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brandonadaniels's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
This has everything you expect in a Hickman comic. Big, often inscrutable science fiction ideas, charts, untranslated and/or redacted language, quippy jokes that work about half the time, and, like many Hickman comics, it is maybe unfinished? I can’t tell if the large, Too Be Continued at the end is an attempt at self effacing humor or not. Either way, it’s likely best to take it that way as I would bet real money that this book will be all that ever exists of Decorum, even if the plan was to continue. Hickman and Huddleston are off building a different but visually indistinguishable universe, 3W3M, over on Substack.
But there is a lot to like here if you are a fan of Hickman’s stuff. And Mike Huddleston is doing career defining work here. I think this may end up being even better on reread.
But there is a lot to like here if you are a fan of Hickman’s stuff. And Mike Huddleston is doing career defining work here. I think this may end up being even better on reread.
pyrotec's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hushed's review
adventurous
slow-paced
4.0
fantastic art, great story that felt rushed towards the end
roguemuffin's review
4.0
I picked this up bc Hickman's East of West is one of my all-time favorite comics. Decorum is more experimental and rough around the edges. I have to wonder if they had a deadline to push for and/or had to cram a whole lot of story into one arc. Regardless, it's a cool concept and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The art is absolutely beyonnnnd 😍 It is pretty non-traditional, but if that gets you hyped then you're in for a treat. There are some really lush cyber cityscapes, character designs, color schemes...I could go on! I am considering buying this for my collection largely due to the art. Also I appreciated the integration of graphic design which flowed beautifully with the art style.
Overall, there is a lot going on in this book, maybe too much in some places and not enough in others, but the art more than makes up for it. Def recommend for cyberpunk fans 👌🏻
The art is absolutely beyonnnnd 😍 It is pretty non-traditional, but if that gets you hyped then you're in for a treat. There are some really lush cyber cityscapes, character designs, color schemes...I could go on! I am considering buying this for my collection largely due to the art. Also I appreciated the integration of graphic design which flowed beautifully with the art style.
Overall, there is a lot going on in this book, maybe too much in some places and not enough in others, but the art more than makes up for it. Def recommend for cyberpunk fans 👌🏻
lanternatomika's review
3.0
Look, I'm a huge Jonathan Hickman fan, and I did enjoy Decorum for the most part. It's just that this book had a few too many problems for me to give it any more than three stars.
Now, being a Hickman fan, I have to warn other comic readers to proceed with extreme caution here. Decorum isn't gonna suit anyone who liked Secret Wars or HoX/PoX and decided to check out Hickman's creator owned work. Oh no, this is one for the people who really like Hickman's commitment to world building and exploring crazy concepts in his books. This is probably the most Hickman thing he's ever written.
So, what's going on here? Well, Decorum takes place in a future where civilization has expanded beyond the Earth, and a big of chunk of it is ruled by the Singularity, an artificial intelligence with a god complex. The Singularity wants an egg that is being grown by this book's version of the Bene Gesserit - the significance of this egg isn't revealed until a lot later, which I'll get back to. Meanwhile, Neha Nori Sood is recruited into the hilariously named Sisterhood of Man, an organization of assassins. Why is that relevant to the story? That will also become clear later in the series.
The thing is, the world building undertaking that Hickman is embarking on with Decorum is on the level of East and West. But with that series, Hickman was writing across 10 trades, so he had more than enough time to set up the universe and the story within it. Decorum, on the other hand, is just eight issues long, and definitely feels constrained by that length. This becomes the most apparent in the last two issues, as Hickman essentially fast forwards through the climax of the story. That on top of the fact that he has to rush through revelations like the deal with the egg and the involvement of the Sisterhood in the main story.
It even ends in a way that might be a cliffhanger or it might not be.
Despite all this whinging, this is still Hickman. Everything one usually loves about his writing is still present and accounted for, and I do still recommend this book to folks who really wanna see him unleashed.
The other good/bad thing about this book is the art.
Mike Huddleston doesn't have an easy job on his hands here. The script asks him to illustrate some crazy stuff, and he tackles the challenge gamely enough. This is a mostly gorgeous comic - the cover says it all, doesn't it?
But then at the same time, his off kilter variations in art and color styles can get a little distracting. I appreciate that he sometimes uses colors to signal things to the reader, but then he also often changes the color scheme just for fun, which defeats the purpose. It's never a good sign, imo, when he has to include arrows to lead the reader across the comic's panels - your panel layout should be more intuitive than that!
Overall, though, I enjoyed Decorum, but I think the story needed at least an issue or two more to get the most out of it. For Hickman diehards, this book will be worth dealing with the weaknesses and the writing and art. For others, as I said, proceed with caution.
On a side note: I really feel for people who reading this book issue by issue! There's no way this story could work if you don't have the whole thing on hand.
Now, being a Hickman fan, I have to warn other comic readers to proceed with extreme caution here. Decorum isn't gonna suit anyone who liked Secret Wars or HoX/PoX and decided to check out Hickman's creator owned work. Oh no, this is one for the people who really like Hickman's commitment to world building and exploring crazy concepts in his books. This is probably the most Hickman thing he's ever written.
So, what's going on here? Well, Decorum takes place in a future where civilization has expanded beyond the Earth, and a big of chunk of it is ruled by the Singularity, an artificial intelligence with a god complex. The Singularity wants an egg that is being grown by this book's version of the Bene Gesserit - the significance of this egg isn't revealed until a lot later, which I'll get back to. Meanwhile, Neha Nori Sood is recruited into the hilariously named Sisterhood of Man, an organization of assassins. Why is that relevant to the story? That will also become clear later in the series.
The thing is, the world building undertaking that Hickman is embarking on with Decorum is on the level of East and West. But with that series, Hickman was writing across 10 trades, so he had more than enough time to set up the universe and the story within it. Decorum, on the other hand, is just eight issues long, and definitely feels constrained by that length. This becomes the most apparent in the last two issues, as Hickman essentially fast forwards through the climax of the story. That on top of the fact that he has to rush through revelations like the deal with the egg and the involvement of the Sisterhood in the main story.
It even ends in a way that might be a cliffhanger or it might not be.
Despite all this whinging, this is still Hickman. Everything one usually loves about his writing is still present and accounted for, and I do still recommend this book to folks who really wanna see him unleashed.
The other good/bad thing about this book is the art.
Mike Huddleston doesn't have an easy job on his hands here. The script asks him to illustrate some crazy stuff, and he tackles the challenge gamely enough. This is a mostly gorgeous comic - the cover says it all, doesn't it?
But then at the same time, his off kilter variations in art and color styles can get a little distracting. I appreciate that he sometimes uses colors to signal things to the reader, but then he also often changes the color scheme just for fun, which defeats the purpose. It's never a good sign, imo, when he has to include arrows to lead the reader across the comic's panels - your panel layout should be more intuitive than that!
Overall, though, I enjoyed Decorum, but I think the story needed at least an issue or two more to get the most out of it. For Hickman diehards, this book will be worth dealing with the weaknesses and the writing and art. For others, as I said, proceed with caution.
On a side note: I really feel for people who reading this book issue by issue! There's no way this story could work if you don't have the whole thing on hand.
odunayo_y's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Cursing, Violence, Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit and Religious bigotry
cyphers_reading_list's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
fossen's review
4.0
Mike Huddleston's work here is utterly stunning. As good as he's been, this is next-level work, combining multiple styles at a dizzying pace that truly helps the storytelling.
The story itself is excellent Hickman - big organizations and ideas - but it's bursting at the seams at this point. I am looking forward to further volumes which might flesh things out more.
The story itself is excellent Hickman - big organizations and ideas - but it's bursting at the seams at this point. I am looking forward to further volumes which might flesh things out more.
guccigiang's review
4.0
This is the most fun I’ve had reading a graphic novel! The art is so unique and expressive. I am impressed with every page. There is a lot of unnecessary world building that I couldn’t really care for and the ending was really rushed. Otherwise, I enjoyed the journey, the characters, and the bits of humor. I can’t wait to read the next collection.