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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Eleanor & The Egret Volume 1: Taking Flight' by John Layman with art by Sam Kieth is a charming and quirky graphic novel about an art thief and her talking bird.
A daring art theft in Paris takes place, and the police are baffled by motive. The painting in question is worth a lot of money. Instead, it is fed to a bird, who then grows large and fat with it. Thus begins the adventures of Eleanor and her friend the Egret.
I liked this odd story. I'm not sure I was completely happy with the plot when it was all said and done, but I really liked the characters. I also really liked the art which borrowed from some art periods I like and had odd asides in some of the panels.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Aftershock Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
A daring art theft in Paris takes place, and the police are baffled by motive. The painting in question is worth a lot of money. Instead, it is fed to a bird, who then grows large and fat with it. Thus begins the adventures of Eleanor and her friend the Egret.
I liked this odd story. I'm not sure I was completely happy with the plot when it was all said and done, but I really liked the characters. I also really liked the art which borrowed from some art periods I like and had odd asides in some of the panels.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Aftershock Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
jugglingpup's review against another edition
3.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC in return for an honest review from NetGalley.
I am doing a reading bingo challenge with my friends and one of the squares is “avian antagonist”. I grabbed this book because I wanted to complete that square. This book has creators from two series I really Enjoy, but this book was not one that I will be bragging about anytime soon.
The plot is pretty simple and goofy, which I can enjoy in the right context. This book didn’t do it for me. I think if I didn’t know who the creators were I would be able to rate this book much higher. I am a big fan of Chew, even have the board game, but this book wasn’t quite as seriously silly as that book was. There was a focus on animal partners but that wasn’t really explored outside of the egret, Ellis. There are so many unanswered questions that I just don’t care about like where did Ellis come from, are magical powers real in this universe, why are there so many animals. None of that really mattered. The story continued without answering any of them.
The other series that could have influenced my ability to be objective is Sandman. The art in this book is nothing to sneeze at, I really did enjoy that. The plot just wasn’t enough to support the art. When I have beautiful art, I want a story that is on par with it. Terrible art can have a wonderful story and I am fine with that. The other way just feels wrong. It feels like the artist was cheated. Their art is not showcased because the story detracts from it.
The book itself could be fun to others and I would understand why. I just don’t like it. I wish I did because the story has real potential to be interesting and weird and gorgeous. I just don’t care enough to keep reading.
I got an ARC in return for an honest review from NetGalley.
I am doing a reading bingo challenge with my friends and one of the squares is “avian antagonist”. I grabbed this book because I wanted to complete that square. This book has creators from two series I really Enjoy, but this book was not one that I will be bragging about anytime soon.
The plot is pretty simple and goofy, which I can enjoy in the right context. This book didn’t do it for me. I think if I didn’t know who the creators were I would be able to rate this book much higher. I am a big fan of Chew, even have the board game, but this book wasn’t quite as seriously silly as that book was. There was a focus on animal partners but that wasn’t really explored outside of the egret, Ellis. There are so many unanswered questions that I just don’t care about like where did Ellis come from, are magical powers real in this universe, why are there so many animals. None of that really mattered. The story continued without answering any of them.
The other series that could have influenced my ability to be objective is Sandman. The art in this book is nothing to sneeze at, I really did enjoy that. The plot just wasn’t enough to support the art. When I have beautiful art, I want a story that is on par with it. Terrible art can have a wonderful story and I am fine with that. The other way just feels wrong. It feels like the artist was cheated. Their art is not showcased because the story detracts from it.
The book itself could be fun to others and I would understand why. I just don’t like it. I wish I did because the story has real potential to be interesting and weird and gorgeous. I just don’t care enough to keep reading.
tigersmurf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
4.0
John Layman is one of my favorite creators currently working in comics. I was excited to pick up his first creator owned book after [b:Chew, Vol. 1: Taster's Choice|6839093|Chew, Vol. 1 Taster's Choice|John Layman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409985990s/6839093.jpg|7050578]. It certainly wasn't what I expected when he'd mentioned that this series exists in the same world as Chew, and also contained food based powers, but it was quirky and fun.
[a:Sam Kieth|13359|Sam Kieth|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1283613676p2/13359.jpg] is artist who I loved in the 90s, whose work is always gorgeous, but who mainly draws the same looking female protagonist over and over and over. I loved it in [b:The Maxx, Vol. 1|485685|The Maxx, Vol. 1|Sam Kieth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347501979s/485685.jpg|473976] but by the time Kieth's Lobo titles came out, I was tired of seeing this same looking girl who was not the same girl. I also recall a Batman story by Kieth that was Alice In Wonderland themed, which was Too On The Nose for me. But his work here, despite the main female protagonist looking like all of Sam Kieth's other protagonist, is flawless. I love the way he bends panels instead of breaking them, I love the occasional subtle shifts in style when dealing with the antagonist. The book just looks gorgeous.
Much like The Maxx, the story isn't as focused as I had hoped, and it seems more concerned with being quirky than getting the story told. But, as the series was only five issues so far, it was able to keep me interested all the way through, even though I suspected it wasn't going to be narratively satisfying.
I recommend it for people who love Chew but are currently having a fever dream, fans of Sam Kieth's art who've been waiting for him to ratchet it up to the next level, readers who enjoy quirky female protagonists and incompetent Britishy police detectives, people who like comics that feel French even though they aren't (I saw this in another review, and thought "It is kind of French. Huh."), and fans of art succubi and hungry egrets.
[a:Sam Kieth|13359|Sam Kieth|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1283613676p2/13359.jpg] is artist who I loved in the 90s, whose work is always gorgeous, but who mainly draws the same looking female protagonist over and over and over. I loved it in [b:The Maxx, Vol. 1|485685|The Maxx, Vol. 1|Sam Kieth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347501979s/485685.jpg|473976] but by the time Kieth's Lobo titles came out, I was tired of seeing this same looking girl who was not the same girl. I also recall a Batman story by Kieth that was Alice In Wonderland themed, which was Too On The Nose for me. But his work here, despite the main female protagonist looking like all of Sam Kieth's other protagonist, is flawless. I love the way he bends panels instead of breaking them, I love the occasional subtle shifts in style when dealing with the antagonist. The book just looks gorgeous.
Much like The Maxx, the story isn't as focused as I had hoped, and it seems more concerned with being quirky than getting the story told. But, as the series was only five issues so far, it was able to keep me interested all the way through, even though I suspected it wasn't going to be narratively satisfying.
I recommend it for people who love Chew but are currently having a fever dream, fans of Sam Kieth's art who've been waiting for him to ratchet it up to the next level, readers who enjoy quirky female protagonists and incompetent Britishy police detectives, people who like comics that feel French even though they aren't (I saw this in another review, and thought "It is kind of French. Huh."), and fans of art succubi and hungry egrets.
kexingspoison's review against another edition
5.0
Cute, fun, and quirky. Thoroughly enjoyed the story and the art style.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of Eleanor and the Egret from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Eleanor & the Egret is a short series from the minds of Sam Keith (The Maxx, Zero Girl) and John Layman (Chew). It was the cover that initially caught my attention for this series – the Victorian style dress with the light color palette complimented by a giant Egret. Wait, what? Yep, that’s Eleanor & the Egret all right. If you’re looking to dive into a fantasy world of the nonsensical variety, then I highly suggest you give this series a try.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this series, if I’m being honest. Yes, I knew it was about Eleanor and how she and her Egret stole paintings. I didn’t really know the why yet, or really even the how. Surely there had to be a reason for a girl and her pet to end up this way? Unless she’s a criminal straight out of the Pink Panther universe (on second thought…I’d be okay with that).
Upon looking at the cover of the graphic novel (and really, any of the issue covers as well) I pictured an elegant and classical art thief. Which considering the sorts of outfits we see her wearing on the cover, I feel justified in this assumption. However Eleanor dressed very differently inside the covers of this comic, which was a little surprising, but it ended up just adding to her charm.
So as the title indicates, Eleanor has a pet Egret (named Ellis, for those that are curious). While this is certainly odd, it’s hardly story worthy. What makes it a standout series is the fact that little miss Eleanor and her great white Egret are actually master criminals. They steal art, and the reasons for their thievery are even more intriguing than the thefts themselves.
As little details are unveiled to tell us this enchanting story, I found myself enjoying it more and more. There’s a whole world that Eleanor resides in, and that world has rules – though naturally that means some are compelled to break them.
