Diversity & Female Boxing in Her Impact!

Her Impact! 

(Comics 2017)

I was requested to review this manga-inspired comic called Her Impact!. Before I talk about the content, I would like to mention the team that put this project together:

• Writer – Mikel Miles
• Manga Artist – Digitkame
• Art – Sukma Agustriyana
• Character Designers – Joe Sketch & Deo Keo (Mazu)
• Editor – Lavender Khan, Mirror & Skedaddle

Synopsis:

Although there wasn’t much of a story so far, it is centered on a 28-year-old law firm worker named Sadie Hiroshi. She is the daughter of a late professional boxer. Sadie feels a bit bored with her job and lifestyle and the only true joy she has is her son, Aiden. One day, a kid handed out a flyer to her in hopes that she would be interested in joining their boxing gym as it is promoting female boxers. Sadie decides to go check it out only to find her father’s image in the gym.

Issue #0 is just a snippet as to what the comic will developed into but as a reader, I wasn’t fully sure what foundation the creators are shaping this story to be. I could only do some guesswork as to what the overarching story will be: Sadie Hiroshi is following her father’s footsteps in becoming a professional boxer and win some championship titles. There wasn’t enough of an overarching plot to go off of but I’m sure as more issues are published the story will unfold.

Characters:

One thing I really appreciate about this comic is it’s all about diversity and presenting minorities. Sadie Hiroshi is of African-Japanese descent—you already see that she is representing bi-racial individuals and women in a male dominating sport, boxing. In addition, we do not know if her son’s father is in the picture or if she’s raising him as a single mom. There are some potential social conflicts that Sadie may experience on her journey which I most look forward to.

Sadie is the most prominent character that is introduced in this issue but we also learn some information about her son and father as well as the kid on the street. I’m sure we will know more about them in the upcoming issues.

Art & Design:

As I said before, Her Impact! is manga-inspired. We see the characters are drawn in a manga-like style. However, you also see how it is influenced by American comic books as well due to the fact that we see how comic panels on each page dictate how we read. There doesn’t seem to be much of a manga panel style where panels bleed into one another. I actually look forward to seeing if the creators will play on this aesthetic later on in the issues.

Themes & Topics:

Although I only read one issue of this comic, I already see some major themes and topics being developed into this story. Themes such as personal struggles as a member in society and as an individual, social injustice as a female bi-racial boxer, the importance of family as a support system, and the desire of following one’s legacy and dreams. There’s a lot of potential in this comic when it comes to storylines and character development.

Suggestions:

I wish for a character introduction page like in the typical manga. As a reader, I was introduced to new characters but the name of a character wasn’t given right off the bat. It would be great to have that in the next issue, so readers will get familiar with the characters.

Lastly, it would be great to have this comic up on a webtoon platform. It would reach a bigger audience and it has a unique standpoint that I’m sure others would be interested in. 🙂

Overall:

I’m not a fan of boxing and the only boxer I watch is Manny Pacquiao. And so, I was a bit skeptic as to whether or not I would like this comic since I’m not interested in that sport. However, the unique perspective of this comic caught my attention and interest! 🙂

5/5

If you would like more information about this comic, check out their Twitter page, @herimpact1 and the writer, Mikel Miles, @Mosthated81.

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