to wonder if being given six identities by your parents, male and female, might make you question/influence your sexual identity. I felt that this really needed to be addressed and it wasn't. At least yet, but I don't see myself continuing to follow this series. If I want a futuristic comic I have many favorites that I would rather read, and if I wanted a stylish thief, I've never gone wrong with Bandette. Also, if you're going to place the thank yous are the front of your book perhaps DO NOT spoil the plot in your thank yous... I'm look at you Jen Hickman.

The Moth and the Whisper are the premier thieves in this dystopian future where everyone is constantly tracked. When they disappear their child is left not knowing what happened to them and seeks revenge on the most likely subject, taking over the family business. It's a simple story that's been told before, but it's told well. The main character is genderqueer but that is not the focus of the book, it's more on an incidental fact. Jen Hickman's art is clear and concise. I liked the muted colors for this world as well. Hopefully, we'll see a sequel in the future.

This was a fantastic first volume to this series. I loved the MC, Niki and the fact that they were gender fluid. The story moved along at a quick pace and we learned a lot about Niki and their parents but I still feel like there is plenty to explore and learn in subsequent volumes. I really liked the idea of this series. It is something that I haven't read to much of lately. It is billed as a cyberpunk thriller and that really comes through. I loved all of the characters and I can't wait to get to know them more in the next volumes. I would highly recommend this book to any fans of sci-fi or adventure type books. I personally loved this book and will definitely be recommending it to my friends and family.

Admittedly, this one won a couple of points with me right off the bat. I mean, how often do you see graphic novels featuring a genderqueer POC as the protagonist? NOT. OFTEN.
Additionally though, the story is really good. We have the anti-hero Nikki, whose parents are two of the world's best known crooks who have vanished, and they're just trying to figure out what happened to them.
Then there's cool tech, like the suit that can change Nikki's appearance at will and provides them with the ultimate undercover disguise. Plus there's the interesting mystery to solve, a bad guy who makes all the other not-so-good guys look like positive angels by comparison and beautiful art, so what more could you ask for, really?

Distinctive Art, Nice Cyberpunk Vibe, Engaging Backstory, So-So Plot

It's great to have a genderfluid character, but maybe even better is that in this book the character's identity is just treated as a matter of fact - noted, accepted, and more or less taken for granted. I don't know if we're really at a post-genderqueer place yet, but this book helps.

Happily, this isn't just a book limited to making a sexual identity point. It's an engaging, gadgety, superthief tale, and the superthief angle is handled with a lot of style, where even the techy info dumping has a certain charm. Our hero, Niki, the child of the famous Moth and Whisper, is following in the family tradition, and Niki has plenty of cyberpunk tricks up the literal sleeve.

The book starts with a stylish intro of the Moth and the Whisper, which sets an elegant and sophisticated caper sort of tone. The art, which can be jazzy and impressionistic, enhances and complements that tone. We then switch to Niki and begin to learn her backstory as we are introduced to her abilities and her gadgets. It all has a Cary Grant/Audrey Hepburn sort of feel, (and Niki is both), with some teenage angst for variety, and it works very well.

The plot is sort of a non-starter, but that was O.K. by me, because the plot was just an excuse to move Niki around, introduce other characters, and keep the action level up. I mean after all, caper tales don't really need to be all that plausible as long as they're entertaining and the characters hold our attention. And for me, that's exactly what you get here. I thought the whole project was engaging and well conceived and crisply delivered.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Great graphic novel!

I would love to thank Ted Anderson & Jen Hickman, Aftershock Comics and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel follows Niki, the kid of 2 of the greatest thieves in the city, The Moth and The Whisper. Niki is not a girl nor a boy, it's both, and it is such an amazing and cute character!

The other characters are great as well, even the villains.
Niki wants to find their parents, because they disappeared a while ago and they left a message for their child. The main character goes in a quest to find the evil guy so to find out where are their parents, but in doing so, Niki meets a guy along the way and they befriend and work together.

In the end we still don't find out where Niki's parents are, but it's still a great and progressive story. I need the next book!

