Eve Stranger’s trade paperback is beyond the simple binding of the various issues into a single form. It’s a celebration of the series, and I am excited to join in.

Let’s get real here. This is a fun series. Eve is a mix of vulnerable and badass, childlike and mature, driven and yet romantic. The supporting cast is diverse without feeling forced or token.

Its art is a strange mix of anime and western styles; it feels as if Scott Pilgrim started getting way into drugs in his early 30s without losing himself to addiction. The facial expressions borrow heavily from anime’s simplicity, but then jump back into a western style of heavy detail.  I’ve talked before about the ability to draw complex, chaotic scenes without triggering sensory overload, and this is one of those occasions.  The drawn world feels detailed and nuanced, but it doesn’t burn the reader out with too much going on. That being said, my only gripe is that some of the characters’ heads are just a little flat.

The story is complex and difficult to explain handily without major spoilers, but it’s a little bit of Memento mixed with James Bond, mixed with 50 First Dates when the romantic interest is introduced. 
It’s quite charming that despite her losing her memory over and over, she continually falls for the same gentleman, though the power dynamics of one of the two remembering and possibly manipulating the amnesiac is slightly troublesome, but, then again, the main character is being continually manipulated by shadowy figures.

What I especially enjoyed is that each of the main characters felt real. They all seemed to have their motivations, and the main characters felt like humans, with conflict naturally arising. 
This is especially interesting when it is juxtaposed against the high-flying, fantastical adventures that Eve is subject to throughout the book, from running the bulls to hosting an orgy on a space station.


The goodies you get from buying the trade paperback are the whimsical, and way less intensely drawn, mini-comic and some nice concept art.

Overall, I enjoyed the series enough to pick up the trade and to also add the rest of the issues to my weekly pull list.

Creative Team: David Barnett (writer), Philip Bond & Liz Prince (artists), Eva de la Cruz (colorist), Jane Heir (letterer)
Publisher:  IDW Publishing
Audience:  Mature readers
Click here to purchase.