Mass Effect, Volume 1 by Mac Walters

Mass Effect, Volume 1 Reviews

• 
  Scott wachter

  I read more tie-in fiction than I really ought, it's a guilty pleasure. But I think this anthology really nails my issue I have with ME comics: they're never a whole product. It seems like each story arc is an over-long prelude to something else, ending on the implicit message of 'buy the next DLC/game'. It's never about pushing beyond the characters and situations we are already familiar with, it makes the space-operatic scale of mass effect seem very small.
  
  
  This edition much like Dark Horse's other library anthologies it features margin notes from authors and artists. You get some interesting notes on mech design and how they created biotic effects for the comics page but also Mac Walters talk about how much he loves the Illusive Man, lovely.
  
  hard to recommend, even to hardcore fans.
• 
  Michi

  Note: I'm biased. The Mass Effect trilogy is my favorite game series.
  
  The footnotes are terrific for those of us who already love the comic series as they point out details that you would never have known (or ones that you missed) when reading the original comics. You can't beat the oversized pages either. Great stories, great coloring, and beautiful hardcover packaging with many of the original book covers included.
• 
  Chris Lemmerman

  Not quite as much fun as the Dragon Age Library Edition, mainly because everything is a little more disjointed in this volume.
  
  Collecting 4 separate mini-series which focus on different eras of the Mass Effect timeline, this book has some stand-out moments, whilst others fall a bit flat.
  
  We open with a series that focuses on Liara attempting to find Shepherd's body at the beginning of Mass Effect 2. The story here is solid, but the art is a little too cartoony for the serious subject matter, and did make me worry about the rest of the book since the same artist draws 3/4 mini-series.
  
  However, my worries were unfounded as the second mini-series, which shows us the secret origin of the Illusive Man, has a different style from the artist and it fits much better with the tone of the series. This story is again solid, and enlightening as well.
  
  We then switch focus to Omega during Mass Effect 3 in a prelude to the Omega DLC for that game. This one's got great art too, but the story meanders around too much for a four issue mini, which drags it down.
  
  The final mini-series focuses on four separate characters and how Commander Shepherd affected their lives, from newcomer James Vega to old hands Garrus and Tali. There are four different artists on this one, and they make or break the issues, with Tali's looking weird with gangly legged characters, whilst Garrus' is gritty and almost real.
  
  The volume is rounded out with a quick collection of three short Mass Effect stories which are so forgettable I can barely remember what they were about and I read them less than 24 hours ago.
  
  As usual, fans of the Mass Effect series will likely get a kick out of this, but more critical comic readers will probably pick up on the flaws of the different series.
• 
  Benjamin

  As a staunchest fan of the Mass Effect videogame series I've been looking forward to reading this for quite awhile and, while having almost unbearable weight, the comic did not dissapoint. All of the stories contained within provide a lot of additional background or origin information to well-established characters and events set well prior to the series timeline, in the gap between the second and third instalment of the video game or during them.
  
  The artwork is superb in its variation and the slightly increased size of it allows for non-eye-strained enjoyment of all the scenes and environments presented. Another particularly cool aspect of the book were the author commentaries on nearly every other page that provided insight into how the comics were made, the stories and the artwork.
  
  All in all this was a nice foray into comic book territory - a journey I seldomly undertake and I would recommend this book to both fans of the series and comic book officiandos.
• 
  Taliesin Lake

  Based on the quality of the comic stories alone, I would give this book a 2-star rating. However, this volume deserves an extra star for the quality and comprehensiveness of its presentation, which includes exclusive footnotes. It is a brilliant collector's item for any Mass Effect fan.
• 
  Elisabet

  Best game (trilogy) every. Deal with it ;)
• 
  Carol

  Blurb: Mass Effect Library Edition Volume 1 combines several stand alone graphic novels and comic issues considered cannon in the Mass Effect game universe. Included among the several stories are how the Illusive Man became who he is, how Liara retrieved Shepard's body after the prologue to "Mass Effect 2," what exactly happened on Omega that made Aria leave for the Citadel (between ME 2 and 3), and several one shot side stories.
  
  Why I picked it up: I'm a Mass Effect lover. I've played the games multiple times, so when someone pointed out there are COMICS that fill in backstory, I did research and found this. Took me long enough to get it.
  
  Thoughts: I am not disappointed with this volume. It contains stories I've only caught references to, and it fleshes out the characters and worlds so much better. The fact that it crosses two things I love - a well written story and art - is a big bonus. I really enjoyed reading each story, and how my knowledge of the games kept me fully engaged and not lost when characters referred to past events.
  
