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hakimbriki's review against another edition
2.0
So what is Girls about ?
It's a story about a small town that is suddenly enclosed by a dome (rings any bells?). The townsfolk are confronted with a rather peculiar problem: Naked and ridiculously hot girls that came from nowhere are having sex with random males and are attacking, killing and eating the females of the town.
As the storyline develops, we learn that the "girls" (who do not seem to be civilized/intelligent) multiply (by laying eggs, mind you) by having sex with the 'human men', which creates a paranoid atmosphere amongst the characters. The girls carry on multiplying and killing the women while the characters try to survive the crisis. Oh, and there's a "Sperm Monster" that is "growing" in the woods.
Yes, Girls is very, very gimmicky. But here's one thing about me: I always finish the books I start reading, no matter what. (Sigh)
First of all, 95% of the characters were jerks with zero redeeming qualities. Even the bad guys were poorly portrayed - take Nancy, the ruthless wife/mother and 'leader' of the women. She is not the type of "villain" one loves to hate - quite the contrary. She was completely irrational and had no charisma.
Ethan, who is presented as the main protagonist, is the character who had sex with the first freakishly hot naked girl, which makes him responsible for the whole mess... But Ethan has a good explanation:
Ethan was too whiny to be taken seriously. The other characters were bland, insipid and uninspired... so much clichés.
As far as manga-esque plots are concerned, Girls is not that original. The mystery unfolds, we get one or two WTF's scenes and then the plot drags and drags until the characters remember that, in order to solve the problem, they have to kill the sperm monster. As it happens, one of them, Merv, has some dynamite! They end up killing all the girls + the sperm monster, which makes the dome disappear. 6 issues would have sufficed to tell that story.
The only reason I am not giving 1* to Girls is that the artwork by Jonathan Luna is very appealing.
doritobabe's review against another edition
3.0
Let's give this graphic novel a big: WTF?
I understand now why it received such low reviews in spite of it's very beautiful art.
TL;DR:
Writing: 2.5/5 (so much dialogue to slog through)
Plot: 3/5 (Cool premise although the metaphoric intention is compeltely lost on me. Would have been better if it was straight sci fi with no metaphors about humanity)
Characters: 2/5 (As another reviewer mentioned: everyone is an asshole. But this is a very honest portrayal of people in a disastrous event)
I stumbled upon Girls whilst browsing my library for Girls the HBO series. This complete volume, available and read online, was a whirlwind of a single unoriginal plot event, driven by repurposed imaginings of other writers. The author took the Dome from King and that classic novel/movie; the weird alien-girl-sex-monsters: I feel like I have seen this before in Luna's other graphic novels, [b:Alex + Ada: The Complete Collection|30896668|Alex + Ada The Complete Collection|Jonathan Luna|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469108451s/30896668.jpg|51502939]. This time, it's not robots, it's ALIENS.
Luna definitely has a weird penchant for sex with non-humans.
I just. don't. get it. What are you trying to tell me Luna? About the nature of human asshole-ness? The depravity of men and their sexual desire? WHAT IS IT? I need to know before I read another of your series. Next, after robots and aliens, what will it be? Horny ghost girls?
I understand now why it received such low reviews in spite of it's very beautiful art.
TL;DR:
Writing: 2.5/5 (so much dialogue to slog through)
Plot: 3/5 (Cool premise although the metaphoric intention is compeltely lost on me. Would have been better if it was straight sci fi with no metaphors about humanity)
Characters: 2/5 (As another reviewer mentioned: everyone is an asshole. But this is a very honest portrayal of people in a disastrous event)
I stumbled upon Girls whilst browsing my library for Girls the HBO series. This complete volume, available and read online, was a whirlwind of a single unoriginal plot event, driven by repurposed imaginings of other writers. The author took the Dome from King and that classic novel/movie; the weird alien-girl-sex-monsters: I feel like I have seen this before in Luna's other graphic novels, [b:Alex + Ada: The Complete Collection|30896668|Alex + Ada The Complete Collection|Jonathan Luna|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469108451s/30896668.jpg|51502939]. This time, it's not robots, it's ALIENS.
Luna definitely has a weird penchant for sex with non-humans.
I just. don't. get it. What are you trying to tell me Luna? About the nature of human asshole-ness? The depravity of men and their sexual desire? WHAT IS IT? I need to know before I read another of your series. Next, after robots and aliens, what will it be? Horny ghost girls?
bengriffin's review
3.0
I'm not quite sure what I made of this. It was a compelling read and once I started I couldn't stop, but at the same time it made very little impact on me. The concept and gender theme is fairly interesting, but the sci-fi conceit is lacking and seems solely to exist to pit the genders against each other and lacks any big pay off. Perhaps that's intended as part of the commentary on the nature of life, but it came off as feeling like the writers didn't really know what they were doing with it. Other reviewers seem to have sided with either the men or the women, however I found it hard to relate to any particular character, let alone a gender, and didn't much care what happened to anyone involved, which is probably part of the reason it fell a little flat. That said, some interesting dilemmas, situations, and moral problems arise, and it does keep you entertained throughout. As long as you aren't expecting to be blown away, the skilled artwork, film-like pacing, gore, humour, and unusual premise make for an enjoyable enough experience.
wyrmdog's review against another edition
4.0
**very minor spoilers a bit down**
Girls is easily the most inventive zombie story I have ever read, and it works better as a talky horror story (not at all unlike a Kirkman property) than an exploration of gender issues. Still, that motif as a driver for the story was a brilliant decision, and a brave one given America's love/hate relationship with sex.
The Lunas have done a good job of realizing even minor characters, though quite a few are just negative gender stereotypes with a brushing of nuance. But that infinitesimal glaze of realism - superficial though it may be in some cases - makes all the difference. However, not all of them are very likable and most channel some of the uglier aspects of humanity, even when they seem to be doing what's practical or sensible. Like any good survival horror story, the nominal victims (re: humans or the townspeople here) are often just as dangerous to each other as the things trying to kill them.
At the risk of spoiling a few things, I do have to point out that most of the male characters are almost forcibly stupid. Certainly there could be an in-fiction explanation for some of it, but given that the Lunas illuminate lots of minor things, I am doubting they intended for any external influence to be a factor, so we're left with the stupid.
But there is pathos that runs through much of the behavior, and you can kind of understand even the stupid decisions, and you can watch the stress chipping away at the characters as they try harder and harder to understand what they're really facing and what it costs them with each mounting hour and each additional loss.
When characters die in this book, it makes sense and it's ugly. There is little indulgence in maudlin weepiness. Even the Girls, whose deaths could have been one long drawn out exercise in sexualization, were never treated gratuitously. Just as there are few death speeches, the gore isn't overdone and is often off-panel.
The Lunas seem to know when to show you something and when to imply it.
The worst misstep for me was the way one character was able to stop her PTSD cold and start whining about whether she was pretty, then return to full functionality shortly thereafter. Bear in mind this entire story takes place over the course of a week.
The art is like everything else Luna, and is a bit of an acquired taste. Too many characters look too much alike (except the Girls who are, y'know, supposed to look alike). There is a sharpness to it that seems a little...sharp. Lots of thin lines. There is an odd inconsistency to when subtle behavior is depicted well or not at all. But it's offset with some neat effects and an eye toward making sure you know exactly what's happening. There are some chaotic scenes in this book but they're mostly handled well. I never felt lost like I can with some artists.
You have to be okay with a LOT of naked women who have sex, murder people, and are themselves often killed horribly to enjoy this book. I know a lot of people that won't be. You should also understand that it isn't porn or soft-core gored up for shock value. It's an allegorical horror story and everything in it serves to further that. How well it succeeds? Well, that's up to you.
Speaking of which, Girls is an interesting exercise and I wonder if the way we view this book could be the literary equivalent of a Rorschach blot. Like Slither, the whole premise is infused with sexual commentary (obviously). But while Slither kept to sexual violence for its theme, Girls takes on sexual issues in a broader sense, exploring how we view each other's dark leeward side, the place where we conceal our shame, our regret, our fear, and our nasty impulses. But at its heart it is also a genuine love letter to survival horror, science fiction, and perhaps even rural America.
Girls is easily the most inventive zombie story I have ever read, and it works better as a talky horror story (not at all unlike a Kirkman property) than an exploration of gender issues. Still, that motif as a driver for the story was a brilliant decision, and a brave one given America's love/hate relationship with sex.
The Lunas have done a good job of realizing even minor characters, though quite a few are just negative gender stereotypes with a brushing of nuance. But that infinitesimal glaze of realism - superficial though it may be in some cases - makes all the difference. However, not all of them are very likable and most channel some of the uglier aspects of humanity, even when they seem to be doing what's practical or sensible. Like any good survival horror story, the nominal victims (re: humans or the townspeople here) are often just as dangerous to each other as the things trying to kill them.
At the risk of spoiling a few things, I do have to point out that most of the male characters are almost forcibly stupid. Certainly there could be an in-fiction explanation for some of it, but given that the Lunas illuminate lots of minor things, I am doubting they intended for any external influence to be a factor, so we're left with the stupid.
But there is pathos that runs through much of the behavior, and you can kind of understand even the stupid decisions, and you can watch the stress chipping away at the characters as they try harder and harder to understand what they're really facing and what it costs them with each mounting hour and each additional loss.
When characters die in this book, it makes sense and it's ugly. There is little indulgence in maudlin weepiness. Even the Girls, whose deaths could have been one long drawn out exercise in sexualization, were never treated gratuitously. Just as there are few death speeches, the gore isn't overdone and is often off-panel.
The Lunas seem to know when to show you something and when to imply it.
The worst misstep for me was the way one character was able to stop her PTSD cold and start whining about whether she was pretty, then return to full functionality shortly thereafter. Bear in mind this entire story takes place over the course of a week.
The art is like everything else Luna, and is a bit of an acquired taste. Too many characters look too much alike (except the Girls who are, y'know, supposed to look alike). There is a sharpness to it that seems a little...sharp. Lots of thin lines. There is an odd inconsistency to when subtle behavior is depicted well or not at all. But it's offset with some neat effects and an eye toward making sure you know exactly what's happening. There are some chaotic scenes in this book but they're mostly handled well. I never felt lost like I can with some artists.
You have to be okay with a LOT of naked women who have sex, murder people, and are themselves often killed horribly to enjoy this book. I know a lot of people that won't be. You should also understand that it isn't porn or soft-core gored up for shock value. It's an allegorical horror story and everything in it serves to further that. How well it succeeds? Well, that's up to you.
Speaking of which, Girls is an interesting exercise and I wonder if the way we view this book could be the literary equivalent of a Rorschach blot. Like Slither, the whole premise is infused with sexual commentary (obviously). But while Slither kept to sexual violence for its theme, Girls takes on sexual issues in a broader sense, exploring how we view each other's dark leeward side, the place where we conceal our shame, our regret, our fear, and our nasty impulses. But at its heart it is also a genuine love letter to survival horror, science fiction, and perhaps even rural America.
bogdanbalostin's review against another edition
4.0
Have you ever wanted to read hentai for the plot but it was just too weird for you? Well, it's time to forget those urges and read Girls: A horror story. Because this is way weirder than what you can imagine, but not as weird as you expect reading the words "way weirder than what you can imagine."
There's enough nudity here to make conservatives blush, but there's nothing like the gratuitous nudity the other reviewers are mentioning. I mean this is an adult story, true, but have you read hentai? Not that I do, ahem, but I hazard to say there is not enough nudity here for what the story tries to say.
What's the story about then? Horny naked ladies falling down from the skies only want one thing. To get pregnant and lay some eggs, so more naked clones will get out. Oh, and they kill women, because screw the competition. On top of that, add some dome-like thing that separates a small rural town from civilization and you get a weird survival story with lots of sexism and misogynism and discussion about gender roles and stuff. Although it never gets too deep, it tries to say something.
It gave me Walking Dead vibes combined with Under the Dome. So not bad. Atmospheric story: check. Dumb characters: check. If you ever watch (or read) Walking Dead, you know how dumb the characters act for no good reason. Well, same thing here. Over the years, I've come to accept that in stories, characters are flawed. Worse (or better yet), they are dumb. Because reading a story about smart people making smart decisions doesn't sound so compelling, does it?
The only thing that irks me is that, indeed, there is no one likeable in this story. The men are misogynists; the women are sexist. I get that the moral of the story is we're all assholes in periods of crisis, but I don't buy it. And the redemptive arc? It doesn't exist. In the end, everyone that survives just accepts the sexist behavior of the other guys and girls. Hmm, not quite the message we're trying to deliver, is it?
But besides these points, it was a fun read. Totally unpredictable and loud-out funny at times. I mean, read the first panel. "Welcome to Pennystown. Population 65." How serious of a story do you think you'll get in a place called Pennystown?
The real bummer is that after you read page after page to finish the comic and get the well-deserved answers, you only get a bland, lazy ending that doesn't answer much. Heck, it doesn't answer anything. So if you're the type of person where the end makes or breaks a story, this is not for you. If you enjoy the journey and you're not afraid to create your own theories, this is an enjoyable savage naked ladies from outer space horror story.
There's enough nudity here to make conservatives blush, but there's nothing like the gratuitous nudity the other reviewers are mentioning. I mean this is an adult story, true, but have you read hentai? Not that I do, ahem, but I hazard to say there is not enough nudity here for what the story tries to say.
What's the story about then? Horny naked ladies falling down from the skies only want one thing. To get pregnant and lay some eggs, so more naked clones will get out. Oh, and they kill women, because screw the competition. On top of that, add some dome-like thing that separates a small rural town from civilization and you get a weird survival story with lots of sexism and misogynism and discussion about gender roles and stuff. Although it never gets too deep, it tries to say something.
It gave me Walking Dead vibes combined with Under the Dome. So not bad. Atmospheric story: check. Dumb characters: check. If you ever watch (or read) Walking Dead, you know how dumb the characters act for no good reason. Well, same thing here. Over the years, I've come to accept that in stories, characters are flawed. Worse (or better yet), they are dumb. Because reading a story about smart people making smart decisions doesn't sound so compelling, does it?
The only thing that irks me is that, indeed, there is no one likeable in this story. The men are misogynists; the women are sexist. I get that the moral of the story is we're all assholes in periods of crisis, but I don't buy it. And the redemptive arc? It doesn't exist. In the end, everyone that survives just accepts the sexist behavior of the other guys and girls. Hmm, not quite the message we're trying to deliver, is it?
But besides these points, it was a fun read. Totally unpredictable and loud-out funny at times. I mean, read the first panel. "Welcome to Pennystown. Population 65." How serious of a story do you think you'll get in a place called Pennystown?
The real bummer is that after you read page after page to finish the comic and get the well-deserved answers, you only get a bland, lazy ending that doesn't answer much. Heck, it doesn't answer anything. So if you're the type of person where the end makes or breaks a story, this is not for you. If you enjoy the journey and you're not afraid to create your own theories, this is an enjoyable savage naked ladies from outer space horror story.
thisfishlikestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Not really into Graphic novels but this series made me rethink that.Great plot(yeah this one actually has a solid story),graphics,illustration. Had me hooked on in no time and also got me thinking. One series that am sure I wont forget. Loved it!
krismoon's review against another edition
3.0
I really wish I could say this was excellent. I really do. It had a lot of things going for it, and the first half of the compendium had me hooked. Then the second half dragged. When I look back on it, there were quite a few pacing issues throughout.
I also couldn't keep all the characters straight. Many of them looked exactly a like, and at times I wondered if one character changed his shirt for whatever reason. Nope! It's a totally different character.
Interesting concept, but I wouldn't urge you to rush out and buy it.
I also couldn't keep all the characters straight. Many of them looked exactly a like, and at times I wondered if one character changed his shirt for whatever reason. Nope! It's a totally different character.
Interesting concept, but I wouldn't urge you to rush out and buy it.