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kaigairg's review against another edition
4.0
http://greenmanreview.com/book/book_wagner_madamexanadu_volumeone.html
aveincobalt's review against another edition
2.0
The more I think about this book, the less I like it. It has gorgeous art, an interesting premise, and that can't put it down quality. It's problems only surface once you have put it down.
It 's billed as the story of an empowered woman. Madame Xanadu may be incredibly powerful, but in this story she is belittled not empowered. It is shown time and time again, that despite all of her powers and efforts she is helpless against destiny. That she is little more than a puppet, or an amusement, to the Phantom Stranger. The Phantom Stranger causes her to feel shame and guilt for actions that were not truly hers, all while further manipulating her actions.
Trigger Warning:
Multiple characters are raped in this story. While the others are mostly implied, the first rape is shown over several pages. The women who are raped are removed from the story immediately afterwards by banishment or death. Rape in this story is just something that happens. It attempts to shrug it off, and in one instance make you laugh at it. You can't have an empowering story about a woman, when a good portion of the book is disempowering to all women.
It isn't just the women who are raped who are disempowered by sex though. Madame Xanadu is usually shown as having a lover. In the few segments where she is single, she make some rather embarrassing and pathetic attempts to seduce the Phantom Stranger. In the end she is badly manipulated by almost all of her love interests.
So here is the story of an amazingly powerful woman. Who ends up in abusive relationships, because there's no way a woman could be happy by herself. Who can never change anything in a way that truly matters. It might be her story, but she has no control over the narrative. She has no power.
It 's billed as the story of an empowered woman. Madame Xanadu may be incredibly powerful, but in this story she is belittled not empowered. It is shown time and time again, that despite all of her powers and efforts she is helpless against destiny. That she is little more than a puppet, or an amusement, to the Phantom Stranger. The Phantom Stranger causes her to feel shame and guilt for actions that were not truly hers, all while further manipulating her actions.
Trigger Warning:
Multiple characters are raped in this story. While the others are mostly implied, the first rape is shown over several pages. The women who are raped are removed from the story immediately afterwards by banishment or death. Rape in this story is just something that happens. It attempts to shrug it off, and in one instance make you laugh at it. You can't have an empowering story about a woman, when a good portion of the book is disempowering to all women.
It isn't just the women who are raped who are disempowered by sex though. Madame Xanadu is usually shown as having a lover. In the few segments where she is single, she make some rather embarrassing and pathetic attempts to seduce the Phantom Stranger. In the end she is badly manipulated by almost all of her love interests.
So here is the story of an amazingly powerful woman. Who ends up in abusive relationships, because there's no way a woman could be happy by herself. Who can never change anything in a way that truly matters. It might be her story, but she has no control over the narrative. She has no power.
seasaltrose's review
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book immensely. It is wonderful to have a series about tarot and other phenomena that I am interested in. It was really well done. There are 6 stories in this volume, each with a different cast accept madame Xanadu. Each chapter explores someone whose perception opens. There is hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, and the 3rd eye or precognition. In each case the person's life gets weird and Madame Xanadu helps them deal with their new gift.
Fantastic series. It is set in the 60s and the art gives it that 60s feel. I am going to have to see if I can find the first 3 volumes of this as my library only has this one. Anyone into the extraordinary - this is a great story for you.
It simply makes me happy.
Fantastic series. It is set in the 60s and the art gives it that 60s feel. I am going to have to see if I can find the first 3 volumes of this as my library only has this one. Anyone into the extraordinary - this is a great story for you.
It simply makes me happy.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
4.0
Matt Wagner has written some of my favorite Slightly Under The Radar DC classics: [b:Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity|154765|Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman Trinity|Matt Wagner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344237762l/154765._SX50_.jpg|149380] and [b:Batman and the Monster Men|107036|Batman and the Monster Men|Matt Wagner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1635442487l/107036._SY75_.jpg|103167] being the first that come to mind.
Here, he takes DC C-lister, Madame Xanadu, and follows her history from the time of Camelot to mid-20th century DC superhero times. While the main DC character who serves as her foil in this volume is The Phantom Stranger, we do also get a hint of one of Sandman's Endless, and a full on appearance of another.
This is a fun fantasy series. It breaks no new ground in storytelling, as Camelot, the French Revolution, the court of Kublai Khan, and Jack-The-Ripper era Europe have been repeatedly explored in DC comics. Mainly by [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] and [a:Alan Moore|3961|Alan Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304944713p2/3961.jpg]. But just because the settings and plots are familiar doesn't give this the air of being derivative. It's more the case of a character's story being shaped by the famous events around her rather than a series of stories about famous events through the eyes of a single protagonist.
