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Pretty Violent, Vol. 1
Gamma Rae wants to be a superhero, and why shouldn't she--?! She's been strong since she was a baby! The problem is, her siblings are all notorious criminals who would be delighted to see her fail... with all of her new friends dead at their feet. Will she be able to win the respect of the hero community without alienating her family? She's going to try!
Collects PRETTY VIOLENT #1-6
Collects PRETTY VIOLENT #1-6
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 17, 2020
6 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Derek Hunter
81 books26 followersGo to the author's website to find out more: www.love-chaos.com
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 16, 2020
Okay... this is probably gonna become a pretty popular series!
What’s it about?
Gamma Rae wants to be the next big superhero! The problem is she keeps messing up and her way of solving a problem with a villain is almost always killing that villain while others get seriously hurt and killed in the process. Unfortunately it doesn’t help that her family’s interests may conflict with her dreams of being a hero.
Pros:
The story is surprisingly great even if often ridiculous. I greatly enjoyed this take on superheroes and Gamma Rae’s struggle trying to become one herself.
The art is really fun! I always find the mix of fun and cartoony art being used for something extra violent and gory kinda humorous.
The characters are legitimately interesting which was a pleasant surprise. They also work well for making an entertaining cast of characters.
This book is very exciting throughout with lots of fun yet gore-filled scenes of superhero fighting.
This book is often very humorous. The over-the-top twisted dark humor, carttony-ness and character interaction are often very funny.
This book is unpredictable.
There’s a surprisingly sweet message to this book throughout. This story is really spreading a message about at least trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it may seem.
Cons:
This book unfortunately gives a feeling that it tries a tad too hard to be edgy. I don’t mind graphic content as many of the books I enjoy have some of the most graphic violence, language, sex, etc. you can find in books but here it’s like they added swearing and gross out moments to every single scene, even when it’s like “did they need this in the plot?”
So there’s at least one scene I remember some poor puppies being killed and given how violent this comic is I thought we were about to see someone John Wick a motherfucker! There was no John Wick-ing of motherfuckers.
There was one character who was super douchey which was on purpose but I hated him so fucking much throughout.
Overall:
This book is silly, not quite a masterpiece in storytelling and kinda like an over-the-top gory version of a superhero cartoon. That being said the book’s ridiculousness helps make it a lot of fun.
I saw some compare this comic to I Hate Fairyland, I don’t think it’s quite that level of cleverness amongst the cartoony gore. I would probably say this is more like the superhero comic equivalent of Happy Tree Friends.
That being said despite a few minor issues I’d be lying if I said there was a single scene where I wasn’t enjoying the hell out of the gratuitously gory yet fun superhero action, cartoony art, twisted humor, great cast of characters and surprisingly sweet story.
I recommend this one!
4/5
What’s it about?
Gamma Rae wants to be the next big superhero! The problem is she keeps messing up and her way of solving a problem with a villain is almost always killing that villain while others get seriously hurt and killed in the process. Unfortunately it doesn’t help that her family’s interests may conflict with her dreams of being a hero.
Pros:
The story is surprisingly great even if often ridiculous. I greatly enjoyed this take on superheroes and Gamma Rae’s struggle trying to become one herself.
The art is really fun! I always find the mix of fun and cartoony art being used for something extra violent and gory kinda humorous.
The characters are legitimately interesting which was a pleasant surprise. They also work well for making an entertaining cast of characters.
This book is very exciting throughout with lots of fun yet gore-filled scenes of superhero fighting.
This book is often very humorous. The over-the-top twisted dark humor, carttony-ness and character interaction are often very funny.
This book is unpredictable.
There’s a surprisingly sweet message to this book throughout. This story is really spreading a message about at least trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it may seem.
Cons:
This book unfortunately gives a feeling that it tries a tad too hard to be edgy. I don’t mind graphic content as many of the books I enjoy have some of the most graphic violence, language, sex, etc. you can find in books but here it’s like they added swearing and gross out moments to every single scene, even when it’s like “did they need this in the plot?”
So there’s at least one scene I remember some poor puppies being killed and given how violent this comic is I thought we were about to see someone John Wick a motherfucker! There was no John Wick-ing of motherfuckers.
There was one character who was super douchey which was on purpose but I hated him so fucking much throughout.
Overall:
This book is silly, not quite a masterpiece in storytelling and kinda like an over-the-top gory version of a superhero cartoon. That being said the book’s ridiculousness helps make it a lot of fun.
I saw some compare this comic to I Hate Fairyland, I don’t think it’s quite that level of cleverness amongst the cartoony gore. I would probably say this is more like the superhero comic equivalent of Happy Tree Friends.
