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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
One of my first serious graphic novels, and such a beautiful storyline. I recommend to EVERYONE
Well, as a comic written by a man & centered heavily on the post-natal experience of a woman and her partner, I’m not surprised it was so bad. The story is good but it’s so clearly written for a male audience, making it incredibly difficult to read for anyone else.
Okay, let's start with the art because I loved it a bunch, and generally speaking I prefer black and white to color when there's inks involved, so that's saying a lot. The characters just came out nice and fluid, and the roughness of the major outlines was quite appealing set against the rest. The colors are nice and vivid, and the values are well planned. Etc etc.
The way the story's laid out—and bearing in mind that one volume doesn't say that much—reminded me a bit more of manga. There is a narrator, which is a pretty Western thing (from what I've seen)—another first-person retrospective instead of someone outside the story—but what drew me into this was the story more so than the characters. They're fairly archetypal; the interactions are definitely worthwhile—Vaughan has a good sense of comedic timing, and exploits the few opportunities for it in here—but that doesn't mean we're seeing completely new material.
Yet, anyway. It's only volume 1, after all.
The way the story's laid out—and bearing in mind that one volume doesn't say that much—reminded me a bit more of manga. There is a narrator, which is a pretty Western thing (from what I've seen)—another first-person retrospective instead of someone outside the story—but what drew me into this was the story more so than the characters. They're fairly archetypal; the interactions are definitely worthwhile—Vaughan has a good sense of comedic timing, and exploits the few opportunities for it in here—but that doesn't mean we're seeing completely new material.
Yet, anyway. It's only volume 1, after all.
This was fucking amazing!!! I need to have the other Volumes like tomorrow. This lterally my first graphic novel and I'm like "Gimme more!". Clearly 5 / 5 stars.
Very intriguing read! Felt like a rated R version of The Fifth Element universe. Kept my attention for sure, artwork quite striking.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5
The art is great but some of the dialogue is extra cringeworthy. Most of Alana's lines feel like some impossible straight male ideal of what a woman might say (and, yes, the one good thing about Gone Girl lurks right underneath Vaughan's characterization of Alana). Given how different Marko is from his wife, and considering the scope of the story, Vaughan is probably trying to make a capital-P-Point about gender roles, but it comes across as off putting and try hard rather than meaningful.
The art is great but some of the dialogue is extra cringeworthy. Most of Alana's lines feel like some impossible straight male ideal of what a woman might say (and, yes, the one good thing about Gone Girl lurks right underneath Vaughan's characterization of Alana). Given how different Marko is from his wife, and considering the scope of the story, Vaughan is probably trying to make a capital-P-Point about gender roles, but it comes across as off putting and try hard rather than meaningful.
It's always hard to rate graphic novels--do you compare them to other graphic novels (this is light years ahead of your ordinary "let's solve our problems by punching them" comic book adaptation) or other literature (it's still excellent, and is holding up well compared to other books, BUT the story's not over, which means it might suffer once the whole thing's finished, and there's a heavy reliance on Deus Ex Machina-type devices that would be simplistic in other lit.)
STILL: It's by turns gripping, touching, and terrifying, and because the universe is Vaughan's he doesn't have any qualms about killing off or maiming characters (killing a superhero in other comics qualifies as an "event"), so compared to your usual comic fare this is a refreshing change of pace.
STILL: It's by turns gripping, touching, and terrifying, and because the universe is Vaughan's he doesn't have any qualms about killing off or maiming characters (killing a superhero in other comics qualifies as an "event"), so compared to your usual comic fare this is a refreshing change of pace.