Reviews

Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen: Invasion of the Optiklons by Scott Chandler, Robbi Rodriguez, Stephen Colbert, Tom Peyer, John Layman

ladyheroj's review against another edition

2.0

I eagerly bought this a couple weeks ago when I found a copy at a convention. I love Stephen Colbert! Strangers with Candy, the Daily Show, Colbert Report, the Late Show...always hilarious. I own Wigfield and I jumped at the chance to own another Colbert-related books. I never managed to get my hands on Tek Jansen back when it published--what luck to find it now for $5!

Five bucks is about what it's worth. I'd actually begrudge even that amount if I weren't the Colbert mega-fan that I am.

The weird thing was that I didn't realize how much I'd forgotten his Report character. Tek Jansen's brazen, over-the-top attitude was nostalgic, in a way. But reading it now, this far out from the final Report episode...the book doesn't age well at all. Especially since the writers don't nail Colbert's original satirical humor, nor do they do a good job at parodying old sci-fi and comic tropes. A laugh or two are still in there, but overall it just felt like a chore to read. I can't imagine anyone unfamiliar with Colbert's old character enjoying this. It simply falls flat with its satire and parody.

ubalstecha's review against another edition

4.0

This is a hilarious take on the character created by Stephen Colbert. The graphic novel is full of Tek seducing women, being completely inappropriate with those around him. And managing to save the universe at the same time. Awesome.

margaretann84's review against another edition

2.0

This was just bad. Even understanding that they were parodying the old-school comics of the 50s and 60s, these were just awful. Terrible writing, annoying art, just all-around a waste of time.

...And yet, still somehow better than Harry Potter.

thenthomwaslike's review against another edition

2.0

It is good at points but really loses its thread early and often. There are also some pretty simple typos that should have been corrected when the comics released, and if not there, when reviewing the trade paperback for release.

slimikin's review

2.0

Weird. And not as funny as I'd hoped it would be. But I did enjoy some of the standalones at the end.

schufman's review

3.0

Very funny, very meta. The last case file was, unfortunately, the worst part of the whole thing, so it was a bad note on which to end. But the main storyline and most of the casefiles were lots of fun.

secrethistory's review

3.0

This comic book trade follows the exploits of Tek Jansen, a hyper egotistical, science-fiction Stephen Colbert. Oddly, I would not say that liking The Colbert Report will mean you'll like this book. It isn't really politically charged. Instead, it plays on tropes and cliches of comic books and old science fiction. So basically if you like Star Trek: TOS or superhero comic books, you'll enjoy this (provided you can laugh at some of it).

The book was a parody, but I felt like it was a good story in its own right. The art was definitely a good pick for the sci-fi feel. At times I did feel it was a little slow, but it was usually quite funny. I also wished that Tek's little romantic plotline had been finished, but you can't have everything I guess.