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geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'Amazing Forest' by Erick Freitas and Ulises Farinas (with a whole bunch of artists) is a dark collection of 24 short stories. The title doesn't give you any idea of the sort of thing you are about to read.
A group in a tank has to spend every day killing alien visions of the people they love. A space villain tries to find ways to get hired. A trio of con artists travel town to town tying a woman up to the train tracks, then rescuing her for money. A virus that makes people exude cats. A boy that makes a gruesome trade with a wish gnome. These are the sort of stories inside.
The stories all have dark hearts and dark twists of the knife to them. The art is all different in style as well as quality. Some is much better, some is much worse. Each story is around 5 pages long, but they have a sameness in the tone that the book sets. The stories are different and odd. The length works to their benefit. If they were longer, some of them wouldn't work. If you are looking for cheerful stories, you'd be best to look elsewhere.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from IDW Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
A group in a tank has to spend every day killing alien visions of the people they love. A space villain tries to find ways to get hired. A trio of con artists travel town to town tying a woman up to the train tracks, then rescuing her for money. A virus that makes people exude cats. A boy that makes a gruesome trade with a wish gnome. These are the sort of stories inside.
The stories all have dark hearts and dark twists of the knife to them. The art is all different in style as well as quality. Some is much better, some is much worse. Each story is around 5 pages long, but they have a sameness in the tone that the book sets. The stories are different and odd. The length works to their benefit. If they were longer, some of them wouldn't work. If you are looking for cheerful stories, you'd be best to look elsewhere.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from IDW Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
arf88's review against another edition
3.0
I started out reading the Netgallery IDW trade, but it was a nightmare, so I ended up buying the individual MonkeyBrain issues off Comixology. As far as I can tell there's no difference between the two versions.
This is a hard comic to rate. It's made up of 24 short stories, and considering it's only 6 issues, you can imagine how short those stories are. Some of them had interesting premises, but the all ended abruptly. And they were all weird as fuck. In fact, towards the end they got predictable weird. If the ending is always a "twist", then it's not really a twist any more.
As for the art, it was enjoyable, and will probably be a highlight for a lot of readers. Each story had a different artist, so there was a wide rage of styles, some more to my liking than others. Overall, I would say this is a quality book as far as art goes.
There's actually two issues from the original MonkeyBrain run which weren't collected in this trade. If you like this it might be worth checking them out. I didn't bother to buy them, but who knows, maybe a couple of months from now I'll ready for more weird.
This is a hard comic to rate. It's made up of 24 short stories, and considering it's only 6 issues, you can imagine how short those stories are. Some of them had interesting premises, but the all ended abruptly. And they were all weird as fuck. In fact, towards the end they got predictable weird. If the ending is always a "twist", then it's not really a twist any more.
As for the art, it was enjoyable, and will probably be a highlight for a lot of readers. Each story had a different artist, so there was a wide rage of styles, some more to my liking than others. Overall, I would say this is a quality book as far as art goes.
There's actually two issues from the original MonkeyBrain run which weren't collected in this trade. If you like this it might be worth checking them out. I didn't bother to buy them, but who knows, maybe a couple of months from now I'll ready for more weird.
opheliapo's review against another edition
2.0
Some of these shorts had really weird and fun concepts but it was all kind of ruined by how dense and flat a lot of the art was. A large portion of it was impossible to discern and genuinely offensive to the eyes.
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
4.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A completely unique collection - highly recommended. Each story is illustrated by a different artist, and the results are amazing. The stories are bizarre and strange and sometimes a bit gruesome, which may bother some folks. It's hard to describe, other than to say that I would definitely recommend it.
