"Crashing" is an interesting story about world with superpowers and a doctor recovering from addiction who has vowed to treat all patients despite working for a hospital with a no superpower policy. The story gets really in-depth about addiction which made the story a difficult read for me personally. I didn't connect super well with any of the characters due to this, but found the read interesting nonetheless.

I didn't love the graphics at first but they growed on me as I was farther in the story. I wish they made us get to know rose more so I could emphatise with her. I didn't really feel a connection with the main character. This was a quick read with action but I missed some emotional story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 Stars!
This was actually a very interesting premise. A doctor struggling with addiction, trying to keep up while dealing with treating regular patients by day and supervillains by night. Watching Rose try to battle her temptations to slip back into her addiction since she only needs "just one pill" was interesting as it was heartbreaking to read. But the rest of the plot pieces didn't quite feel like they fit together. We learn pretty much nothing about powered people, and only really know that people consider them to be dangerous to society. We only meet roughly four powered people in the entire novel. People with powers are oppressed, but how the oppression is written feels clunky. Rose is also moonlighting as a personal physician for one of the city's biggest supervillains. Except, you could have changed "super villain" to "crime lord" or "evil politician" and the story wouldn't have changed in the slightest. The plot points felt like they were pinging from one point to another way too quickly. This story does practically no world-building and it leaves the story feeling rushed along. If the story could have had a bit more space to breathe, and flesh out certain details, it would have a better pace to it. If you removed people having powers, the story would barely change. This story isn't bad in the slightest, and in fact, I think it could make an excellent television show. The pacing is just off. (Also there was a minor continuity error that made me giggle. On one page the ink well pen is blue, but on the next page, the same exact pen is now red. It's a minor issue, but I thought for a split second she had whipped out her own pen.)

This is a self-encapsulated story with super-hero and -villain characters that aren't from giant well-established universes. This makes it a good read for people who might only want occasional super-hero stories without having to commit to one of the big ones (which I find bafflingly hard to break in to).

The drawing style is a little technically grotesque, but not gory. It felt like there were a few gaps in the story, like it would have made more sense if the main character's history were shared a little earlier. Some explanation comes at the end of this volume, although the story isn't wrapped up.

Appropriate for public libraries where any and all Adult GNs circulate well or are highly browsed.

eARC from NetGalley.

3.25 ⭐️

Check the trigger warnings before reading it!
This book’s main character navigates life as a surgeon who treats people with superheroes while struggling with drug addiction, withdrawal, recovery, and relapse. Honestly reading this was such a blur. I wasn’t exactly fond of the art style and how every panel was filled with dialogue, but the story felt darkly realistic despite being a sci-fi graphic novel, and it really talks a lot about the reality and consequences of being an adult succumbing to addiction.

I read this graphic novel thanks to NetGalley, i gave it 2 stars.
I thought it was an interesting idea but it was drawn and written in a very confusing way. I didn't enjoy reading it because the style made it a bit difficult to read and the plot was just complicated but not intriguing.

Wow! What a fantastic and engaging comic/graphic novel. I couldn't put it down!

In a world where people with powers exist but are denied certain rights, a doctor strives to treat all patients equally. Rose Osler is no angel, though: she struggles with addiction and is in debt to a villainous powered person with dark ties to her past...

I loved the character of Rose. Though the comic is short, we really get a sense of who she is, of the range of her character, and of the way she is constantly being torn between two sides. I loved the general 'vibe' of everything, too, which was vaguely DC superhero-esque but focused on the people without powers. It left a lot of mystery to the hero characters.

The one thing I wish was more fleshed out was the world, as I don't get HOW laws could be passed preventing these people from getting the care and resources they need. That felt a little contrived.

I loved this story. It was such an interesting take on the superhero genre in graphic novels: what if people DIDN'T like real-life superheroes? What are the human rights implications for a group that might not be entirely human? Can rights be taken away in that case?

I liked that as the story progressed, Rose is revealed to be an increasingly flawed protagonist and the superheroes that much more human.

I sometimes found the connections between Rose and the superpowered humans.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you, NetGalley and IDW Publishing for this ARC.

The idea of this comic really seduced me but unfortunately, the execution was not for me. The design was not pleasing to my eyes, but because I like a more rounded, child-like design, it was not the artist's fault.
Overall I think this comic will attract a more mature audience, do not let my review discourage you.

I had a hard time getting hooked on this graphic novel: I thought there were a lot of ideas (which is a good thing) but it was often confusing and I struggled to understand what was going on from time to time. The characters were interesting though and I was frustrated that I didn't get to know more about them.

I unfortunately am unable to give a decent review for this book. I’ve downloaded it from both Edelweiss+ and NetGalley. Both versions are formatted poorly, causing sections of the page to be cropped out. I’d be willing to reevaluate if I can get a better formatted version.

A fun premise, but I unfortunately could not get into this graphic novel. I may try again once it's published, but I found some pages hard to follow what was going on. It seemed like a handful of speech bubbles and narration boxes were swapped, which didn't help.

I think the premise and worldbuilding is intriguing, but unfortunately got quite overwhelmed. There were just so many plot points and twists and characters and double crossing. I think the story would benefit from some stretching, just so that the reader of average capabilities (me) can catch what's going on without rereading some pages multiple times. In all of this I enjoyed the action and the art, but lost the bigger picture. I think it's absolutely worth a read, just that it's a Lot.

I wanted to enjoy this but overall found the story, characters, and plot to be something not what I was longing for or one that I would pick back up.

4.25/5 stars! This was such an entertaining comic. The premise of a world of superheroes and villains and how that affects the common man. When heroes are injured they still need to seek treatment from doctors. "Crashing" examines the call to action these doctors and nurses take and what it looks like when they get caught up in the middle.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I wanted to love this, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. It felt like too much was trying to be crammed into such a short comic, and the protagonists struggles with addition didn't seem necessary to the plotline, but instead took away from what I felt was more interesting: the conflict between the powered and non-powered. The story felt a little superficial, and similar to other super hero comics such as The Boys. It didn't go into a lot of depth in terms of the characters and their development, but the stage was set very well for the next instalment of the story.

Thank you Netgalley, the publishers and the authors for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Who treats super heroes when they're hurt? What happens in hospitals after a fight with a super villain causes collateral damage?
Who draws the line between good and bad? Who decides who gets saved?
Matthew Klein's Crashing presents these questions and more from an unexplored perspective.


TW: addition, drug use, OD


Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for this ARC.

The premise of this promised to be fab! It had ethical grey areas with interesting characters and nice animation.

But, even for a graphic novel, it was a quick read, meaning you couldn't get to know the characters well. There were medical inaccuracies (in the duties of her job, the drawings etc) that because of my job I always struggle when I see in a story. And the narration and speech was sometimes confused in each segment.

Nonetheless it was enjoyable and set up nicely for a series.