I received this Graphic Novel ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to the creative team of Stephanie and Giulia and the publisher, And Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity, This Will be coming out 11th of July of this year by Publisher Humanoids tune in, It's going to be a blast for fighting fans and sports fans alike, and for readers who would like to get acquainted with a field that was formerly dominated by men, but women has taken it by storm after training and taking part in it for much lower period of time.
The Only thing i would have loved added on the first cover, was for the woman to be wearing Muay Thai headband, because i think it's badass!
<img src="https://imgur.com/5xWOBll.jpg"/>
The Beautiful Michelle Watterson in the picture, i tried to find one of Valentina Shevchenko former Muay Thai and UFC champion, but i couldn't find a picture, even though i saw it many times in her Muay Thai fights.
But Both covers are beautiful and eye catching for me.
This was so Beautiful!
I am tearful most of my time reading this, As a fight fan I had great interest in fighters back stories, their lives, their wellbeing, and welfare during fighting and after when they are retired, and this is such a beautiful story targeting the graphic novel audience, to show us all a glimpse of the Why they do it and How they do it, and dismantle the stereotype of fighters as violent people, but specially women fighters which a lot of times get asked Question like Jessica Rose Clark current UFC fighter, that gave this graphic novel, such a beautiful intro of her experience as a female fighter, a very good beloved one too btw if i may add!
I feel so lucky with this as my first ARC, We Click, it's like it was written for me.
There is only two things i disliked about This, the Art style didn't really feel unique, I think the cover is unique and beautiful, But the rest of the art, Felt lacking in uniqueness, It's amazing job as Giulia's first undertaking, The Artist's job i view it as even harder than the writer's since not only are you bringing words to life through your art, But you have to be super creative with it, to compete in the market!
The Other thing was a writer thing, I didn't like that the plot reached it's boiling point through a miscommunication, i am not sure about other readers, But for me i feel this could have reached the end without that, <spoiler>Also the bad coach/Fight rigger He brought harm to his student, In my 8 years as a fight fan, i have not heard of something like this, some money problems yeah, some ego problems sometimes, but never someone so inherently rotten, But i understand this anyway as a dramatization attempt.</spoiler>
One of the great points about this, is the story actually is Big, Way bigger than the graphic novel i read yesterday even though it's less number of pages, Which should be satisfying to the reader and gets them more immersed into this world, and the lives of our two heroines.
I ll end the review with two pieces i wrote the first 30 pages about what i think of fighting sports, and my observations and ponderings over it through the years, But i want to also explain my feminism Shelf for this, It's not relating to feminism really, But i put there, all strong depictions of women in literature, We need more of those way way more, And this one is already approaching a woman's sports career choice, that's not often used, Outside of successful Former champions memoirs like that of Rhonda Rousey and others, That feeling of female power and breaking the stereotypes and showing that they can do everything even formerly male dominated sports, and they achieve global success for how good they are at it.
The UFC president Dana White at one point said, Women will never fight in the UFC, now he has 4 divisions of women fighters, and it all started with one Star, One woman who broke the stereotypes and forced everyone to see her skills and dedication and Charisma in Rhonda Rousey, and she was the most popular most successful UFC champion before Conor Mcgregor gained global fame as well, They are both phenomenon's anyway.
There is a fight, There is a struggle, I see it, and i ll always point at it, for all to see just that the female half of human race are as great and capable if not even more than the male half that has had advantageous monopoly and control over most things for most of history.

Fighting sports are one of the few entertaining sports were it's only your skills, your work, your heart that matters, every other form of entertainment your personality, likability, charisma or your good looks and beauty are under scrutiny, but not in fighting you can be boring or cringy, Nerdy, Shy, Quiet, you can have a bad accent or not be able to talk the same language as your audience, you can have the entire audience hating you for whatever reason, they stoop down to hate, But with skill, hard work and heart you can be a world champion getting paid six figures per fight, the world doesn't matter only you and what you can achieve, and your greatness will still be recognized by the hardcore fans, Women and Men make careers of this, they change their lives, their children's lives, and make a future for them, A lot of women found their way to the gym after suffering abuse in their homes, i was deeply touched recently by an 18 year old Brazilian female fighter, she was so tiny, she went to the gym to stop her step father from beating her and her mother and after training she did just that! and now she is a UFC fighter on the rise, Fighting sports might look violent, but the target isn't violence, it's skill and competition, but it's these fighters choice to step in there and change their lives or test how much they can achieve, a lot of safety measures are in place specially in the big companies, Is it risky? yes, but they are trained professionals who live for this, and it's their job like all other risky jobs in the world, I have seen a handy man fall to his death as a young kid of 12, i have never seen a UFC fighter die in the cage or from injuries sustained in the cage since i started following this sport of MMA!
I have the utmost respect for these fighters, men and women, i never think when they get cut that they look ugly women and men, and the choice should always be there's.

I remember hearing a few fighters saying, i got in fight in school and got expelled and the teacher advised me to seek an MMA gym and train.
And i say a few, while this is the plot of this comic, It's not always a reality that it's a teenager going through a rough patch of life, Some do it drifting from sports that prepare them for this, and some see the potential and love it as fans and want to achieve that greatness too and start it very early and their choice of career.
You have to understand though, this is not the teacher thinking the teenager is violent and leading him astray, he knows perfectly well the discipline it takes to train your body, and skills to be a fighter, he knows the first day you will be humbled in the gym, no way a street fighter can contend with trained athletes, he knows that the bond between a fighter and his coaches, which is like a father or a big brother, is sometimes what can save many, and put them on the right path for the rest of their lives, otherwise he could have joined a gang, and got imprisoned or killed.
Fighting saved many people from homelessness, fighting saved many people from abuse or depression, fighting was the blessing that many people considered to have from their god.
And it's done with respect, your opponent is a fellow competitor, he is not your enemy, the majority of fighters have great respect for one another, the feuds are actually really rare, but we know it's bullshit, most times they end it with respect, because sharing a ring or an octagon with a fellow fighter for 15 or 25 or 30 minutes, creates an unbreakable bond and great respect between these people, if you struggle like them, you know how much effort, dedication, and courage they have for even stepping foot in the octagon, and that's why 99% of the time it's respect and acknowledgement of each other's worth that leaves the ring.

Martial arts, foster homes, adoption, crime. Eight Limbs has all of this and more. Great art work, a realistic story, showcasing the world today and the struggles of people who don't always have others in their corner. This is a great comic, and written by Stephanie Phillips - Harley Quinn, batman....... The list goes on accompanied by Giulla Lalli, who has a great art style. I particularly liked the research which has gone into muay thai. I am not familiar with it, but I am familiar with other types of martial arts and I think this does a great job of showcasing what they have to offer, even if people can get lost sometimes. A great comic, showing that you don't have to be super to be a hero.

Love the relationship between Johanna and Mari. Love how she shows her how to harness her trauma and turn it into something good. How fighting doesn’t have to be disrespectful or sloppy. I love that drawing style as well, I love that Mari got a forever home in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley & Humanoids Inc for an ARC in exchange for an honest & fair review!

"Eight Limbs" focuses primarily on Mari, a teenage "problem child" who has been getting moved from pillar to post, and Joanna, a former Muay Thai champion who takes Mari in and trains her. I can't say too much more about the plot without spoiling it.

I liked the art work, the storyline, and the main characters. I hated the villains like you're meant to, and I thought it was a great story. My only complaint is that 130 pages felt too short!