I feel like something is missing since the first volume of Sin City. It's the same order in the film and I felt the same reading it as I did watching I feel like something is missing since the first volume of Sin City. It's the same order in the film and I felt the same reading it as I did watching it. The further we go into this series the less interesting the characters become, and I don't think it's because the novelty of the world environment and lore has worn off.
Marv in vol.1 had a personal reason to fight and a complex character, Dwight in vol.3 seems to be fighting people for the sake of it. Each protagonist does more wrong for less of a reason. Maybe that is the point. I just wish the series had taken the complete opposite direction. It would end up showing people who were almost like us living in this place, because the series is getting further away from something I can care about or find meaning in....more
Ok everyone this is fucking fantastic. Best release of 2022 for me, probably.
This includes most of the first 20 Amazing Spiderman comics (some less imOk everyone this is fucking fantastic. Best release of 2022 for me, probably.
This includes most of the first 20 Amazing Spiderman comics (some less important ones are skipped with summary text added, all 20 are chronologically ordered). It shows how Spiderman was first made in 1962, and what fans first liked about him. If you are remotely interested in Spiderman, I would highly, highly recommend getting this. It is a £20 paperback, but it really is worth that, for this is the first time that the original comics are affordable.
Folio Society released another collection too, but that is more of a greatest hits collection, whereas this is a history of spiderman collection.
Merged review:
Ok everyone this is fucking fantastic. Best release of 2022 for me, probably.
This includes most of the first 20 Amazing Spiderman comics (some less important ones are skipped with summary text added, all 20 are chronologically ordered). It shows how Spiderman was first made in 1962, and what fans first liked about him. If you are remotely interested in Spiderman, I would highly, highly recommend getting this. It is a £20 paperback, but it really is worth that, for this is the first time that the original comics are affordable.
Folio Society released another collection too, but that is more of a greatest hits collection, whereas this is a history of spiderman collection....more
Reminds me of a lesser version of The Nao of Brown, which is a high compliment given how amazing that one is. Plays out like a surreal arthouse film, Reminds me of a lesser version of The Nao of Brown, which is a high compliment given how amazing that one is. Plays out like a surreal arthouse film, definitely European, lonely but mature. The art style and use of colour is very nice, the conversations feel real and there is believable drama and well choreographed scenes here.
I judged this book by its cover and it delivered....more
Happy that many have enjoyed this, but as a big Vonnegut fan I didn't like this. I think the humour and effect of this as a semiautobiographical storyHappy that many have enjoyed this, but as a big Vonnegut fan I didn't like this. I think the humour and effect of this as a semiautobiographical story is lost as a retelling, and the aesthetic just doesn't fit it for me.
If it gets more people to read the original Vonnegut stories then power to it, but I don't think it reflects them too well....more
A lot of you might not realise I have read a lot of indie comics, being those without superheroes in.
Fewer will realise I've almost read every comic A lot of you might not realise I have read a lot of indie comics, being those without superheroes in.
Fewer will realise I've almost read every comic Jason has published. I really like Jason's style, and even though I am not that engaged by this memoir of Hemingway (a writer whose acclaim I'm yet to really appreciate). It was still an enjoyable read and ode to those American expat writers in Paris, and an alternative reality where Hemingway grows old and carries on. Odd coincidence how both this and Less Than Zero, my previous read, explicitly respond to Hemingway's suicide.
Don't read this, please instead read: Hey, Wait OR Why Are You Doing This?
Jason's best when he is brave enough to be sad, and he has best achieved this in the above two stories....more
With time I've knocked this down one. It's exceptionally good, I just wonder whether it is memorable and powerful enough to be among my 5* comic readsWith time I've knocked this down one. It's exceptionally good, I just wonder whether it is memorable and powerful enough to be among my 5* comic reads.
** Well I loved it, but I'm not a teen girl so who knows what this means!! It is the closest thing to Craig Thompson's Blankets I've seen, and in a way I almost think it is as good if not better (has fewer issues). The views on pregnancy might upset some, but I think it is very balanced and the story is beautifully drawn and well-paced. I'm surprised it doesn't have a higher rating on GoodReads, the world needs more feel-good stories about friendship.
Having read a few reviews it seems the lack of closure and activity to the plot made people find it boring. I can see why that might be the case if you like comics to be active and complete, but I'm someone who likes reading stories that are realistic and sometimes as open-ended and slow as real life can be. I imagine people who don't primarily read comics will be more likely to love this!...more
This should be a tattoo, not a book! I read this in less than five minutes.
It's an adult picture book of only 80 silent frames in a time series, like This should be a tattoo, not a book! I read this in less than five minutes.
It's an adult picture book of only 80 silent frames in a time series, like those flick books we all made as kids. In the same way, it can be read front-to-back or back-to-front.
It shows the beginning and end of the world, with no surprises really. Though I would say the art style and the succinct nature of it is very thoughtful and appealing. No surprises in the narrative here.
I think the message is that humans are always out of shot even though they are responsible for completing the destructive historical cycle here. It is like the book is saying we fail to accept our responsibility that we slayed the rhino, chopped the trees, and dropped the bombs. We are faceless in apocalyptic carnage.
It is nicer than average for a comic, but I would never ever recommend buying it or rereading it as it is just too simple. The art style is really nice but this feels more like a demo for what this artist might actually make for a graphic novel.
The fact this is the album art designer for Radiohead might explain how it is published like this. I imagine an artist trying to forge their own name would not leave their work so small in length, they probably wouldn't have the reputation to afford to do that and get published into the local library where I picked this up....more
Quite like Chris Ware's Monograph, this shows an insight into the boredom and isolation of actually being a renowned comics artist, and how family eveQuite like Chris Ware's Monograph, this shows an insight into the boredom and isolation of actually being a renowned comics artist, and how family eventually takes precedence over an artistic career.
Honestly surprised Clowes and Gaiman got this much attention but I only got into comics in 2015 and as far as I'm concerned Clowes seems like old gen now and Gaiman is so mainstream I wouldn't but him in the same genre even if book events people would.
This makes it clear that the amount of hours one puts into a project, no matter how arduous and involved (as comics surely is) does not correlate with what this means for one's sense of meaning and identity.
Could be seen as a downer but I think a lot of careers feel and end up like this. Nothing beats family, that's quite a nice message.
I can also now see why Adrian married the person he did!!
Wonder if Nick Drnaso, in a few decades time, will make a similar book with a similar message. This could be the start of a literary fiction of comics....more
This is my 5th advanced reader copy (ARC) review. This means I received this ebook for free, in exchange for this review by Netgalley. I'm not financially motivated, as I read library books, so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly.
This ARC review (as are all NetGalley Reviews for this title) is based solely on a sampler containing the first 10 pages of this graphic novel. For that reason any critical reader should probably add a pinch of salt to all ARC reviews for this title, because from 10 pages it's hard quite hard to judge a book. This is difficult for me even despite the fact I've read and enjoyed both 'Fun Home' and 'Are You My Mother?' by Alison Bechdel.
It's difficult and unappealing to be too critical of Alison Bechdel, because many of her comics are memoirs and are deservedly inspirational to the LGBT community, especially to representation in comics and media. Fun Home was a breakthrough for the indie comics scene and it was so, so great. However, I hate to admit that I feel that since Fun Home, we are receiving B-sides. Every book is a new angle of the author's life, but it seems like the books are becoming more impersonal with time which makes them less effective as memoirs and to a readership who are familiar with the other books. I really wish Alison Bechdel would write a fictional story. Try something completely new, because the content and format of these books often relies on tangential ideas or theories which makes them share too much in common. It feels like a continued conversation, perhaps one that should've ended or radically changed location by now. We see Bechdel return to comparing her parent's generation to her own in this 10-page sampler, and from that I see that there's too much familiarity already. If Bechdel must narrate and appear in their comics it'd be cool to see the author show up in a fictional story, from the outside for once. But alas, an author will and should write what they like and to whom they like so none of my opinions here might be relevant, I just suspect others might be feeling the same.
