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octavia_cade's review
challenging
medium-paced
3.0
For a while I thought that this was going to be the first book in this series that I'd give four stars to - Ofelia's horrible backstory and how it intersected with the political and military chaos of the times, and Luba's life as a teenage bride, were really affecting. But Luba's husband Peter Rio was a gangster, and the increasing focus on gangster activities was something I found less appealing. I was glad to see her escape that life and find her way to Palomar, which is where my interest in this whole ongoing story is centred.
I think one of the most interesting things about this series is that it's made up of individual comics - which is a facile thing to say, considering - but they're frequently not in order, and go back and forth in time. In a novel, I find this technique a fun challenge, but in a graphic story, I have to admit I find it sometimes difficult to grasp. I don't have the most visual brain - when I was young it took me years to remember what colour my mum's car was, despite seeing it every day, and I could only ever reliably find it in a parking lot because of the number plate (numbers were easier to remember than colours) - and so I often find myself floundering a bit with this series, just because it's so visually complex. I remain interested, though, so even though it's a challenge to read I plan on keeping up with it.
I think one of the most interesting things about this series is that it's made up of individual comics - which is a facile thing to say, considering - but they're frequently not in order, and go back and forth in time. In a novel, I find this technique a fun challenge, but in a graphic story, I have to admit I find it sometimes difficult to grasp. I don't have the most visual brain - when I was young it took me years to remember what colour my mum's car was, despite seeing it every day, and I could only ever reliably find it in a parking lot because of the number plate (numbers were easier to remember than colours) - and so I often find myself floundering a bit with this series, just because it's so visually complex. I remain interested, though, so even though it's a challenge to read I plan on keeping up with it.
caterwaulrus's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
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
4.25
dantastic's review
5.0
Beyond Palomar collects Poison River and Love and Rockets X by Gilbert Hernandez.
As I continue to chew through the Palomar books, I'm amazed at what Gilbert Hernandez has done here.
Poison River, the story of how Luba wound up in Palomar, is a sordid tale of revolution, sex, drugs, heartbreak, and more sex and drugs. Gorgo's ties to Luba's family are revealed, is as much of Luba's tragic backstory, being married at fifteen to a man over three times her age.
Love & Rockets X is the story of a LA band called Love & Rockets and everyone caught in their orbit. All roads lead to Palomar so everything gets tied together eventually. Love & Rockets X is a tale of sex, drugs, racism, violence, heartbreak, and all the other good shit.
Gilbert's art continues to wow me, his style slick and minimalist but still very expressive. Working in black and white with a cast this large, he still manages to give everyone a distinctive look.
Beyond Palomar is another winner from Gilbert Hernandez that makes me wish I'd started reading these books twenty years ago. Five out of five stars.
As I continue to chew through the Palomar books, I'm amazed at what Gilbert Hernandez has done here.
Poison River, the story of how Luba wound up in Palomar, is a sordid tale of revolution, sex, drugs, heartbreak, and more sex and drugs. Gorgo's ties to Luba's family are revealed, is as much of Luba's tragic backstory, being married at fifteen to a man over three times her age.
Love & Rockets X is the story of a LA band called Love & Rockets and everyone caught in their orbit. All roads lead to Palomar so everything gets tied together eventually. Love & Rockets X is a tale of sex, drugs, racism, violence, heartbreak, and all the other good shit.
Gilbert's art continues to wow me, his style slick and minimalist but still very expressive. Working in black and white with a cast this large, he still manages to give everyone a distinctive look.
Beyond Palomar is another winner from Gilbert Hernandez that makes me wish I'd started reading these books twenty years ago. Five out of five stars.
scheu's review
4.0
Potentially I will change my rating to 5 stars when I read it again. GH can work so much story into a single panel, and then fill the page with those panels, that I sometimes have a hard time keeping track of everything that happens. There's also more violence in this volume than in the previous Palomar stories which I don't appreciate so much.
matt4hire's review
5.0
This one's easy to review; it's only 2 stories!
The first, Poison River, is a challenging read about Luba's history before she gets to Palomar, one that sometimes seems like it's not about Luba at all. Sometimes, it sings. Sometimes...it doesn't.
The second, Love & Rockets X, however, is fantastic throughout. It's filled with haunting moments, difficult moments, exultant moments...it's just fantastic.
The first, Poison River, is a challenging read about Luba's history before she gets to Palomar, one that sometimes seems like it's not about Luba at all. Sometimes, it sings. Sometimes...it doesn't.
The second, Love & Rockets X, however, is fantastic throughout. It's filled with haunting moments, difficult moments, exultant moments...it's just fantastic.
germancho's review
5.0
5 stars to Poison River. This second read allowed me to savor the nuances of the plot without getting frustrated like last time. This is to say, if you can follow the plot and the huge cast, you're in for a comic book masterpiece.
jamoroso8's review
4.0
a bit hard to follow at times (lots o characters) but so hypnotic, I haven't read a graphic novel this good in a while
jeffhall's review
4.0
This third volume of Gilbert Hernández's collected Palomar stories includes two novella-length pieces, the first of which ("Poison River") is one of the best things to ever flow from his pen. This is essentially the origin story of Hernández's primary protagonist (Luba) and focuses on her teenage years before taking up residence in the remote town of Palomar. It's a dense story of personal, political, and sexual intrigue with many interweaving threads, and despite its complexity, the author manages to keep the narrative moving at a brisk pace, broken up by the clever device of chapter-heading pages that each focus on one of the main characters. It's not an easy read, since violence is ever-present throughout the tale, but it's powerful stuff that makes for one heck of a compelling read.
Then there's the second work in this volume, "Love and Rockets X", which brings the action forward in time to focus on Luba's children who have moved to the United States. It's an intentionally comic work (as opposed to the dramatic "Poison River"), and while parts of it are amusing, overall it's nothing special, despite the author's attempt to include some social commentary (much of which feels rather forced).
Then there's the second work in this volume, "Love and Rockets X", which brings the action forward in time to focus on Luba's children who have moved to the United States. It's an intentionally comic work (as opposed to the dramatic "Poison River"), and while parts of it are amusing, overall it's nothing special, despite the author's attempt to include some social commentary (much of which feels rather forced).