The last item I reviewed was the PBS documentary Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines. In the aftermath of watching it I was more than psyched up to promote current female hero’s in the media. Unfortunately, Amala’s Blade is a waste of my excitement.
The story isn’t all bad, in fact the premise is quite good. Amala, a legendary female assassin, set in a world that is a mix between medieval times with random electronics that are Star Wars level technology. It isn’t the story that’s bad, but particularly how it’s told through the artwork. I am not calling out the style or skill level of artist, Michael Dialynas, he’s actually quite good. The images are clear and easy to follow, however, they don’t build into the next frame and consequently make the actions seem like they are emotionless happening. Amala is dealing with the adrenaline of fighting for her own life and is even nervously navigating her love life, but the lack of suspense in these actions makes me feel like we’re not experiencing these emotions with her. The good news is that I think this sense of detachment for a reader can be alleviated with an extra frame here and there, and cropping in closer on a few of the images. Maybe it is a bit harsh to say that Amala’s blade is a waste of excitement, but I read through this issue extremely fast because I was unable to get really engaged by the story.
Amala’s Blade has a lot of potential, but only gets between 2 and 3 stars out of 5 for failing to be an entrancing tale. The mistakes are forgivable, and my opinion on the story is salvageable, but I will not be anxiously waiting to see what happens next.