Pherone

by Viktor Kalvache, Patrick Baggatta, Jim Sink, et al.

Book Overview

Following Eve, a dangerously seductive woman on the edge of her sanity, Pherone weaves a dark storyline filled with espionage, mystery, and suspense. Armed with a killer body and a killer's mind, the femme fatale must hunt down clues to rediscover her own troubled past, bringing violence and danger to anyone who crosses her path

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 160706412X
• ISBN13: 9781607064121
• Release Date: September 2011
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.0" x 10.6"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Decent Story with Excellent Art

Pherone is the story of Eve, a seductive assassin working for an unnamed agency who awakens each morning unsure whether her violent actions were real or a dream. Questioning her sanity and her very identity, Eve finds herself continuing to carry out missions while on the run from a pair of wily detectives, hot on her trail; and what is the identity of the shadowy duo tracking her every move in a dark sedan? Indeed, what is "Pherone?" Only time will tell... Pherone is a self-contained, stand-alone graphic novel published by Image comics and told in several episodes. Generally, crime comics fall into two categories - either too shallow and poorly paced, or immensely detailed and gripping. Pherone falls somewhere in between. There are some very well done, well-plotted segments in Pherone, but these few gems are generally wasted on a story that just doesn't seem to have the patience for building up suspense. This may owe to the short-term nature of the episodes (note I don't say "issues") Pherone is told in, but one doesn't develop any attachment to the characters, and when the final, big reveal is made, it is difficult to dredge up any other reaction than to shrug your shoulders and say, "Eh" - it's fairly predictable. It is, essentially, a weak clone of "Bourne Identity" with some "Alias" thrown in. The dialogue overall is fairly mediocre, and I spotted at least two typos in the text. While the story could have completely tanked this title, the art saves it. Drawn in a nigh-photorealistic chiaroscuro style, the art is reminiscent of a combination of Frank Miller's Sin City, Mike Mignola's Hellboy, and some of Tim Sale's work (Catwoman: When in Rome (Batman) or Batman: The Long Halloween come readily to mind). Also, like Sin City's later miniseries, some of the work has splashes of color for accent lighting - red for lips or blood, or nicely faded oranges and yellows to simulate the saturated color of rain glowing in the streetlights. Indeed, the book's flashback sequences are fully painted (digitally, it seems) and are especially good at creating evocative atmosphere. This volume also includes some very nice extras, including "deleted scenes," the original Pherone "pilot episode" which got the story going, some character designs and sketches, as well as a couple of pages showing how the artist experimented with how to color the comic. I should also mention the book itself - it is a nice hardcover, sturdily made, printed on glossy paper. Special care was even taken in the printing of the cover. Overall, for those looking for a good crime comic along the lines of Frank Miller's Complete Sin City Library, you could do worse than Pherone. Those looking for some phenomenal art would be wise to pick it up as well. I might also recommend Tim Sale: Black And White - Revised And Expanded.