Imagine a world where your identity is your most valuable commodity, where you're tracked everywhere you go and it's basically illegal to be unknown. That's the world of this book. Anderson and Hickman introduce us to this world and to Nikki, a teen on the run, searching for missing parents. Parents who are the world's greatest thieves. Nikki has taken over both their roles while searching for information about their whereabouts. It's a complex world but one that's well portrayed visually so we aren't weighed down with expositional dialogue. The text and illustrations work together well to tell a complete story. This is a great book, both to read and to simply admire visually.

The Moth and the Whisper were the two great thieves in the city but they haven’t been seen by anyone in almost six months, not even their child, Niki.

Niki’s parents didn’t want them to search for them or put themselves in any danger if they ever disappeared. Naturally Niki, who is a teenager, does the exact opposite, utilising the tools the Moth and the Whisper left behind to try to track them down. Along the way Niki meets a couple of unlikely allies: Walter and Moira.

Niki is non-binary (them/they/their). I really liked that this was part of the story and loved that everyone used the correct pronouns, even the villains!

There are some fun action scenes and plenty of handy gadgets that I expect even Q would appreciate. My favourite invention was the Weaver suit, which is “a combination shapeshifting outfit and instant makeup kit.” I would like to place my order for one of these please!

A lot of background information is included in this Volume. I found this useful but would expect less info dumps in future Volumes. The narrative touches on human trafficking and organ dealing. I enjoyed the story and loved Jen Hickman’s illustrations, particularly their use of colour.

Thank you to NetGalley, AfterShock Comics and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. I’m looking forward to reading the next Volume.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this comic!

Rating: 3.5 stars
Rep: genderqueer MC

As soon as I read the words "genderqueer super thief" I was extremely intrigued. I am always over the moon when I come across more genderqueer representation in books, so I knew I had to give this comic a go!

The artwork and colour scheme were stunning. I loved our main character, Nikki, they were so interesting and while I would've liked to see more character development, I still loved them.

The main problem I had was the world-building, which confused me a lot. This may be due to the fact that the story is so fast-paced, it's relatively short and this is the first volume though.

The storyline was gripping, engaging and unique, the twists and turns were super fun!

Overall, I would 100% read the next volume and I would recommend this comic to anyone who likes diverse characters, interesting worlds and gripping plots.

This was good, the art was a-okay. I might read the next one just cause. But not really invested in the storyline.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

Digital Arc copy provided by netgalley.

Moth and whisper is a graphic novel about a family of theives set in a dystopian future with a heavy cyberpunk feel. The story starts off by telling about the most amazing best theives ever the Moth and whisper, the story being told by their genderqueer teen daughter Niki. They've disappeared and left niki behind on their own to deal with everything. However they've left niki with all of their tech which is more than enough for niki to get by... For now. Niki hasn't given up hope on their parents and every job they do they do it in hope of getting closer to them. Niki's main focus is finding out who made them leave and take them down. Niki sets off into a series of fights and chases sending them straight into the arms of their main leads, Wolfe. Things take a turn when Niki finds out theirfather was working for him. They break free saving their friend at the same time and make it out all the while they're both hurt and the chase follows them out the building. Niki and their friend go to the one place Niki thinks they might be safe they weren't expecting someone else to be there. Apparently Nikis parents did keep a lot of secrets because they didn't know the moth & whisper had a silent hacker partner. Niki find out why their parents were working with the evilest evil and end up finding out it was all for them. So Niki teams up with Moira the silent partner and a rivals son to take down the evilest evil in the city, Wolfe. Niki takes literally everything from him and gets to go back to her life. Though they didn't find their parents they're not done and they're not giving up. Niki's gonna continue to take over both roles with the help of Moira. I can't wait to find out what happens next now that Nikis not truly alone and has help. Here's to hoping their parents are out there somewhere waiting on them.

4.5 stars absolutely love the style and time it was set in! Very unique storyline of a spy who's a second generation thief. It dragged a bit for me in the beginning and I ended up putting it down for a bit but the style really kept drawing in me and once I picked it back up I was stuck.

*Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I found myself zoning out around vol. 3 with this story, so I did not complete the trade, but I found the art style engaging. The story is lacking in some parts, as there is too much "showing instead of telling" which I would think is hard to do with a comic? The cast is diverse and there is a good amount of representation among the characters.


+ Diverse cast of characters
+ Gender queer protagonist
+ Art style
+ use of correct pronouns


- More telling than showing
- Too much focus on back stories/past instead of focusing on the actual story