  I won't pretend to be any kind of art critic. I'm not. I know virtually nothing other than what I personally think is pretty. And this is wonderful. Comics are a new genre for me, but like when I'm picking out art to hand on my wall, I only buy what speaks to me. Mass Effect is one of those universes I dove into head first, and probably still will so long a people are programming, writing, and/or drawing about it.
  
  I'm not sure if this is something you can find in a local used bookstore, not unless you're really, really lucky, but maybe you can ask your local library to find a copy for you, if you don't want to shell out the Amazon.com price.
• 
  Jeannie

  This compilation of Mass Effect comics was amazing! It filled in some very interesting details about the characters and had some great little tidbits of information at the bottoms of many of the pages. It was cool getting those insights into how the stories and illustrations evolved.
• 
  Whitney

  Mass Effect Library Edition Volume 1 is a beautiful collection of Mass Effect comics. The book is large, leaning toward coffee table size at 12.2 x 9.3 x 1.6 inches, and clocking in at 416 pages. The book includes the graphic novels Redemption, Evolution, Invasion, and Homeworlds, as well as several short pieces and a small sketch section. The quality of the book is very high, the binding is solid and holds up well. I cannot rave enough about the art itself. The images are large, and very beautifully rendered.
  
  This edition also includes comments from the comic's creators at the bottom of some of the pages. As an art fan, I enjoyed reading about the thought process behind the scenes, and their favorite pages and characters.
  
  If you already have copies of the individual graphic novels, this collection may be unnecessary. However, I highly recommend this book for diehard fans of the series.
• 
  Michael Alexander

  This is book is such an awesome package. It contains the first 4 series of Mass Effect comics in one package. All the stories are quite interesting, one follows Liara between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, while another shows the history of the Illusive Man. It's huge, and the paper quality is very, very high. Many of the pages have comments from the author or artist on them, which gives you insight on to how the stories came together. The only thing missing is that it doesn't have the covers for each issue reprinted, which is kind of a bummer.
• 
  Chanticleer

  This is a large, beautiful volume that includes: Redemption, Evolution, Invasion, and Homeworlds. The art is stunning and the stories engaging. There are margin notes that add the creators' (heh) insight on to the particular story arc or artistic feature.
  
  If you love ME, you must have this. If you already have the individual or digital comics, this is keepsake worthy.
  
  I will definitely buy Volume 2.
• 
  Randy

  Good series of comics. Gives TONS of background information on characters such as Saren, the Illusive Man, James, etc. Some of the book seems repetitive if you've done the DLC missions of ME 2 and 3, but it is still a good connection to the series. Would recommend to any fan of the series. The artwork in the comics is beautiful!
• 
  Alicia

  I am a diehard Mass Effect fan girl, so I loved reading all the back stories, and the art is just incredible. Really liked all the little tidbits the artists put in on the bottom of the pages as well. I'm so glad I bought the hardcover library edition.
• 
  Pål

  This collection of Mass Effect stories live up to the games' high standards - both art and writing is good - but it suffers from the fact that the main story is already being told elsewhere. Recommended, but mostly for the fans.
• 
  Jason Fryer

  A fantastic compendium of stories that really fleshes out the Mass Effect plot lines for almost every character. The art and writing were top notch. Very much like the game jumping onto/off the page.
• 
  Louis

  They were good sci-fi tales but not having played anything beyond Mass Effect 1 seriously hampered my ability to enjoy this book as I could tell it was making references to the games left right and centre. Recommend only reading this if you are familiar with the games.
• 
  Georgina Allen

  I'm not really a comic book person, but this is a thing of beauty. Amazing artwork, engaging stories and adds a lot of depth to the Mass Effect universe. Well worth the price and the weight!
• 
  Christine

  The artwork on here is amazing. The fighting scenes are great. My favorite was the depiction of biotic powers in use. Wow.
• 
  Andreas Augustsson

  jk
• 
  Rosie

  Awesome art and the Homeworlds saga was absolutely brilliant. A great read.
• 
  Eric

  Mass Effect is honestly the most beautiful science fiction out there, huge and terrific collection here.
• 
  Faz

  I'll never get over the artistic style of some of the comics and again scolding Bioware for putting so much essential background info about the games in books, but it sure looks great on my shelf.
• 
  Iris Nevers

  I really, really enjoyed this because I'm biased and love Mass Effect.