Faith #1  is the start of the ongoing series featuring the exuberant superhero as she strives to balance her personal life with her responsibilities as a superhero. This issue opens up with Faith reflecting on her decision to become a superhero and how her origin story is different from the superheros she grew up reading. Even though she lost her parents at an early age that wasn’t what drove her to become one. When her powers were unlocked by Peter Stanchek she saved the world with her team called the Renegades but they all went their separate ways. Her stint with Unity showed her even more about herself. And so she moved to Los Angeles and was not only able to stop the plans of an alien cult but did so with the help of Archer, her new love interest. However, her secret identity was also exposed to her coworkers, and despite them being cool with it, it could still put her and them in jeopardy should a villain learn of that. Can Faith truly find the balance she seeks as a superhero with a secret identity or will she be forced to choose between one time and again?

Initially I wondered if I opened the correct issue until I realized it was just giving a recap to start and not covering the same events. I appreciated this because it made it easier to delve back into the overall story considering this was the first issue. So the transition to Faith playing Mythos & Mayhem with her friends was smooth and a great way to show her personality while addressing the issue of her trying to find a balance with her secret identity. The fact that her coworker’s girlfriend seemed to know her true identity (and offered to make a new costume) gave Faith a lot to contemplate. And there were a couple of legit laugh out loud moments when Faith mentioned how to deal with trolls and later when having a dream about her identity being tweeted. It was a pretty fun read just based on her current situation even before a story arc with villains was introduced.

SUMMARY

Faith #1 is an excellent start to the series and lays the groundwork for great character development and intriguing story lines based on Faith’s unique personality and situation in the Valiant Universe. Jody Houser’s writing makes every situation enjoyable to read whether it’s Faith spending time with her friends or stopping a burglar with a unique weapon. There isn’t much action in this issue but since this is an ongoing series there’s plenty of time for that down the line. I’m glad that what made the miniseries exciting to read is back and better than ever.

Release Date: 7/20/16
Writer: Jody Houser
Artist: Pere Perez, Marguerite Sauvage