That being said despite a few minor issues I’d be lying if I said there was a single scene where I wasn’t enjoying the hell out of the gratuitously gory yet fun superhero action, cartoony art, twisted humor, great cast of characters and surprisingly sweet story.
I recommend this one!
4/5
March 26, 2022
I read a digital copy of this book.
Gamma Rae is a villain just trying to be a hero. When she leaves her family behind, she is determined to succeed as a hero, but when her first attempt goes drastically wrong, she is shunned by the public. However, she soon gets another chance and when a news crew captures an image of her killing the villain, Sludge, she is thrust into the public domain and hired by The Saviours. Here she works as a hero, but things continue to go wrong. Can she ever get a mission right? There is a whole host of fun characters in this and I'm so annoyed I didn't like this book, I really wanted to as well. It starts strong, the humour is funny, the cute artsy style, the childlike main character contrasts so well with the dry humour and swearing. But after a while, even that doesn't really hold this story up. I found myself zoning out a little in this book, the issues don't link up well enough for my liking and there are no variations in tone throughout the book, it seems pretty much a one note book. Something happens, someone swears, next villain, next hero dies.
Gamma Rae is a villain just trying to be a hero. When she leaves her family behind, she is determined to succeed as a hero, but when her first attempt goes drastically wrong, she is shunned by the public. However, she soon gets another chance and when a news crew captures an image of her killing the villain, Sludge, she is thrust into the public domain and hired by The Saviours. Here she works as a hero, but things continue to go wrong. Can she ever get a mission right? There is a whole host of fun characters in this and I'm so annoyed I didn't like this book, I really wanted to as well. It starts strong, the humour is funny, the cute artsy style, the childlike main character contrasts so well with the dry humour and swearing. But after a while, even that doesn't really hold this story up. I found myself zoning out a little in this book, the issues don't link up well enough for my liking and there are no variations in tone throughout the book, it seems pretty much a one note book. Something happens, someone swears, next villain, next hero dies.
August 2, 2020
Had the opportunity to interview writer/artist Derek Hunter! Check out our full discussion here: https://youtu.be/yQdONr5YZ9s
Charmingly stupid, gross, 100% devoid of any semblance of maturity... but surprisingly insightful and engaging.
I giggled a lot. It’s worth a read.
And that’s the most accurate review I can write here.
Read
February 26, 2020Gamma Rae wants to be a superhero, and certainly has the powers, but is a little prone to accidentally punching people's faces off, and also her family are all villains. Then again, most of the other heroes in her city are complete dicks anyway. Somewhere between a foul-mouthed Powerpuff Girls, a genre-switched I Hate Fairyland, and a slightly saner God Hates Astronauts, this day-glow ultraviolence takes place in a world where villains include Oswald Manson - the only serial killer ever to make an entire outfit of testicles. Though why it needs to be called Pretty Violent when Image already have Pretty Deadly, I don't know (see also Die and Die! Die! Die!).
(Edelweiss ARC. Which, much like Assassin Nation, somehow had the issues in reverse order, though at least I noticed sooner this time)
(Edelweiss ARC. Which, much like Assassin Nation, somehow had the issues in reverse order, though at least I noticed sooner this time)
December 23, 2020
Fairly fun. It does live up to its name. Reminiscent of I Hate Fairyland mixed with a twist on Incredibles. It never quite fired all the way for me. Motivations are simplistic or non-existent and there is not enough backstory about the family to allow me to feel comfortable with that.
February 6, 2020
This is unmitigated shit. To cap it all, the tossers who produce it gave us review copies that start at issue #6 and count back to issue #1. Even starting at page 1, issue 1, with experience of such idiocy, it felt like being thrown into an acid bath of the world's worst LSD when I'd not even had half a cider as forewarning. People who take that last sentence as a compliment are borderline tossers themselves, for this was shit.
January 7, 2020
I tried. I was hoping for something as brilliantly wrong as I hate Fairyland, but it just didn’t connect for me.
November 27, 2021
The Short Answer
A fun and absurdly violent superhero romp. It takes a while to find it's feet, but becomes more engaging as it goes along. Worth reading if the cover art speaks to you, but not good enough to win over the average reader.
The Long Answer
I got this on a total whim from the library. After reading the first couple issues I wasn't impressed, but it was an easy read so I kept going, and I'm definitely glad I did.
The story starts out very simply. Our hero Gamma Rae keeps trying to save people while causing all sorts of chaos and destruction by accident. The joke gets old REALLY fast, and if that's all this book was I'd have given it one star. Thankfully by issue three it starts bringing in the family drama and expanding the story.
As Gamma Rae tries to win over hero friends and make a name for herself, while also dealing with her family, I found myself getting strangely engaged. I won't say it became brilliant, I wish there was a bit more satire in this, but there's potential here. After a rough start I can safely say I'm excited to read volume 2 and see where this goes.
Good but not excellent. Worth checking out if you like the concept.
A fun and absurdly violent superhero romp. It takes a while to find it's feet, but becomes more engaging as it goes along. Worth reading if the cover art speaks to you, but not good enough to win over the average reader.
The Long Answer
I got this on a total whim from the library. After reading the first couple issues I wasn't impressed, but it was an easy read so I kept going, and I'm definitely glad I did.
The story starts out very simply. Our hero Gamma Rae keeps trying to save people while causing all sorts of chaos and destruction by accident. The joke gets old REALLY fast, and if that's all this book was I'd have given it one star. Thankfully by issue three it starts bringing in the family drama and expanding the story.
As Gamma Rae tries to win over hero friends and make a name for herself, while also dealing with her family, I found myself getting strangely engaged. I won't say it became brilliant, I wish there was a bit more satire in this, but there's potential here. After a rough start I can safely say I'm excited to read volume 2 and see where this goes.
Good but not excellent. Worth checking out if you like the concept.
April 17, 2021
I feel bad giving this two stars, because it was more like 2.5, and I did seek out the second volume so obviously I liked it well enough but, well, going by 2 stars meaning "it was ok" then yeah, it was okay. I have no problem with gore, or deconstruction or parody or whatever this is...but it's a liiiiiittle too willing to kill people off; I found myself not getting attached to anyone cuz I figured just about everyone but the main character was going to die horribly after not too long. This was mostly true, especially considering the two volumes as a whole. Also, I am sure this was intentional, but this is some of the grossest cartoon art I've ever seen. Ren and Stimpy level. I don't mean just the ruptured brains and intestines and stuff, though those are certainly abundant - even the character designs are unsettlingly disgusting, even the "hero" herself. A vague film of uneasy, queasy squalor over everything. Again, I am sure this was intentional, and honestly that should probably count as a mark in its favor, the strength of artistic vision - but I just can't get behind "now gross me out!" as an aesthetic I like.
August 21, 2020
It’s...pretty violent. But besides the colourful depicted characters and the redness of blood spilled on every page, the story and writing is what makes this comic great.
Being part of a dysfunctional family and wanting to do something else, even distance yourself from them, is something very familiar to me and struck a chord with me. I loved the emotion of the protagonist and the contrast between elementary school problems and world wide disaster problems that she has. A must read for everyone who are not afraid of flying heads and very, very pink intestines.
Being part of a dysfunctional family and wanting to do something else, even distance yourself from them, is something very familiar to me and struck a chord with me. I loved the emotion of the protagonist and the contrast between elementary school problems and world wide disaster problems that she has. A must read for everyone who are not afraid of flying heads and very, very pink intestines.
July 20, 2021
20/07/2021
3 ⭐
A fun art style with great colours, but this just felt so quiet when it could've been completely off the rails.
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3 ⭐
A fun art style with great colours, but this just felt so quiet when it could've been completely off the rails.
Blog | Letterboxd | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter
March 24, 2022
You can see our full review here: https://youtu.be/C9ZBP2UX4Mc
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March 29, 2020
I was hoping for something fun and engaging that didn’t take itself too seriously and this was exactly it. Full of wacky character design and wackier plotlines (and plenty of swears, as promised), this was a fun break from reality. I’m curious to see where it goes next.
April 18, 2020
A crazy and fun take on superheroes with over-the-top violence and plenty of swearing. The characters are cool and the story is interesting. The real treat of this book though is the art which is disturbing but light and cute at the same time.
May 9, 2025
The art style, the panels' dynamics, and overall action are amazing, but the quality of the storyline is just meh... The character motivation is missing, and i can't distinguish most of the characters. They are pretty much the same.
January 11, 2020
Very cute, I liked it! Gratuitous, unnecessary violence and cursing; a 14 year old boy's dream book. Seriously, it was nice to just read a book that looks nice and wasn't overly serious.
March 3, 2020
Review submitted to Diamond Bookshelf for potential publication.
April 28, 2020
It is funny, rude and violent which I believe was the point.
January 25, 2021
Reminds me of I Hate Fairyland. All the cotton candy colored violence you could want! Only there’s no magic preventing this “heroine” from cussing a blue streak. Fun read.
December 31, 2020
It's like a bad superhero attempt at I hate fairyland.
Not a lot that I liked in this.
Not a lot that I liked in this.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews