After being showcased in issue #31 of Dark Horse Presents, Furious appears in her own mini-series, Furious #1, starting the arc "Life’s A Bitch." Written by Bryan J. L. Glass and with art by Victor Santos, the cover shows a bloody, violent Furious complemented by her previous civilian persona being photographed by paparazzi.

After having her breakdown broadcast worldwide, the media has dubbed The Beacon (the superhero name of protagonist Cadence Lark) "Furious," and she is now trying to present herself as helpful again. She does this by attempting to stop a convenience store robbery and rescuing a kidnapped child. As she's new to her powers, these don't go all according to plan.

Bryan J. L. Glass crafts a full-formed universe right out of the gate: a world unused to superheroes trying to come to terms with life among supers. As the narrative states, Cadence Lark is a troubled person who tries desperately to better herself and the world through her persona, Furious. This issue is quite dialogue-heavy, yet it isn’t forced exposition, but a deep dive into the thought process of a young, insecure girl. They bounce around from boys to Sam Cooke to being honorable. The dialogue between Furious and the teenage boys comes off as natural as teenagers can.

All of the art is handled by Victor Santos, which is a great fit for the action-heavy, fast-paced issue. His linework is razor-thin, with just enough detail to get his emotive facial expressions across. The pictures in the background of Cadence’s home seem more detailed as opposed to the main characters, which I found odd. Santos uses an ample amount of dark colors throughout, keeping to the moody tone, and when lighter colors appear, they’re muted.

The major crime Furious has to thwart is taken to the extreme, making it realistic and scary. I enjoyed what Glass and Santos had done in DHP and am now glad to see it becoming a mini-series. Furious is a fresh take on mature themes as seen through the e more