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Slightly Exaggerated
In Slightly Exaggerated, a dying treasure hunting girl must steal back a sacred artifact from a crazed cult leader to restore order before her sickness overcomes her in a whimsical fantasy world where religion is law.
An action-packed story set in a land where Sky-whales and airships populate the horizon following the story of Mia and her companion Winston who are caught up in a scheme way beyond their comprehension. Mia’s treasure-finding talents has them dragged into peril as separate factions wage war with one another in order to obtain three sacred relics capable of granting a person the power of a god. With just weeks left to live, Mia is prepared to sacrifice everything to save her friends.
Collects issue #1 through #4 of Slightly Exaggerated.
An action-packed story set in a land where Sky-whales and airships populate the horizon following the story of Mia and her companion Winston who are caught up in a scheme way beyond their comprehension. Mia’s treasure-finding talents has them dragged into peril as separate factions wage war with one another in order to obtain three sacred relics capable of granting a person the power of a god. With just weeks left to live, Mia is prepared to sacrifice everything to save her friends.
Collects issue #1 through #4 of Slightly Exaggerated.
104 pages, Paperback
Published December 3, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 27, 2025
I admire it when an author tries to keep things concise, appreciates the reader's time, so to say. And there's some of that here, but it also regularly is too concise, the in media reses tripping over eachother.
The book is four issues/chapters, and the story just. won't. FIT! Which means things might get a bit confusing, and worse: there's no air for us to get to know the characters. So there's a lot (a LOT) happening, involving characters you don't really care much about.
First red flag is that the main antagonist is frightfully boring, because she's severely underdeveloped. Second red flag is the earlier mentioned in media resing, it's too much, Batman!
The whole story is trying to be very EPIC, but the pacing is much too hurried, so the ending is a bit disappointing.
Final note: I normally don't really discuss a book's title (they're apt or silly, generally), but I have no idea why this one is called Slightly Exaggerated. Perhaps I missed something.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
The book is four issues/chapters, and the story just. won't. FIT! Which means things might get a bit confusing, and worse: there's no air for us to get to know the characters. So there's a lot (a LOT) happening, involving characters you don't really care much about.
First red flag is that the main antagonist is frightfully boring, because she's severely underdeveloped. Second red flag is the earlier mentioned in media resing, it's too much, Batman!
The whole story is trying to be very EPIC, but the pacing is much too hurried, so the ending is a bit disappointing.
Final note: I normally don't really discuss a book's title (they're apt or silly, generally), but I have no idea why this one is called Slightly Exaggerated. Perhaps I missed something.
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
January 1, 2025
'If you believe something just because of where you're from and cause someone told you to... ...then do you really believe it?'
Uh, what even is this undercooked comic? I don't get all the raving reviews because from characters to the story, it was all just simply underwhelming. I also think it's way too short and packs so much that there's no room for developing an emotional connection to any of the characters.
Slightly Exaggerated reads like a run-of-the-mill fantasy story featuring gods that doesn't provide anything new to the table. In Mia's world, religion is law but she couldn't care less about the fact and would much rather fill her days mulling about existentialism and wanting to be rich. However, trouble is right around the corner and Mia has to decide what's she's willing to do when forced to forgo her freedom. For a comic that centers around a terminally-ill self-proclaimed archeologist, you'd think that at least that aspect would provide much needed depth to the story and yet.
Really the only thing I liked about Slightly Exaggerated is the stunning art (and Winston, her pet companion). The use of bright pastel colors in a fantastical setting is nothing short of mesmerizing. Honestly, the plot and the characters simply do a disservice to the art to the extent that it feels like it's simply wasted here.
Uh, what even is this undercooked comic? I don't get all the raving reviews because from characters to the story, it was all just simply underwhelming. I also think it's way too short and packs so much that there's no room for developing an emotional connection to any of the characters.