If you love Sandman and Lucifer, and wish there were more books set in that world but weren't satisfied by the likes of House Of Mystery or The Dreaming, this may be the series for you. [a:Amy Reeder Hadley|15649132|Amy Reeder Hadley|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art in this volume is gorgeous, and was justifiably nominated for several Eisner Awards.
Here, he takes DC C-lister, Madame Xanadu, and follows her history from the time of Camelot to mid-20th century DC superhero times. While the main DC character who serves as her foil in this volume is The Phantom Stranger, we do also get a hint of one of Sandman's Endless, and a full on appearance of another.
This is a fun fantasy series. It breaks no new ground in storytelling, as Camelot, the French Revolution, the court of Kublai Khan, and Jack-The-Ripper era Europe have been repeatedly explored in DC comics. Mainly by [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] and [a:Alan Moore|3961|Alan Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304944713p2/3961.jpg]. But just because the settings and plots are familiar doesn't give this the air of being derivative. It's more the case of a character's story being shaped by the famous events around her rather than a series of stories about famous events through the eyes of a single protagonist.
If you love Sandman and Lucifer, and wish there were more books set in that world but weren't satisfied by the likes of House Of Mystery or The Dreaming, this may be the series for you. [a:Amy Reeder Hadley|15649132|Amy Reeder Hadley|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art in this volume is gorgeous, and was justifiably nominated for several Eisner Awards.
aneumann's review against another edition
3.0
The art in this series is some of my favorite outside of Saga, and I actually really really like the character of Madame Xanadu.
For most of this volume I was really enjoying the story but in the last 25 pages or so it just got really weird.
The writing is rather odd, and some of the language used is pretty ridiculous making the story convoluted just for the sake of being convoluted.
Overall though, if good art is important to you (especially by a female artist) give this one a chance.
For most of this volume I was really enjoying the story but in the last 25 pages or so it just got really weird.
The writing is rather odd, and some of the language used is pretty ridiculous making the story convoluted just for the sake of being convoluted.
Overall though, if good art is important to you (especially by a female artist) give this one a chance.
twas's review against another edition
3.0
I did enjoy reading this, and it inspired me to write fiction and create characters of my own... Partly because I found the series wanting. I found myself thinking, ok, THIS has been done, what can I do that would be better?
That said, if I saw the second volume in a shop, I would no doubt buy it and read it! I do want to know what happens next. (Also, since I am not very involved with the worlds of DC heroes etc., I have no idea why the ending of this is significant, and I want to find out.)
There are a few things that I would change:
1) Madame Xanadu is not actually the protagonist- she is the foil for the Phantom Stranger. He is a dispassionate, wise observer of destiny. His powers are cosmic and his moral considerations are vast. She is a fiercely passionate fool, whose powers are small and earthly, and whose morality is shortsighted. It is these traits of hers which drive the plot, and also these traits which make her impossible to relate to, since her perspective is often flat-out foolish and petty. ("WHY would you do that, Nimue?") Her short-sightedness also makes her less credible as a character - she is, foremost, a *seer*, and also immortal. Though she lives centuries she retains a pouty, adolescent hyper-emotionality. Her actions are impulsive and spiteful. Any ancient seer would be reflective and insightful, NOT like Nimue.
Although we follow her life, we only see the glimpses of it when HE is around, which belies the fact that he is the only thing that makes her story important.
2) I feel like the Phantom Stranger wishes he was the Sandman. Also, with the small amount of information that we get about him, I can't figure out how he fits into the DC-Vertigo cosmology/multiverse. That's a little annoying.
3) The idea of the disenchanted wood-nymph is something I *can* relate to. However, I find it frustrating that she is a tempestuous fool that the Stranger manipulates and humors, as her powers are diminuitive in comparison with his. His powers are never defined, which makes them all the more vast. Nimue is like a child throwing tiny jealous magic-tantrums every time the truly powerful stranger shows up.
Wouldn't it be fabulous if for once, there was an earth-powered female heroine who absolutely rocked? With phenomenal strengths and composure, who saw the big picture and acted wisely for the long term? She wouldn't even have to be big and burly. She could be slight in stature, mysterious in features... She might even wear horns and hooves.
But you know what, she wouldn't have to have massive powers to have some Druidic calm and sense.
4) Perhaps the problem is in recycling the same mythos, same characters, same storylines. I hope not. Because it seems that the old stories, be they mythical, historical, or from the realm of comic-book heroes, have a lot of power and a lot to offer. Not least among these powers is marketability - When I fall in love with a story I am inclined to follow it up with whatever sidelines have been penned. However, it could be that Nimue/Madame Xanadu just is not an interesting enough character to merit her own series. From the way this is written, I am not entirely convinced to the contrary.
5) All of the characters seemed flat to me. In Morgana's case, that was fine. In the Stranger's case, theoretically it should have been fine, except he was the real star, and he was a little *too* mysterious for the prominence he was given. Even Death was a little too easily persuaded to break her own laws. But in Nimue's case, it is utterly unforgivable. The plot is super, and I have no doubt that these tales looked smashing on a storyboard. But the execution was too simplistic, and a bit pretentiously worded.
Suffice it to say, my hopes at the outset were slowly deflated. I shall return to my slow-cooking plot to develop a set of female action heroes that are worth their ink, and then some...
That said, if I saw the second volume in a shop, I would no doubt buy it and read it! I do want to know what happens next. (Also, since I am not very involved with the worlds of DC heroes etc., I have no idea why the ending of this is significant, and I want to find out.)
There are a few things that I would change:
1) Madame Xanadu is not actually the protagonist- she is the foil for the Phantom Stranger. He is a dispassionate, wise observer of destiny. His powers are cosmic and his moral considerations are vast. She is a fiercely passionate fool, whose powers are small and earthly, and whose morality is shortsighted. It is these traits of hers which drive the plot, and also these traits which make her impossible to relate to, since her perspective is often flat-out foolish and petty. ("WHY would you do that, Nimue?") Her short-sightedness also makes her less credible as a character - she is, foremost, a *seer*, and also immortal. Though she lives centuries she retains a pouty, adolescent hyper-emotionality. Her actions are impulsive and spiteful. Any ancient seer would be reflective and insightful, NOT like Nimue.
Although we follow her life, we only see the glimpses of it when HE is around, which belies the fact that he is the only thing that makes her story important.
2) I feel like the Phantom Stranger wishes he was the Sandman. Also, with the small amount of information that we get about him, I can't figure out how he fits into the DC-Vertigo cosmology/multiverse. That's a little annoying.
3) The idea of the disenchanted wood-nymph is something I *can* relate to. However, I find it frustrating that she is a tempestuous fool that the Stranger manipulates and humors, as her powers are diminuitive in comparison with his. His powers are never defined, which makes them all the more vast. Nimue is like a child throwing tiny jealous magic-tantrums every time the truly powerful stranger shows up.
Wouldn't it be fabulous if for once, there was an earth-powered female heroine who absolutely rocked? With phenomenal strengths and composure, who saw the big picture and acted wisely for the long term? She wouldn't even have to be big and burly. She could be slight in stature, mysterious in features... She might even wear horns and hooves.
But you know what, she wouldn't have to have massive powers to have some Druidic calm and sense.
4) Perhaps the problem is in recycling the same mythos, same characters, same storylines. I hope not. Because it seems that the old stories, be they mythical, historical, or from the realm of comic-book heroes, have a lot of power and a lot to offer. Not least among these powers is marketability - When I fall in love with a story I am inclined to follow it up with whatever sidelines have been penned. However, it could be that Nimue/Madame Xanadu just is not an interesting enough character to merit her own series. From the way this is written, I am not entirely convinced to the contrary.
5) All of the characters seemed flat to me. In Morgana's case, that was fine. In the Stranger's case, theoretically it should have been fine, except he was the real star, and he was a little *too* mysterious for the prominence he was given. Even Death was a little too easily persuaded to break her own laws. But in Nimue's case, it is utterly unforgivable. The plot is super, and I have no doubt that these tales looked smashing on a storyboard. But the execution was too simplistic, and a bit pretentiously worded.
Suffice it to say, my hopes at the outset were slowly deflated. I shall return to my slow-cooking plot to develop a set of female action heroes that are worth their ink, and then some...
fairislemeadow's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully rendered art (and I'm not just saying that because we met the artist!) and a cool story. The ending was a bit confusing; otherwise, a fantastic graphic novel.
tiamatq's review against another edition
4.0
I'll be honest - I picked this up because I saw that Death from the Sandman series was featured in an issue. But this story was awesome on its own. The artwork is beautiful and now I'm a fan of Amy Reeder Hadley - it reminds me a bit of the artwork for Runaways (early on). Anyways, I was not familiar with Madame Xanadu or the Phantom Stranger before picking this collection up. Now I'm all set to continue following the series.
andrael's review against another edition
3.0
Not exactly Sandman, and some of the "gothic romance" bits were rather cheesy, but definitely enjoyable. What I loved most was the art! Amy Reeder Hadley's style combined with the colorist was just gorgeous.