A highly satisfying self-contained first issue that seeds excellent thematic ground for the book to explore moving forward. Fairlady #1 is a fantasy mystery noir, with muscular scripting and lucious artwork. Highly recommended. Read Full Review

Writer Brian Schirmer delivers a tight, engaging script, delivering exactly what he promises on the cover: a complete Fairlady mystery from start to finish, no cliffhangers, but with enough worldbuilding throughout the issue that you find yourself with a bigger picture view of the world and a nagging sense that there's something much larger afoot as Jenner and Oanu investigate. Read Full Review

This is an ongoing series, structured in five issue arcs. Schirmer and Balboni also have set themselves the task of providing a complete story in an issue. Given today's usual preference to write for trades, I have to say, I like the nod back to yesteryear especially as it gives the impression that every issue will be a valid jumping on point. All in all, this is an intriguing read based in a new world, with Schirmer's influences clearly seen throughout the book. Read Full Review

There is a character. Who wears an octopus. For a hat. I realize that I've drawn attention to this fact twice already but I feel it bears repeating. I don't think he'll be in any future issues, but for three glorious panels, he existed, and for this I am eternally grateful. Brian Schirmer "pitched Fairlady as 'a gender-swapped Magnum P.I. in a post-War-of-the-Ring world'", and it certainly lives up to that description. The concept of a defunct war machine being left in the wilds and becoming a thriving community is beautiful, and also wonderfully whimsical in the sense that addresses in this story read like "Bungalow Road, Left Hand East". I find myself wondering if "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" is the favorite local sport. We're getting a lot in this book"a fantastically original menage of known tropes, great writing, gorgeous art"and I'm sincerely excited to see whither this story wanders! Read Full Review

The cumulative effect of all this is a debut issue that, on a technical level, accomplishes so much so well. In many ways it represents the platonic ideal of a modern one-and-done comic. That Schirmer, Balboni et al. achieve this while also constructing a fresh and engaging fantasy tale marks them all as premiere talents to watch. It also makes Fairlady #1 one of the most satisfying debut issues you'll read this year. Read Full Review

Fairlady #1 was a strong start to this new series. It still has a long way to go with the story, but I get the impression that we're going to learn a lot more about our main characters, as well as the world at large. Read Full Review

After reading Fairlady I am honestly surprised that more detective stories haven't been told in fantasy settings. Thankfully, so far, this one is good. The creative team behind this story has done a great job of setting up the universe. I'm excited to see what the future holds for this series and I am hopeful that the interesting backstory provided has a big payoff in later issues. Read Full Review

All in all, this was a really fun issue with its premise and done in one story. The fact that the issue is 30 pages long for the same price as most other issues on the comic rack and it includes some great back matter - a whole separate written mystery was added to the first issue - makes this comic good value for your money. Read Full Review

Fairlady begins with a well thought out set up to an intriguing mystery in a fascinating post-apocalyptic, post technological, fantasy world. So far, it looks like it should be interesting and fun, with the bigger conspiracy promising a greater depth to the story which is a good start. Read Full Review

Solid detective work in a high fantasy world. Read Full Review

Fairlady is a promising start that establishes its exciting duo and the world they inhabit very nicely. Its fantasy procedural nature is really exciting and sure to grip a great many. Read Full Review

"Fairlady" is an overall solid procedural and comic that lacks distracting frills as it gives you the fantasy procedural you were sold on. Read Full Review

Going into Fairlady, I had a sense of owe and wonder, with it being a case per issue bringing up "isms" we face in real life. Everything about it seemed cool, a mix of Fantasy and Noir genre, a bad ass female lead, a feline anthropomorphic partner, and a complete story in each issue. I can say yes it had all of these but they all seem to fall flat and not grip one into this new Fantasy world. I'm hoping the the next issue improves on these negatives in this issue and shows us a great new Fantasy. Read Full Review

Overall, the similarities between Fairlady and Saga drag it down and make it this an underwhelming experience, which is a real shame. Fairlady really deserves to have its own voice and style, and theres the potential for this to be a great series but at the moment, its just coming across as a pale imitation of someone elses work for the time being. Read Full Review

A buddy-cop movie set in a Fantasy landscape, Fairlady #1 bends some familiar tropes into a dull adventure story that is more commoner than countess.

The War of The Harshland is over and having served her country, even though they didn’t want her because she is a woman, Jenner Fauld has returned home to become the first FairLady, a licensed investigator; A profession formerly held only by men.

With the help of her trusty anthropomorphic partner Oanu, they take on jobs that put them in contact with all sort of dangerous and strange characters across the realm. We quickly learn that the Harshlands can be harsh to those that are not men, human or otherwise.

Instead of solid character development that should engage an audience and make the characters interesting, the narrative is interrupted by an superfluous inner monologue displayed in an annoyingly difficult to read font. Instead of conflict or stakes, Jenner faces little difficulty beyond insults suffered by rude men. The mystery that drives the plot is entertaining at first but falls into a

The artwork is above-average but hardly spectacular. Balboni has a talent for landscapes but her character designs are bland and the pacing is stiff and mechanical. Colors by Marissa Louise are too often muddy.

Perhaps influenced by the success of Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples’ Saga series, FairLady tries to skirt the line between satire and social commentary, between clever and unconventional. Unfortunately Schirmer and Calbori don’t have the skills necessary to keep this balancing act going and the story is cluttered by unsuccessful attempts at quirky storytelling techniques.

While I appreciate that it is a self-contained story, the novelty outweighs the quality. Characters are only as interesting as the perils they face, and mysteries are only as intriguing as if there are consequences at stake. FairLady #1 doesn’t offer either and the results are another fantasy take that might not leave readers happily ever after.

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