Slightly Exaggerated reads like a run-of-the-mill fantasy story featuring gods that doesn't provide anything new to the table. In Mia's world, religion is law but she couldn't care less about the fact and would much rather fill her days mulling about existentialism and wanting to be rich. However, trouble is right around the corner and Mia has to decide what's she's willing to do when forced to forgo her freedom. For a comic that centers around a terminally-ill self-proclaimed archeologist, you'd think that at least that aspect would provide much needed depth to the story and yet.
Really the only thing I liked about Slightly Exaggerated is the stunning art (and Winston, her pet companion). The use of bright pastel colors in a fantastical setting is nothing short of mesmerizing. Honestly, the plot and the characters simply do a disservice to the art to the extent that it feels like it's simply wasted here.
December 14, 2024
Would you like to escape to a fantasy land but don’t have a lot of time to spare? Then, immerse yourself in the creative world-building of Clow and Pak, and enjoy the fascinating characters in this fast-paced action/adventure that ends all too quickly.
There is so much engaging detail in this brief, four-chapter tale - - but also so much that is left unexplained. The reason for that might be that SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED began as a crowd-funded project on Kickstarter. While this story could have easily been expanded to five or six chapters, when you’re trying to raise a minimum amount to cover printing costs, etc. - if your goal is too ambitious you may not achieve it. Therefore, things had to be scaled back and you edit things down to the guts/root of your story. Dark Horse Comics made a great decision when they released this as a trade paperback to reach a bigger audience, which I hope it does.
There’s a lot of heart, emotion, and courage in this story, and the way that main character Mia decides how to spend her remaining days (an unexplained non-contagious cancer is killing her body, manifesting in dark splotches on her skin) is touching and also heart-breaking. Her partner in treasure hunting/stealing is Winston, a cute dedicated talking-frog creature.
This fantasy world with amazing flying whales and airships is centered around religion, and Mia is a skeptic who doubts there is a life after death except for an infinite sleep. The relics they have been stealing are revered religious artifacts protected by law enforcement (the Sacred Guardians). They are also sought after by a cult leader, Gwen, who hope that by obtaining all three god gems she will achieve godlike powers. That forms the main conflict throughout the story.
I wondered about the selection of SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED for the title of this graphic novel, of which the original Kickstarter-funded four issues were nominated for a 2024 Ringo Award (and deserved it). It might be because it seems that Clow is making an underlying commentary about faith and organized religion through the character of Mia. There’s a lot of discussion and statements, and Clow may not entirely share the viewpoint of Mia as expressed here - - hence, Slightly Exaggerated.
This would lend itself to an excellent choice for book club discussion (a hint to the comics book club that I belong to).
There is so much engaging detail in this brief, four-chapter tale - - but also so much that is left unexplained. The reason for that might be that SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED began as a crowd-funded project on Kickstarter. While this story could have easily been expanded to five or six chapters, when you’re trying to raise a minimum amount to cover printing costs, etc. - if your goal is too ambitious you may not achieve it. Therefore, things had to be scaled back and you edit things down to the guts/root of your story. Dark Horse Comics made a great decision when they released this as a trade paperback to reach a bigger audience, which I hope it does.
There’s a lot of heart, emotion, and courage in this story, and the way that main character Mia decides how to spend her remaining days (an unexplained non-contagious cancer is killing her body, manifesting in dark splotches on her skin) is touching and also heart-breaking. Her partner in treasure hunting/stealing is Winston, a cute dedicated talking-frog creature.
This fantasy world with amazing flying whales and airships is centered around religion, and Mia is a skeptic who doubts there is a life after death except for an infinite sleep. The relics they have been stealing are revered religious artifacts protected by law enforcement (the Sacred Guardians). They are also sought after by a cult leader, Gwen, who hope that by obtaining all three god gems she will achieve godlike powers. That forms the main conflict throughout the story.
I wondered about the selection of SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED for the title of this graphic novel, of which the original Kickstarter-funded four issues were nominated for a 2024 Ringo Award (and deserved it). It might be because it seems that Clow is making an underlying commentary about faith and organized religion through the character of Mia. There’s a lot of discussion and statements, and Clow may not entirely share the viewpoint of Mia as expressed here - - hence, Slightly Exaggerated.
