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losgiraffee's review
3.0
I'll start off by admitting that this is my first graphic novel. The closest I've come before this is the Archie and Friends comics that you're able to beg your parents for at the checkout line in the grocery store. (I'm not hating - I literally loved those.)
Buuuuut with that being said, this was an ok read for me. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. I've said before, but I really am a "judge a book by it's cover" type and totally picked this up because I looooved the cover artwork. The actual artwork inside...ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh(takes deep breath)hhhhhhhhhhhh......it was pretty disappointing. I feel like a novel that uses photos to tell the story more than the words written within should have some engaging artwork. But it was just...meh. It did change for each of the three story lines to match with the overall tone, which I'll go ahead and give kudos for.
The stories themselves...I guess were just not exactly what I expected. It's just a batman wannabe that runs around with a gas mask in the 1930s and "solving" crimes in a way where you kinda expect to read "Well zoinks Scoobs!" on some of the big reveals.
He gets caught sneaking around a lot so he's really not all that great at his job, (...he's supposedly rich but I don't know WHAT his actual job is) but luckily he's got knockout gas that he uses on literally everyone and never seems to run out of supply. While he's spraying his gas all willy-nilly he loves to mention "You can't escape the dark dreams of the Sandman." and then end scene...
Then there's the other main character, Dian, the overly clingy meddler in affairs. She never really seems to do anything productive, just gets all up in everyone's business and then goes to Wes crying about how taxing the events she placed herself into was...and then Wes calms her down and then out he goes for his vigilante work.
Anyhoo, it was interesting enough to keep reading until the end and if I saw book two I would most likely read it.
Buuuuut with that being said, this was an ok read for me. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. I've said before, but I really am a "judge a book by it's cover" type and totally picked this up because I looooved the cover artwork. The actual artwork inside...ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh(takes deep breath)hhhhhhhhhhhh......it was pretty disappointing. I feel like a novel that uses photos to tell the story more than the words written within should have some engaging artwork. But it was just...meh. It did change for each of the three story lines to match with the overall tone, which I'll go ahead and give kudos for.
The stories themselves...I guess were just not exactly what I expected. It's just a batman wannabe that runs around with a gas mask in the 1930s and "solving" crimes in a way where you kinda expect to read "Well zoinks Scoobs!" on some of the big reveals.
He gets caught sneaking around a lot so he's really not all that great at his job, (...he's supposedly rich but I don't know WHAT his actual job is) but luckily he's got knockout gas that he uses on literally everyone and never seems to run out of supply. While he's spraying his gas all willy-nilly he loves to mention "You can't escape the dark dreams of the Sandman." and then end scene...
Then there's the other main character, Dian, the overly clingy meddler in affairs. She never really seems to do anything productive, just gets all up in everyone's business and then goes to Wes crying about how taxing the events she placed herself into was...and then Wes calms her down and then out he goes for his vigilante work.
Anyhoo, it was interesting enough to keep reading until the end and if I saw book two I would most likely read it.
zugzug's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Felt like a cross of batman, hardboiled detective novel, meets sensitive out of time character in the 30‘s to 40‘s America. Our two main pov characters Dian and Wesley Dodds are both people who do not quite fit neatly into the society around them for a variety of reasons. Where as the other characters around them are often examples of societal problems of the time.
All that said the dark plot points of villains are setup and resolved in a ways reminiscent of darker comic book or detective noir stories in some of the best ways. Looking forward to seeing how this series continues to play out.
All that said the dark plot points of villains are setup and resolved in a ways reminiscent of darker comic book or detective noir stories in some of the best ways. Looking forward to seeing how this series continues to play out.
alex_ellermann's review
1.0
This comic didn't work for me at all. I found the artwork unattractive and offputting, the stories simplistically "edgy," and the whole thing a grind. I'm not on board for Volume 2.
lukeisthename34's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable but man, a lot of sexual assaults on children and there is only so many times that can be mentioned that I can take in a single volume.
skolastic's review against another edition
4.0
A bit of a mixed bag. The first story, The Tarantula, is really excellent - Guy Davis's style is kind of unusual compared to other comics I've read (it reminds me more of the cartoons you'd see in The New Yorker or something), but it fits the story really well. Matt Wagner's switching between the perspective of Dian, The Sandman, and Dodds (who really feel like two different characters despite being the same person) works really well.
The later stories are a bit of a mixed bag. The Face has a great concept for a villain, but sticks him in a plot about Chinatown gang wars that's not very interesting and often feels like it's walking the line between a period piece and another yellow peril story. The Brute just turns up the dials on all the worst parts of The Face, and that's all I'll say about it. An interesting start based on the strength of the first story alone, but there's a lot of room for improvement.
The later stories are a bit of a mixed bag. The Face has a great concept for a villain, but sticks him in a plot about Chinatown gang wars that's not very interesting and often feels like it's walking the line between a period piece and another yellow peril story. The Brute just turns up the dials on all the worst parts of The Face, and that's all I'll say about it. An interesting start based on the strength of the first story alone, but there's a lot of room for improvement.
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