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REVIEW: Everglade Angels #1
Book Title: Everglade Angels #1
Book Description: Everglade Angels is a period piece about a high school girls softball team in Northern Florida in the late 1990’s. The team which shares a name with the title has just won the regional championship and is advancing to the state finals in Miami.
The mother of one of the players (and team coach) is allowing the seniors on the team to drive down by themselves for one last hurrah together before everyone scatters after graduation.
Along the way the girls stop for gas at a filling station near the Florida Everglades. The gas station attendant and one of the girls start flirting with one another. Before you can say home run he’s inviting the girls to a party. He’s promising “it’s gonna be a night to remember”.
Grace wants to go for one last night of fun with the girls. Gemma knows who Grace is really thinking about having fun with. Reluctantly Gemma agrees that the girls can go. Her logic as team captain is let everyone have fun for the evening so they’re focused come game time.
The girls’ van ends up getting stuck in the mud in the swamp on the way to the party. Lucky for them it’s a short distance to the house they’re going to. The house looks deserted though.
Gemma’s logic is that raves are supposed to be secret, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. What is a surprise is when the door opens there is an ominous looking man wearing a gas mask. When Gemma tries to flee, more men with masks appear and kidnap her.
The other girls get out of the van to try to help. Lacey turns one man’s ribs into a mosaic with her softball bat. She’s about to take on the next challenger when she steps in a bear trap.
Grace finds Gemma’s phone and calls the police. By the time the police officer arrives the men have left with Gemma. The officer is more focused on Gemma’s “sport drinks” than trying to help the girls. The issue wraps up with Grace glancing in the back of the officer’s patrol car and seeing a gas mask.
Book Author: Scott Lobdell and Blake Northcott
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Orgnization: Scout Comics
Publisher Logo:
Illustrator: John Upchurch
- Story(2.75)
- Interior Art(3)
- Cover Art(3.25)
- Dialogue(3.75)
- Mechanics(3.5)
- Editing(3.25)
Summary
Everglade Angels was published in June of 2020 by Scout Comics. It didn’t make it onto my radar until I saw it in an online auction. I never saw it at my local comic book store. It was listed at a reasonable price in the auction so I took a curiosity voyage.
As a former catcher, I absolutely loved Lacey’s interaction with the batter. Almost anything is fair game when you’re trying to get in someone’s head. Our girl took that to the extreme.
In places, Everglade Angels reads like a slasher story and is a little bit predictable. With that being said, it has a very well-told opening for a slasher story. The character development with the girls is outstanding. Each of them has unique traits and personalities that the reader gets to know.
I found the cover to be very intriguing. The red in Portia’s top really makes her stand out. Depicting her atop the pile of gas masks makes someone want to know what is happening in this book.
The interior artwork is very solid. I really liked how well Mr. Upchurch did the various facial expressions the girls had.
As a geek on a budget, I’m all in on Everglade Angels, if you can find it. It’s a fun read that’s easy to fall into. I know I’ll be on the lookout for the remainder of the series!
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