I guess to be critical on another angle, it's hard to be engaged by the story of someone's fitness journey when they are neither professionally good or bad at a sport. We live in a world where everyone wants to tell you to watch something or do something (the irony of writing this review is not lost on me), and so hearing someone's perspective on fitness just isn't that interesting to me. Everyone's talking about what is healthy, which is why I don't want to hear more of it from someone outside of my real life!
Writing this review was strange, because I just 4* and commended Bechdel's Foreword in another book. Truth is Bechdel can write good books and I'm sure many will like this, but I think her Fun Home crowd might be feeling a distance growing from their original interest....more
This is my 6th advanced reader copy (ARC) review. This means I received this ebook for free, in exchange for this review by Netgalley. I'm not financially motivated, as I read library books, so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly.
Honestly, I liked this more than I thought I would. It's very well researched, and explains formal academic concepts of gender studies in quite an accessible way. I think it's a great concise update for contemporary views of sexuality and gender.
I think some people will be surprised that this isn't so much a novel and isn't really narrated, it's more of a textbook on the history of gender and sexuality norms. I think it'd have been better marketed as a zine, much like the riot grrl movement, this book argues for and explains progressive social norms. To its credit, this book is one of few which I think has at least mentions that men can be sexually abused and have issues with their sexuality, and I like that it has that balance which many books or information sources on this subject don't seem to have. It's the most neutral view I've read, which is nice, although that said, the early chapter has a slightly contentious view on what and how heteronormative views emerged which some might dispute. I think it's the way these issues were raised with a scooby doo masked villain which made my 'is this propaganda?' suspicion emerge. That said, it explains itself clearly, I just think the comic didn't match the tone of the text at that point. To be clear, I'm saying the scooby doo part at the beginning did seem to have a slightly more hostile tone to the rest of it which was more accepting and exploratory.
It's a very comprehensive and well-written update on the history of this subject, but I suspect it might be too formal for comics readers, and too casual for formal readers, making it a bit of a middle road. It might have done better as more of a comic or as more of an essay....more
This is my 4th advanced reader copy (ARC) review. This means I received this ebook for free, in exchange for this review by Netgalley. I'm not financially motivated, as I read library books, so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly.
Unfortunately, I really struggled to enjoy the writing of this book. I read this knowing nothing of the series but, being fond of graphic novels, I thought I'd give it a try. I do think Sophie Standing's illustrations are really nice, some reviewers here have said the art style might be simple but I think they're really great.
I was under the impression this would be a story but it's a very closely cited academic seeming essay. The problem is there's no structure or focus here, the key message is hard to grasp, some controversial things are said both on the scientific and cultural level. It's hard to know what the book is trying to do, it sometimes seems to be ushering us into being comfortable with being touched, but then also making touch seem hostile and dangerous.
I found the drawings and the writing seem very disconnected it, reading it I could tell this was not a single author. It's not because the subject of the drawing or writing was wrong, the tones just didn't match. The drawings have this personal abstract element and accompany this impersonal dry science. I think the science did not need to be quoted so heavily as much of it are theoretical concepts that could have been paraphrased or changed more simply. I felt as if this was the research for an essay about Touch, but something happened to the narrator last minute so the research was used as is, instead.
Having a PhD in Neuroscience (coincidentally, I had no idea this was a book about science at all), made it a bit more gruelling to read, as I thought some parts were oversimplified, lacking emphasis and potentially incorrect. But, honestly, my main gripes with the book would've held had I read this as a teenager a decade ago with the mindset that a good book must be more cohesive and nuanced no matter how fantastic and humane its subject matter. If you want to write about a sensitive topic, then one should write sensitively? I feel like the content doesn't match the book genre of being a comic (in its writing), nor of being a science non-fiction essay (in its brevity). I felt like giving this 2* for the drawings alone but when I think about it, I see this book as a hot mess that could've been much better with editing as the content is there. But something about the way it is written lacks a bit of sensitivity, or 'touch', for the subject matter?
But of course, there are always some reviewers who have liked it, so my views may not reflect your own. So if touch is something you are interested in exploring the science and nature of, this might be an interesting quick read of the main mysteries it holds for human interaction....more
This is my 2nd advanced reader copy (ARC) review. This means I received this ebook for free, in exchange for this review by Netgalley. I'm not financially motivated, as I read library books, so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly.
OK. So I've read over 100 indie comics and have a pretty strong understanding of what is good in this genre. This is truly a fantastic debut graphic novel. This is REALLY good as a debut comic.
It's operating on the level of established comic writers. It's very much like a grown-up version of Blankets by Craig Thompson, or like a "male-version" of The Nao of Brown by Glyn Dillon, or like a less melodramatic everyman version of The Sculptor by Scott McCloud. It's already a very good screenplay to one of those romcoms featuring Hugh Grant like Notting Hill. It's one of few indie comics that addresses being an almost thirty-something, the age at which you truly must become an adult. I do prefer things to be more developed, complex, mature and dark but that's personal preference, if it were more up my street I think it wouldn't be as widely accessible as it is! This has adult themes but is very suitable for young teenagers.
It's more emotional than I thought. I'm quite emotionally hardened given I read a lot of existential philosophy and some of the cringey YA comics normally underwhelm me in trying to communicate revelations deeper than their form of articulation. But the ending to this is very well choreographed and powerful. It surprised me, because it begins with some slightly clichéd dialogues, but the imagery later on is really good and accessible to a lot of readers. It's very relaxed and down-to-earth and is trying to communicate something important and universal to anyone who's ever wanted to deeply connect with people.
Small point to the author, next time give your book a more searchable title, it'll make it easier to market and search for on the internet! A subtitle would've gotten around it.
Serious comics readers, please find this. It may read as a 3* casual read to you at worst, but when you consider it as a debut, and consider whether it is complete as a narrative and the potential for it to be developed, you'll realize that even were it mediocre it is phenomenally archetypal! Keep an eye on this author, and Nick Drnaso, too. They're both young graphic artists showing great progress for the indie comics scene, I very much look forward to comics like these getting even more serious, real, explicit, punchy, and raw....more
I'm an indie comics reader only remotely aware of the decline of the superhero comics scene in recent years due to overly political writing, so I wentI'm an indie comics reader only remotely aware of the decline of the superhero comics scene in recent years due to overly political writing, so I went into this with caution but also not knowing what to expect from this type of comic.
Harlequin and Deadpool are by far my favourite superheroes (team Harleypool, harlequins together), so I took a chance on this.
Harleen seems like it's set in the world of the Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight, except we are following Harley Quinzel's origin story. I think it is a good perspective to add even if it does not really ADD much to the full story. For anyone who loved that batman film trilogy they will love this.
This comic is pretty engaging and easy to read, but I would say yes some things are a bit odd. -that Harley could be that attractive and hopelessly single, -have a romantic history with older professor types in authority and yet falls in love with a seemingly younger insane criminal who rejects all authority -that Harley would be drawn as a protector the joker and then in the last few pages she is now the real Harley, extroverted and playful and very much inverted.
I agree that it might be disappointing that we don't see her full transformation, just its roots. Still feels like a big jump at the end, like the series did not get renewed and was cut too soon.
All that aside the comic is fun, thrilling and sexy and that is probably all that matters for the audience?
One thing that sticks out most clearly to me from reading this is that it's sad that nowadays we've gotten to the point where a female protagonist lusting over a man has to be depicted as insanity for it to be believable!...more
Jason's weakest collection: too inconsistent to be as good as 'Almost Silent', clearly worse than 'Low Moon', and far from the brilliance of 'What I DJason's weakest collection: too inconsistent to be as good as 'Almost Silent', clearly worse than 'Low Moon', and far from the brilliance of 'What I Did'.
In comparison to his individually published stories, this is about as good as 'Athos in America' and 'The Last Musketeer', but far worse than others like 'Why Are You Doing This', 'Hey Wait', and 'The Left Bank Gang'...
The general weakness is that many of these stories are jokes based on references to modern history and pop culture that are underdeveloped, which he clearly knows how to do well given how good 'I Killed Adolf Hitler' is.
Here's a run down: ------- If You Steal - 4/5 Best, as with more work this could have been a good single issue story. Too complex to be so condensed!
Karma Chameleon - 4/5 One of the funniest Jason comics I can remember.
Waiting for Bardot - 2/5 Missing the tension between those waiting as in Waiting for Godot, and the joke was too hurried.
Lorena Valazquez - 3/5 Funny message, but did we need that much fighting?!
New Face - 3/5 This absolutely feels like a B-side of If You Steal, taking an alternative approach to unreliable narration. It fails to connect emotionally though.
Moondance - n/a Covers for graphic novels, serves as an intermission.
Night of the Vampire Hunter - 2/5 Having the heart in a doll is probably a reference I didn't get, but other than that nothing to see here.
Polly Wants A Cracker - 3/5 Adding a monobrow and making the bird a parrot didn't make Polly Wants a Cracker a meaningful or obvious reference to Frida Kahlo. The story was good anyway!
The Thrill is Gone - 2/5 Implying that this Chet Baker song is about when he got beaten up for heroin is interesting, but making him play the trumpet after it when in reality he couldn't play the trumpet any more didn't make sense. The story made no sense without the reference.
Ask Not - 2/5 Making the assassination of JFK by time travelling lizard people may have been interesting had it not been so long and relying so much on readers knowing events and people.
Nothing - 4/5 Third best in the collection, a harrowing simulation of late stage dementia, definitely should have been used for a bigger story! ---------...more
I try review everything I read, including Christmas presents which fall outside my normal reading selection.
Summary: Dota loregasm > Dota comics
I like I try review everything I read, including Christmas presents which fall outside my normal reading selection.
Summary: Dota loregasm > Dota comics
I like phoenix like a moth like lamp, so I was disappointed that there was no firebird in this. Legion commander was boring as expected. Rylai didn't fit her character (dislikes Lina more, less polite and sweet, more vain). Monkey and spiders can have relationships? I think ax's humour saved it from being completely forgetful.
The art is fine but fairly basic for a comic, as in there are no fine details. The narrative was weak, short and simple. It's nice to have in this big format but it disguises how little there is to read and how quickly it can be understood. I was expecting to learn more about the game or its mythological bases. They need Slacks to guide these, not recommended for dota fans over Slack's loregasm which is far more thorough and interesting (and free!)....more
Seeing Lynda Barry & Chris Ware in a theatre tomorrow so I figured I'd finish this before then.
I much preferred this to The Freddie Stories. Barry isSeeing Lynda Barry & Chris Ware in a theatre tomorrow so I figured I'd finish this before then.
I much preferred this to The Freddie Stories. Barry is an unusual comic artist as there's a lot of text relative to the illustration, no change in pacing and it's hard to relate to her seemingly complicated childhood and perspectives, but it's a novel look on the 'graphic novel as memoir' and is uniquely and sincerely constructed.
Pretty mediocre but easy to read. Read Ghost World, Mister Wonderful or Patience instead.
This feels like the 'male version' of Ghost World. Realistic Pretty mediocre but easy to read. Read Ghost World, Mister Wonderful or Patience instead.
This feels like the 'male version' of Ghost World. Realistic coming-of-age narratives are just not as interesting when about boys than when about girls, as The Death-Ray shows, because it's mostly just waiting around for something to actually happen or to get good enough to do something important....more
Liam O'Leary
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