This is the first book of the Delilah Dirk series. For some reason to me, it seemed it was very focus on establishing the world that we’re in more than on tons of character development. I wish there was more exploration in Delilah’s character besides all her adventures. But I get the sense, she’s suppose to leave that mystery to reveal more about her past as this series progresses.

There’s more of a focus on her new sidekick Mr. Selim and his struggle to stay along side her. Again, could have been executed better.

Otherwise, I like the art. I think this first book could have been longer and we could see more panels on the back and forth our main protagonists to see how their relationship grew closer. ( )

I really enjoyed the characters here. Both in terms of the writing and art, their presentation was endearing and entertaining. I would've liked to see more development where Delilah is concerned, but over all the story moved well. I did, however, have trouble getting my head around the flying boat. As a concept, I'm down with it, but I need some sort of explanation concerning its existence & mechanics. Also, the villains were a trifle one-dimensional for my taste. ( )

Fast, funny, and beautiful, Delilah Dirk is a comforting book to brighten any day. ( )

I give this beautiful graphic novel all the stars. The illustrations are STUNNING. The characters amusing and not your typical comic book hero's. Delilah is an amazing, strong, resourceful troublemaker, and I love her. Also, the raciest her amazing outfit gets is when she shows a little knee, it is a garment meant to do battle gracefully, which is something I spend time being very critical of in other comic art. ( )

A fun adventure story. I'll admit that I'm a little bothered by the imperialistic undertone of the story (I hear it's billed as a female Indiana Jones, which doesn't help at all). Delilah Dirk is a Greek-English woman who has traveled all over the world with her ambassador father. She grew up learning helpful survival skills from many non-western cultures, only to turn around and wreak havoc on many more non-western cultures. And now she's in Turkey, killing soldiers, blowing things up, and generally causing a mess as she picks up a charming new companion, the capable Mr. Selim. The characters are fun, but that doesn't cancel out the tired premise of "irresponsible white hero gallivanting around foreign lands with wild abandon."

All right, I've got that off my chest, so let me reiterate that it's a fun read. The dialogue is snappy and full of character, and it's amusing to see Dirk and Selim's (somewhat) carefully laid plans go awry at every turn. And aside from the sexist, bloodthirsty sultan at the start, many of the characters they encounter throughout the book are equally charming.

The art is beautiful - that's the only way I can put it. Every panel is masterful. There's a noticeable difference in style between the opening and the later chapters - not a change in quality, but it's clear Cliff changed his approach to his characters. It makes me wonder how much time lapsed between those chapters. The back flap indicates that the entire book took five years to create, which is quite a lot of work, indeed!

I'm already on book two (Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling), which I'm enjoying more than the first. ( )