This would lend itself to an excellent choice for book club discussion (a hint to the comics book club that I belong to).
April 11, 2024
I backed this as issues 1-4 on Kickstarter.
I loved the art of the flying sea animals and the variety of animal people. The story is quick and reads fast. I had to force myself to slow my reading down at times to follow where Winston was at or what was happening with the stones. I love that the first and last panel of the main character was paralleled.
I loved the art of the flying sea animals and the variety of animal people. The story is quick and reads fast. I had to force myself to slow my reading down at times to follow where Winston was at or what was happening with the stones. I love that the first and last panel of the main character was paralleled.
May 9, 2024
found this randomly in a local comic book store and the art really drew me in. a short but extremely fun read!! the characters were really cool, i liked the story, and the art was fantastic! will definitely be revisiting it later.
February 21, 2025
Gorgeous art, kinda ehhh story
February 5, 2025
LOVED the world building, could have used another hundred or so pages to fully explore that
January 24, 2025
"If you believe something just because of where you're from and cause someone told you to... ....Then do you really believe it?"
The art is gorgeous!!!
The art is gorgeous!!!
July 27, 2025
The transitions in this one were rough. There definitely could've have been more effort made towards linking the issues together and tightening the plot up, but it was so pretty. I think overall the main concepts of friendship, facing inner demons, figuring out right and wrong for yourself, and challenging preconceived world views is very good! My only thing is that I wanted more and I wanted to go deeper with it. I think maybe it was just a timing constraint. So I'm giving it 4 stars, because it was very pretty and there were some good story beats (even though they weren't fully explored).
August 3, 2024
Thanks to the publisher for the eARC. I loved the art style, just wish it had been longer to get to know the characters more!
August 11, 2024
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Caution: vague spoilers ahead.)
Mia may only have weeks to live, but they're determined to make most of of them. Along with their adorable little partner, Winston, Mia is a treasure hunter/archaeologist/thief. Mia's latest score is a big one - a sacred relic - but as they're on their way to claim their riches, Mia and Winston are apprehended by Sacred Guardians Lacey and Dex. In Mia's world, religion is law, and something as simple as not engaging in your daily prayers can lead to a prison sentence.
Things go from bad to worse when a rogue religious faction attacks the Guardians' procession, kidnapping Dex and stealing the relic. The groups' leader, Gwen, hopes to steal all three god gems, granting her the power of a god. A desperate Lacey coerces Mia and Winston into helping her foil Gwen's plot. Can Mia save the world before hers ends?
I really wanted to love SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED: the story is engaging and the artwork is just spectacular (flying sky whales, sign me up!). However, the book felt incomplete, to the point that I checked the page count of the ARC against that of the final version of the book - I thought maybe this was a preview and/or missing some pages. For example, the scene where Winston steals a turtle-shaped gem - only to get apprehended by Gwen's goons - felt like it came out of nowhere. There just isn't any sort of transition, and the "flow" (scare quotes because there is zero) left me utterly confused.
Nor do we find out anything about the mysterious illness that's slowly turning Mia's body to stone. And the ending just had me flummoxed: when Gwen says that she's a god capable of giving life as well as taking it, I thought for sure that she was going to cure Mia?! But nope, she just gave Winston back. Not a very impressive, god-like feat.
There's so much potential here, but SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED needs another 20-30 pages to fulfill it.
Mia may only have weeks to live, but they're determined to make most of of them. Along with their adorable little partner, Winston, Mia is a treasure hunter/archaeologist/thief. Mia's latest score is a big one - a sacred relic - but as they're on their way to claim their riches, Mia and Winston are apprehended by Sacred Guardians Lacey and Dex. In Mia's world, religion is law, and something as simple as not engaging in your daily prayers can lead to a prison sentence.
Things go from bad to worse when a rogue religious faction attacks the Guardians' procession, kidnapping Dex and stealing the relic. The groups' leader, Gwen, hopes to steal all three god gems, granting her the power of a god. A desperate Lacey coerces Mia and Winston into helping her foil Gwen's plot. Can Mia save the world before hers ends?
