GUMAA: The Beginning of Her #1

Gumaa: The Beginning of Her #1

by JeeHyung Lee, Nabetse Zitro (Artist)

Young Khalida escapes from a drug syndicate and discovers an ancient blade in a long-abandoned temple. Using its power, she becomes the Goddess of the City, controlling the citizens through dark magic and fear.

But events are being manipulated against her from the shadows, targeting Khalida. A final action-packed confrontation will reawaken the ancient war and change the balance of power between heaven and hell… forever.

“Urban fantasy, laced with horror and noir, brought to incredible life with Jeehyung’s phenomenal artwork.” – James Tynion IV (Department of Truth, Something is Killing the Children)

Genres: Comics

52 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2023

Reviews

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notable cover artist JeeHyung Lee headlines his own comic centered around Khalida, a drug-addicted prostitute indentured to a cartel. Khalida's salvation for her and her daughter lies in her ability raise enough money to purchase freedom from her pimp, but it's clear that he does not intend to honor it. It's a bleak portrait of reality, but GUMAA also seems to be setting up something a bit more supernatural. Unfortunately, this comic doesn't really do a good enough job establishing characters and the world with this first issue, with a lot of the script being a little too spare for an introduction. The prologue was the more intriguing aspect to the story since it previews a more interesting destination, but the rest of the issue doesn't hold up its weight. The artwork by Nabetse Zitro is serviceable enough to handle the gloominess of the story, but it also doesn't really feel all that inspired either. Overall, I found this to be a pretty middling first issue and not all that interested in following up on the story.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der Comic Gumaa glänzt beim ersten Betrachten durch seine hochwertige Aufmachung als Hardcover mit Lesebändchen und einer hochwertigen Druckqualität der Bilder.

Die Bilder sind auch das, was die Story ausmachen. Es wird auf lange und viele Texte verzichtet, sondern man lässt die Bilder für sich sprechen, was für mich persönlich auch sehr gut funktioniert hat, da die Bilder eindringlich und klar erkennbar gezeichnet wurden, sodass man dem Storyverlauf sehr gut folgen konnte.

Die Storyline an sich hat sich anders entwickelt, als ich am Anfang gedacht habe, was mir alles in allem aber gut gefallen hat. Man muss allerdings dazu sagen, dass es sich bei diesem Band um die Entstehungsgeschichte eines Charakters handelt, wie der Titel "der Ursprung" schon vermuten lässt.

Umso gespannter bin ich, wo die Handlung in den Folgebänden hin führt, da ich noch keine konkrete Idee habe. In diesem Teil ging es eher um den Aufbau von Charakteren, auch wenn es nicht jeder bis zum Ende der Geschichte geschafft hat, was wiederum die Frage aufwirft, was in Band 2 passieren wird. Das Ende war für mich anders als erwartet, allerdings nicht ganz so wie ich es mir für den weiteren Verlauf der Story gewünscht hätte.

Am Ende des Bandes erhalten wir noch einiges an Artwork und alternative Cover, die ein schönes Gesamtbild des Comics an sich schaffen.

Alles in allem ein atmosphärischer Comic, der einen interessanten Charakter aufbaut und neugierig auf die Fortsetzung macht.

[Taava Saukkonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luin tosiasiassa kaikki 7 osaa yksissä kansissa, mutten löytänyt sellaista versiota Goodreadsista enkä viitsi merkitä erikseen jokaista osaa luetuksi. Nappasin tämän kirjastosta kiireessä tekijän sukunimen perusteella, koska haluan lisää maita tänä vuonna lukemieni kirjailijoiden listalle.

Tarina oli ihan okei, mutta tuntui jäävän kesken. Seitsemään osaan jaettuna sisältöä per osa olisi niin vähän etten varmaan olisi jaksanut vaivautua, jos olisin joutunut lainaamaan ne erikseen. Piirrostyyli on häiritsevän "male gazey", enkä siksikään usko lukevani enempää tätä sarjaa vaikka jatkoa tulisikin (enkä tiedä onko tulossa).

[mooniepal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm hooked! What initially drew me in was the cover art; I was lucky enough to score cover D. The story hits you with a lot of information, but it was so well written that I was able to follow & retain most of the details. I'm interested to see how the maagi & the monastery tie into the Luciel gang. WE DO NOT STAN MANUEL 💢 FREE KHALIDA AND MARSHA ‼️

[brian annan · Rating 1 out of 5]

poorly scripted.
the art looks unfinished.
the layouts are disjointed.
the paneling is inexplicable.
Jeehyung is a very talented cover artist and i hope for better moving forward.
however this book lacks any sense of direction and the fundamentals necessary to tell a graphic story.

[TheElder36 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong start...

I see a lot of potential here. Jeehyung Lee brings to life a dark & gritty world that I couldn't get enough of. I have so many questions, and I can't wait to find out more. I would definitely recommend it to fans of beautiful art & dark characters.

[Femme Power Comix · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Vyshakh Aravindan · Rating 3 out of 5]

🕳️ Gumaa #1 — A Promising Start That Stumbles
The first issue sets the stage for a gritty tale, but it immediately falters in pacing. Instead of establishing emotional stakes or a hook, it dumps exposition without engaging character dynamics. The art is technically solid but strangely sterile for something that aims to be raw and visceral. The dialogue feels stiff, lacking realism, especially in intense moments. It's a beginning that seems more interested in mood than in meaningful setup.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The GR description gave me way more story than I read in this issue.

This is a very slow and confusing intro to the world, but there's enough to keep you interested and keen for another taste. It seems a little bizarre so far and very dark, but I somehow found it quite captivating.

I'll suss the second issue and go from there I think.

[Camila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm pretty intrigued by this world. It's a very dark and morbid underworld. I will be continuing with the series to see how the story and characters progress :)