Leave It To Chance Vol. 1: Shaman's Rain [Hardcover]

James Robinson (Author), Paul Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Leave It to Chance (Graphic Novels)

Chance Falconer has the occult in her blood. Her father is the defender of the Devil's Echo, an amazing city where the supernatural is an everyday occurrence. Now Chance's training begins.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like the Nancy Drew mysteries that inspired it, Robinson's newest work is a paean to the resourcefulness and spirit of a curious tomboyish type who's addicted to adventure. Chance Falconer is a 14-year-old only child born into a family of municipal sorcerers that has protected the city of Devil's Echo for centuries. Chance can't wait to start training in the family business, but her father decides he doesn't want a girl joining the family's dangerous profession. Predictably, it's not long before she stumbles onto a dead body and a kidnapping in progress, and soon enough she's got a full-fledged mystery on her hands. Devil's Echo is the kind of town where the mayor has to worry about evil spells and goblins in the sewers in addition to urban blight. Chance and her pint-sized flying dragon sidekick discover a plot to influence the mayoral election in Devil's Echo, but by the end of this rip-snorting supernatural adventure, she's uncovered an even bigger scheme to destroy both the town and her father. This is a girl power comic written with a younger audience in mind. The smartest cops are female, the violence is G-rated and the story is fast-paced, brightly colored and as wholesome as it gets. Published in an oversized hardcover edition that aims at recapturing the charm of comics adventure classics such as Tintin, the book's dynamic illustrations and its multicultural cast of characters make it an ideal storybook.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

James Robinson came to America from the cold, gray climes of England. He stumbled into comic books like a drunken sailor and among his many works, most notable are the Golden Age, Firearm, Wild C.A.T.s, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, 67 Seconds, London’s Dark, Bluebeard and Illegal Alien. He currently writes for DC Comics and the ongoing adventures of Leave It To Chance.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Image Comics (June 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582402531
• ISBN-13: 978-1582402536
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An Englishman residing in San Francisco, I am a writer of comic books and graphic novels. And a couple of films. My most noted comics work is Starman for DC Comics, currently being collected in the New York Times best selling series of six Starman Omnibuses.

In my spare time I tend to waste it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss one of the best cmx out there, September 24, 2004

By 

T. Taylor (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leave It To Chance Vol. 1: Shaman's Rain (Hardcover)

Winner of the 'Harvey' and two 'Eisners', "Leave it to Chance" is bar none my favorite children's comic book.

Robinson says it best in his introduction: "I get the idea for Chance in one of those white light, God-sent moments. Combine Nancy Drew with Kolchak the Night Stalker. Make it exciting enough for boys as well as girls. Have a cool supporting cast. Have a character all ages, young and old, will enjoy but which girls post-Archie and pre-Vertigo can maybe get into instead of drifting away and leaving the comic books to their brothers."

I have nothing against the "Go-Girl" comix, but she's too Saccharine for me. "Go-Girl" is the comix you buy because it's PG and for 'good girls'. Leave it to Chance is the comix you get for your child because you want to sneak it out of their room at night and argue with your husband about who gets to read it first.

The story is gripping, art is great, the good guys/ gals are cool and the bad guys/ gals are baaaaaad with a capital smirk. Add to that the city, Devil's Echo, rife with occult power, and you've got one great comic collection to read during banned book month.

My daughter used to say, "I want to be a doctor and drive a Saab." Now she says, "I want to be just like Chance and fight bad guys with a pet dragon and a flashlight!"

A definite improvement, IMHO.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comic to give people who don't read comics, February 15, 2005

By 

Nolan J. Werner "Writer" (Chicago, Ill.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leave It To Chance Vol. 1: Shaman's Rain (Hardcover)

I made a list of comics to give people who don't read comics to get them to read comics.

If you like Harry Potter then definately take a look at this one. James and Paul really outdid themselves this time (and saying that they did The Golden Age, that's saying a lot).