I read this really quickly because the story seriously sucked me in! The artwork does a great job of showing dark themes and settings while still being very clear and imaginative. The story itself is a really interesting blend of magic, sci-fi, and mystery. The main character was fun and I loved the secrets, plot twists, and cliff hangers. I definitely want to read more!

I can see what Shadow Service is trying to do, and it's a lot. I don't think it succeeds at most of those things.

Our main character, Gina, has the ability to cast spells. She thinks she's unique, and of course she isn't. In fact, Great Britain has it's own magic/demon-focused secret service, nicknamed MI666 (which is fun).

And that's where the cliches start tumbling over eachother. MI666 is of course military in nature - their agents use guns (sigh) with magicked bullits and wear black tactical armour (think The Initiative from Buffy).

The place seems to be run by a very old man trapped in the body of an 8-year-old boy, basically Number Five from The Umbrella Academy.

The MI666 HQ is inside a van, which is of course much bigger on the inside.

There's the usual Gina-gets-kidnapped-then-escapes-then-finally-works-with-the-team palaver.

What I did like is the idea that Gina's spellcasting creates insomnia, although this pretty much forgotten about later on in the book.

I feel like the art isn't competent enough to carry the book off, there are quite a few of wonky faces, and a lot of the design choices look a bit bland.

That said, I do like the demon designs, and Number Five is in contact with a huge Angel of Death kind of thing, which looks great.

The book is never bad, just a bit too derivative for me. Did really like that huge winged skeleton, though.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Witty and thrilling from start to finish. Surprisingly British and unsurprisingly supernatural, this was a fantastically fun read.

The characters were dynamic and intriguing and this comic’s take on magic and other supernatural creatures were superbly done. With great art and colours to boot, there’s literally nothing to fault in this comic. I am 100% on board with this and can’t wait to read the next vol to see what happens next!

Shadow service #1 is a Graphic novel with great artwork & detail. It is gory, and long enough to get you into the world it's unfolding. It ends with a opening for the next novel in series. It has witchery, demons, talking rodents, a secret service that has no problems with murdering things. Great all around graphic!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC so I could read & review this novel.

An excellent graphic novel with first class storytelling and really great artwork.

In this book the action of The Avengers, combines with the mystery solving of Rivers of London, the communication of Dr Dolittle, and the magic and spell-craft of Harry Potter.

The result is sheer excellence!

This is definitely a series that I will be following.

The best aspect is the rich and engrossing storytelling. I was pulled into the story from the very first panel. The story begins with a bang and then goes nuclear with monsters, magic, weird characters, and twists and turns. It is the kind of story that races along with high energy and adrenaline, but manages to take you along for the ride and it promises that there is more to come!

I also enjoyed the strong and courageous female leads.

Gina Meyers is a witch with a tragic past. She is a PI and earns her living looking for missing people on the streets of London. She uses her magic and the ability to talk to the animals and she scrapes by, living in a dingy London flat.

All this changes when she is kidnapped by members of MI666 and suddenly her supernatural world becomes a lot bigger and a lot more dangerous, with a lot more to be revealed about her allies, her enemies and herself.

I enjoyed this. It is the kind of graphic novel that you relish and save on your shelf to re-read. It would also make an excellent movie.

Definitely one for the favourite shelf.

And there is a talking rat.

Copy provided by Diamond Book Distributors and Vault Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

I did not want this story to end. The art, storyline and characters are AMAZINGLY brilliant. Secret UK societies, demons, angels of death and a witch with the knowing gift. I wait for the next installment impatiently. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this. You will not be disappointed.

Yay for a Britain-set dark fantasy, with a young witch in over her head in working as private investigator. This clearly has some of the wackiness of stories with magic in them for the younger reader – a talking rat associate, super-powered baddies, et al – but it certainly is for the adult-only shelf, too, with semi-dismembered corpses being eaten on, yet with happily the right amount of bravura chutzpah and conviction about the diverse magic abilities to stop them being childishly daft. Well, until a Tardis turns up, that is. And Brexit. So yes, this has a couple of tiny lapses in quality, but on the whole it's very engaging, fast-moving fun, and this appears to be launching a fine title with enough about it to go on for a few more trades yet.

3.5 ⭐
Gina Meyers is a private detective and a witch. She's very powerful, although she has never received magical education.
She lives a lonely life, though Edwin is always there, taking care of her. He's a rat, not in a figurative way. She can talk to animals.
Gina's life has been difficult, since she was a little child. Now, she has to deal with the side effects of magic. Moreover, as if dealing with the cases weren't enough, she meets this peculiar group in charge of the magical creatures of England, the MI666.

This volume presents five issues, and it will be released on 20 April.

Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors/Vault Comics and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The art in this one was beyond amazing. The drawings, the colors, the complete deal.

The story had me from the first page, I have to admit, but it isn't all that new. I wouldn't call it boring under any circumstances. It was good. But as I said, the art was the thing that hooked me.

I'm looking forward for future volumes.

Magic, Monsters, and a private investigator/witch who is caught in the middle of it all. Gina Meyers is a private investigator just trying to get by but suddenly more monsters are appearing and people are looking for her. She finds herself entangled in theLondon criminal underworld, with literal demons unleashed. This was such a fun read! A great start to to the series and I can’t wait to read more. Gina is a great protagonist and I mean she even has a rat best friend, a literal rat. The artwork is amazing and the storyline is awesome!

*Thanks Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This novel gripped me from the first page all the way to the end. The art was beautiful and the story didn't dwell or wax poetic as is something typical with books that include introductions to new worlds. I was invested in the main character and I'm looking forward to purchasing a physical copy and reading volume two as soon as possible.

Trigger warnings: Gore and Domestic abuse

I received a free E-ARC of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The artwork is amazing. Loved it. The story is something I won't remember, though the drawings, as noted, I loved.