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grilledcheesesamurai's review
3.0
Sometimes you just want a dark, gritty, sci-fi themed kinda story. You know the kind - nothing good happens, things are bleak, and life on an alien planet is kinda the shits.
Let's throw some politics into the mix as well, shall we.
Oh - and let's make this one of those stories that have already ended - but we're gonna work our way through it all anyways.
This is what Invisible Republic more or less is.
But even with all of those tropes - I have to admit that the characters are interesting, and I care about where things are headed. It can be so easy to lose yourself (as a creator) in what could easily become a paint by numbers kind of story.
Luckily, for us, it feels like Gabriel Hardman does indeed know where he is going, and the route that he is taking to get there is a pretty darned good one.
So bring on the Rebellion! I'm interested!
Vive la...strange-alien-planet-people that just want to live a better life and not get shit on by people that are richer than they are!
Let's throw some politics into the mix as well, shall we.
Oh - and let's make this one of those stories that have already ended - but we're gonna work our way through it all anyways.
This is what Invisible Republic more or less is.
But even with all of those tropes - I have to admit that the characters are interesting, and I care about where things are headed. It can be so easy to lose yourself (as a creator) in what could easily become a paint by numbers kind of story.
Luckily, for us, it feels like Gabriel Hardman does indeed know where he is going, and the route that he is taking to get there is a pretty darned good one.
So bring on the Rebellion! I'm interested!
Vive la...strange-alien-planet-people that just want to live a better life and not get shit on by people that are richer than they are!
publius's review
2.0
There's something about Invisible Republic that makes me feel like it was produced in the wrong medium. Nominated for a Hugo, it's clearly written with a mind towards more profound depths, but the pacing of the story just hints at the direction and scope before dropping the reader at an unsatisfying cliffhanger.
I wanted very much to like it, but with a pallet that felt arbitrarily limited, a story that felt lacking, and a plot that never really seemed to arrive, I finished Invisible Republic feeling more frustrated than excited. There is potential here--but the potential, even for an installment in a series, is unrealized. Without reason to sympathize with either the characters or place, the reader is left to wonder who they should be cheering, or even mourning. It takes the order to "cut to the chase" and cuts completely past it to the aftermath. Perhaps future installments of the story will pull the threads of story together, but in comparison to past Hugo nominees and winners in this category, Invisible Republic feels like a stunted effort.
I wanted very much to like it, but with a pallet that felt arbitrarily limited, a story that felt lacking, and a plot that never really seemed to arrive, I finished Invisible Republic feeling more frustrated than excited. There is potential here--but the potential, even for an installment in a series, is unrealized. Without reason to sympathize with either the characters or place, the reader is left to wonder who they should be cheering, or even mourning. It takes the order to "cut to the chase" and cuts completely past it to the aftermath. Perhaps future installments of the story will pull the threads of story together, but in comparison to past Hugo nominees and winners in this category, Invisible Republic feels like a stunted effort.
lmcox's review
3.0
Disclosure: I received an e-galley copy of this book from NetGalley.
"Invisible Republic" isn't my typical choice for SF graphic novels or comics. I like flashy, bright, colorful art and tend toward stories that play around with narrative structure. "Invisible Republic" is darker, grittier, and has a straightforward story - but both the art and the story have such a tight focus that it's a gripping read. The 'what if...' at the core of this SF story isn't particularly wild: what if the disenfranchised people of a colonized moon took power, and then potentially damning information about their leader threatens to leak after he is deposed? The story follows two threads, one in the 'present' and one, told through the journal of his young cousin, about the rise of a populist dictator.
I'm not sure what the stakes are in the present-day part of this story line, as the dictator - Arthur McBride - has already either died or been deposed, marking the end of the Malory Regime, and the economic/political scene is already in chaos. A journalist has discovered a journal written by McBride's cousin, Maia Reveron, that begins with McBride's murder of two soldiers, kicking off the story of his rise to power. I'm a little muddy on the exact politics in either of the story arcs. I think that at the beginning of the earlier story, they live on a moon that was settled prior to FTL travel and so was fairly rural and poor, but now that FTL exists and there are new, higher-tech powers settling the moon, there is conflict between the original and new settlers. I think. Either way, there's a dearth of clear sci-fi elements in the story which was kind of disappointing for me as an SF fan. I suspect we'll see more of those, though, as the story continues. Still, the story is the most compelling aspect of this volume, and I'm eager for more.
Although the characters are the vehicle for the story here, and in fact the story is essentially the story of two people and the journalist covering them, the characters really take a backseat to the politics, and aren't particularly memorable. Maia is a promising lead, and I enjoyed her sojourn into beekeeping, but I have no idea what makes her Maia - I don't know her desires, what she enjoys, any character ticks or traits. Same goes for pretty much all the rest of the characters (with the partial exception of McBride, because we know he wants power and we're also supposed to be unsure of his motivations).
I mentioned before that the art is not my typical style. I like abstract art, things that aren't super representational. In that respect, "Invisible Republic" strikes an okay balance for me, because the art style is pretty loose and sketchy. The rough edges and unfinished quality fit the feel of the story, which is nice. I liked the visual distinctions between the storylines - mostly in terms of color, with brighter colors for the past - but I'm not sure they were entirely intentional, since much of the earlier storyline takes place in rural places while the later one is entirely in the urban centers.
Overall, I enjoyed this and I will probably pick up another volume if I stumble across it, but I'm not sure how good a grip I'll have on the plot, politics, and characters at that point, because even now it's hazy and muddy for me.
