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Mae #1
Mae #1
The Kickstarter sensation continues in comics! When she was just a girl, Abbie discovered a portal to a fantasy world and for the last couple of years has been having great adventures defeating horrible monsters, power-mad scientists, and evil nobles. She was a celebrated action hero! But when she turned twenty-one it all came apart and she decided to return home. Her sister, Mae, has had no idea what happened to Abbie all this time. Her tales are too hard to believe; that is, until the monsters and other terrible creatures start to cross over to our world . . . A new series from four time Eisner-winning artist Gene Ha!
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2016
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 18, 2016
Really liked the opening to this series and the art is WONDERFUL :) About a young girl who goes missing and turns up to meet her sister years later saying she's been living in another world! Quite an exciting beginning to the story and it looks like it has the potential to be really good. 4*s
July 2, 2018
The comic graphics are great. I can see why he is winning awards for his work. But, again, I just cannot get into comics, which is why (if you love comics) I'd still say get this one. The ideas are there and the story is also great. I just get so distracted by the pictures, that I cannot focus on the story. Guess this might be because I haven't ever really read picture books since I was an 8 year old.
It follows this young girl whose sister goes missing, then shows up years later, only to bring so many weird things with her return. Their dad gets kidnapped, they go to a different 'universe' to find him and save him. Then the adventure begins...
There is still so much room for the story to be developed, and the characters kinda fell flat for me. There is so much overlap in the sisters' personalities that distinguishing between them gets hard at times.
Also, these characters accept so many things so easily, that introducing new ideas gets 'under-appreciated' by both the characters and the reader.
There's lots of room for improvement.
It follows this young girl whose sister goes missing, then shows up years later, only to bring so many weird things with her return. Their dad gets kidnapped, they go to a different 'universe' to find him and save him. Then the adventure begins...
There is still so much room for the story to be developed, and the characters kinda fell flat for me. There is so much overlap in the sisters' personalities that distinguishing between them gets hard at times.
Also, these characters accept so many things so easily, that introducing new ideas gets 'under-appreciated' by both the characters and the reader.
There's lots of room for improvement.
May 9, 2025
Abbie was always running away and it's been 7 years since her sister Mae has seen her. Mae's out with her friend Dahlia when she gets a call to go get Abbie at the Sheriff's office. Then the adventure begins. Turns out Abbie, now called Ani, was in a different universe where chaos was constant, where she was a queen, where she is running from back to Earth as we know it. Creatures are chasing her and have found a way back too. They kidnap the girls' father so they have to go to find him. Turns out Mae can be a big help as Ani kicks butt on their journey across this strange land. Together they bond on their search to save their dad. Interesting creatures. Strong women. There's a lot to like about this story.
November 6, 2018
I picked this comic up on a whim because of the cover art. I think I'm going to love this comic series.
January 23, 2022
My daughter picked this up at the public library and shared it with me. Great art work, filled with small details (such as the Toph doll, and the Dr Who scarf).
It got us both hooked!
It got us both hooked!
August 19, 2024
The art is spectacular, full of detail. The story of Mae keeps you guessing as she searches for her missing sister. Recommended.
December 11, 2017
I like the premise of this but the actual story is not for me. I found the story too simple and rather underdeveloped. The main characters acceptance of everything happened way too quickly and I found the main characters annoying. I also didn't really enjoy the art style. Not for me, won't be carrying on.
August 4, 2016
This was the first of three #1 issues that I read today and also the least impressive (I also read The Hunt and Once Our Land).
I didn't find anything here that compelled me to come back for #2.
Fables writer Bill Willingham praises Mae writer/illustrator Gene Ha effusively in a long foreword and notes his love for portal fiction, which this is.
But a piece of work isn't compelling simply because it IS portal fiction. There are thousands of examples of portal fiction out there at this point, many mired in cliche and reheated ingredients. It's not enough to say, "Ooh, it's like Narnia or Oz" (which, awkwardly, one character does in this first issue). ... You have to stand out from the crowd in your storytelling and details. Make your portal universe unique, compelling and different enough from the rest. Now, I realize it's a tall and perhaps unfair order to do all of those thing within just the finite pages of a #1. But that's how it works if you want to sell single issues. Your #1 is your best argument for why someone should spend the time and money on a #2.
In that regard, Mae #1 falls regrettably flat. Neither the characters nor the tale grabbed me with anything that was original or that made me sit up and say, "Whoa." The issue took too long to get going and then gave us just one perfunctory action scene. The final thought is that I'm just going to say that I wasn't enamored or drawn in by Ha's art. He can draw, for sure. But I think the biggest problem is that the facial expressions didn't sell the scenes or the story enough of the time.
Now, one might argue that this is aimed a much younger audience than a middle-aged guy. Maybe this is a book for a kids. A "My First Portal Comic." Maybe. But I think there are probably better gateway comics out there. And the argument that this is a tale for kids is lessened a bit by the huge "ASSHAT" thrown out there in one piece of dialogue.
I didn't find anything here that compelled me to come back for #2.
Fables writer Bill Willingham praises Mae writer/illustrator Gene Ha effusively in a long foreword and notes his love for portal fiction, which this is.
But a piece of work isn't compelling simply because it IS portal fiction. There are thousands of examples of portal fiction out there at this point, many mired in cliche and reheated ingredients. It's not enough to say, "Ooh, it's like Narnia or Oz" (which, awkwardly, one character does in this first issue). ... You have to stand out from the crowd in your storytelling and details. Make your portal universe unique, compelling and different enough from the rest. Now, I realize it's a tall and perhaps unfair order to do all of those thing within just the finite pages of a #1. But that's how it works if you want to sell single issues. Your #1 is your best argument for why someone should spend the time and money on a #2.
In that regard, Mae #1 falls regrettably flat. Neither the characters nor the tale grabbed me with anything that was original or that made me sit up and say, "Whoa." The issue took too long to get going and then gave us just one perfunctory action scene. The final thought is that I'm just going to say that I wasn't enamored or drawn in by Ha's art. He can draw, for sure. But I think the biggest problem is that the facial expressions didn't sell the scenes or the story enough of the time.
Now, one might argue that this is aimed a much younger audience than a middle-aged guy. Maybe this is a book for a kids. A "My First Portal Comic." Maybe. But I think there are probably better gateway comics out there. And the argument that this is a tale for kids is lessened a bit by the huge "ASSHAT" thrown out there in one piece of dialogue.
August 24, 2016
Liked this way more than I expected to. Drug my feet for awhile on reading it. Now so glad I did. Not perfect but good. I really want to know more about the sister. Kinda of puzzled that she's not the main character at first but I think I get it. Going out to get the next one soon I hope.
September 14, 2016
stop - no need to read further - tired cliches and retread storylines ahead
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews