A traditional adventure/rescue plotline doesn’t make this volume anything outstanding, but it does make for an entertaining read.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: James Patterson and NaRae Lee
What They Say
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the “flock”–Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel–are just like ordinary kids–only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time…like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of wack jobs. Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare–this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb–now her betrayed and greatest enemy–that her purpose is save the world–but can she?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Fourteen-year-old Max and her “family,” a ragtag group of five other kids, are remarkably different from other children their age. They live in a cabin in the mountains, don‘t have any parents, don’t go to school, and have wings on their backs that are the result of (obviously) bizarre scientific experiments carried out by people of (obviously) questionable morals in (obviously) evil laboratories. But then again, all labs and genetic experiments are evil (obviously), so there’s no shocker there. Although the six winged individuals had managed to escape from “The School,” as the institution was called, the people who worked there are intent on getting them back. When muscle-bound “Erasers” show up and kidnap the young Angel, who can coincidentally read minds, Max and the rest of the family are determined to get her back no matter what it takes.
With that, Max sets out with Nudge and Fang to California, leaving the young Gazzy and blind Iggy behind at the cabin. Things never go as smoothly as they hope, though, as Max insists on involving herself in a fight on the ground that results in her being shot, and Gazzy and Iggy decide that they won’t be left behind while their siblings rescue Angel. These things do work out, as Max is rescued by the person she helped save–the daughter of a veterinarian–and Iggy and Gazzy manage to catch up with the group and provide some help along the way. But as is always the case, the reprise is only temporary, as the three “capable” siblings–Fang, Max, and Nudge–find themselves captured and brought to The School, where even more secrets are revealed.
In Summary:
Not having read the original Maximum Ride novels, I can’t make much of a comment as to its faithfulness to the original material, or how outraged fans of the series will have a right to be. However, as a stand-alone read, this first volume makes out well. The main characters are mostly engaging, the plot has a clear, if over-used, direction of rescuing a family member, and the art is interesting. Yes, there are some snags that seem to be the fault of the source material, such as the fairly blatant good/evil dichotomy that occurs throughout most of the first volume and the very nearly in medias res opening. Everything also works out just a little too easily for the kids; any problem they have is fixed by the appearance of kind veterinarians and fast food dumpsters. However, the plot twist on the last page is all that truly hindered my enjoyment of this first volume. The characters and their sweet, familial interactions override all but a few of these plot hiccups, and I’m very interested in seeing how they’re going to develop throughout the rest of the series.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: January 27th, 2009
MSRP: $10.99