The world itself is endearing to say the least – many (if not all) of the characters can be seen with an animal companion by their side. Rarely do we see anyone without, though it also doesn’t appear to be a requirement (of the magical sort) to have one either. It’s a small touch, to be sure, but for me it enhanced the world significantly, and I imagine many other animal lovers would agree.
As for the mystery of the art thieves and why they do what they do…now that is an interesting tale. I’ll let you read it, as it’s better told in graphic novel form, but trust me when I say it’s worth giving it a shot.
The artwork for this series was wonderful – in many ways it reminded me of the Steampunk style of drawings, but at the same time it held its own and managed to stay different at the same time. The color palette is light, almost sepia toned. It’s actually a wonderful combination, on the whole.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Eleanor & the Egret is a short series from the minds of Sam Keith (The Maxx, Zero Girl) and John Layman (Chew). It was the cover that initially caught my attention for this series – the Victorian style dress with the light color palette complimented by a giant Egret. Wait, what? Yep, that’s Eleanor & the Egret all right. If you’re looking to dive into a fantasy world of the nonsensical variety, then I highly suggest you give this series a try.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this series, if I’m being honest. Yes, I knew it was about Eleanor and how she and her Egret stole paintings. I didn’t really know the why yet, or really even the how. Surely there had to be a reason for a girl and her pet to end up this way? Unless she’s a criminal straight out of the Pink Panther universe (on second thought…I’d be okay with that).
Upon looking at the cover of the graphic novel (and really, any of the issue covers as well) I pictured an elegant and classical art thief. Which considering the sorts of outfits we see her wearing on the cover, I feel justified in this assumption. However Eleanor dressed very differently inside the covers of this comic, which was a little surprising, but it ended up just adding to her charm.
So as the title indicates, Eleanor has a pet Egret (named Ellis, for those that are curious). While this is certainly odd, it’s hardly story worthy. What makes it a standout series is the fact that little miss Eleanor and her great white Egret are actually master criminals. They steal art, and the reasons for their thievery are even more intriguing than the thefts themselves.
As little details are unveiled to tell us this enchanting story, I found myself enjoying it more and more. There’s a whole world that Eleanor resides in, and that world has rules – though naturally that means some are compelled to break them.
The world itself is endearing to say the least – many (if not all) of the characters can be seen with an animal companion by their side. Rarely do we see anyone without, though it also doesn’t appear to be a requirement (of the magical sort) to have one either. It’s a small touch, to be sure, but for me it enhanced the world significantly, and I imagine many other animal lovers would agree.
As for the mystery of the art thieves and why they do what they do…now that is an interesting tale. I’ll let you read it, as it’s better told in graphic novel form, but trust me when I say it’s worth giving it a shot.
The artwork for this series was wonderful – in many ways it reminded me of the Steampunk style of drawings, but at the same time it held its own and managed to stay different at the same time. The color palette is light, almost sepia toned. It’s actually a wonderful combination, on the whole.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
nisreen's review against another edition
2.0
Though I enjoyed the interesting artwork and some of the mystery aspects in this first installment in the Eleanor and the Egert series, the actual story was disappointing and lacking in so many ways.
There was not any form of background information on this fictional world where animals have magical qualities and are able to talk and think. There was absolutely no information on the characters, their motives, justification for their actions, or their backgrounds to give any of them depth or even personality.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
There was not any form of background information on this fictional world where animals have magical qualities and are able to talk and think. There was absolutely no information on the characters, their motives, justification for their actions, or their backgrounds to give any of them depth or even personality.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
thecommonswings's review against another edition
4.0
Chew was a bit too daft for me, in concept and in execution but something about this - despite again being conceptually very daft and illustrated in a way I normally would deeply dislike - I really loved. I suspect because I could see the hackneyed, cliched version very easily and instead the finished object is kind of like… the self published indie comic’s take on the idea. Which I know it very much isn’t, but I appreciate that style for telling this otherwise very slight story and because of that I found it weirdly very charming indeed. It’s very odd but very loveable
samanthabryant's review against another edition
4.0
I found the first issue of this run randomly in a used comic book stack and I was charmed by the quirky, whimsical story immediately. So, I ordered the trade to get the rest of the story.
I'm not perfectly satisfied at the end. I still don't know enough about Eleanor, but I enjoyed the main mystery and the touch of romance. I'd read more.
I'm not perfectly satisfied at the end. I still don't know enough about Eleanor, but I enjoyed the main mystery and the touch of romance. I'd read more.