I really wanted to love SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED: the story is engaging and the artwork is just spectacular (flying sky whales, sign me up!). However, the book felt incomplete, to the point that I checked the page count of the ARC against that of the final version of the book - I thought maybe this was a preview and/or missing some pages. For example, the scene where Winston steals a turtle-shaped gem - only to get apprehended by Gwen's goons - felt like it came out of nowhere. There just isn't any sort of transition, and the "flow" (scare quotes because there is zero) left me utterly confused.
Nor do we find out anything about the mysterious illness that's slowly turning Mia's body to stone. And the ending just had me flummoxed: when Gwen says that she's a god capable of giving life as well as taking it, I thought for sure that she was going to cure Mia?! But nope, she just gave Winston back. Not a very impressive, god-like feat.
There's so much potential here, but SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED needs another 20-30 pages to fulfill it.
July 26, 2024
Thank you to the publisher for this free eARC! All opinions are my own.
Mia is a treasure hunter who only has weeks to live, and doesn't believe in religion despite religion being the law. She must stop a woman who is collecting the god gems so that she can become a god herself.
I wish this book was longer. I feel like some of the scenes could have been better with more detail. #Edelweiss+
Mia is a treasure hunter who only has weeks to live, and doesn't believe in religion despite religion being the law. She must stop a woman who is collecting the god gems so that she can become a god herself.
I wish this book was longer. I feel like some of the scenes could have been better with more detail. #Edelweiss+
March 12, 2024
Great ideas but over too fast to build much of any attachment to characters or any world building. Had this been more expanded it would have helped. The art was gorgeous thus the rating and the concept solid but overall the story was a miss.
December 5, 2024
The art and the colours were great. More of a 2.5 than a 2. The story was very simple, more for younger readers.
A really quick read, dialogue was mostly flat. Nothing here that will change your life, but it was enjoyable.
A really quick read, dialogue was mostly flat. Nothing here that will change your life, but it was enjoyable.
January 9, 2025
2.5 stars. I wanted to like it more and give it three stars but couldn't. The artwork is quite nice. The story (about redemption, friendship and loss) is told at much too fast a pace and action heavy to be satisfying.
March 6, 2025
Wish there was more. The world seems really interesting, I like the main character and Winston, but I didn’t feel like I had enough context for anything. Because of that, it didn’t have the emotional impact it was going for.
September 10, 2024
Pretty colors and creatures, but the story was so quick and empty.
ARC from Edelweiss.
ARC from Edelweiss.
January 18, 2025
This feels like a snippet from a bigger story - maybe on purpose? Want more!
February 27, 2025
Felt mostly like an art showcase with how little we get to know the characters and how disjointed scenes were.
March 18, 2025
Beautiful art, but story jumps all over the place and needed room to breathe.
March 27, 2025
Well, that was a quick read.
Some nice artwork, fun visuals, and pretty colouring… but, was there a story?
2.5/5
Some nice artwork, fun visuals, and pretty colouring… but, was there a story?
2.5/5
June 25, 2025
Pas mal, livre d’aventure et héroïne avec une quête, beaucoup de femmes dans cette bd, j’adore
Assez court, il fallait s’en douter au vu de l’épaisseur du livre
Assez court, il fallait s’en douter au vu de l’épaisseur du livre
September 2, 2025
I liked the art a lot and then story, but this was too short. It’s good that I wanted more, so 3 stars.
January 14, 2026
the art in this graphic novel is absolutely beautiful. the story is disjointed, uninteresting, and there seems to be no real moral other than "god is not real" lol
December 10, 2024
I loved the wild ride of this graphic novel! The art was breathtaking, the story engaging, and honestly was a trippy fun ride!
January 24, 2025
Not much of a writer but the story seemed somewhat heartfelt. The art was amazing! The illustrations where fantastical, while the story felt like it was just trying to keep up (and not doing very well at it)
June 20, 2025
The art and world is beautiful but the narrative is so short it barely scratches the surface of what it could've been.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews