This actually took me a while to get around to reviewing and with the first issue I kind of regretted waiting so long. I was really impressed by the concept; I mean finally a diverse group of characters and wait, what? Female leads too and relationships that deviate from heteronormativity. After reading and reviewing so many comics with all white male casts, even well accepted comics start to feel redundant. So, I admit I was feeling a little disenchanted and then I started reading the first issue of NeverMinds. To begin, NeverMinds is a story about three unique women that offer security through a special operations organization. So let me introduce our badass ladies; First, Samanya who is a fire element and can manipulate molten rock, next is Nina who uses teleportation to locate and secure personnel, and finally Alanis that uses her telepathy to get in the minds of an attacker.  The first issue takes the reader on a mission that goes a bit awry when an attacker seems to be unaffected by Alanis’s power. There is this really beautiful and whimsical scene of Alanis entering an alternate dimension known as the Abyss. As the series goes on, the origins of Abyss unfolds but I’ll get to that.

[TW: Sexual Violence] So the first issue had a good start and I was really looking forward to reading the second but honestly it was pretty disappointing. I was clenching my jaw trying to articulate my rage while reading. It’s just cringe worthy.  I’m really fucking tired of writers victimizing females with sexual assault in their stories. Seriously, just stop.  Stop using it as a tool to weaken or strengthen characters and profiting off rape culture.  It’s doesn’t make for a good plot, it’s not creative, and you’re really fucking ruining your story, Rich Bernatovech. I try as a rule of thumb to not drop the F bomb more than once in a review but in this case I think it really gets across my fury.

By the time I got to the third issue, I was just done with the series but there are some redeemable moments; however, I don’t think that makes the second issue permissible and by this point I’ve been pretty much turned off by the series. I would just suggest to completely skip the second issue and move on to the third. You don’t need to really read it to understand the plot. Anyways, there is an interesting circle of betrayal going on involving the founder of the NeverMinds organization who is also the father of Alanis. Nina and Samanya have some really touching moments and Alanis is trapped in the Abyss but finds the source of her power there. I’m not sure if I would continue reading the series, maybe I’ll let someone else just tell me what happens because it’s not worth five bucks.

The artwork by Jamie Fay is definitely noteworthy and gives an X-Men vibe. In the scenes of the Abyss, Fay brilliantly illuminates an alternate dimension with strange creatures and evolving guardians. Even with my outright rage with the story, Fay’s work should be set apart and applauded.

Score: 2/5

Writer: Rich Bernatovech Artist: Jamie Fay Publisher: Drumfish Productions Price: $ 5.00 Website