Member Reviews
Covenant is the graphic novel iteration of a webtoon comic by LySandra Vuong about hot priest-exorcists fighting demons. Ezra is a priest of the Church of Providence, a sect whose members are gifted powers by angels to help fight and exorcise demons. He has been loosing his faith in God when he is tasked by the angel Gabriel to protect a random man—Sunny—who has been relentlessly hunted by demons all his life for reasons no one knows.
The art in this graphic novel is fantastic—with crisp lines and beautiful (and consistent) style. They actually came across like stills from a high budget animated TV series (and would seriously work as one). The characters are all exceedingly attractive (very The CW), and the setting both atmospheric and very urban gothic punk.
I love the entire concept too—like Shadowhunters meets the Wincesters from Supernatural. I liked Ezra, his lax attitude, and his struggle with his faith. And I always appreciate an Asian male lead which we get in Sunny who is Vietnamese. Story-wise though, this felt like a very long introduction despite it collecting the first 18 episodes of the webtoon. Sunny doesn’t even appear until halfway through the book, and Ezra and Sunny haven’t had many meaningful interactions yet (and not even a hint of the queer romance I was promised). Then it ends on a massive cliffhanger just as the plot got really interesting.
Covenant nicely sets up the series, but I needed more from this volume.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
I wish this book had been longer if I’m honest. It felt as soon as the story actually started that it ended. That’s the reason it only gets three stars, because it looked beautiful, the story setup was there and I’m curious to see where it goes, but it was far too short for me to really enjoy it.
1,5⭐️
Look, me and Webtoons don't go hand in hand in the first line. But my beige flag is that I will from time to time do some testing in works from outside my region. Although the given chance, "Covenant" just proved webtoon genre is not for me. I disliked the pacing, writing varied too drastically between quirky, goofy, silly dialogue and poignant, high focus monologues. The story may be interesting and I definetely see why others get the appeal, but I could not find a bone in its skeleton to dig for. None of characters grew on me. While the aesthetics are very subjective, I did not find the artstyle appealing nor interesting. A standard webtoon style, not bad, but not original either. I'm trying to not be overly negative, as the fact that I found this story rather bland and boring doesn't equal that others will have the same reaction. It lies rather in my dislike of webtoon comic form (as I prefer graphic novels much more) and conventions brought into the story because of it rather than the idea itself.
this is an intriguing start to a story that I think has a lot of potential! it didn't blow me out of the water or anything but it had some ideas I've never seen before, and I did genuinely enjoy the tatted-up priests lol
the art is good for the characters but the backgrounds are really bland. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing, it kinda forces the reader to pay more attention to the foreground, but it's very apparent in the larger panels. the color palette is generally understated, which does work accordingly with the neutral bgs and helps the characters pop a bit (esp the monsters)
I did find the mc's characterization genuinely fascinating. typically in religious type settings like this, if our mc has a crisis of faith it's them losing faith or finding themselves disappointed by their gods or something similar. in Covenant, our mc is an atheist straight out of the gate, and struggles with having no belief while he's looking demons in the eye and murdering them with his fancy tattoo weaponry. I thought this added a cool element to the story that made our mc significantly more interesting
also, the kid with the dark circles under his eyes and the all-black outfits and the tattered jeans being named 'Sunny' was a power move
rep - achillean mc, achillean love interest, sapphic side character
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨
I really liked this. The art was really well done, especially during the fight scenes, which can be pretty skippable in comics/graphic novels. Love Gabriel, and I like the world building we have so far, though it sounds like there's still plenty that needs to be explained. I'd definitely continue this series.
It was a little slow in the first 30%, and I think it took just a little too long to introduce Sunny and that whole plot line. I know it's volume one so there had to be more set up in the beginning and I liked what we got. I just want more.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
This was an amazingly weirdly fun read, it's extremely fast-paced, the story is captivating and the art extremely detailed.
I enjoyed the camaraderie between the characters even with the weird wold building happening from the start, I can't wait to continue with this series and find out what the hell (literally) is going on with Sunny!
WHAT ARE THEY PUTTING IN THAT HOLY WATER, BECAUSE EVERYONE IS FREAKING HOT!!!
Thank you LySandra Vuong, NetGalley and Oni Press, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.
Ezra, a powerful exorcist with no faith in God, is tasked to protect a seemingly normal human from rising demonic forces. With his church under scrutiny and the threat of war on the horizon, will Ezra find his conviction in time? Or will Sunny suffer the consequences?
