Being a big fan of the Amphibia TV series, I was intrigued to see that creator Matt Braly was co authoring this project. It’s a Super Sentai/Power Rangers inspired story about a teen, Maise, that’s not into the family superhero business and would rather focus on her art career. However, events conspire that she will have to take saving the world more seriously than before.

The characters were fleshed out and relatable, especially Maise. I felt for her plight as she has to go through so many changes, but she has great growth, despite her flaws. It took a somewhat cliched trope of a teen wanting to be normal and made it fresh. The rest of her family was really fun and interesting as well with a great dynamic.

The world felt almost like Pacific Rim with an invasion of kaiju monsters happening every so often, and we have a group of Power Ranger expies fighting against them. There a ton of tech and some magic, and I was really fascinated in what tool would show up next. The pacing was fast, but had enough time to really meld in during certain scenes.

The artwork was fantastic with great character design, art, and expressive. While the majority of the artwork was likely from Ainsworth Lin, it was easy to spot Braly’s artwork in the panels it appeared. The back of the book even had the concept sketches in his style. The action scenes were thrilling and the scenes in between were taken with just as much care.

I’m looking forward to more volumes of Family Force V, especially after that explosive ending.

DISCLAIMER: I requested and received this book as an ARC through NetGalley.

I’ve recently started exploring manga! When I first started my library work, graphic novels were a big blind spot in my reading, so I started by exploring graphic novels like Maus and Wash Day Diaries, but I never tried manga. Manga is an important genre in my library, and I hate having genre blind spots. I’m so glad this was my introduction into the genre.

Family Force V is a great start for readers who are getting their first taste of manga. It blends the western and eastern comic traditions to create a dynamic, action-packed read that will keep all readers engaged from start to finish! I tend to prefer character-driven over action-driven stories, but this satisfies both! I was absolutely charmed by these relatable characters and their relationships. The plight of a teen girl being torn between family obligations and social demands is relatable, even if the reader has never fought a kaiju. The bonds among the monster-fighting family make this story like a Power Rangers x The Incredibles crossover.

And it is appropriate to use films as reference points in describing this book, because it is very cinematic. This is a graphic novel that revels in exciting and dynamic images that drive the action and express emotional depth. While there was the occasional panel in which a lighting choice blocked the action, overall there is a great sense of flow and power to the illustrations. Reading this was truly like bingeing a TV show, with each chapter ending at just the right moment to keep the reader wanting more.

As a beginning manga reader, I enjoyed this immensely. This is a wonderful match for many kinds of readers: action comic and manga fans, reluctant readers who love superhero movies, readers who are beginning to dip their toes into manga, or even readers who love action stories who need a quick read during a busy season. I hope readers are as excited by the fight sequences and charmed by the characters as I was.

Family Force V, Book 1 by Matt Braly and illustrated by Ainsworth Lin will be available in June of 2025 from Skybound.

References

Braly, M. (2025). Family Force V (A. Lin, Illus.). Skybound.

Volume 1 of this series has set it up to be a very strong string of stories! I think Maise is going to really bring a lot of depth to the story. I'm very interested in seeing how the creators are going to allow her family to keep their secret, while keeping Citalli and his mom safe from losing her job. While the critical loss of a member in the beginning of a story was a bit heartbreaking, but definitely necessary to the plotline, it still sucked to see it happen. With that being said, Daichi needed this family as much as maybe Maise needed someone to pull her head out of her butt.

I adored the family dynamics, and the identity struggle that Maise faced. This was a really strong start to a story about friendship, family, identity, and overcoming challenges. It got be choked up at one specific part, and I’m really excited for the next volume.

As for the first volume in the series, this was okay. The plot had an intriguing concept, and there were moments that i was genuinely shocked. The overall idea for the plot is pretty cool and has a lot of potential. I didn’t really find myself connecting with the characters yet, however they were interesting. I loved the art style.

A story about a family of super heroes with Big Hero 6 vibes. Maise's a teenager like anyone else, balancing friends, crushes, & family drama. Well, almost like anyone else. Her family drama revolves around suiting up & saving the world from Kaiju. The graphic novel covers the whole range of emotions from joy to grief, with a large focus on recovering from the loss of a loved one. Between the fast-paced narrative & the stunning graphics, this is sure to keep readers hooked! While marketed as YA, I see the crossover appeal for an older middle grade audience.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

This story gave me Power Ranger vibes, and as a woman who grew up watching it in my teens this was a fun read for me... now even though it had the vibes it was not completely the same thing and headed towards a family that was one of the chosen ones to have the genetics to carry on the power to protect the world from the alien entities that came to destroy. Each part of the world has its Force V superheroes and we are dealing with a family in America with a daughter who goes through the pain of growing up and becoming herself as well as the side of her who has a huge secret.

