At first I did not realize this belonged to an already established series! But it was easy to grasp the story through context and the well-written narrative which was beginner friendly without being pandering. I have ready many comics in my day and the pacing and story beats were familiar and comforting. This book is not breaking boundaries but it doesn't have to. I appreciate that it knows what is is and does it well. Instead what it brings new to the table is a powerful queer woman of color. I love this representation! It is sorely needed in more "superhero" genre comics. There have been a number of gay characters of the years, numerous belonging to the x-men which I can recall. But rarely have they been the central character, simply one of an ensemble cast. So I appreciate the focus here. Overall, I really enjoyed this read. If you're a fan of the supernatural action genre that has been very popular in recent years I highly recommend it.

I love, love, love this series. More Elena Abbott, please! Abbott is a cross between a Pam Grier blaxploitation starlet and Kolchak, the Night Stalker. She's a reporter for a small paper in Detroit and constantly comes up against supernatural threats. This time around, she's investigating a smear campaign against the first potential black mayor of Detroit, when things suddenly get much more serious. Her girlfriend is taken hostage and Elena must martial the assistance of her brother, Elmer, and his friend Nutcase to try to get her back. Excellent urban drama and look at Detroit circa 1973. I hope Ahmed and his artist collaborators have many more Abbott stories in store for us...

Really interesting story but what really had me hooked was the art style. So many interesting choices with shadows and the structure of cigarette smoke. I liked the characters well enough to want to see what happens next.

I think this comes off a little too mcu’s captain marvel — which don’t get me wrong, I really loved but if you’re to have the “women can’t do what men can” struggle storyline, I want to see something nee brought to the conversation.

I was fortunate enough to get an ARC of this through NetGalley and wow I immediately need more issues please and thank you. It took me a second to get into because it started right in the middle of the action without much fanfare, but once I was in I couldn't put it down. It features a queer reporter, evil spirits, and magic and had a really solid arc over the 5 issues in the book. I'm not much of a horror person generally, but ghostly things can be the exception as long as there isn't much gore or violence. There was some body horror in this one but nothing major for me personally. Overall, fun spooky times were had and I really hope we get more issues!If you're interested, it comes out 10/12/21, so consider preordering or asking your local library to order it! TW: racism, misogyny, police, blood, body horror

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

An amazing graphic novel. The art and storyline are top notch. Would give this 10 stars if I could. Can't wait for the next part.

I have nothing but respect for exaggerated retellings of events that happen in the past; a light from a reporter to expose the dark secrets. I'm really liking Abbot as a character, she has wants that clash with her inner mission. But there's so much going on that she doesn't seem to have time to relax and enjoy the simple things in life. Just goes to show the more progress people can make, there'll always be threats to take it all down. Just look at her new boss, the man means well especially when it comes to presenting the best of what people can do. But he's also a cruncher, a sexist, and severely underestimates the less direct forms of opposition.

Even when you have the power to simply turn the power people use against you, the battle never gets any easier. Despite Abbot's fighting spirit, not everybody has the patience or can take on the heavy burden of responsibility for a cause. Abbot looks vulnerable in these cases as every major victory against a systemic problem seems to be paid for with a personal life's sacrifice.

This was a great addition to Volume 1 of Abbott. She is still fighting against sexism in the workplace, and the dark supernatural beings that haunt her dreams. But now they’re after the ones she loves. Please tell me there will be another volume, because I need more!

This graphic novel was set during the time period where African Americans didn't have rights the way they fought for. I honestly wasn't expecting the science fiction part of the graphic novel to take place the way that it did but, I loved it! We follow our main character who has a girlfriend and brother who are side characters. Our main character is the only female to work at the newspaper as a reporter and when it changes hands she runs into sexism. No matter the jokes or smart remarks her new boss makes, our main character perseveres and makes a positive situation out of it all. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anybody who loves sci fi and historical fiction tied together!

So, I kind of went into this not realizing it was a sequel series? Which, like... my bad. But that said, Saladin Ahmed is remarkably efficient at catching new readers up to speed. I quickly understood the rules of the world and what was going on, which is pretty damn impressive.

Aside from that: this reads like an 80's Marvel comic, which, admittedly, isn't really my thing. The story structure and writing style is pretty familiar. The plot itself is unique and a super interesting concept - like, it's a woman journalist fighting ghosts/witchy-esque beings with supernatural powers, of course I'm gonna have a good time! It started off pretty slow, but I found myself getting more into it come the third issue. The art, while undeniably beautiful, isn't particularly unique stylistically, apart from the stunning covers and the way the Umbra - the dark, magical spirits - are presented.

What wasn't familiar, though - what really kept me reading this volume til' the end - was that this follows a queer Black woman in the 70s. In the world of superhero comics, this is a narrative that is definitely lacking, so it was wonderful to see more of it. Ahmed does a great job of discussing racism, sexism, and homophobia whilst still making the queer POC rep positive and healthy.

Ultimately, Abbott didn't do a whole lot to stand out to me personally, but it is a very important narrative that I was excited to see. I think readers who are more inclined toward this genre/type of comic book would definitely have a good time!