Post by Hannah Heath
You gotta have faith, people. It’s really important to me that you understand this. It’ll change you’re life.
What, why are you looking at me weird? I…oh, heh. Got it. I’m talking about Faith, not faith (though that’s something you might want to look into, too).
Faith Herbert (superhero name: Zephyr) is one of my new favorite comic book superheroes. You may have noticed this if you read my rather excited review of Faith #4. Up until now, she’s only had her own mini-series. But Valiant comics has decided to be even more awesome than they already are by giving her a new, ongoing series. Yesterday, I got an advanced copy of issue #1 of said ongoing series. I may or may not have squealed like a little girl getting to meet Elsa at Disneyland when I saw it sitting in my inbox.
There’s something about Faith and her stories that make me extremely happy. I can’t quite explain it, but I’ll try to after giving you the little synopsis:
Faith is still adjusting to her new life as a mild-mannered reporter in LA, and she’s not having an easy time of it. She’s having to hide her identity from her new friends, her almost-boyfriend is living half a world away, and her boss is trying to take advantage of the fact that she knows that Faith is Zephyr.
And, on top of that, she was attacked by a burglar with some weird gun thing and it sent her powers haywire for a moment. She may have to update her costume to protect against this (No! Don’t do it, guys! I like her original costume!).
Basically, her days have been a prequel Star Wars level of bad lately. Things seem like they may be turning around when she gets an invitation to meet one of her favorite celebrities. But, with her current track record, this meeting might not go as planned, especially if this celebrity happens to be an up-and-coming super-villain. But that shouldn’t happen, right? Right? Just gotta have some faith.
This new ongoing series promises to be everything I was hoping for. Faith is just as nerdy as ever: she plays Mythos and Mayhem, has a Boba Fett clock by her bed, and is constantly quoting just about every geek movie you can think of. She even made a reference to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which made me extremely happy. *nods head* I approve of this character.
The plot for this particularly issue was not extremely surprising plot-wise, nor was it action-filled, but I honestly couldn’t care less. Why? Because Faith. Jody Houser could write an entire comic book about Faith doing laundry and I would still be extremely entertained. The level of humor and heart that goes into her character (and, thus, any story she appears in) is impressive.
I enjoyed the art work in this issue. The colors are all very bright and cheery, something that matches Faith’s optimistic personality perfectly.
Was there anything I didn’t like about this single issue? Not really. I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping that the hinted at changes for Faith’s superhero costume are good changes. Also, I’m annoyed that I have to wait an entire month for the next issue. Not to sound like Veruca Salt, but: I want it NOW!!
There’s something about Faith and her comic books that always put a huge smile on my face. I couldn’t place my finger on it until just now:
Valiant comics seems to go out of their way to bring together writers and artists who are willing to create realistic, wholesome characters. Unlike many female superheroes, Faith wears pants and a top that doesn’t look like it’s missing half of its material. She has a good sense of humor and, rather than being invincible, worries about doing something wrong, saying something stupid, and always tries to do what’s right because she recognizes that being a hero isn’t something that should be taken lightly.
To put it simply: Faith is a very good role model, and she doesn’t do it by being preachy. Naw. She does it by quoting Star Trek and Star Wars. That’s how it’s done. I cannot express how appreciative I am of Valiant comics, Jody Houser, and illustrators Pere Perez and Marguerite Sauvage for putting so much thought into creating a character that can be identified with, loved, and looked up to by people of all age groups. You guys rock.
Faith #1 will be released on July 20th, so go place your pre-order. *stares at you* No, like, right now. Got it? Okay, good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just discovered that my local Barnes & Noble has Faith Vol. 1: Hollywood and Vine (a collection of her original mini-series), so I’m off to go procure a copy. You should, too.
Have you read Faith’s mini-series? Are you planning on reading this new series? Please let me know in the comment section below. If you have any other favorites by Valiant comics, I’d love to hear about them!
This comic was supplied to Constant Collectible by Valiant comics in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
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