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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
- What a hook right in issue 1!
- Okay, it takes a while to get the hang of who's who with so many characters, but it's interesting to be introduced to the characters via who they are to Walter and why he chose them
- An interesting take on an apocalypse story, because the elements of survival aren't the focus at all. It's much more about the emotional toll, which is great
- The art is perfectly atmospheric, but the covers are stunning
- Very interested to see where this goes in part 2
This has a lot of potential!
It's a fun speculative Lost/theWall style apocalyptic mystery, but I think calling this horror goes a bit far.
The art is fine, the landscapes are better than people who sometimes seem a little murky and hard to tell apart.
I found the writing good, although the pacing dropped off a little too much in the middle. I didn't especially jell with any of the characters, there are too many and most of them (despite their designation) don't have a defining trait (apart from the weasel(s)). I also found it super unlikely that the journalist wouldn't tell everyone about the sculpture garden and the secret building for so long, even if he thought it was a trick - why wouldn't he tell them anyway? Also the idea that no one would go out and explore the full perimeter or ask for more information seems super unlikely.
It's a good start though and I'll definitely read volume 2.
It's a fun speculative Lost/theWall style apocalyptic mystery, but I think calling this horror goes a bit far.
The art is fine, the landscapes are better than people who sometimes seem a little murky and hard to tell apart.
I found the writing good, although the pacing dropped off a little too much in the middle. I didn't especially jell with any of the characters, there are too many and most of them (despite their designation) don't have a defining trait (apart from the weasel(s)). I also found it super unlikely that the journalist wouldn't tell everyone about the sculpture garden and the secret building for so long, even if he thought it was a trick - why wouldn't he tell them anyway? Also the idea that no one would go out and explore the full perimeter or ask for more information seems super unlikely.
It's a good start though and I'll definitely read volume 2.
Art is great though there is notable compression and color issues if you view this on the Adobe DRM enabled software vs my reading it on the Bluefire App on my phone, which, please don’t do that to Jordie Bellaire. Personally find the story aggressively mediocre and would probably have benefited from a shorter issue order but the writer is DC comics’ current darling so twelve issues it is.
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This was GREAT! 4.5 stars. I originally had it rated at 4 stars, but then we had our liveshow discussion for the realm of comics book club and everything literally changed. There are so many directions that Tynion can take with this story and he is mindful and careful with the manner in which he crafts his characters. For me, this story is a mix of sci-fi and horror and the ultimate exploration of human behavior. While there were some issues in relation to the layout, I stayed engaged in the story as whole attempting to figure out what role Walter played in this supposed creation of the end of the world. The artwork by Bueno wasn't my favorite. I realized that as reader I'm more into the distinct clear lines in artistry instead of what readers will see in this particular story. Overall, this continues to prove why I'm such a huge fan of James and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with the next and final installment in this story. If you're interested in more of my thoughts, check out our live show discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/live/5vrd9_5Mnpw?feature=share
Hm, I'm a bit torn on this one. While I do find the concept fascinating, the fact I think this gives Walter too much power and severely limits the group's agency, but perhaps future installments deal with and a way around this device will be discovered.
I did like some of the art but this novel is text heavy with several pages devoted to transcripts. When I read a graphic novel I want the images and artwork to do the majority of the storytelling which I didn't quite find here but I am still curious about where the story is going so might read more.
I also didn't love the way the trans character's deadname was used - I think this could've been handled differently.
Spoiler
Walter has the ability to erase memories means anything the group does discover can be reset at any point, thus stopping any forward momentum in the plot. It works a bit like the 'and it was all a dream' device, which I am also not a fan of.I did like some of the art but this novel is text heavy with several pages devoted to transcripts. When I read a graphic novel I want the images and artwork to do the majority of the storytelling which I didn't quite find here but I am still curious about where the story is going so might read more.
I also didn't love the way the trans character's deadname was used - I think this could've been handled differently.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes