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montycello's review against another edition
2.0
While I didn't have high expectations for this, I was nevertheless disappointed. A lot of the characters were obvious caricatures, including the CEO of the biggest comic book/entertainment distributor (a la Marvel) asking un-ironically "Do we still make comics?". The main character is also the biggest unironic white knight I've ever read, constantly finding ways to be more PC than every other scumbag in the narrative. This was a marginally more realistic interpretation of the white male fantasy. The main character does a legit slide across a car hood at one point like he's in a action film and he's a comic book artist. On a little bit of nicer note, I did like the final untangling of threads in the whodunnit, even if the road there didn't make sense and I didn't understand the motives of the police and why they didn't just question people which is, like, their job???
sbsenpai's review against another edition
4.0
After going to conventions for over a decade, including the famous San Diego Comic Con, reading a book that has it be the setting for a murder mystery is definitely something that catches my eye! Our main character, Mike is a comic artist who along with thousands of others attends the con over the weekend, but things take a turn when a rival in the industry is found murdered and Mike is the primary suspect. In order to clear his name, he has to find out who the real killer is amongst thousands of people and all before Sunday. This isn’t the first book to take place at a convention, but I think this is the first to show the realistic side for both fans and those who work in the industry. None of it is done in a mean spirited way, but it doesn’t romanticizes the con experience the way other books do, so that was cool. There are also some illustrations that are from Mike’s perspective that even give clues to the mystery. Overall, a good book for comic fans and mystery fans. Definitely a book I will read again.
justrosaelena's review against another edition
2.0
This was an alright read. The pop culture references were funny and since this is set in Comic Con, the overuse of the references was appropriate. The story itself got a little predictable and at one point I was not sure if i was rooting for the protagonist anymore. I liked Fred Van Lente's writing in Deadpool vs. The Punisher, but this novel was not it for me.
aga_ai's review against another edition
2.0
It was an okay mistery, but sometimes it lost track of what exactly it was trying to be - murder mystery or contemporary. Couldn't connect to the characters and sometimes I felt that details of surroundings overtook the actions/characters.
victoriashirlie's review against another edition
4.0
A must-read for people who love cons! This is a fun, relatively light, unpredictable mystery. As a person who frequently attends cons, I really loved the descriptions of con culture. Some of the stuff about comic books was a bit over my head, but overall I think Van Lente does a good job explaining things. I really enjoyed the story!
themichellegray's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This was genuinely one of the worst books I've ever read; the writing style, characterizations, mystery, and subject matter all fell flat. If I hadn't bought this book and gotten it signed by the author at an event years ago it would've been one of the easiest DNF's of my life. The only reason I was able to finish the story at all was because of the audiobook. Maybe this will be more successful for avid con-goers but it just didn't work for me.
mrsenginerd's review against another edition
5.0
When I picked up this book at the 2019 ECCC from the Quirk Books booth I was expecting great outside the box material and The Con Artist delivered. Set in the San Diego Comic Con, the mother of all nerd and geek fandom gatherings, Fred and Tom orchestrate a story that includes drama, suspense, humor, and vivid illustrations about the scene of the crime. As someone born and raised in the 80s, I appreciated the gags, jokes and schticks used to develop the narrative, which is full of sarcastic one liners, and very well executed twists and turns. It describes rich and diverse characters which was a really nice touch since the city itself and fans have a very interesting mash of peoples and cultures. It was such a compelling "who done it" that read it all in one sitting!
Having attended the San Diego Con myself, I can vouch for the landmarks and locations the author used. If you haven't been there it might be hard to follow or understand; check out a map of the area ahead of reading or during to clarify points. Based on my Con experience, the book can serve as an introduction to what to expect from your visit and experiences at the events. I passed it along to my sister who was very excited to figure out how the book ends. Share this tome with your fellow nerds/geeks. It's a really cool gift or stocking stuffer.
Having attended the San Diego Con myself, I can vouch for the landmarks and locations the author used. If you haven't been there it might be hard to follow or understand; check out a map of the area ahead of reading or during to clarify points. Based on my Con experience, the book can serve as an introduction to what to expect from your visit and experiences at the events. I passed it along to my sister who was very excited to figure out how the book ends. Share this tome with your fellow nerds/geeks. It's a really cool gift or stocking stuffer.
nina_chan01's review against another edition
4.0
A solid mystery that stands out from many like it by being based entirely on the real-life Comic-Con that takes place in San Diego every year. This was a main selling point for me as I could easily identify the places, people, and events the author was referring to -even when names were changed to protect people and copyrights- but I do wonder if someone who is unfamiliar with it will get as much of a kick out of it.
Extra kudos to Van Lente for getting a couple of really good messages about life, the comics industry, and fandom in there. He doesn't hit you over the head with them, but they're in there and they do make you think.
Extra kudos to Van Lente for getting a couple of really good messages about life, the comics industry, and fandom in there. He doesn't hit you over the head with them, but they're in there and they do make you think.
sakurastar's review against another edition
3.0
My main problem with this book was that the protagonist always does the dumbest thing in any situation. I could not connect with him at all.