VIOLET AND THE TRIAL OF TRAUMA

A young witch trains to become an agent of the Underworld Intelligence Agency.

Long ago, Greek gods divided the world into three realms, and Hades, after being assigned the Underworld, created an agency to unite immortals with mortals who possess special gifts to maintain order around the world. Violet is one of the agency’s new students, a Ukrainian witch whose parents were horrifically killed in front of her by a powerful necromancer when she was a young child. Now, as a 19-year-old Dark Agent–in-training, Violet and her fellow recruits learn how to use their powers, engage in the art of combat, and, most importantly, understand their emotions. Scarlet draws from her experience as a psychologist to offer this self-help graphic fantasy that blends Greek mythology and education with a strong focus on the principles of mindfulness. Violet’s PTSD and the other recruits’ mental health struggles are addressed head-on and compassionately explored as the most meaningful lessons in their training. Alvendia uses simple panel layouts with uncluttered backgrounds which allow the characters and their emotions to take center stage. His vividly drawn, cartoonlike style is heavy on blacks and grays with splashes of bright color. While the focus is on the psychological background of the characters, the worldbuilding is fun, fast-paced, and engaging. Violet is white, and there is diversity in the rest of the cast.

Thoughtful, fun, and educative.