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iceberg0's review
3.0
Wood was trying to develop a real sense of place as we followed the protagonist around NA. At times it worked, other times it was less well realized. Overall, a pretty decent read
blairconrad's review
3.0
Well researched - the Oxford Theatre and other Halifax bits looked like the Theatre and Halifax. (The name tag thing was a little weird - when I worked for Empire, there were no name tags. Maybe they've started with them.)
In the end, though, I just couldn't get behind the character, so I didn't fall in love with it.
In the end, though, I just couldn't get behind the character, so I didn't fall in love with it.
radicaledwardiv's review
5.0
Loved loved loved this. I'm a fan of Brian Wood, I've read Demo, and this one did not disappoint. I love how he strings stories together, and it was really great to see at the end the though process, the behind the scenes sketches and mock-ups.
pnw_afox's review
5.0
Local is great and a compelling read. It was hard to put down and save stories for later. Each story is well crafted and together form a cohesive larger tale. I would recommend this to everyone, it is just that good.
saidtheraina's review
4.0
What a gorgeous piece of work. Slices of life from all over North America, covering a dozen years. The binding is notably artful and there are liner notes in the back. I find myself wanting to open the book to a random page and just stare forever. The edgy realism is just breathtaking. This is the kind of sequential art I would frame and put up on my wall (obvious shout-out to [a:Ryan Kelly|180971|Ryan Kelly|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]). I particularly enjoyed the vignettes which were a touch twisted - Polaroid Boyfriend; The Last Lonely Days at the Oxford Theatre; Megan and Gloria, Apartment 5A; and The Younger Generation. I gloried in taking this out to lunch and even took a picture of my table one day featuring the "big big comic book" I checked out from my library.
I was convinced I needed to own this blissfully fantastic thing*.
And then I got to #12.
I hated it. I hated that the stories were "wrapped up" and not left to their disparate selves. I hated that there were lessons that were made explicit. I hated the magical realism elements. I was so disappointed.
So now I'm left trying to decide if I will purchase this after all. I think I'll put it on a wish list and see if I get it as a gift. And maybe I just need to reread the last chapter (or the whole dang thing). Maybe I'll change my mind.
But for now, it's losing a star.
*And let me tell you, I almost never buy books anymore.
I was convinced I needed to own this blissfully fantastic thing*.
And then I got to #12.
I hated it. I hated that the stories were "wrapped up" and not left to their disparate selves. I hated that there were lessons that were made explicit. I hated the magical realism elements. I was so disappointed.
So now I'm left trying to decide if I will purchase this after all. I think I'll put it on a wish list and see if I get it as a gift. And maybe I just need to reread the last chapter (or the whole dang thing). Maybe I'll change my mind.
But for now, it's losing a star.
*And let me tell you, I almost never buy books anymore.
stormblessed4's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
brdgtc's review
5.0
Although I tend to love everything Brian Wood does, Local will always have a special place for me. The way that Wood can capture what it is that enthralls us about certain places but also the human tendency for restlessness is brought to life with amazing artwork and a well crafted narrative.
raloveridge's review
5.0
I really, really liked this. It's emotionally complex and the art is lovely—there's something about Megan's story that really hit me where I live. Maybe it's the idea of moving around and becoming a new person in every new city (whether you want to or not) that resonantes especially with folks my age. And I kind of loved seeing Tempe pop up unexpectedly. Fantastic.
crookedtreehouse's review
5.0
I used to love the TV show ALF. So when it first showed up on Hulu over a decade ago, I blogged about how I was going to marathon the first season over the course of a weekend, and write about it. After two episodes, I had to turn it off. Sometimes it's better to have nostalgia for something you once loved than to go back and see how flawed it is, and how you no longer appreciate that form of art.
The fear of nostalgia over quality is why I haven't reread Local since 2009. I was having a rough year. I had a terrible breakup and was starting to hate a job I had once loved. So one weekend, I took some hallucinogens and read Brian Wood's Local, and LOVED it. Not in the "Oh, man, I was so Fucked Up, and I loved this thing, but now I don't remember anything about it." way, but in the "I just had a real intimate connection with this story and this art, and I vividly remember it, and would like to preserve those pleasant and vivid memories" sort of way.
Since then, it's sat on my bookshelf. I've recommended it to people who have also loved it, I redated and rebroke up with the terrible ex, I took a different job in the same industry and don't hate it. So it was time. It was time to reexperience Local. This time, sober.
I love it just as much.
It's a connection of short stories that doesn't follow the traditional narrative chain of "introduce character, introduce trauma, show them making terrible decisions, do or don't redeem them". Instead, the protagonist comes off as possibly identifiable but fairly shitty for the thrust of the book, and then you are presented with a story that may or may not change how you view the character. And there's good reasoning behind the way the story is told. It's not told out-of-order for the sake of being 90s Pulp Fictiony. Instead, it feels like you're meeting a person, making an acquaintanceship or friendship (depending how you feel about her) with someone, and then, after they experience a change in their life, they explain why they are the way they are. It's very satisfying as a reader.
[a:Ryan Kelly|180971|Ryan Kelly|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art is the True Star of this book, though. Even without the hallucinogens. It's just black and white inks, but the detail and the panel layouts make it feel almost 3-dimensional, like you could pick a Polaroid up off the protagonist's floor.
I would recommend this to pretty much anyone. It remains one of my all time favorite collections.
The fear of nostalgia over quality is why I haven't reread Local since 2009. I was having a rough year. I had a terrible breakup and was starting to hate a job I had once loved. So one weekend, I took some hallucinogens and read Brian Wood's Local, and LOVED it. Not in the "Oh, man, I was so Fucked Up, and I loved this thing, but now I don't remember anything about it." way, but in the "I just had a real intimate connection with this story and this art, and I vividly remember it, and would like to preserve those pleasant and vivid memories" sort of way.
Since then, it's sat on my bookshelf. I've recommended it to people who have also loved it, I redated and rebroke up with the terrible ex, I took a different job in the same industry and don't hate it. So it was time. It was time to reexperience Local. This time, sober.
I love it just as much.
It's a connection of short stories that doesn't follow the traditional narrative chain of "introduce character, introduce trauma, show them making terrible decisions, do or don't redeem them". Instead, the protagonist comes off as possibly identifiable but fairly shitty for the thrust of the book, and then you are presented with a story that may or may not change how you view the character. And there's good reasoning behind the way the story is told. It's not told out-of-order for the sake of being 90s Pulp Fictiony. Instead, it feels like you're meeting a person, making an acquaintanceship or friendship (depending how you feel about her) with someone, and then, after they experience a change in their life, they explain why they are the way they are. It's very satisfying as a reader.
[a:Ryan Kelly|180971|Ryan Kelly|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art is the True Star of this book, though. Even without the hallucinogens. It's just black and white inks, but the detail and the panel layouts make it feel almost 3-dimensional, like you could pick a Polaroid up off the protagonist's floor.
I would recommend this to pretty much anyone. It remains one of my all time favorite collections.