Not much of a story here and what is ultimately happening seems like a bunch of nonsense. Everyone just bumbles around with no answers until the very end everything is revealed without any detective work. The large amounts of Swahili drove me nuts because of the lack of translations. Nothing like an illustrated page of 2 people talking that you can't read. The art reminded me of Chris Sprouse.

Jerome K Jerome Bloche - Aina: an okay comic with a confusing name...

Another comic produced through Europe Comics, creator Alain Dodier’s Aina is a little confusing for a new reader.. but not bad confusing... Perspective based on a review copy supplied by the publisher

Aina is one issue in an ongoing series about Jerome K. Jerome Bloche, detective. Yes he has the name Jerome twice

In this graphic novel, Bloche and friends are searching for a woman named Aina who escapes an SUV street side and is chased by a bizarre cast of characters claiming to be her employer/bodyguard/fiance. Aina speaks no English (or French as this is a translated comic). Aina is experiencing some health issues and the people searching for her are just exasperating her difficulties. Bloche must determine the real story that is driving Aina’s problems and keep her safe.

Having no prior experience with him, I felt Bloche was a bit of a white bread sandwich. He is a detective and mooches rides off his friends. He wears a goofy detective ‘costume’ (hat, trench coat, and white sneakers) which make him feel a bit less capable of the job than I am sure he is intended

To be 100% upfront, I spent the first quarter if the book thinking Bloche was the author’s name and that this goofy detective guy was a secondary character. I was enthusiastic for Padre Arthur, the fisticuffs priest who fights off henchman Pacifico and takes Aina in from the cold. Through the novel, Padre Arthur shows his face on 31 pages, where JKJ Bloche shows his mug on 32. Arguably, this could be called ‘Padre Arthur: Aina’

Regardless, a nice Archie-esque storyline with pleasing characters and artistry to match!

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Disclosure - This review is based off a copy of the media supplied by the Publisher/Author for review purposes.

This was a nice little detective story with a surprisingly happy ending - especially for a story that starts out with such sinister overtones. Some of the text is in Swahili, which is really interesting - I just wish that the author had also provided some translations for the Swahili, as it was sometimes a bit confusing. I also would have liked a bit more background information about the setting and the detective at the story's heart. The art is very nice.

3 stars
A girl leaps out of a car in a soggy Paris street and runs away from the people in the car. This is the opening to Aina. A good setup for a suspense, but unfortunately as the story unfolds it ends up being fairly predictable.
The friendship between Jerome, Babette and the Arthur offset some of this predictability. Very sweet tale in the end. Additionally, the artwork for the story is very well done.
Overall, a good, light read.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Europe Comics, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Good artwork and an interesting storyline, this graphic novel follow a young girl, Aika, who only speaks Swahili who seeks sanctuary in a church. the exact nature of what she is running from is not clear but the urgency and action lead to an exciting journey with a happy if rushed ending.

This was cute, but I was hoping for something more adult, instead it felt like a Tin-Tin wannabe.

An installment of the Jerome K. Jerome Bloche series, Aika is a winner. A young girl, speaking Swahili, but no English, seeks sanctuary in a church. On the run from a "driver" and her "mistress", the exact nature of the danger the girl seeks to escape unfolds throughout the story. Drawn with lots of action and urgency, the story is an exciting ride with a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eCopy of this graphic novel in return for an unbiased review. I enjoyed this little, translated work which is based around the mystery of a girl who speaks no English seemingly wanting to escape from those she lives with, and these individuals seem to have a dark side to them. Why else would she seem so distressed? I think the drawing style is really nice and I like the way the plot develops. It did seem a little rushed at the end, but overall I did like the novel and I definitely want to look into the rest of the series. Something fun, not too heavy and quick to read.

'Jérôme K. Jérôme Bloche - Volume 25 - Aina' with script and art by Dodier is my first introduction to this series, but I had no problem diving right in. It reminded me a bit of the Tintin stories I've read, but with enough new twists that I liked.

A young girl named Aina makes an escape from a car. She seeks refuge in a church from Father Arthur. Jerome Bloche is called in on the case to help the girl who doesn't speak English. They find some twists and turns along the way, and not everything is as it seems.

I really liked this group of characters and how they interact in their neighborhood. From the shopkeepers that originally call Jerome to Jerome's best girl, Babette, to Father Arthur, who has a background in boxing. I also liked how the plot wasn't as straightforward as I initially thought. I really liked the art. It's got a great look and style and it's so perfect for this story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This book was just ok for me. I liked parts of it, whilst others felt a little less engaging. I think I would have preferred it if the story was a little more fleshed out because the base storyline, had me so interested but there just wasn't enough of it to get me truly invested. I've read so many amazing graphic novels, but this one left me a little disappointed.

Hmmm... I'm guessing that, seeing as this is the 25th book in this series, the creative team behind them have kind of run out of ideas. What we have is a sort of modern-day Tintin-with-adults, as a girl flees a nasty bunch of older people, who seem like slave-owners, or something. The makers try to get Paris to be a multi-cultural city (although one that is practically empty of inhabitants when it rains...) but they really use short-hand with the slightly oddball detective, his girlfriend, and in fact everyone who populates these pages. I found a smidgen of racist ideas here ("ooh, sorry, guv, girls where I come from are feisty things, don't'cha know, lord strike a light", to paraphrase), the switch such as it is in the narrative didn't really convince, and I found the whole thing underwhelming. It's not horrendous, or unreadable, but it sure is disposable.

Love it. Loved the writing style, sorry line, the illustrating was exceptional too. I read it in one sitting, bravo!

A young African woman who speaks only Swahili runs away from her "boss" through the streets of Paris, where she is given sanctuary by a priest, who calls on his friend, P.I. Jerome Bloche to help figure out why the girl is running and who it is that is looking for her.