louandlife's review against another edition
4.0
This was my favourite graphic novel in the series because it deals with all of the characters that I love. It features stories with James Vega, Tali, Garrus, and Liara from before Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 3. If you are a fan of the video game series then I highly recommend reading this graphic novel because you get to know more about these characters that you wouldn't have learned before. You get to see James pre-Mass Effect 3 when he was just a teenager, Tali before Mass Effect 1 when she discovers the Geth recording, Garrus before the beginning of Mass Effect 2 when he was beginning to become Archangel, and Liara before Mass Effect 3. I loved seeing these characters again and reading this graphic novel made me want to replay the entire original trilogy.
marimoose's review against another edition
4.0
Not gonna lie, I totally got this volume solely for the Garrus backstory. Because my turian bae is everything.
Biases aside, the Tali pre-Shepard storyline was good, too, and I do love the bit of insight with Liara. James was never someone I cared too much for game-wise, so that first short was meh at best. Overall, worth immersing myself back into ME space.
Biases aside, the Tali pre-Shepard storyline was good, too, and I do love the bit of insight with Liara. James was never someone I cared too much for game-wise, so that first short was meh at best. Overall, worth immersing myself back into ME space.
silvae's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably the first book in the complete collection that I actually enjoyed. The stories, while not the most original or interesting, do their part to flesh out the characters. I bought one volume of this separately for Garrus' story a year or two ago, so I was excited to look at the other stories. Luckily, I was not disappointed! I can see where some of the critique for the book comes from, as the art isn't quite on the same level as the top notch sci fi action scenes presented in previous comics. Nonetheless, this proved to be a good thing in my eyes, as scenes felt more fun and emotional than the gratutious shooting and leering-at-women scenes we were presented with previously.
The weakest story of the bunch was probably James Vega's origin story, which didn't really bring anything to the table for me. San Francisco looked like any old cyberpunk city, so that I missed a lot of the curiosity and excitement that I felt with looking at panels of Palaven or the drell cities. Garrus' story still holds up very well - and is, to no surprise, my favorite out of the bunch - while Tali's was a fun start into the collection and upped the tragedy of her biography. Liara's story was the one story that really added to my understanding of the plot, bridging the gap between Mass Effect 2 - Lair of the Shadow Broker and Mass Effect 3.
The weakest story of the bunch was probably James Vega's origin story, which didn't really bring anything to the table for me. San Francisco looked like any old cyberpunk city, so that I missed a lot of the curiosity and excitement that I felt with looking at panels of Palaven or the drell cities. Garrus' story still holds up very well - and is, to no surprise, my favorite out of the bunch - while Tali's was a fun start into the collection and upped the tragedy of her biography. Liara's story was the one story that really added to my understanding of the plot, bridging the gap between Mass Effect 2 - Lair of the Shadow Broker and Mass Effect 3.
johnawickline's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jorghahaq's review against another edition
5.0
Yea, this compilation has yet to be released - and it is a compilation of four Mass Effect comics telling some of the back stories of James Vega, Tali, Liara T'Soni and Garrus - that have been released individually. All four are rather interesting stories (Garrus's being my favorite of the four) that many Mass Effect fans will appreciate.
redeyesinfernp's review
4.0
More origin stories!
I can say that it was a pretty great volume. We get so much background information into what some of our crewmates have been through.
I liked James' coming-of-age story. Enjoyed Tali's recovery of the information of Sauren's betrayal. Got the feels from the Archangel's last stand. And just about gushed over Liara's badassness. (Seriously, you see Liara in the first game and see her now. It's like day and night. And I love the NIght.)
4 stars out of 5.
I can say that it was a pretty great volume. We get so much background information into what some of our crewmates have been through.
I liked James' coming-of-age story. Enjoyed Tali's recovery of the information of Sauren's betrayal. Got the feels from the Archangel's last stand. And just about gushed over Liara's badassness. (Seriously, you see Liara in the first game and see her now. It's like day and night. And I love the NIght.)
4 stars out of 5.
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