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geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'Cyborg, Volume 1: The Imitation of Life' has a clever title that has at least a couple different meanings.
Vic "Cyborg" Stone has a crisis of his very nature when he finds out some things about himself that had been hidden. He is also attacked by a villain named Kilg%re, which I just pronounced as Kilgore, so the name felt like a lame attempt at hacker-speak or something. Vic trouble getting along with his distant father, but his father is acting even more distant these days. Vic also finds himself infected with some malware which could be dangerous for himself and those around him.
I like this character, but it's hard to find interesting stories about him, including this one. It's not helped along by some of the mediocre art, especially in the last issue in the collection. There is some interesting things in this, and I'm looking forward to seeing Cyborg on the big screen, but this story left me underwhelmed.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Vic "Cyborg" Stone has a crisis of his very nature when he finds out some things about himself that had been hidden. He is also attacked by a villain named Kilg%re, which I just pronounced as Kilgore, so the name felt like a lame attempt at hacker-speak or something. Vic trouble getting along with his distant father, but his father is acting even more distant these days. Vic also finds himself infected with some malware which could be dangerous for himself and those around him.
I like this character, but it's hard to find interesting stories about him, including this one. It's not helped along by some of the mediocre art, especially in the last issue in the collection. There is some interesting things in this, and I'm looking forward to seeing Cyborg on the big screen, but this story left me underwhelmed.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
ashkitty93's review against another edition
3.0
One of the few annoying things about collected volumes is when they suddenly switch artists between issues. What's that like for people who read issue-to-issue?
tia_mb's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 I'm new to reading comics and this comic was a great choice for me!! Black scientists, Black father and son relationship, a Detroit based story, conflict between the two sides of Victor Stone and the conflict between humanity & technology. I will be reading the rest of the volumes. And I bought this and the next two volumes at Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse, a black woman owned bookstore in Philadelphia, Pa https://amalgamphilly.com/
josie2k's review against another edition
3.0
Cool seeing how Vic Stone became Cyborg and his cybernetic capabilities. Really useful research for my WIP but am not interested enough to read more of the series.
wisecraic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
old_tim's review against another edition
3.0
This felt like a real throwback to the nu52, if you know what I'm saying. This one was strongly not for me. http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2017/04/burritos-or-burgers.html
carroq's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this book started out okay, but went downhill pretty quickly. It's not all bad. The writing in particular did not appeal to me though. I felt like it fell back on some really bad tropes from superhero books, specifically bringing back villains thought dead and nonsense dream sequences. These elements could have been integrated so much better into the story. Instead it takes hold and goes over the top.
Having thought about this book compared to the very first volume of Teen Titans, it is interesting to see how some things have remained with the character. The relationship with his dad is fleshed out a bit more here. It manages to carry some of the struggle that existed between them from the beginning. I would have liked to have seen more of that emphasized, especially with numerous references to Cyborg's mother and the way her death created tension for him and his father.
There is certainly more of his background mentioned in this book, which should make it easier for new readers to get into it. It just falls short in a lot of the dialogue and the plot that it could easily turn someone off of the book. Mostly I enjoyed the art. There are instances where it is difficult to make out exactly what is going on. The times where it gets things right art wise far outweigh the moments that left me scratching my head. I like where this book was going. I'm not sure its enough for me to take a chance on the next volume though.
Having thought about this book compared to the very first volume of Teen Titans, it is interesting to see how some things have remained with the character. The relationship with his dad is fleshed out a bit more here. It manages to carry some of the struggle that existed between them from the beginning. I would have liked to have seen more of that emphasized, especially with numerous references to Cyborg's mother and the way her death created tension for him and his father.
There is certainly more of his background mentioned in this book, which should make it easier for new readers to get into it. It just falls short in a lot of the dialogue and the plot that it could easily turn someone off of the book. Mostly I enjoyed the art. There are instances where it is difficult to make out exactly what is going on. The times where it gets things right art wise far outweigh the moments that left me scratching my head. I like where this book was going. I'm not sure its enough for me to take a chance on the next volume though.
supeskenobi's review against another edition
4.0
This is an execeptional comic featuring one hell of an underrated DC character. For anyone who claims Cyborg is a boring character, read this. It does a great job at exploring Victor's inner turmoils and thoughts about himself, his place in the world and his relationship with his father. A brilliant read, though God knows why the art style suddenly changed halfway through the final chapter?
bgibs122's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up at a comic shop on a weekend trip about a month ago. Along with a choice baked good, we'd had a lengthy stay at a brewery earlier that day, and I grabbed this 1. because I like Cyborg well enough that I bought the #1 issue of his '14 or '15 run, despite not reading comics with any regularity, and 2. as a way to placate the impulse-buy part of my brain that saw a D&D published adventure and started rubbing its hands together.
I watched the original Teen Titans as preteen (quick side note: the OG Teen Titans feels like a sneakily influential show. Any kids/YA show that does the whole "This episode is the goofy lark where the villain has a funny voice; the next episode is a deep dive into a character's insecurities or traumas" thing has TT's fingerprints at least in the corners), and you figured out pretty quickly where each Titan's pathos comes from; Starfire gets the fish-out-of-water stories and puberty metaphors, trad superhero stories tended to be Robin's, Raven's episodes featured horror and gravitas, and Cyborg's mined his half man/half machine nature for all it's worth.
The Imitation of Life goes someplace similar. Driven by a reveal from the villain known as Malware, Cyborg worries that his upgrades stripped him of his humanity (and he's not the first to worry about such), fears exacerbated once he finds out that some parts of his memory are quite literally locked away from him. In between the action setpieces, Cyborg pals around Detroit with STAR scientist Sarah and a jazz musician named Blue, who tries to get Cyborg out of his head and get him to connect with the city. Things go from bad to worse as Cyborg has to contend with an infection and nightmares in his system, all while there's a body-double plot happening in the background that pushes the trade to a somewhat rushed but intriguing finish.
There's a lot to like here. The fights with Malware and Kilg%re are splashy affairs that convey the size and power of all involved, and the book's quieter moments are lovingly rendered, as well. The father-son relationship between Silas and Victor shines through, particularly in issues 2 and 3, I want to say, and while other reviews chide this book for being navel gazing and slow, I appreciate a superhero story that isn't trying to punch its way out of a problem, especially since so much of what makes Cyborg tick is literally internal. The trade's 4th and maybe 5th issues inside the mind are visually inventive and endearingly sci-fi.
All that said, some things don't really work. The Justice League tie-in feels needlessly busy (did the entire JL need to make an appearance? I don't even think Aquaman gets any lines), and there's a plotline introduced in the last issue that feels like it comes from left field. The last issue overall feels a bit condensed, like a story trying to catch up with itself, but at least the Detroit stuff is nice.
Overall, I'm happy with this one. Not my favorite read of the year, but certainly a fun enough read, and probably a better use of money than another D&D book I haven't run yet.
I watched the original Teen Titans as preteen (quick side note: the OG Teen Titans feels like a sneakily influential show. Any kids/YA show that does the whole "This episode is the goofy lark where the villain has a funny voice; the next episode is a deep dive into a character's insecurities or traumas" thing has TT's fingerprints at least in the corners), and you figured out pretty quickly where each Titan's pathos comes from; Starfire gets the fish-out-of-water stories and puberty metaphors, trad superhero stories tended to be Robin's, Raven's episodes featured horror and gravitas, and Cyborg's mined his half man/half machine nature for all it's worth.
The Imitation of Life goes someplace similar. Driven by a reveal from the villain known as Malware, Cyborg worries that his upgrades stripped him of his humanity (and he's not the first to worry about such), fears exacerbated once he finds out that some parts of his memory are quite literally locked away from him. In between the action setpieces, Cyborg pals around Detroit with STAR scientist Sarah and a jazz musician named Blue, who tries to get Cyborg out of his head and get him to connect with the city. Things go from bad to worse as Cyborg has to contend with an infection and nightmares in his system, all while there's a body-double plot happening in the background that pushes the trade to a somewhat rushed but intriguing finish.
There's a lot to like here. The fights with Malware and Kilg%re are splashy affairs that convey the size and power of all involved, and the book's quieter moments are lovingly rendered, as well. The father-son relationship between Silas and Victor shines through, particularly in issues 2 and 3, I want to say, and while other reviews chide this book for being navel gazing and slow, I appreciate a superhero story that isn't trying to punch its way out of a problem, especially since so much of what makes Cyborg tick is literally internal. The trade's 4th and maybe 5th issues inside the mind are visually inventive and endearingly sci-fi.
All that said, some things don't really work. The Justice League tie-in feels needlessly busy (did the entire JL need to make an appearance? I don't even think Aquaman gets any lines), and there's a plotline introduced in the last issue that feels like it comes from left field. The last issue overall feels a bit condensed, like a story trying to catch up with itself, but at least the Detroit stuff is nice.
Overall, I'm happy with this one. Not my favorite read of the year, but certainly a fun enough read, and probably a better use of money than another D&D book I haven't run yet.