A completely unique collection - highly recommended. Each story is illustrated by a different artist, and the results are amazing. The stories are bizarre and strange and sometimes a bit gruesome, which may bother some folks. It's hard to describe, other than to say that I would definitely recommend it.
krismoon's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting compilation of short stories. I loved almost all of the art, but some of the short stories left me feeling weirded out or left wanting. I enjoyed some of the weirder stories as long as the story had good storytelling and a good punch at the end.
gifcompatible's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Skip it. There are maybe 5 good stories in the whole book.
kittykult's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing Forest is a rerelease of a sci-fi comic anthology of the same name from 2013. The story order has changed, but everything else appears to remain the same. It appears that The Katzenjammer Virus and Cowboxing are the only two which were not published in the original comic run. Each of the pieces contains unique art and a bizarre short story. My favorites include Ronnie the Robot, Tank, Van Dark, Fishbone, Edith and the Murder Bot, and the Wish Goblin, but many of the stories are interesting and fun.
1. Tank - 4/5, story about a virus and the survivors who suffer from the worlds it has destroyed and then created. I really enjoyed the art style.
2. Wolf Mother - 3/5, good story about motherhood, with an interesting twist.
3. Ronnie the Robot - 5/5, touching story about a soldier trapped in a mecha suit who returns home to his family.
4. Bird Watcher - 2/5, a birdwatcher happens to discover a bird that looks a little bit like himself. Weird but not really in a good way.
5. Detective Dunk - 3/5, an under appreciated detective is tasked with solving a bizarre crime, it was funny but not spectacular.
6. Van Dark - 4/5, an evil overlord no longer appreciates the bureaucracy of his job.
7. Stardust - 3/5, a superhero decides to make his own world but becomes frustrated at how life often brings war and suffering.
8. Agroman - 3/5, I really liked the art but it was a strange story, about a warrior placed under a bizarre curse by a dark wizard.
9. Ben Franklin, Dragon Hunter - 2/5, an alternative history story. The art is interesting looking but sometimes confusing and felt too open-ended for me.
10. Giant Laser Rifle - 3/5, a kid who likes to tell tall tales has one come true unexpectedly.
11. Fishbone - 4/5, a fisherman feeds his wife a strange fish he catches, and wakes up to two wives. He finds himself torn between them both. The ending part was confusing.
12. 1935 - 3/5, a black and white tale about a traveling group of scam artists in the 30s who pull a “woman tied to train tracks” heist that goes wrong.
13. Edith and the Murderbot - 4/5, a “Murderbot” goes door to door seeking shelter from the cold, but everyone turns him away convinced he will harm them. But the one who does not has a secret.
14. Caballo Del Morte - 2/5, a town falls prey to the seduction of a mysterious horse. Just ew.
15. Dog Eat World - 3/5, a super bizarre story that asks “what if our dogs owned US.”
16. Last of the Huggaboos - 3/5, a soldier becomes convinced the evil teddy bears he is hunting are something else entirely. It is similar to the plot of a Black Mirror episode, "Men Against Fire," which is one of my favorite episodes. I would have liked more about this story.
17. Villain’s Friend -3/5 - a villain who has succeeded in world domination finds it isn't all it's cracked up to be.
18. The Wish Goblin - 4/5, disturbing story about a child who finds a goblin in a story and makes a wish. Be careful what you wish for when Wish Goblin is listening.
19. Snow Jokes - 3/5, a child who builds a talking snowman and preserves him in the freezer gets more than he bargained for when his child decides to use the snowman's head to build his own friend. A funny and dark twist on Frosty the Snowman.
20. Robo Dreams - 3/5, an android seeks his wife. But did he ever have one to begin with?
21. The Katzenjammer Virus - 2/5, a politically-staged virus that causes people to turn into murderous cats is warded off by a lone soldier with a secret too terrible to be exposed. It was like that episode of Steven Universe where he grows cat fingers, but graphically violent.
22. Cowboxing - 3/5, animals on a farm watch their owner start a boxing club and become inspired. The ending was dumb, but it started out funny. I'd have liked it better if the Cow had saved the farm.
23. Space Night Sonata - 3/5, an astronaut discovers the relaxing solitude of space after an accident
24. Nonbelievers - 3/5, a humorous Christmas story, Santa teams up with Krampus.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
1. Tank - 4/5, story about a virus and the survivors who suffer from the worlds it has destroyed and then created. I really enjoyed the art style.
2. Wolf Mother - 3/5, good story about motherhood, with an interesting twist.
3. Ronnie the Robot - 5/5, touching story about a soldier trapped in a mecha suit who returns home to his family.
4. Bird Watcher - 2/5, a birdwatcher happens to discover a bird that looks a little bit like himself. Weird but not really in a good way.
5. Detective Dunk - 3/5, an under appreciated detective is tasked with solving a bizarre crime, it was funny but not spectacular.
6. Van Dark - 4/5, an evil overlord no longer appreciates the bureaucracy of his job.
7. Stardust - 3/5, a superhero decides to make his own world but becomes frustrated at how life often brings war and suffering.
8. Agroman - 3/5, I really liked the art but it was a strange story, about a warrior placed under a bizarre curse by a dark wizard.
9. Ben Franklin, Dragon Hunter - 2/5, an alternative history story. The art is interesting looking but sometimes confusing and felt too open-ended for me.
10. Giant Laser Rifle - 3/5, a kid who likes to tell tall tales has one come true unexpectedly.
11. Fishbone - 4/5, a fisherman feeds his wife a strange fish he catches, and wakes up to two wives. He finds himself torn between them both. The ending part was confusing.
12. 1935 - 3/5, a black and white tale about a traveling group of scam artists in the 30s who pull a “woman tied to train tracks” heist that goes wrong.
13. Edith and the Murderbot - 4/5, a “Murderbot” goes door to door seeking shelter from the cold, but everyone turns him away convinced he will harm them. But the one who does not has a secret.
14. Caballo Del Morte - 2/5, a town falls prey to the seduction of a mysterious horse. Just ew.
15. Dog Eat World - 3/5, a super bizarre story that asks “what if our dogs owned US.”
16. Last of the Huggaboos - 3/5, a soldier becomes convinced the evil teddy bears he is hunting are something else entirely. It is similar to the plot of a Black Mirror episode, "Men Against Fire," which is one of my favorite episodes. I would have liked more about this story.
17. Villain’s Friend -3/5 - a villain who has succeeded in world domination finds it isn't all it's cracked up to be.
18. The Wish Goblin - 4/5, disturbing story about a child who finds a goblin in a story and makes a wish. Be careful what you wish for when Wish Goblin is listening.
19. Snow Jokes - 3/5, a child who builds a talking snowman and preserves him in the freezer gets more than he bargained for when his child decides to use the snowman's head to build his own friend. A funny and dark twist on Frosty the Snowman.
20. Robo Dreams - 3/5, an android seeks his wife. But did he ever have one to begin with?
21. The Katzenjammer Virus - 2/5, a politically-staged virus that causes people to turn into murderous cats is warded off by a lone soldier with a secret too terrible to be exposed. It was like that episode of Steven Universe where he grows cat fingers, but graphically violent.
22. Cowboxing - 3/5, animals on a farm watch their owner start a boxing club and become inspired. The ending was dumb, but it started out funny. I'd have liked it better if the Cow had saved the farm.
23. Space Night Sonata - 3/5, an astronaut discovers the relaxing solitude of space after an accident
24. Nonbelievers - 3/5, a humorous Christmas story, Santa teams up with Krampus.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
3.0
Tons of weird short stories. Some better than others. Only slightly disturbing. Worth reading if you like different. Definitely worth it if you like odd.
All the stories have pretty non-traditional art and lettering.
I think the idea behind the dragon hunter story was creative - but the art was confusing and the story could have been fleshed out.
And I don't know why, but I found the Katzenjammer Cats story interesting.
Space Night Sonata made me laugh.
I think the stories got weirder as they went along. Almost like the authors tried to one-up themselves on weirdness.
Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Distributors, and IDW Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.
All the stories have pretty non-traditional art and lettering.
I think the idea behind the dragon hunter story was creative - but the art was confusing and the story could have been fleshed out.
And I don't know why, but I found the Katzenjammer Cats story interesting.
Space Night Sonata made me laugh.
I think the stories got weirder as they went along. Almost like the authors tried to one-up themselves on weirdness.
Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Distributors, and IDW Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.
glitterandtwang's review against another edition
2.0
Some of the stories were great and spooky; some of them were not as great or as spooky. It was a quick, fun read, though.