Pariah, Issue #1

Title: Pariah #1

Author: Aron Warner

Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Young Adult

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Sea Lion Books 2011

ISBN: 9780983613

Brent Marks is highly intelligent. His brain calculates answers before yours even sees the question. He wears glasses, he most likely likes math, and he goes to a regular high school. Except he isn’t regular. But he wants to be.

He isn’t a vampire, a werewolf or a fairy with wings. He doesn’t have any super powers.

He’s super smart. It’s your brain on steroids.

Did I mention that he was building a space craft in his bedroom?

Being a Vitro isn’t easy. As if being a teenager wasn’t hard enough…

All Brent wants is to be normal. To have a normal life, with normal friends, and normal girlfriend. But when you’re a Vitro normal isn’t possible. He thought maybe he could just blend in…but then certain events make that impossible, and Brent finds himself backed in a corner…

And what’s a highly intelligent teenage boy do when he’s backed into a corner?

Guess you’ll have to read Pariah and see.

Let me begin this review with a quote from Derek Ruiz, Sea Lion’s publisher, “Aron has captured the essence of being a Pariah as seen through the eyes of a group of scientifically created teens. They are a Petri dish of innocent souls infinitely more intelligent than anyone else on Earth. Yet their creation and existence has left them shunned and condemned.”

Yeah, what he said.

Review concluded.

What? Oh. You want my opinion? *Sigh* Fine.

This was the first graphic novel I have ever read. Whenever I would see them at Barnes and Nobles I would say ‘Ugh, too many pictures’. What? You asked for my opinion.

I was wrong. An unusual occurrence that I find disturbing.

Pariah is an awesome novel. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but as I was reading I was admiring the way the writer has to impart a lot of information and detail with not so many words. This is something that isn’t to be taken lightly. There is a great chance at failure for something like this. But it was done so well. I’m not a girl of few words, so I don’t think I could have done it.

I really like the concept for this story. The publishing world is saturated with supernatural beings and super powered humans. This is completely new and it works. Normally, one would think (at least I would) that this kind of intelligence would be associated with Aliens. Not in this series. These are regular kids who had their genes manipulated. But the experiment worked too well and the people that created them now fear them. They can’t even grasp what they made…and so the Vitro’s are hated.

Talk about having a bad day.

Now, let’s talk about the art work. It is awesome! The color and expression in the art is what helps to move the story along and impart information to the reader that the dialogue does not. It’s a package deal. And who doesn’t like a deal? I do.

I definitely think that this is a book that you should buy and hold in your hands to read. The drawings and pages are what make the story vivid.

Who would I recommend this book for? Anyone. But most specifically: boys. Can I just say here that I think that sometimes boys are overlooked in the publishing world? They are. I have read again and again that there aren’t really any books out there that can hold onto a boy’s attention. Who can blame them really? Can you imagine asking a sixteen year old boy if he is Team Jacob or Team Edward? Now, there is nothing wrong with these kinds of books (by the way I am Team Jacob) but they don’t hold the same kind of lure that a book like this does. I say, bravo to Sea Lion for bringing books into the hands of teenage boys everywhere. Heck, they might even save an old lady from getting run down by a boy on a skateboard. Hehehe. And you know what not just boys but men. My husband, who I have seen read one book in my ten years with him, was peaking over my shoulder as I read saying “What is that? Can I see?”

Case and Point.

This is a fast read. It’s a good read. I liked it. You will too. If you haven’t read a Graphic Novel before I would recommend this one to begin with. It debuts in San Diego at Comic Com this June. And if my opinion isn’t enough to sway you (which is ridiculous!) then maybe I should just throw out there that Aron Warner won an Oscar…for Shrek.

Still not convinced? Read the book. You will be then.

So there you have it. My opinion.