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ostrava's review
5.0
What a weird ass fucking comic. So, it couldn't be more explicit in its overall opinion of the financial market, but to make a comic book depicting them as satan worshippers who eat babies in their free time is bizarre.
But this is fiction and not reality so we're allowed to get a bit crazy. And through the sher craziness I feel like a lot is said on how power works in our world, the value and nature of money and the human psyche of those who worshipp it and pile it up as if they were dragons.
It does feel like a charitable portrait of the type of psychopaths that rule us, similar to serial killer stories that show them as cunning and charming people when most of them are asocial clowns with no interesting opinions whatsoever. Because that's what unempathetic people are: uninteresting. But their stories aren't and don't we all have a bit of morbidity inside of us? I have it as I'm the intended audience for these stories. It's intriguing from start to finish and I am officially hooked. I'll have to admit it, I enjoyed the craziness but I do wonder where the author will take it from here...
But this is fiction and not reality so we're allowed to get a bit crazy. And through the sher craziness I feel like a lot is said on how power works in our world, the value and nature of money and the human psyche of those who worshipp it and pile it up as if they were dragons.
It does feel like a charitable portrait of the type of psychopaths that rule us, similar to serial killer stories that show them as cunning and charming people when most of them are asocial clowns with no interesting opinions whatsoever. Because that's what unempathetic people are: uninteresting. But their stories aren't and don't we all have a bit of morbidity inside of us? I have it as I'm the intended audience for these stories. It's intriguing from start to finish and I am officially hooked. I'll have to admit it, I enjoyed the craziness but I do wonder where the author will take it from here...
crookedtreehouse's review
3.0
I'm a massive fan of Jonathan Hickman. While many comic book writers introduce you to some characters in peril, and then you watch them get out of it, Hickman is more likely to throw a wall of text and symbols at you, weave a plot that you need an outline to understand, hands you said outline, and then presumes you will follow the story to its end. When it works: The Nightly News, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers/New Avengers, Transhuman, and East Of West (so far), it's some of the best comicing you can hope for. And when he misses the mark: God Is Dead, Red Mass From Mars, and The Manhattan Projects, it's usually at least interesting for a while.
For me, it's too early to tell whether or not this is going to be any good. It's a super-convoluted story about the generations of families who run Wall Street through magic and sacrifice. There are family trees and time lines to help you follow how people are related to each other and their station in the magical hierarchy. At times, it doesn't feel like enough. But some times it feels like it doesn't matter.
At it's heart, this is your story of corporate greed and backstabbing amped up to 37 out of 10. It's culty. It's dire. And its art is gritty, which is a word I usually only use to describe terrible '90s DC comics, but here it works. It doesn't look like any other Hickman book, despite its similar iconography.
I'd recommend this for someone looking for a dense comic that you have to read and reread to fully appreciate. I just can't promise it will pay off in the end. But I felt that way about Hickman's Fantastic Four run, and was happy to discover that everything wrapped up neatly and satisfactorily.
For me, it's too early to tell whether or not this is going to be any good. It's a super-convoluted story about the generations of families who run Wall Street through magic and sacrifice. There are family trees and time lines to help you follow how people are related to each other and their station in the magical hierarchy. At times, it doesn't feel like enough. But some times it feels like it doesn't matter.
At it's heart, this is your story of corporate greed and backstabbing amped up to 37 out of 10. It's culty. It's dire. And its art is gritty, which is a word I usually only use to describe terrible '90s DC comics, but here it works. It doesn't look like any other Hickman book, despite its similar iconography.
I'd recommend this for someone looking for a dense comic that you have to read and reread to fully appreciate. I just can't promise it will pay off in the end. But I felt that way about Hickman's Fantastic Four run, and was happy to discover that everything wrapped up neatly and satisfactorily.
usethesidedoor's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
srgower's review
4.0
Interesting read. A bit disjointed at times and hard to follow but now I want to see what's after chapter 4.
bethanymartin's review
4.0
read at the recommendation of a 12th grader, so disorienting in a really good way
woolfinbooks's review
1.0
This was suggested to me for quite a while. Having read it, I have nothing good to say about the purchase other than I supported my local comic shop. The antisemitism is beyond disgusting. How it ever made it past editors and approved by Image is beyond me. If you're seeking better conspiracy theory content, from the same publisher, I'd suggest The Department of Truth. It even tackles the kind of antisemitic conspiracy theories that plagued this comic.
mysteriousdays's review
4.0
This book was fucked up, but in all the right ways.
Cannibalism, murder, graphic depictions, amazing artwork and formatting, and generally dark themes tied a perfect story. You were fully embraced by the story, trying —and mostly failing— to figure out half of what the hell was going on. There’s so much to the reasons things happen as they do, this is a graphic novel that you need to sit through a few times before you understand it even partially.
“Slaves” did most of the dirty work, and it’s a rotating cast, jumping between time periods in the 1900’s and 2000’s. Each cast is interesting, though we don’t know too awful much, given the format and how it’s helping us understand the storyline of why this and that happens.
But, be warned: shit gets dark quick. You need a stomach to read this, and an open mind. The art is detailed, and dialogue is graphic, so keep that in mind. If you can’t handle it, don’t read it. Simple as that. If you can handle it, READ IT. This is coming from someone who doesn’t often pick up graphic novels.
Cannibalism, murder, graphic depictions, amazing artwork and formatting, and generally dark themes tied a perfect story. You were fully embraced by the story, trying —and mostly failing— to figure out half of what the hell was going on. There’s so much to the reasons things happen as they do, this is a graphic novel that you need to sit through a few times before you understand it even partially.
“Slaves” did most of the dirty work, and it’s a rotating cast, jumping between time periods in the 1900’s and 2000’s. Each cast is interesting, though we don’t know too awful much, given the format and how it’s helping us understand the storyline of why this and that happens.
But, be warned: shit gets dark quick. You need a stomach to read this, and an open mind. The art is detailed, and dialogue is graphic, so keep that in mind. If you can’t handle it, don’t read it. Simple as that. If you can handle it, READ IT. This is coming from someone who doesn’t often pick up graphic novels.
elturko64's review
4.0
Incredible. Imagine a wall street book filled with pagan black magic and cannibalism wrapped in a murder mystery. Hickman truly made a unique book that should be getting more buzz. The story is brimming with sinister tones and has a certain dread that goes through every page. That being said the plot itself is its downfall. It's too complex and purposely convoluted making it difficult to keep up with the weaving characters and side stories. Still, this book is phenomenal and its a beast worth reading.