Some thoughts about Mother Panic #1

A new vigilante is in Gotham City and she's not playing by the rules.

There's a mysterious art gallery in the city and Violet is here to learn more about it and how is affecting everyone.

Here we have yet another series from Gerard Way's DC Young Animal line. However, this book doesn't focus so much on the bizarre as much as on a noir style and that makes me appreciate it more.

Jody Houser introduces us to Violet Paige and her mission focusing on the strange events surrounding the world of art in Gotham City. There are several plot-points being introduced here and to be honest, is not really that clear where the story is going with them which means that some of them will be developed in upcoming issues. Mind you, this is not the best course of action for a new series but the writing is compelling enough to make you invested, there's a lot of complexity in this story and the writer gives you enough details to figure things out without making it immediately obvious.

The book is firmly cemented in the DCU, particularly Gotham City with the classic mentions of his protector and even an appearance. By the way, just because this is a more noir-oriented tale, it also has the kind of strange events you would expect from the line but fortunately they're not as overwhelming here.

Tommy Lee Edwards handles the artwork and is definitely fitting for the tone of the story just as well as the setting. The dark style that he creates is still detailed enough to bring interesting environments and expressive characters.

There's a second little story written by Jim Krueger told from Gotham's radio and is interesting in its storytelling which is really helped by Phil Hester's ability to depict a story perfectly with his pencils.

Not a bad beginning and more diverse than you would expect from this line. Worth checking out.