calistareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I loved the Marvel film of Shang-Chi and at the time I was looking for the comic to reference. Our library had nothing. Luckily, I checked back in and now they have this series written by Gene Luen Yang who wrote 'America Born Chinese'. I like his work.
I think this is a great story. It gives some history of China. It goes into the Boxer rebellion. Gene has a great book on that. There are other bits of history he references in the Qing dynasty. I appreciate that. Then, we meet Shang-Chi in Chinatown, San Francisco, I think. Chinatown. They speak Cantonese there. I like getting to know his life there.
Then, he's pulled into martial arts world by his sister and the book turns into a thriller, all action. There are zombie vampires and tombs of the ancients. I feel it's a good start to a new series and I look forward to reading more.
I think this is a great story. It gives some history of China. It goes into the Boxer rebellion. Gene has a great book on that. There are other bits of history he references in the Qing dynasty. I appreciate that. Then, we meet Shang-Chi in Chinatown, San Francisco, I think. Chinatown. They speak Cantonese there. I like getting to know his life there.
Then, he's pulled into martial arts world by his sister and the book turns into a thriller, all action. There are zombie vampires and tombs of the ancients. I feel it's a good start to a new series and I look forward to reading more.
bites_of_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Having really enjoyed the MCU movie of Shang-Chi I was looking forward to getting to know more about his story from the comics. This volume certainly gave me a lot of what I was looking for and even a couple more characters who I really enjoyed.
We follow Shang-Chi as he's working at a bakery, trying to have a nice and normal life. However, seemingly out of nowhere, his sister sends for him to try and kill him. I liked to see the sibling relationship evolve as we went along but some parts did seem a bit rushed. At times the comic would refer to a previous installment so maybe that's what I was missing.
Overall, this was a fun ride full of cool characters, amazing art, and one I hope to continue in the next two installments.
We follow Shang-Chi as he's working at a bakery, trying to have a nice and normal life. However, seemingly out of nowhere, his sister sends for him to try and kill him. I liked to see the sibling relationship evolve as we went along but some parts did seem a bit rushed. At times the comic would refer to a previous installment so maybe that's what I was missing.
Overall, this was a fun ride full of cool characters, amazing art, and one I hope to continue in the next two installments.
hazzel's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
jhstack's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
saviorcomplexdiehard's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
iffer's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't fall in love with this, like I had, but I liked it. I think Gene Luen Yang has done a solid job with the reboot, eliminating Orientalism, adding some Chinese traditions/culture/history in a way that adds to the story but is none in a NBD way, and building the groundwork for likeable (side) characters. The art feels a little bit 90s to me, which I don't love but it's not a deal-breaker.
coconutesz's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mindfulnessmagpie's review against another edition
3.0
I was torn between two and three for this. It's an average read, but weighed down by a lot of plot fixing and things that came in series before. It doesn't feel like a good jumping on point, but it does feel like it creates a bit of a blank slate before the ongoing.
dangerpronedaphne's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
librarycobwebs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75