Are you read the first series? The main protagonist in The Rise is Jesse's brother Adam. The same brother that Jesse and her pals are travelling to California to find.....Maybe before giving a negative review know what you are talking about.

Yes, I am currently reading the first series, I like it better than this one so far, and you are free to criticize my reviews on that series as well. Thanks for the info, I was unaware that this character is supposed to be related to Jesse. There was no need to be condescending while sharing this information. I don't consider a 5 to be a bad rating, it is a mediocre rating (like 2.5 out of 5) which I feel this book deserves.

Given the knowledge that Adam is Jesse's brother, I'm willing to bring it up to a 5.5 because that information helps with the relevance of the issue, but does not clear up the main criticisms that I have of the comic itself. I already suspected he was key to the main series anyways. I read a lot of comics, so it can be difficult to remember every detail, especially in monthly intervals and especially names, which I have notorious difficulty remembering both in media and in real human interaction

I certainly do not have the time to dissect and break down every comic in detail and dig up my old issues to see if I missed an important detail when it is not central to the reason for my rating of 5. That is why I prefer recaps at the beginning of issues, which this series does not do. One of the most important and underappreciated aspects of storytelling is clarity. It is the responsibility of the creators to insure that the story is being communicated clearly.

If it is important for me to understand that this is Jesse's brother, then it should be abundantly communicated. A flashback to their childhood, for example, is an effective way to establish the link between the characters and to gain empathy for Adam. Instead, we are introduced to Adam aimlessly riding a bike on a dock and leaping to the rescue of a seal that's been maimed by what seems to be an impossibly giant dolphin.

Yet my biggest problem with the issue is the very premise that the animals have taken control of the entire city of San Fransisco in one day, when this detail could have easily been made virtually any stretch of time. Think about the battle in Mosul currently being waged in Iraq. We're talking about months of fighting going on, with civilians still living in the city.

I'm just supposed to accept that the animals in San Francisco are numerous enough and coordinated enough to take control of a city of over 860,000 people? And with very little bloodshed? So most of thousands of residents have been killed, imprisoned or have fled the city in the span of 24 hours? Not buying it. I also take artwork into account, though don't always comment on it (I found the art here to be mediocre, the dolphin in particular was a misstep, but the color palette is quite good),

I've actually had to keep my reviews very brief due to my lack of free time.There are other aspects that I like about this comic, the creepy bat was my favorite part of the issue. But, those are the main criticisms that I have which bring me to rate this a 5.5/10. Thanks for your input.

Sorry for condescending reply. I assumed you had not read the main series before this book.Yes I agree the whole premise of Animals instantly taking us over is absurd.Though most comics in general are about scenarios that would never happen or would be impossible to take place.I like the originality of the premise of this story line.The introduction of a future major villain was great as well. Yeah I loved that bat,and agree the art work is not as good as the main title.

Thanks Dan. I'm glad that you are enjoying the series too, it is such a great concept and a crazy world to explore. Hopefully it gets some mileage, the more people reading it, the better.