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labunnywtf's review
5.0
::grabs you by your lapels::
Read this.
I love to use the word "delicious" in reviews. I use it sparingly, but LIVE for the opportunity to say a book is delicious. Delicious, to me, means something worth savoring. If a meal is delicious, I want to take my time, tasting every bite, and saving some for later. And I'm sad when the meal is over.
Books are delicious in the exact same way, and Neil Gaiman is so very good at writing the tastiest. This book is so delicious.
I grew up knowing Alice Cooper's music, a benefit of having young parents. I was a child who watched horror movies entirely too young and was terrified Freddy Kreuger was going to appear and do unspeakable things to me, but I was never afraid of Alice Cooper. I loved the makeup, I loved the freak show aspect. I saw a concert video from the late 70's or early 80's with his whole shtick, and wanted to see him in concert very much.
I didn't even know Gaiman had collaborated with him on a comic (seriously, I am the worst best fan of his) until this edition popped up on Netgalley. And now I am kicking myself and making plans to order myself a copy.
The story is so short, but it packs such a punch. You don't see at all where it's going, and the ending is so much fun, the kind of ending that gives you a half smile, because while it's not a cliffhanger, it gives your brain so much to speculate on. And you aren't left demanding to know what happens next, because you're having too much fun thinking of what it could be.
It should go without saying that the artwork is amazing. This is the same illustrator who worked on Sandman, a comic I loved so much part of it is permanently inked onto my skin. But I will say the illustrations of Alice are MARVELOUS, and the appearance of the Alice makeup throughout the story made me need to stand up and turn the lights on at one point.
As for the extras at the end, I always wondered how you "write" a comic book that you aren't also illustrating. It's something that happens all the time, but are the writer and illustrator leaning over each other's shoulders the whole time? Or are notes/e-mails exchanged? "Draw that here. No, no, not that, draw this. And add a puppy in the corner."
So to see Neil's script was so much fun, and even though I'd literally just read the story seconds before, I read it all over again in script form. It could just be because I'm a giant nerd for writing, but I think it's the best extra I could imagine for a comic book.
Delicious.
Read this.
I love to use the word "delicious" in reviews. I use it sparingly, but LIVE for the opportunity to say a book is delicious. Delicious, to me, means something worth savoring. If a meal is delicious, I want to take my time, tasting every bite, and saving some for later. And I'm sad when the meal is over.
Books are delicious in the exact same way, and Neil Gaiman is so very good at writing the tastiest. This book is so delicious.
I grew up knowing Alice Cooper's music, a benefit of having young parents. I was a child who watched horror movies entirely too young and was terrified Freddy Kreuger was going to appear and do unspeakable things to me, but I was never afraid of Alice Cooper. I loved the makeup, I loved the freak show aspect. I saw a concert video from the late 70's or early 80's with his whole shtick, and wanted to see him in concert very much.
I didn't even know Gaiman had collaborated with him on a comic (seriously, I am the worst best fan of his) until this edition popped up on Netgalley. And now I am kicking myself and making plans to order myself a copy.
The story is so short, but it packs such a punch. You don't see at all where it's going, and the ending is so much fun, the kind of ending that gives you a half smile, because while it's not a cliffhanger, it gives your brain so much to speculate on. And you aren't left demanding to know what happens next, because you're having too much fun thinking of what it could be.
It should go without saying that the artwork is amazing. This is the same illustrator who worked on Sandman, a comic I loved so much part of it is permanently inked onto my skin. But I will say the illustrations of Alice are MARVELOUS, and the appearance of the Alice makeup throughout the story made me need to stand up and turn the lights on at one point.
As for the extras at the end, I always wondered how you "write" a comic book that you aren't also illustrating. It's something that happens all the time, but are the writer and illustrator leaning over each other's shoulders the whole time? Or are notes/e-mails exchanged? "Draw that here. No, no, not that, draw this. And add a puppy in the corner."
So to see Neil's script was so much fun, and even though I'd literally just read the story seconds before, I read it all over again in script form. It could just be because I'm a giant nerd for writing, but I think it's the best extra I could imagine for a comic book.
Delicious.
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Neil Gaiman's The Last Temptation 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition' is a work from earlier in Neil Gaiman's career and was done as a collaboration with Alice Cooper to go along with a concept album. The story is a bit thin, but that could be in service to the album rather than a failing on Gaiman's part.
In a nondescript town, it's Halloween. A young man named Steve is lured into an old theater that only seems to show up at sundown. The Showman runs the theater and wants Steven to stay forever. Steven gets shown a picture of what his life looks like if he doesn't make the choice, and it's a very big temptation to give in to the showman.
The story is told in three acts and is very much an homage to classic Ray Bradbury stories like Something Wicked This Way Comes. Michael Zulli's art is pretty great in this book, and he confesses that at the time, he wasn't as familiar with Alice Cooper. Considering that, he seems to have the persona down solid. Included in this deluxe edition is remastered color, all three scripts and Zulli's black and white thumbnail sketches, Dave McKean's strange covers, and a series of correspondence between Gaiman and Cooper while they were collaborating. As I stated, it's not Gaiman's strongest, but I'm a sucker for these type of stories set at Halloween, so I rather liked it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this creepy graphic novel.
In a nondescript town, it's Halloween. A young man named Steve is lured into an old theater that only seems to show up at sundown. The Showman runs the theater and wants Steven to stay forever. Steven gets shown a picture of what his life looks like if he doesn't make the choice, and it's a very big temptation to give in to the showman.
The story is told in three acts and is very much an homage to classic Ray Bradbury stories like Something Wicked This Way Comes. Michael Zulli's art is pretty great in this book, and he confesses that at the time, he wasn't as familiar with Alice Cooper. Considering that, he seems to have the persona down solid. Included in this deluxe edition is remastered color, all three scripts and Zulli's black and white thumbnail sketches, Dave McKean's strange covers, and a series of correspondence between Gaiman and Cooper while they were collaborating. As I stated, it's not Gaiman's strongest, but I'm a sucker for these type of stories set at Halloween, so I rather liked it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this creepy graphic novel.
immense_storm's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nickleby_shepherd's review against another edition
2.0
Idk I honestly just didn’t like it all that much.
I really couldn’t tell you why. It wasn’t bad. I guess I just wasn’t feeling it. I will admit I don’t really care for the art. Simply my aesthetics, but I’m sure it had some bearing.
Anyways I need to listen to the album and hopefully that improves my opinion.
I really couldn’t tell you why. It wasn’t bad. I guess I just wasn’t feeling it. I will admit I don’t really care for the art. Simply my aesthetics, but I’m sure it had some bearing.
Anyways I need to listen to the album and hopefully that improves my opinion.
ruthelibrarian's review
2.0
I got my ARC from NetGalley.
This version of the graphic novel is not yet released. I have not read the original copy. To preface further, I am a Neil Gaiman fan, and while I like Alice Cooper I am not constantly amazed by him.
That being said, I personally did not enjoy "The Last Temptation." This is one of Gaiman's earlier works and it certainly shows. Perhaps it was because he co-authored it alongside Alice Cooper, but this reads more as a commercial piece which was written to accompany the musical album of the same title. There were a few scenes which quoted songs from the album, which I had to look up to understand such as the scene toward the end of Act I. The words weren't making any sense to me, so I realized they had to be lyrics from a song. They were.
I do believe, however, that Gaiman fans should give this a try. While I did not enjoy it, I can see some of Gaiman's common elements that may entertain his other fans yet. For anyone that is a fan of Alice Cooper, I think this is a must read as Cooper is inserted into this as the mysterious Showman. The artwork, while it isn't for me, is solid and I think many comic fans will enjoy the characters, scenery, and imagination that went into each panel.
All in all, the appeal for this graphic novel is varied, but I would recommend it to Gaiman and Cooper fans alike.
This version of the graphic novel is not yet released. I have not read the original copy. To preface further, I am a Neil Gaiman fan, and while I like Alice Cooper I am not constantly amazed by him.
That being said, I personally did not enjoy "The Last Temptation." This is one of Gaiman's earlier works and it certainly shows. Perhaps it was because he co-authored it alongside Alice Cooper, but this reads more as a commercial piece which was written to accompany the musical album of the same title. There were a few scenes which quoted songs from the album, which I had to look up to understand such as the scene toward the end of Act I. The words weren't making any sense to me, so I realized they had to be lyrics from a song. They were.
I do believe, however, that Gaiman fans should give this a try. While I did not enjoy it, I can see some of Gaiman's common elements that may entertain his other fans yet. For anyone that is a fan of Alice Cooper, I think this is a must read as Cooper is inserted into this as the mysterious Showman. The artwork, while it isn't for me, is solid and I think many comic fans will enjoy the characters, scenery, and imagination that went into each panel.
All in all, the appeal for this graphic novel is varied, but I would recommend it to Gaiman and Cooper fans alike.
kristini_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
A nice, short graphic novel to read during spooky season since it's set on Halloween night. The art was great and so was the concept but something was missing.
unwrittenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
What do you get when Neil Gaiman and Alice Cooper collaborate on a graphic novel? Awesome, that's what. There even a librarian with newspaper microfilm!
gold_star_reader's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Art is beautiful and story is haunting.
hollyeula's review against another edition
4.0
When I first read this, I had not had a chance to see Alice Cooper in concert. Having now seen Alice Cooper, this whole story makes a lot more sense. I could definitely hear Alice Cooper through the story. Beautifully illustrated and lettered and magnificently written.