huckleberryrk's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A pleasant surprise I stumbled across! This is a great anthology, every story is very good.
lelex's review
5.0
The pacing of this anthology was fantastic. I loved the black and red theme as well.
My favorites were breath, plucked from heaven, Breathe (which I had read before and loved but didn't know it was from this antho), Cactus Flower, Pulse, and Hearth.
My favorites were breath, plucked from heaven, Breathe (which I had read before and loved but didn't know it was from this antho), Cactus Flower, Pulse, and Hearth.
mellambert's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
3.5
A fairly decent anthology. Some stories I absolutely loved, but others were very forgettable.
danibee33's review
3.0
3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Great concept, I love to see a collection of comics by creators of color! The stories themselves at times felt abrupt, like I wanted more before they ended! For the most part I really enjoyed each story though, and some were exceptionally good and well-illustrated. Very cool book!
Great concept, I love to see a collection of comics by creators of color! The stories themselves at times felt abrupt, like I wanted more before they ended! For the most part I really enjoyed each story though, and some were exceptionally good and well-illustrated. Very cool book!
ericawrites's review
5.0
Excellent collection of short comics by creators of color. Stotts does an incredible job at editing the anthology from story and art choices to how the book's laid out and organized.
Each story is fire-themed, and all the art is black and white with red used as a pop fire color. The stories range from fantastical and magical to futuristic and technological. There are stories about first love, ending war, school, parents, best friends, kindness, weather, and eating the last doughnut from the office kitchen.
You can read my full review here: https://sliverofice.com/comics/elements-fire-graphic-novel-review
Disclaimer: I did back this book on Kickstarter.
Each story is fire-themed, and all the art is black and white with red used as a pop fire color. The stories range from fantastical and magical to futuristic and technological. There are stories about first love, ending war, school, parents, best friends, kindness, weather, and eating the last doughnut from the office kitchen.
You can read my full review here: https://sliverofice.com/comics/elements-fire-graphic-novel-review
Disclaimer: I did back this book on Kickstarter.
jessgock's review
4.0
Elements: Fire is the second comic anthology from Beyond Press. I backed both this book and the first, [b:Beyond|20625032|Beyond the Queer Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comic Anthology|Sfé R. Monster|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441720978s/20625032.jpg|39910718], on Kickstarter, and while I enjoyed both I do think Elements: Fire is quite a bit stronger than its predecessor. Beyond is a collection of queer sci-fi and fantasy stories, putting its focus on telling diverse stories; Elements: Fire is a collection of comics by creators of color who were asked to write speculative fiction themed around fire, with a primary focus on diverse creators. The looser theme for Elements: Fire means the stories in this collection felt like they covered a wider range of topics than the stories in Beyond did, and I think that worked to its advantage. One of my main complaints about Beyond is that many of the stories felt like they were given enough pages to tell quite a bit of story, but not enough pages to tell the whole story, so that the worlds I was dropped into didn't always entirely make sense to me. I had that same issue with a few stories in Elements: Fire, but not nearly so often, and I think that's at least partially because the looser focus on "speculative fiction" rather than science fiction meant the worlds we encounter in Elements: Fire are often worlds that feel more familiar so that the stories don't need to spend as much time on world-building.
I really like the decision in Elements: Fire to print the pages in black, white, and red. Some of the stories were saturated in red; others incorporated just the tiniest hints of spot color in otherwise black and white comics. Even though the creators approached their use of red in many different ways, the three-color printing helps unify all the different stories and art styles and is a pretty clever way to make an anthology feel like a unified whole.
I think the biggest standout in this collection for me was "Metta Helmet," a dialogue-free story about a woman who takes daily trips into a dystopian city, with a central theme that is written on the wall of a building toward the end of the story: "Kindness is a weapon, use it fiercely." I also really liked "Firelily," about a teenage girl who's trying so hard to make friends that she almost overlooks a classmate who cares about her deeply; and "A Burner of Sins," about a woman whose job is to free people from their guilt as long as they regret what they did, but after encountering a former classmate who is trans, comes to the realization that sometimes people want peace from guilt over things they can't and shouldn't regret. One of the most intriguing stories for me was "Thrustfall," about a boy with a jetpack taking his Flying 101 exam; it felt like a single scene from a much longer story that I'd very much like to read.
Most of this collection felt like it was written for teens or adults, but there were also a couple of stories that felt more like children's or all-ages comics that also stood out for me: "Too Hot to Be Cool," about friendship and the challenges of meeting people when you're the daughter of a witch; and "Home Is Where the Hearth Is," about choosing your own family when your birth family doesn't give you the love and compassion you need.
