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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
Recommended by my local comic book shop. Beautiful, retro looking art and a great start to a promising story. Fabian is blessed and cursed with the 5 ghosts of a wizard, a samurai, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula and Robin Hood. He calls on them for their powers which stem from a magical stone that is embedded in his skin. The odd mix of ghosts makes for a literary mash-up and epic battle scenes. Looking forward to more.
A retro throwback to the 30s and 40s adventure comics. Art is good and clean but not great. Story feels stiff and cliched.
2 stars for story, 4 stars for art: Treasure-hunter Fabian Gray is possessed by five different ghosts — archer, detective, samurai, vampire, and wizard. The art is exceptional, and the action is perfectly depicted, with none of the crazy perspectives or over-the-top frame angles that plague many of the modern comics. However, while the action is spot-on, the story line is predictable and corny, especially when Fabian has to go through a series of trials: one for each of his ghosts. The worst is when the answer to the detective ghost's puzzle is that Fabian go to 221B Baker Street. It feels forced and like Barbiere is just trying to get done with it. In fact, it could have been a bad Hollywood movie plot. I hope this comic can turn itself around, but it really needs Barbiere to be brave and trust his creativity, or Five Ghosts will disappear into the pile of cliche comic potboilers. Because of the art, I will read the next volume.
I enjoyed this graphic novel. It’s the first I’ve ever read. The story was interesting and I loved the illustrations.
I really like the concept of the graphic novel, but the art style, pacing, and dialogue wasn’t good at all.
The art style just isn’t the kind I like in a comic. It’s quite dated and severely drawn that just isn’t pleasing to my eyes.
I finished this comic in one sitting, and I think most people could because the action just flew by. It took me a couple of times to understand what was going on in some scenes and the backstory of Fabian Gray that is kinda referenced to in the beginning but suddenly dropped into the comic half way through without much explanation.
The dialogue wasn’t original or awe-inspiring in the slightest.
The only reason I gave this 3 stars because I liked the concept that the author explores - fiction vs reality. I just don’t think it was well expanded upon.
The art style just isn’t the kind I like in a comic. It’s quite dated and severely drawn that just isn’t pleasing to my eyes.
I finished this comic in one sitting, and I think most people could because the action just flew by. It took me a couple of times to understand what was going on in some scenes and the backstory of Fabian Gray that is kinda referenced to in the beginning but suddenly dropped into the comic half way through without much explanation.
The dialogue wasn’t original or awe-inspiring in the slightest.
The only reason I gave this 3 stars because I liked the concept that the author explores - fiction vs reality. I just don’t think it was well expanded upon.
A tragic turn of events resulted in a Dreamstone embedding itself in adventurer Fabian Gray's chest. On the plus side, he now can call upon the abilities of the five literary ghosts trapped within the Dreamstone to aid him in his treasure hunting. The comic is written and drawn in a retro pulp fiction style and when Fabian Gray is first introduced, we immediately get to see his ghosts in action, conveniently aiding him in his daring feats. My first real introduction to pulp fiction was [b:A Princess of Mars|40395|A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1)|Edgar Rice Burroughs|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1332272118s/40395.jpg|1129624], where readers are frequently reminded of how awesome the manly main character is. I feared I'd be subjected to the same with Fabian Gray, but after the dashing introduction, we discover Gray might not be so awesome and that his exceptional powers come with a heavy price. Gray's connection to the Dreamstone means that others know of him and are now hunting him, including the Nazis.
The art took some time to grow on me. I liked the pulp style, though the art itself wasn't as clean as it could have been. Eventually, both story and art settled in to a comfortable groove. I appreciate the depth Barbiere attempts to give to the character, though the lessons Gray learns during his trials do take a bit of a leap. Still, with everything now established in the first volume, I think the story has a lot of potential to go places, with lots of opportunity for exciting adventures. Hopefully we'll learn why these particular ghosts have manifested for Gray and what his personal connection is to them.
With thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
The art took some time to grow on me. I liked the pulp style, though the art itself wasn't as clean as it could have been. Eventually, both story and art settled in to a comfortable groove. I appreciate the depth Barbiere attempts to give to the character, though the lessons Gray learns during his trials do take a bit of a leap. Still, with everything now established in the first volume, I think the story has a lot of potential to go places, with lots of opportunity for exciting adventures. Hopefully we'll learn why these particular ghosts have manifested for Gray and what his personal connection is to them.
With thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum