has consistently been one of the best comics on the shelves. Rather than being Harry Potter with Katana swords standing in for magic wands, as its high-concept might suggest,
The result is a brilliant hodgepodge of a series that ping-pongs from shocking violence to goofy comedy to soapy teenage melodrama with reckless abandon. It's a genre-busting mix of a thousand influences that is as likely to spend pages upon pages on teenage characters just hanging around and discussing the intricacies of the '80s music scene as it is to have an immaculately choreographed outburst of violence as it is to have extended fart gags.
This does make it a rather difficult show to review, then: can I really recommend a show that was only just getting going and that ended in a cliffhanger that will have you begging for season 2? is a series that unashamedly embraces its comic-book roots but also makes the most of the benefits of being a decently budgeted TV show.It may not feel quite as personal as the comic book, but it is both a faithful adaptation and a really kick-ass TV show all of its own.
The three main characters of the comics – Marcus, Maria and Saya – are much the same as in the comics but are given even more emotional heft and likability by the young actors who play them. Benjamin Wadsworth, Maria Gabriela de Faria, and Lana Condor may not have been household names when the show was released but they carry this series with ease. Wadsworth is, admittedly, more of a traditional, handsome leading-man type than the Marcus of the comics but he does a fine job otherwise.