I really like the decision in Elements: Fire to print the pages in black, white, and red. Some of the stories were saturated in red; others incorporated just the tiniest hints of spot color in otherwise black and white comics. Even though the creators approached their use of red in many different ways, the three-color printing helps unify all the different stories and art styles and is a pretty clever way to make an anthology feel like a unified whole.
I think the biggest standout in this collection for me was "Metta Helmet," a dialogue-free story about a woman who takes daily trips into a dystopian city, with a central theme that is written on the wall of a building toward the end of the story: "Kindness is a weapon, use it fiercely." I also really liked "Firelily," about a teenage girl who's trying so hard to make friends that she almost overlooks a classmate who cares about her deeply; and "A Burner of Sins," about a woman whose job is to free people from their guilt as long as they regret what they did, but after encountering a former classmate who is trans, comes to the realization that sometimes people want peace from guilt over things they can't and shouldn't regret. One of the most intriguing stories for me was "Thrustfall," about a boy with a jetpack taking his Flying 101 exam; it felt like a single scene from a much longer story that I'd very much like to read.
Most of this collection felt like it was written for teens or adults, but there were also a couple of stories that felt more like children's or all-ages comics that also stood out for me: "Too Hot to Be Cool," about friendship and the challenges of meeting people when you're the daughter of a witch; and "Home Is Where the Hearth Is," about choosing your own family when your birth family doesn't give you the love and compassion you need.
emeelee's review
3.0
As with most comic anthologies, some of the entries are well crafted short comics, and some of them feel cut-off without enough development to be satisfying. Some of the art was to my taste, and some not. Altogether, though, this collection was of steady quality, and showcases a diverse array of talent and perspectives.
Interestingly, I noticed that several of the works had a theme of anti-colonialism and respect for foreign/alien cultures. It's a theme I'd be surprised to see from a white author, much less three in the same anthology, which I think speaks to the importance of a collection like this that showcases the stories of those who have been historically oppressed and marginalized, and brings their values to the forefront.
My favorite works of ELEMENTS: Fire were:
Interestingly, I noticed that several of the works had a theme of anti-colonialism and respect for foreign/alien cultures. It's a theme I'd be surprised to see from a white author, much less three in the same anthology, which I think speaks to the importance of a collection like this that showcases the stories of those who have been historically oppressed and marginalized, and brings their values to the forefront.
My favorite works of ELEMENTS: Fire were:
gifcompatible's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
benediction's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
greeniezona's review
4.0
This comics anthology caught my eye on the new shelf at the library, and I'm glad I checked it out. A collection of short graphic stories by creators of color -- it's united by two themes. One, obviously, is fire. The other is that the entire book is printed in black, white, and red, giving visual consistency as well.
In any anthology, there are bound be to favorites and not-so-favorites. Happily, there were no stinkers here. Some didn't feel entirely complete, but all had interesting aspects. I liked the joyful childish exuberance of "Too Hot to Be Cool," by Maddi Gonzalez, loved the art in "Cactus Flower" by Sara DuVall, was intrigued by "Pulse" by Der-Shing Helmer, would love to see more from Melanie Ujimori, who created "Firestorm," by my favorites were probably "Preta," created by Chloe Chan, a tale about a future with cybernetic upgrades and the pressures people feel among all the new choices, "Breath, Plucked from Heaven," by Shivana Sookdeo, a quiet little tale about wisdom, endings, and goodbyes, and "A Burner of Sins," written by J.Y. Yang, a story about magic, guilt, memory, and the damage done when loved ones reject someone's transgender identity.
I've just learned this team is doing an EARTH anthology next. I can't wait to read it!
In any anthology, there are bound be to favorites and not-so-favorites. Happily, there were no stinkers here. Some didn't feel entirely complete, but all had interesting aspects. I liked the joyful childish exuberance of "Too Hot to Be Cool," by Maddi Gonzalez, loved the art in "Cactus Flower" by Sara DuVall, was intrigued by "Pulse" by Der-Shing Helmer, would love to see more from Melanie Ujimori, who created "Firestorm," by my favorites were probably "Preta," created by Chloe Chan, a tale about a future with cybernetic upgrades and the pressures people feel among all the new choices, "Breath, Plucked from Heaven," by Shivana Sookdeo, a quiet little tale about wisdom, endings, and goodbyes, and "A Burner of Sins," written by J.Y. Yang, a story about magic, guilt, memory, and the damage done when loved ones reject someone's transgender identity.
I've just learned this team is doing an EARTH anthology next. I can't wait to read it!