Reviews

The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis

emmad861's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

brief but very very cool. a wacky and uncanny world paired with amazing art and great writing. definitely worth checking out if you’re into surrealist stuff but want to start with a graphic novel a little simpler than something like doom patrol. i haven’t looked into if there are like sequels or anything to this but i would definitely check them out if there were. but this also stands well on its own

pink_armadillo's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mmmlysaght's review against another edition

4.0

Gorgeous art, immersive world, a deep but justified ennui. I had a good time and I wanted more.

wrentheblurry's review against another edition

3.0

Weird, confusing, hopeful and terribly bleak, all at the same time. Very well drawn characters, setting, and even chat bubbles (though I would have loved to see color). I liked the journey, getting to know the whacked characters and see their adventures, but the ending took it down for me a bit. It felt like things should have gone differently.

mmmariaaa's review against another edition

3.0

In a word: Bizarre.

You have to think outside the box to get this one, actually set the box on fire and forget about it. There is no box. It sort of reminds me of My Favorite Band Does Not Exist by Robert T. Jeschonek. It gets three stars because I dig the art.

nathanaracena's review against another edition

2.0

Just couldn’t get into it. Bizarre and weird, which isn’t a bad thing, but the whole underlying psychological theme of growing up and being trapped misses the mark for me. I do appreciate how random and strange it is though, with some really quirky thoughts and ideas popping up.

sarah2's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

An interesting world, but one you are thrown into headfirst with very little by way of explanation.  There are some interesting plot threads about futility and the cyclical nature of time, but they aren't developed.  As this is the first in a trilogy of graphic novels, I'm willing to bet that this was the set up for an overarching theme.  I'm just curious enough to want to keep reading.

remibean2009's review against another edition

2.0

Such a cool world with such a dumb story. Literally nothing is explained. Oh, that’s the point of it? Sounds like a way to justify a lazy plot line.

wesleyboy's review against another edition

3.0

Not quite sure what that was, but it’s weird enough for me to keep going.

jestintzi's review against another edition

5.0

So glad I was turned on to The Motherless Oven by a friend. The surreal world that exists here, the bombardment of the world's perplexing details (a world where, in the Bear Park, nobody is born and every child has to build their parents, and everyone is given a "death day") is a bold risk that really paid off for me. When I read it I didn't realize it was the first in a trilogy, and I deeply recommend the whole thing. A wild ride through and through, a truly ambitious series that swiftly rocketed into my faves.