"Invisible Republic" isn't my typical choice for SF graphic novels or comics. I like flashy, bright, colorful art and tend toward stories that play around with narrative structure. "Invisible Republic" is darker, grittier, and has a straightforward story - but both the art and the story have such a tight focus that it's a gripping read. The 'what if...' at the core of this SF story isn't particularly wild: what if the disenfranchised people of a colonized moon took power, and then potentially damning information about their leader threatens to leak after he is deposed? The story follows two threads, one in the 'present' and one, told through the journal of his young cousin, about the rise of a populist dictator.
I'm not sure what the stakes are in the present-day part of this story line, as the dictator - Arthur McBride - has already either died or been deposed, marking the end of the Malory Regime, and the economic/political scene is already in chaos. A journalist has discovered a journal written by McBride's cousin, Maia Reveron, that begins with McBride's murder of two soldiers, kicking off the story of his rise to power. I'm a little muddy on the exact politics in either of the story arcs. I think that at the beginning of the earlier story, they live on a moon that was settled prior to FTL travel and so was fairly rural and poor, but now that FTL exists and there are new, higher-tech powers settling the moon, there is conflict between the original and new settlers. I think. Either way, there's a dearth of clear sci-fi elements in the story which was kind of disappointing for me as an SF fan. I suspect we'll see more of those, though, as the story continues. Still, the story is the most compelling aspect of this volume, and I'm eager for more.
Although the characters are the vehicle for the story here, and in fact the story is essentially the story of two people and the journalist covering them, the characters really take a backseat to the politics, and aren't particularly memorable. Maia is a promising lead, and I enjoyed her sojourn into beekeeping, but I have no idea what makes her Maia - I don't know her desires, what she enjoys, any character ticks or traits. Same goes for pretty much all the rest of the characters (with the partial exception of McBride, because we know he wants power and we're also supposed to be unsure of his motivations).
I mentioned before that the art is not my typical style. I like abstract art, things that aren't super representational. In that respect, "Invisible Republic" strikes an okay balance for me, because the art style is pretty loose and sketchy. The rough edges and unfinished quality fit the feel of the story, which is nice. I liked the visual distinctions between the storylines - mostly in terms of color, with brighter colors for the past - but I'm not sure they were entirely intentional, since much of the earlier storyline takes place in rural places while the later one is entirely in the urban centers.
Overall, I enjoyed this and I will probably pick up another volume if I stumble across it, but I'm not sure how good a grip I'll have on the plot, politics, and characters at that point, because even now it's hazy and muddy for me.
morgandhu's review
4.0
Invisible Republic Vol 1, written by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, is a rather compelling beginning to a story about (as I understand it so far) the rise and fall of a political regime. The story unfolds in two time periods. In the story's present, a frame narrative set in the unrest and upheaval of the end of the Mallory regime on the colony of Avalon, down-on-his-luck and discredited journalist Croger Babbs, looking for a story to revive his career, stumbles on a priceless manuscript - the memoirs of Maia, the cousin of the vanished dictator Arthur McBride. The narrative cuts back and forth between
Baggs' investigation and the events described in Maia's papers. In the issues contained in Vol. I. We really see only the beginnings of both storylines, but there's more than enough of interest there to make me want to keep following the story. The suggestions of parallels to the Arthurian legends are an additional draw for me though this may not be true of everyone.
Baggs' investigation and the events described in Maia's papers. In the issues contained in Vol. I. We really see only the beginnings of both storylines, but there's more than enough of interest there to make me want to keep following the story. The suggestions of parallels to the Arthurian legends are an additional draw for me though this may not be true of everyone.
tillthestarsevaporate's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
Reread: December 27, 2019
This has got to be my favourite graphic novel series. I really wish it weren’t on a break after the third volume
Reread: December 27, 2019
This has got to be my favourite graphic novel series. I really wish it weren’t on a break after the third volume
peanotsilent's review
2.0
I guess it is fine? The artwork is nice, the plot is ok, but I doubt I would pick the next volume up.
rosseroo's review
3.0
Set on a distant terraformed moon, this feels like it's aiming for a kind of 70s thriller, Three Days of the Condor, vibe. The story jumps back and forth across forty years, as we first meet runaway indentured farmer Arthur McBride, and then leap forward to the downfall of the revolutionary regime he created. In this later period, freelance reporter Croger Bobb stumbles across (in the most ridiculous way), the journal of McBride's cousin, who has been redacted from history. In flashbacks we follow McBride and the cousin in their early days on the run, while the reporter tries to understand the true story of the origin of the revolution. Each period has it's own distinctive look and feel, but while the artwork is gritty and immersive, the story isn't. I struggled to find much of narrative interest to care about, and the pace is hardly propelling. Now that I've read the first third of the story, I'll probably read the next two volumes to see how it all plays out, but I can't say I really recommend this to anyone.
bhalpin's review
3.0
A really intriguing plot, but a little slow on the pacing, and it has the problem that so many books with parallel plots have: one story (in this case, the one from the journal) is way more compelling than the other (the journalist who is not very interesting except that he's in possession of the interesting story.
The art suits the story very well, but that means it's either brown for the flashbacks or gray for the frame story, which gets a little dull, visually speaking. Still, I can't resist the intrigue!
The art suits the story very well, but that means it's either brown for the flashbacks or gray for the frame story, which gets a little dull, visually speaking. Still, I can't resist the intrigue!
laurielle's review
2.0
No me dijo gran cosa. Se mueve entre el pasado y el presente y cuenta una historia tipo thriller que, sin resultarme aburrida, no me enganchó. No creo que vaya a seguir con la serie.