This volume collects episodes 1–18 of the hit Webtoon comic Covenant - a supernatural action webcomic that explores religious faith, a slow burn queer romance, the weight of destiny, and what it means to be good in a world plagued by demons. explodikid aka LySandra Vuong managed to capture my attention immediately! I inhaled the first volume episodes in one breath and went running to Webtoons site, where I binged all available episodes in one go (currently 76 - on hiatus). The art style is wonderful! Character design (dope style and those tattoos!? hello!?), display of emotions (either simplistic or dramatic) - everything just works!
There is enough of mystery to go around and keep us guessing what's next. We also have found family aspect and so many reps! I'm talking lesbians, gays, bisexual, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, cis... even demons are colorful!
You can use jokes like ''3 priests walk into a bar'' , ''even demon has bae and I'm still single'' or you can just join a protentional discussion in comments around religion where EVERYONE has opinion. So yeah, go and enjoy this chaotic yet epic fiction tale!
Meanwhile, I will be patiently waiting for our golden retriever x grumpy duo and their gang to come back :)
The description of this webtoon turned graphic novel definitely had me interested when I read it included fighting demons and a good old slow burn romance.
Once I started reading, I wasn't sure if this would be for me after all since I don't usually read stories that include a lot of religious topics. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to see one of the main characters struggle with their own faith and beliefs, taking into account the seemingly traumatic experiences they have been through. I think LySandra Viong managed to represent accurately how someone can lose their faith, but not necessarily their conviction.
For me, this story was a nice blend of action, paranormal elements, sassy but loyal friends, and the beginnings of a (tragic?) romance. I will definitely keep up with this series to see how the story evolves.
3.75/5 stars
- This review was based on an advanced reader copy
This was such a nice surprise. I was drawn in by the art, which I find absolutely stunning, even though I was hesitant because of the religious tone. What I didn’t expect was to find it so funny.
The world-building was great, the characters are interesting and cool and I already find myself quite attached to the group dynamic of the main squad. The antagonists are easy to hate and the mystery gets thicker in this first installment.
I was surprised to arrive so fast to the end because I was really into it and I can’t wait to read the next volume!
Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC!
This first volume of Covenant contains episodes 1-18 of the comic, originally published on Webtoon.
The art is crisp and gorgeous, each character is unique and easy to keep track of. Page layouts are easy to follow and make sequential sense, and word bubbles are laid out cleanly and easy to follow.
This first volume sets the stage for some epic battles - between our hero’s Church and the Great Church, both of whom have warriors who fight demons but with very different priorities and philosophies; and with our hero Ezra, who is charged by the Archangel Gabriel to protect a young man for mysterious reasons.
I enjoyed the humor, action, mythology, and worldbuilding and am looking forward to reading more.
I haven't written my review on GR yet, but it will probably be a little unhinged because I LOVED IT SO MUCH. It's fun, the artwork is beautiful, the story is good, it's easy to understand, it's not overwhelming, I love all of the characters and demons. PERFECT.
I sat down to read this at work because it’s been a really long day, and I don’t have a whole lot going on, so, like… what better way to sit back and relax a little while everything’s quiet? What I originally thought was going to be an easy read ended up turning into me literally hunched over my laptop and foaming at the fucking mouth every two seconds.
First of all, let’s talk about the art. The art style in Covenant is absolutely delicious. I absolutely adore the character design and am especially fond of the style in which the demons and their demonic auras are drawn. I’m a sucker for stunning visuals, and if I’m completely honest, I could have been fine with no words. The imagery alone was enough to keep me satisfied.
Which brings me to the words. The storyline presented in Covenant wasn’t selling me at first. The key phrase is at first. I wasn’t sure that I was expecting there to be so much religious imagery in this despite, like… the entire fucking premise being about exorcisms, and I’ll admit that this is entirely on me. Once I got beyond that initial shock, I sped through this. The characters are fantastic (naturally, I’m a Samson truther), and I love that they each have their own personalities. Ezra is charming, and I adore his himbo-esque energy to bits.
I’m proud to say that this is my third official 5-star read of the year. I am absolutely looking forward to the second volume and am planning to devour it just as I did this.
Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for this ARC copy; I can’t wait to see where Vuong takes these characters next.
Thank You so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this amazing graphic novel!
As soon as I heard the description I knew I had to read it, because it sounded amazing- my judgement was right. From the very first page you’re sucked into the drama of the world, the plot begins right away and you’re interested from the very beginning. You are thrown into the deep end of an action packed found family with demons, weapons and a controversial drama. I binge read this because it was just so hard to put down. I found myself drawn into the world like it was second nature, admiring the creativity behind the story and wondering where it will go to next.
The main characters are such well thought out and interesting creations, which is hard to do in a graphic novel because of the short amount of wording/time you have to build them up. I genuinely loved them so much and watching them work together and progress was so fun. the artwork within was absolutely stunning, it took real talent to create the detail and beauty that was captured, I found myself admiring some pages for minutes because of how intricate it was. I genuinely cannot wait to read the next part and I’m SO mad that it ended on a cliff hanger. I need to know now !!
3.5 stars
Erza, a powerful exorcist who doesn't believe in God, is sent on a mission to protect Sunny from demonic forces. However, Sunny has hidden secrets and a bloody past. Ezra must find his conviction in time to keep Sunny safe, and Sunny must be willing to accept that protection.
I loved the art. It was colorful and dark and full of action. I loved the style of the art and the demon battles. Voung did a wonderful job illustrating this webtoon-turned-graphic novel.
While I enjoyed the story, I was not able to become fully invested. I finished it quickly, and I found the volume too short. This is often the way with first volumes. They end on a cliffhanger to get you to the next one, but I don't feel there was enough of the story to really fully connect with the characters. We are barely introduced to the Ezra/Sunny relationship. The majority of the plot is the trouble with the Great Church and introducing us to Ezra's quest to protect Sunny. I just wanted slightly more.
I'm hopeful going into the next volume. It's a good start, and I am intrigued enough to continue the series. Ezra is a bit of a goof, while Sunny is dark and gloomy. We get brief glimpses of their history and I do want to know more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC in exchange for a review.
'Covenant' by LySandra Vuong was a treat to read. Beautiful art and a seemingly original take to the Angels vs Demons/Good vs Evil concept.
Ezra and Sunny along with the supporting characters all seemed like intriguing and complex characters that all have a lot to offer to the future of the graphic novel. I loved to read about their banter, inner struggles, as well as their battles for power. I found that the action was translated nicely on paper and I had no issue following along during the fight scenes.
Unfortunately, it had a bit of a slower start in term of getting into the important part of the story and the second half was a lot better. It definitely left me wanting more (thankfully it was available on Webtoon). Some of the writing was a bit clunky (mostly referring to the inner monologues/thoughts of characters, rather than dialogue) but otherwise easy and fun to read.
Lastly, as mentioned the artwork was beautiful and I loved looking at all the different character designs. I look forward to reading more of 'Covenant' either online or in printed form once it has been released.
Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC! It took me a second to get into but I absolutely loved the characters. It definitely hooked me into wanting more immediately. I really loved Samson (the reason I requested the arc), but I also fell in love with Sunny and Ezra. I can't wait for volume 2 to come out as well! I'm so intrigued and I want to know Sunny's reaction to Ezra's powers.
I am obsessed?! The artstyle, the characters, the story. Everything got 5/5 stars from me.
The story was very interesting and full of action which I personally really liked. The characters are so cool too, my favourite is obviously Ezra but sunny too is a really cool character. I can’t wait for this graphic novel to be released and to read book 2, the end of book 1 is torture!!:‘D
Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC for a review.
What a super unique and fun twists to Priesthood! Seeing priests decked out in tattoos from their angels that give them powers to stop demons is something I didn't know I would be into. I really enjoyed following Ezra and seeing how is relationship with the other priests, angels, and God has shaped him and drives him to save others. Sunny is the perfect rainstorm to Ezra's cinnamon roll personality and can't wait to see more of him!
The world building is very easy to follow and the art is beautiful! Hope to see more volumes released!
Thank you to Oni Press and Netgallery for providing a e-arc in exchange for a honest review.
This webtoon has gorgeous art, like every character is beautiful and the designs of the tattoos and weapons were really intricate! The premise and plot is def intriguing and I enjoyed that aspect of the webtoon alot. It is always interesting and fun to see different representations of religion in more fantastical settings. I think where the story falls a little short for me is the humor and dialogue. It came across as a bit immature and there was a bit of info dumping that didn’t fit in as seamlessly. Overall though I had fun reading it and I’m excited to learn more about Sunny! 3.5/5
A fun exorcists-vs-demons storyline with a bit of a mystery -- why do demons want to capture this one young man in particular? The art and action is incredible, it's subtly and pervasively queer, and I loved having a butch as a one of the lead supporting characters. It feels like forever since I've seen a butch character just casually inserted into a story.
The writing is somewhat stilted and awkward, and occasionally doesn't make sense in context (example: a character wonders if another character remembers the demon, character b says "I don't want to talk about the freaky monster thing", and then character a continues to... wonder if he remembered). But if you can get past that, there's a lot of pretty tasty meat in here. I'm looking forward to reading more!