I think the story is well done and draws you in to care for the characters as the story continues, seeing the development of the main character and how she decides to handle everything that unfolds, learning to lean on her friends to help her find more than she thought she could... family and friendships are important but finding urself and leaning to embrace it is priceless.

thank you netgalley for the ARC!!

Power Rangers meets Spider-Man ITSV
as far as superhero graphic novels go, this was amazing. the art style is scrumptious and the writing & pacing is really well-done too. the characters are fleshed out, even the "antagonists" who are actually just people whose goals contradict the main characters (but i do have to say: that page-length panel of Maise punching Daichi in the face? chef's kiss)
maybe the whole "i don't want this life/responsibility" thing is overdone in teenage superhero stories, but i eat it up every time. this tackles lots of heavy themes but not without the silly moments as well, it's a nice balance for a YA story. Maise is a very relatable YA main character with her flaws and all, and crazy cool character design, which brings me to the next point.
the character designs are fun but the Moon Troopers' suits are very similar to the Power Rangers, sorry it had to be said. also the Mazoku were absolutely terrifying (but i get scared very easily so they're probably not that bad)
i haven't watched Amphibia yet but i know enough to catch the little easter eggs which were a fun ":0" moment lol

4.5 stars give me book two please

This was super cute! I’m not ashamed to say that growing up I loved power rangers (give me that 90s old school goofy show any day of the week. Family Force V for sure has Power Ranger vibes as well as Big Hero Six but with a family dynasty twist. Although it’s not the most original concept the story, an art was entertaining and felt fresh enough to stand alone although, it definitely had, it’s cheesy moments. Maise our FMC is relatable and felt age appropriate.

I’m looking forward to the next installment whenever it comes out.

3.5/5 stars

Family Force V is like if you combine Power Rangers and a classic family sitcom and works better than you'd think. Can't wait for the next volume!

It would be reductive only focus on things like the visual references and inspiration, everything from eva to Amphibia. Those are in there for sure! But, it’s more than just a love letter to super sentai/tokusatsu and kaiju! Family and discovering yourself and your place in the world are front and center. The art is great. Character designs are interesting and engaging. You can tell that they’ve really thought out the practical aspects of a city living under constant threat of giant monster attack. That was something that Pacific Rim did too. I really appreciated that in the film and I appreciated it here as well. Sooo glad that there is a sequel coming (???) because I really want to see where this goes after that cliffhanger. Keep up the good work y’all! And many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for making this available for review 🐸🤖

3.75/5

When I saw this book was available on Netgalley, I never clicked on read now so quickly. Braly is also the creator of one of my favorite animated tv shows, Amphibia, and I could really see that through this book. The characters were written so well, and they all worked together with such neutrality. The family dynamic was everything and the new characters introduced were great as well. My only big problem was that I wished there were more family interactions in the book. There were small moments but there weren't as many emotional moments as I thought there was going to be. With more books, I figure it will be fleshed out more, but with just one book, it hasn’t had the chance.

Really cute comic with a great story! Perfect for YA readers, but as an adult I still felt really engaged and entertained.

Maise is our heroine, a 15 year old struggling with her family's identity as a super hero type group. Feeling stuck in a choice she never got to make, she rebels against it until an unfortunate event changes everything for her family.

A really cute, growing of age story, backed with Power Ranger type tropes and tons of action, this is something I would recommend to anyone!

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This was a nice comic, i get a heavy power rangers kinda vibe from this and i love it. There isn't really a lot i can say about this without spoilers happening but the family dynamic and the struggles of feeling like there is too much responsibility that the 'main' character has was a nice touch especially as the character is a teenager and everyday life for teens can feel like they have too much responsibility they dont want yet

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THIS WAS AWESOME! I want this to be one of those things that really takes off and gets big, it was so cool! It felt like it borrowed just enough from things like the Power Rangers and Kaiju stuff, but was still so original. I am a BIG fan.