Obviously if you're a video game fan you'll like this story a little more than others, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story. Like I said, not every artist is a storyteller, but Davis proves he has what it takes. I'll be following this series from here on out and looking forward to see what he has to offer with the second issue of Axcend. Read Full Review

If you like your superheroes and just feel like something fresh and interesting, try this. Read Full Review

Shane Davis is up there with some of the industry's biggest guns in terms of his art, as evidenced by the weight and grandiosity he lends to both simple character drama and over-the-top action. Read Full Review

Whether you're an indy fan or not, AXCEND is definitely a book recommend to check out from IMAGE. It's solid around the board in writing and artwork, as well as character and tone. The strengths are clearly in the character's themselves, which in a comic, will always make a better reading experience long term, than plot. Good characters create connections to the reader, creating lifelong fans who will support and follow the series. AXCEND has that quality and is worth the time to read. Read Full Review

Axcend #1 is a strong and capable debut to a promising series. Read Full Review

Davis the plotter has a great concept on his hands. Davis the scripter is still finding his voice, which can be tough when the visuals are so good. Moments in the script are a little too on the nose and some exchanges are a little cringe-worthy. This can pick up as the story leads on but, for a debut issue, it's a tough first impression. Newcomers to comics and gamers looking for something to speak to their interests should enjoy what Davis has created here. "Axcend" #1 is a beautiful debut but feels like it will read much better once the initial story arc is collected. Read Full Review

Axcend could very well turn out to be something quite special. A moving, richly emotional comic about seeking empowerment in unexpected places and using virtual prompting to find strength in real life. So far, it isn't that. So far, it's about a guy dealing with loss and getting sucked into a video game. But I hope it turns out to be something more. Read Full Review

It is really difficult to make a judgment on a story based on the first issue alone, and Davis certainly has some worthy elements in play here. Yet Axcend fails to make a good first impression, pinging back and forth between ideas that are already well familiar to audiences. There's absolutely nothing wrong with formula if you are doing it exceptionally well, but so far Axcend just doesn't take it to the next level. Read Full Review

2.5/5 Rating.....

Has anyone who has ever played video games not wanted to somehow jump in that game and make it your reality? I know I have. That's why I love the anime Fantasy Star Online, the show Video Game High School, and the novel Soda Pop Soldier (my review). Being able to somehow jump into the game, or make the games appear to be more of a reality, would be beyond awesome! I'm always going to pick up a story like that! With this new comic series, Axcend, we have another series where our protagonist is able to jump into a game's world. If this were a video game though, it would be equivalent to all graphics and no gameplay.....

Axcend sounds like a great idea for a story. A troubled teen looses someone very close to him. He becomes somewhat rebellious and withdrawn from who he usually is, and to escape the reality of this situation he turns to video games. Suddenly, said video game brings him into the world, and, presumably, he finds a new love and happiness in this game's world, and that is where we find the story's main plot and conflict. But that vague outline is about how deep the comic actually went :/.....

There is always the possibility that things could change in the next issue. It does end with quite a shocker - but that one shocker is not enough. I can't say anything was done bad here, but I can say everything about it felt generic. There was nothing for me to latch on to. Even video game itself, maybe if what the game was had been explored it'd be different - but it wasn't. And despite that ending, I have zero interest in going on. If you an artist though, maybe want to pick this up. Otherwise.....

Read the full review at: https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/comic-book-review-axcend-1-axcend-1-by-shane-davis more