Love everlasting vol 1 by tom king

Illustrated by Elsa Charretier
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Joan Peterson has been in love so many times, in so many lifetimes, and in so many different eras, but none of them work out the way they should. There’s always something slightly wrong about the man proposing marriage - he was her sister’s boyfriend, or she wants to travel the world, or he wants a life totally different than what she wants. She’s also being dogged by a cowboy who always shows up at the worst possible time, and then she’s thrown into a different time, different life, with a different beau. Just when she hoped to get answers as to why she's being put in this perpetual trauma, she's whisked away once more into another life.

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This is a really interesting journey through the ages, but readers shouldn't expect to get a whole lot of insight as to what's happening with Joan. Instead, King spends a lot of time building up the characters in each of the time periods, but I suspect Joan won't be coming back to the same place twice, so some of these stories, while engrossing and heartbreaking, are over and done with. Volume one leaves off on a terrible cliffhanger with absolutely no answers as to what’s going on with Joan, so readers will still be on the hook for the next installment.

Charretier's illustrations are really fantastic. The overall style has a very retro feel to it, but she incorporates elements to fit each era - when Joan is in the Wild West, everything is a little sepia toned. Charretier has a very different style from a lot of what is out in comics presently, so readers who have an eye for illustrations will most likely get into this title.
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This is definitely for a more mature reader who will be willing to stick with the repetitive storyline and suss out the mystery. There are quite a few f-bombs, and lots of drinking and smoking cigarettes.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12

Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781534324640 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Romance, Action Adventure, Mystery, ​Image Comics