Virtually Yours

Virtually Yours is the 2022 romance comic by Jeremy Holt. It is most appropriate to review this comic on Valentine's Day. This edition collects all 5 releases of the Comixology Original comic. Written by Jeremy Holt and illustrated by Elizabeth Beals the story grew from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic shut-down and the increased prevalence of the digital age. It's a story written with the young generation in mind.

The publisher's summary:

Welcome to Virtually Yours, a virtual dating app that provides all the proof of being in a relationship without actually being in one.

With her career front of mind, Eva Estrella joins Virtually Yours, after a nudge from her sister, to alleviate some family pressure as she continues to look for her dream job in journalism. While Max Kittridge, a former child star in the middle of a divorce, takes a gig at Virtually Yours servicing multiple clients as a fake boyfriend. As they navigate their current circumstances, both Eva and Max find that sometimes what you're looking for is right in front of you.

Virtually Yours is a rom-com for the digital age from writer Jeremy Holt and artist Elizabeth Beals. This exciting new collaboration includes letterer Adam Wollet, book designer Tim Daniel, and editor Kat Vendetti. Together, they present a refreshing take on a beloved genre that will appeal to anyone familiar with love in the time of the internet.

The story is a fun read. It is fast paced with colorful artwork done in traditional comic strip panels. One thing I love about the artwork is the chubby Eva and her thick thighs. Yes, I too have chubby thighs but it is rare to see woman portrayed in true size in the comic world. I also think the portrayal of African American men with modern hair styles is sublime. In addition, purple is one of my favorite colors so the color palette instantly attracted me to the book. 

As I stated above, Virtually Yours is a light-hearted fun read. The digital dating aspect of the plot brings modernity to the romance genre. It was amazing to watch the characters Eva and Max figure out what their feeling were for each other. Eva is an open book. What you see is what you get. She is bubbly to a fault but with a sarcastic point of view. Max, on the other hand, is reserved and quiet. These two opposites attract big time.

I enjoyed reading the comic so much that I wish the story was longer. Perhaps a sequel should be written. It would be fascinating to see how Eva and Max's relationship unfolds. Then maybe a wedding sequel? Jeremy Holt please take note.

5 out of 5 stars.

Virtually Yours

Virtually Yours is the 2022 romance comic by Jeremy Holt. It is most appropriate to review this comic on Valentine's Day. This edition collects all 5 releases of the Comixology Original comic. Written by Jeremy Holt and illustrated by Elizabeth Beals the story grew from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic shut-down and the increased prevalence of the digital age. It's a story written with the young generation in mind.

The publisher's summary:

Welcome to Virtually Yours, a virtual dating app that provides all the proof of being in a relationship without actually being in one.

With her career front of mind, Eva Estrella joins Virtually Yours, after a nudge from her sister, to alleviate some family pressure as she continues to look for her dream job in journalism. While Max Kittridge, a former child star in the middle of a divorce, takes a gig at Virtually Yours servicing multiple clients as a fake boyfriend. As they navigate their current circumstances, both Eva and Max find that sometimes what you're looking for is right in front of you.

Virtually Yours is a rom-com for the digital age from writer Jeremy Holt and artist Elizabeth Beals. This exciting new collaboration includes letterer Adam Wollet, book designer Tim Daniel, and editor Kat Vendetti. Together, they present a refreshing take on a beloved genre that will appeal to anyone familiar with love in the time of the internet.

The story is a fun read. It is fast paced with colorful artwork done in traditional comic strip panels. One thing I love about the artwork is the chubby Eva and her thick thighs. Yes, I too have chubby thighs but it is rare to see woman portrayed in true size in the comic world. I also think the portrayal of African American men with modern hair styles is sublime. In addition, purple is one of my favorite colors so the color palette instantly attracted me to the book. 

As I stated above, Virtually Yours is a light-hearted fun read. The digital dating aspect of the plot brings modernity to the romance genre. It was amazing to watch the characters Eva and Max figure out what their feeling were for each other. Eva is an open book. What you see is what you get. She is bubbly to a fault but with a sarcastic point of view. Max, on the other hand, is reserved and quiet. These two opposites attract big time.

I enjoyed reading the comic so much that I wish the story was longer. Perhaps a sequel should be written. It would be fascinating to see how Eva and Max's relationship unfolds. Then maybe a wedding sequel? Jeremy Holt please take note.

5 out of 5 stars. 

The Whisper War #1

The first installment of The Whisper War was published a few days ago on February 10, 2026. It's a Comixology Original comic that's both a sci-fi thriller and a murder mystery all in one. The story takes place in the planet Imprimata's capital city Apperax. Axel Jindari is a retired detective but was chosen by the Carabinieri's algorithm to return and lead the investigation. The Carabinieri have a saying that "even when you're out, you're never really out," and can be recalled at any time. From the start there's no body as the victim fell 18,000 tremin from a cloudbreaker. He or she is paste. It looks like a suicide but law enforcement believes the victim was pushed.

The first installment does a good job of introducing the story as well as the characters. Axel is a well-built man who left law enforcement for an orbital job. He doesn't work on the planet any more but rather in its orbit. While Axel tries to get out of taking the job, once he realizes the futility of it all he immediately gets to work. Inspector Seeva Dessin is an attractive lady who was sent by her bosses to bring Axel to the Carabinieri offices in Apperax. I see a possible romance between the two but we will have to wait for the release of Part 2 on March 10, 2026.

5 out of 5 stars.

Outer Lands

With the Winter Olympics on TV 24/7 I am behind in my reading plan for February. It's hard to turn the TV off. However, I thought I would review a few comics to at least post something on the blog. Outer Lands is my first comic review of the month. It was published in August 2025 by Darkling Entertainment. It's a Comixology Original comic with 125 pages of gorgeous graphics from Davide Gianfelice and a riveting story by Matthew Arnold. Colorist Luca Salce and Letterer Ed Dukeshire complete the artistic components.

The publisher's summary was rather simplistic for this complex plot: "When a young prince living in an Ancient Grecian world is exiled to a prison isle to keep him from assuming the throne, he unintentionally discovers a massive global conspiracy in this science-fiction fantasy mash-up."

There is much more to the story though. It begins as a historical fiction story set in ancient Greece and quickly moves into a post-apocalyptic thriller. The main character is Prince Heron who has just inherited the throne. Men working with his sister kidnap him and sell him into slavery. Sister Isadora then seizes his throne for herself. While Heron is in prison, he uncovers a global conspiracy concerning the lost city Atlantis. The world has been taught that the Atlanteans were a cruel warmongering people who enjoyed killing. However, this was not true. Heron and a few others read in forbidden books that they were peace-loving people. Heron is later lucky to escape his prison and sets out to find Atlantis. The narrative later explores themes of AI and the fear of nuclear war.

The plot was thrilling and the characters memorable. Heron is quite sympathetic because he lost his throne and quickly accepts his fate. Isadora is an intense villainess intent on keeping her brother far away from Greece. It's the only way she can maintain a hold on her crown. The Greek people are not happy with her though and there are frequent protests.

Parents, the story has no foul language nor are there sexy drawings. It's acceptable for children. I thoroughly enjoyed Outer Lands and highly recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Red Mother

The Red Mother Volume 1 is a fantastic comic psychological horror story by Jeremy Haun. In Volume 1 Daisy McDonough loses one eye and the man she loves in a brutal mugging. As she tries to put the pieces of her life back together, Daisy gets a glass eye to match the other.  Just when she begins to think she can move on, she begins to see strange things through her new prosthetic eye. Daisy sees everything in red in the prosthetic eye. Her doctor says she has Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) is a condition that causes vivid, complex visual hallucinations in people who have lost significant vision, where the brain creates images to fill the visual void, similar to phantom limb pain. These hallucinations are purely visual (no sounds/smells), the person knows they aren't real, and they typically involve patterns, people, or landscapes, lessening over time as the brain adapts, though no specific cure exists.

Daisy is a puzzle designer but she hasn't worked in months because of the accident. She receives a puzzle in the shape of a heart by delivery and easily solves the puzzle. The name and phone number in the puzzle refers her to Leland Black. After meeting him Daisy has another red hallucination. Something strange then happened. She was asked by a passerby if she had seen the red mother. This is where the story ended. I wish I had picked up the next Volume because this cliff hanger was intense. 

I liked all of the characters. Daisy is very sympathetic. The drawings of her show how much pain she had to endure. They also show her going to endless doctor appointments. Her life was on hiatus as she recovered from her injuries. I liked that her career was as a puzzle maker. It's an interesting field and I am looking forward to reading more about it in future installments of the series. Daisy's best friend Pari is supportive, always trying to get Daisy to go out for dinner or even business meetings. They work together in a puzzle business. Pari is very likable. Daisy's boyfriend Luke was not featured much. Daisy was told that he was lost after the mugging.

Volume 1 is a fun start to the Red Mother series. It is a clean story, no sex or foul language. 5 out of 5 stars.

The High Desert

I selected this graphic novel because it has won several awards.The book won the 2022 ALA Alex Award and the 2023 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Print Comics. In addition, it was one of The Washington Post's 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2022, one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2022 and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2022.  I had high expectations for it. However, I did not like it much. 

High Desert is a coming-of-age graphic memoir by the creator of Afro-punk, James Spooner.
We read about him as a teenaged African American boy who has to deal with identity, racism, 
teen love and belonging in the isolated California desert that he lived in with his white single 
mother. James searches for community by being punk. James thinks going to a new high school will bring him new friends but he finds that he is just one out of 15 African American students at the school. The African 
Americans are gangbangers while the white students are racist. Some are skinheads. James 
doesn't know where he fits until he meets Ty, a young black punk who introduces him to the 
school outsiders, skaters and unhappy young rebels caught up in the punk groundswell 
sweeping the country. His life changes with a new punk haircut and becoming a bass player 
in a band. 

I did not understand the slang. After looking up several pages worth of slang I gave up. The 
story was actually judge dialogue between James and his fellow students at various moments 
in school. There was no plot. I felt sorry for James, though. He had a rough adjustment to his 
new community and didn't feel his mother understood him. I read several reviews of this book
and all were positive. These reviewers had the same life experiences as James. While I didn't
like the book I would definitely recommend it for my friends' kids who might be feeling just 
like James.