What do you think?
Rate this book
Karmen #1
Karmen #1
Spanish writer and artist GUILLEM MARCH is best known for his ongoing, extensive work with DC Comics on Batman, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn and has worked as an artist on several graphic novels including the English editions of Monika with Titan Comics and The Dream with Europe Comics. Here, he takes up his pen for an edgy new FIVE-PART SERIES about a highly unconventional angel named Karmen and the young woman she takes under her wing when a case of heartbreak strikes hard. Packed with surprises and metaphysics, this gorgeously drawn series deploys tenderness and humor as it dives deep into topics that matter.
Paperback
First published March 10, 2021
7 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Guillem March
448 books50 followersSeudónimo del historietista español Guillermo March.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 18, 2021
Everything in here looks incredible, and the premise is strong, but the writing is kinda goofy (maybe that’s a translation wrinkle?), and the perspective is very obviously male/horny in a a cringe way. That said, it is wild to see an articulated sexy skeleton body romping across lush architectural pages, and the haunting reaper theme is so rich a vein to draw from. Really looking forward to the following issues.
March 11, 2021
Very VERY unique and twisted in a dreamy way!
January 2, 2022
Gorgeous at, intriguing concept, but the story feels lacklustre so I’m not going to continue this series.
April 30, 2021
Very compelling and unique with beautiful art and lyrical, whimsical writing (it reminds me of aspects of Sandman). I really have no idea where the story is going but the characters of Karmen and Cata are engaging. I am definitely going to read the next one!
May 10, 2021
Certainly one of the most unique comic books I have ever read, writer and artist Guillem March's "Karmen" is a funny, moving, existential drama about a freckle-faced supernatural being (an angel? Death?) named Karmen who assists a young woman named Catalina through the afterlife after committing suicide.
The first issue briefly sets up Catalina's life, living in a dirty apartment in Palma De Mallorca with her roommate, Vanessa, who, it turns out, is having an affair with her boyfriend, Xisco. It's not made clear, but this could be the reason Catalina slits her wrists in the bathtub.
Karmen takes her for a walk through the city, all the while Catalina is completely naked, which doesn't matter because she's completely invisible to everybody. They can also fly.
I'm not sure where this series is going, but I am utterly fascinated and enamored. March's artwork is stunningly gorgeous. He is wonderfully obsessed with the female form (not complaining), and while it might seem gratuitous, the nudity never feels lascivious or offensive. It's actually kind of heart-breaking, which is a good word to describe this story.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where March goes with this.
The first issue briefly sets up Catalina's life, living in a dirty apartment in Palma De Mallorca with her roommate, Vanessa, who, it turns out, is having an affair with her boyfriend, Xisco. It's not made clear, but this could be the reason Catalina slits her wrists in the bathtub.
Karmen takes her for a walk through the city, all the while Catalina is completely naked, which doesn't matter because she's completely invisible to everybody. They can also fly.
I'm not sure where this series is going, but I am utterly fascinated and enamored. March's artwork is stunningly gorgeous. He is wonderfully obsessed with the female form (not complaining), and while it might seem gratuitous, the nudity never feels lascivious or offensive. It's actually kind of heart-breaking, which is a good word to describe this story.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where March goes with this.
October 10, 2021
Much like being visited by familiar fragments of the ethereal world, an accumulation of certain sensations can generate a fleeting state of mind that extends beyond reality. [...] Fleeting, yet intense. Like a mirage. Like a dream.
Very compelling and quite unique, both in terms of artwork and premise. I'm really looking forward to the next issue.
Very compelling and quite unique, both in terms of artwork and premise. I'm really looking forward to the next issue.
May 1, 2024
tw: scarifications / mort / suicide
❤️ j'ai bien aimé suivre l'évolution de Cata, au travers de la perception de son corps dans l'espace et de ses réflexions, toustes les personnes avaient une vrai personnalité et un impact dans l'histoire c'était une bonne lecture
💔 certains dialogues sont sur la longueur / la fin est un peu prévisible
❤️ j'ai bien aimé suivre l'évolution de Cata, au travers de la perception de son corps dans l'espace et de ses réflexions, toustes les personnes avaient une vrai personnalité et un impact dans l'histoire c'était une bonne lecture
💔 certains dialogues sont sur la longueur / la fin est un peu prévisible
Read
April 20, 2021totally stunning composition and artwork, really interesting story, but i was not prepared for one of the first scenes to show suicide
April 26, 2021
It’s not a 5 star story but it’s still alright. The art though is absolutely stunning and is the reason for the rating.
May 15, 2022
This was so oddly interesting and I'm really curious to see where this story goes!
December 6, 2025
Pink + seksi.
Me gusta
Me gusta
March 17, 2024
Genre: Paranormal, Science Fiction
TW: Nudity, Death, Suicide
1.5 Stars: I didn’t like it
Summary: Karmen is an entity tasked with shepherding souls to the afterlife. Assigned to a newly deceased woman named Catalina, Karmen assists her as she does with everyone but for some reason this mission specifically is different from the rest.
Thoughts (spoilers): The idea for this story is interesting but I don’t love the way it was executed. The plot was pretty standard and the ending was pretty cliche.
Artistically, this graphic novel is 10/10. From her x-ray look to her hair to her face, Karmen’s design is very cool. The way bodies were drawn was expert level. I’ve had to do figure drawing in school and it is not easy so I admire the skill of being able to accurately render a human figure. It was necessary too because the two main characters were naked and wearing a skin tight suit.
I had a lot of issues with Catalina as a character.
While Karmen looks amazing, there’s not a whole lot going on under the surface. Personality wise, I think the author was going for a seemingly airheaded type of character that is actually very wise underneath it all and all the chaos that Karmen creates is all for some cosmic reason that we only figure out in the end. Typically I really like that type of character but I felt it wasn’t executed well in this story.
Overall I think more time could’ve been spent on the writing. I feel like it was almost good but it fell short. I probably will not continue with this series.
TW: Nudity, Death, Suicide
1.5 Stars: I didn’t like it
Summary: Karmen is an entity tasked with shepherding souls to the afterlife. Assigned to a newly deceased woman named Catalina, Karmen assists her as she does with everyone but for some reason this mission specifically is different from the rest.
Thoughts (spoilers): The idea for this story is interesting but I don’t love the way it was executed. The plot was pretty standard and the ending was pretty cliche.
Artistically, this graphic novel is 10/10. From her x-ray look to her hair to her face, Karmen’s design is very cool. The way bodies were drawn was expert level. I’ve had to do figure drawing in school and it is not easy so I admire the skill of being able to accurately render a human figure. It was necessary too because the two main characters were naked and wearing a skin tight suit.
I had a lot of issues with Catalina as a character.
While Karmen looks amazing, there’s not a whole lot going on under the surface. Personality wise, I think the author was going for a seemingly airheaded type of character that is actually very wise underneath it all and all the chaos that Karmen creates is all for some cosmic reason that we only figure out in the end. Typically I really like that type of character but I felt it wasn’t executed well in this story.
Overall I think more time could’ve been spent on the writing. I feel like it was almost good but it fell short. I probably will not continue with this series.
March 11, 2021
KARMEN #1, available Wednesday from Image Comics, dives into a dark and disturbing world, one that will raise twice as many questions as it seeks to answer. This is already proving to be a read not designed for the faint of heart.
Karmen #1 is the beginning of a five-issue miniseries written and illustrated by Guillem March (known for Catwoman, Batman, and Harley Quinn, among other series). This series is about an angel who at times may appear to be anything but.
They say that death is only the beginning. That may just be the case for Karmen, a skeletal looking angel with a strong and unique personality. She may not be what you picture, when you think of a shepherd, but that’s half the point, is it not?
This series is already proving to be dark and disturbing, one that isn’t afraid to show the more disturbing sides of humanity and pain. On that note, this is perhaps not an issue for everyone. (Spoiler/trigger warning) Karmen #1 depicts imagery of self-harm and suicide, and it is present often enough to make it impossible to skip over.
Check out the rest of my review over at Monkeys Fighting Robots
Karmen #1 is the beginning of a five-issue miniseries written and illustrated by Guillem March (known for Catwoman, Batman, and Harley Quinn, among other series). This series is about an angel who at times may appear to be anything but.
They say that death is only the beginning. That may just be the case for Karmen, a skeletal looking angel with a strong and unique personality. She may not be what you picture, when you think of a shepherd, but that’s half the point, is it not?
This series is already proving to be dark and disturbing, one that isn’t afraid to show the more disturbing sides of humanity and pain. On that note, this is perhaps not an issue for everyone. (Spoiler/trigger warning) Karmen #1 depicts imagery of self-harm and suicide, and it is present often enough to make it impossible to skip over.
Check out the rest of my review over at Monkeys Fighting Robots
September 10, 2025
I kind of went in blind with this graphic novel. I requested an ARC a while ago and kind of forgot about it until I received an e-mail thatI could read and review this.
First of all I love the art style, it made the story clear and easy to follow. I also enjoyed the the story, it wasn't hard to understand even though the graphic novel is not that long, I was eager to know how the story would end. I do hope in future editions there will be some more worldbuilding and explanation about Karmen as like, a sort of grim reaper. Now we see some of her colleagues but do miss some explanations about how things work. I hope to see more of that in next installments, as this particular book focuses mostly on 1 the story of Cata.
I really enjoyed it, it was an easy read and would definitely reccomend people trying this out.
First of all I love the art style, it made the story clear and easy to follow. I also enjoyed the the story, it wasn't hard to understand even though the graphic novel is not that long, I was eager to know how the story would end. I do hope in future editions there will be some more worldbuilding and explanation about Karmen as like, a sort of grim reaper. Now we see some of her colleagues but do miss some explanations about how things work. I hope to see more of that in next installments, as this particular book focuses mostly on 1 the story of Cata.
I really enjoyed it, it was an easy read and would definitely reccomend people trying this out.
September 11, 2025
“Karmen” di Guillem March è stata una scoperta straordinaria. Una storia che affronta con leggerezza e profondità temi pesanti come la morte, il suicidio e il senso di smarrimento nella vita, trasformandoli in un racconto poetico, visionario e sorprendentemente luminoso.
La figura della Morte – qui incarnata in un personaggio femminile affascinante, ironica e magnetica – è indimenticabile. La protagonista, così fragile e inadeguata nel vivere, trova proprio nell’incontro con lei lo spazio per uno dei dialoghi più belli che mi sia capitato di leggere sul tema delle seconde possibilità.
E poi ci sono i disegni: splendidi, fluidi, capaci di restituire allo stesso tempo la leggerezza dell’immaginazione e il peso dell’emozione. Ogni tavola è poesia visiva.
Un libro semplicemente bellissimo, che resta dentro e che merita di essere letto e riletto.
La figura della Morte – qui incarnata in un personaggio femminile affascinante, ironica e magnetica – è indimenticabile. La protagonista, così fragile e inadeguata nel vivere, trova proprio nell’incontro con lei lo spazio per uno dei dialoghi più belli che mi sia capitato di leggere sul tema delle seconde possibilità.
E poi ci sono i disegni: splendidi, fluidi, capaci di restituire allo stesso tempo la leggerezza dell’immaginazione e il peso dell’emozione. Ogni tavola è poesia visiva.
Un libro semplicemente bellissimo, che resta dentro e che merita di essere letto e riletto.
December 9, 2021
This was very interesting. I'm not sure if I got all of it, but I think that was purposeful and meant to slowly build that curiosity. The artwork was absolutely beautiful and I want to find out what will happen next. What is up with Karmen? Is this the true fate for Cata? I definitely want to read more and get to know these characters better.
August 26, 2025
Thanks to Image and to Netgalley for a copy of this arc
This book is truly beautiful.
Marches art style is one that in a comic book would convince me to read a title based on the cover alone and boy oh boy does this one deliver.
A short but hopeful tale that manages to in its relatively short page count really make you care for the characters.
It was so so so incredibly refreshing to have a naked female character that is so unsexualized that it feels like she’s not even naked at all
I’m going to have to do scour my local shops for more by the author
This book is truly beautiful.
Marches art style is one that in a comic book would convince me to read a title based on the cover alone and boy oh boy does this one deliver.
A short but hopeful tale that manages to in its relatively short page count really make you care for the characters.
It was so so so incredibly refreshing to have a naked female character that is so unsexualized that it feels like she’s not even naked at all
I’m going to have to do scour my local shops for more by the author
August 23, 2025
When Cata meets Karmen, she is forced to face the choices in her life. Karmen has to figure out if a soul can really be changed.
This was wonderful. The art was gorgeous. The story emotional. I really enjoyed it.
There were times where it felt really wordy and could have used some trimming to help keep it from feeling like it was droning on. I would have liked to learn more of the lore of Karmen and her coworkers and Karma Corp.
Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for the e-arc!
This was wonderful. The art was gorgeous. The story emotional. I really enjoyed it.
There were times where it felt really wordy and could have used some trimming to help keep it from feeling like it was droning on. I would have liked to learn more of the lore of Karmen and her coworkers and Karma Corp.
Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for the e-arc!
March 11, 2021
When it said "humor" in the description, I did NOT think our protagonist was going to slit her wrists and die. Alas, that is the start of Cata's story. It was dark and mildly funny, but it was surprisingly heartwarming as the Angel of Death comforts Cata while she's clueless as to what is happening. I wish I could read French so I could finish the whole story without having to wait.
June 3, 2022
Utterly brilliant, what a unique and refreshing take on death and the afterlife.
An in-depth story and tender story with beautiful artwork, I welled up while reading it, it was both thrilling, and compelling. It demonstrated how depression can take hold of a person in a really realistic way that most graphic novels skim over.
I loved every bit of it, especially the ending.
An in-depth story and tender story with beautiful artwork, I welled up while reading it, it was both thrilling, and compelling. It demonstrated how depression can take hold of a person in a really realistic way that most graphic novels skim over.
I loved every bit of it, especially the ending.
December 13, 2023
This isn’t my normal read, but it was still good nonetheless!
It’s a drama filled comic book about a super-natural being whose name is, you guessed it, Karmen.
I’m not sure what exactly the rest of the series will entail, but i loved the illustrations and the story line in this book. Look forward to reading more issues!
It’s a drama filled comic book about a super-natural being whose name is, you guessed it, Karmen.
I’m not sure what exactly the rest of the series will entail, but i loved the illustrations and the story line in this book. Look forward to reading more issues!
August 18, 2025
Cata is at the end of her life. Literally.
A woman with pink hair, dressed in a skeleton costume, appears in Cata’s apartment. Karmen is part of some ethereal organization of Karma Grim Reapers. Karma is real. Reincarnation is real. Can Cata change her karma before moving on?
#ThxNetGalley #GuillemMarch #Karmen
A woman with pink hair, dressed in a skeleton costume, appears in Cata’s apartment. Karmen is part of some ethereal organization of Karma Grim Reapers. Karma is real. Reincarnation is real. Can Cata change her karma before moving on?
#ThxNetGalley #GuillemMarch #Karmen
March 11, 2021
There is a lot to unpack with this first issue. Amazing artwork. The story though... I kept saying, "What the hell am I reading" once Karmen showed up. I am going to continue this because I like weird.
May 15, 2021
4.5
Very strong and very dark. I’m loving the story thus far and the art is gorgeous. Some of the writing is a tad awkward, which in all honestly might be a translation thing, but Karmen’s creeping dread and macabre visuals all really work.
Very strong and very dark. I’m loving the story thus far and the art is gorgeous. Some of the writing is a tad awkward, which in all honestly might be a translation thing, but Karmen’s creeping dread and macabre visuals all really work.
June 19, 2025
I was completely caught up in the style — it stuck with me long after finishing. The weirdness made it all the more fascinating.
Definitely recommend if you want something different that stays in your mind!
Definitely recommend if you want something different that stays in your mind!
August 31, 2025
***ARC from NetGalley***
Karmen is an angel that assists the recently deceased in the moments immediately following their passing before they transition to the afterlife and whatever comes for their next phase.
Catalina ("Cata"), is a young woman in Spain who is in distress and takes matters into her own hands. Karmen is there and rather than immediately transitioning her, lets Cata "explore" the city. During this time she sees the people in her life that she has isolated herself from.
I will not ruin the story, but this is an unflinching portrayal of the devastation that someone's passing has on those left behind.
The artwork is in turns, bold, graphic, and whimsical.
After I finished my read, I was rendered speechless, but in a good way. I found myself reflecting on my relationships with family and friends and vowing to be more present. In other words, to do better.
Karmen is an angel that assists the recently deceased in the moments immediately following their passing before they transition to the afterlife and whatever comes for their next phase.
Catalina ("Cata"), is a young woman in Spain who is in distress and takes matters into her own hands. Karmen is there and rather than immediately transitioning her, lets Cata "explore" the city. During this time she sees the people in her life that she has isolated herself from.
I will not ruin the story, but this is an unflinching portrayal of the devastation that someone's passing has on those left behind.
The artwork is in turns, bold, graphic, and whimsical.
After I finished my read, I was rendered speechless, but in a good way. I found myself reflecting on my relationships with family and friends and vowing to be more present. In other words, to do better.
October 15, 2025
I mean the art's stunning and it's fun and intriguing but I just feel like the dialogue was a bit iffy sometimes, idk, I liked it but don't think i'd continue the series. But then again I do really like the art style so I might.
Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for the ARC!
Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for the ARC!
March 14, 2021
Weird, twisted and captivating. Loved the art
March 22, 2021
Not great, not bad. I’m not a fan of the artwork.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews