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whatmeworry's review
3.0
This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com. I was provided with the book by the publisher for review consideration
In my teens I read comics, lots of them. I devoured them alongside piles of SF, horror and crime novels. Looking back I think my reading time was split about 50/50 between comics and prose. My teens were three decades ago. That’s unfortunate in many, many ways, as my grey hairs and arthritic toes will attest. Another thing that age seems to have withered is my love of comics. I have read a few comics more recently, a bit of ‘The Walking Dead’ and the ‘Preacher’ and the ‘Battle Royale’ mangas (okay, clearly not THAT recently), but I don’t obsess about the artform like I used to. In fact some titles that were hotly recommended to me, ‘Saga’ and ‘Locke and Key’ spring to mind, I didn’t get on with at all.
So take all of that into consideration when you read this review. I’m probably not really a ‘comics guy’ anymore. Although I am going to try and read more and see if can rekindle that old flame. The long preamble you’ve just suffered is my way of saying that I’m not sure if I liked ‘Brother Nash’ or not. The important thing for anyone reading this to note is that as likely to be my fault as it is Bridgit Connell’s.
‘Brother Nash’ is vibrant, imaginative, inclusive and fun. It’s also a bit bewildering at times and I never felt like I really got to know the characters. There’s a lot that I felt I should like here, but somehow it never clicked with me.
This graphic novel collects the first three issues which make up one continuous story. Nash, the hero, is a Native American trucker with a shaman for a best friend and lycanthropic tendencies. Connell, who handles both writing and art duties, does a good job of pulling in Native American mythology. Both the hero and the villains are shape shifters and there are a host of great creatures on display. I especially liked the insect like bad guys. Throw in some car chases, a fair amount of violence and a robust rosta of characters and you have the makings of a good series. It’s all a bit too frenetic though, and I found myself lost at times, although that may just be because I’m out of practice reading this kind of thing.
The art is cartoonish and suits the bizarre events of the story. I preferred the pencilling (which is great) to the colours, which seemed to lack vibrancy at times. Having a single creator behind the volume definitely helps though, and the book has a feel all of its own. Whilst the story is fun, I never felt myself really connecting with the characters, although that may come in future issues.
This was an enjoyable re-introduction to comics for me. It’s fast, fun and funny, even if it did leave my old head spinning a bit at times.
In my teens I read comics, lots of them. I devoured them alongside piles of SF, horror and crime novels. Looking back I think my reading time was split about 50/50 between comics and prose. My teens were three decades ago. That’s unfortunate in many, many ways, as my grey hairs and arthritic toes will attest. Another thing that age seems to have withered is my love of comics. I have read a few comics more recently, a bit of ‘The Walking Dead’ and the ‘Preacher’ and the ‘Battle Royale’ mangas (okay, clearly not THAT recently), but I don’t obsess about the artform like I used to. In fact some titles that were hotly recommended to me, ‘Saga’ and ‘Locke and Key’ spring to mind, I didn’t get on with at all.
So take all of that into consideration when you read this review. I’m probably not really a ‘comics guy’ anymore. Although I am going to try and read more and see if can rekindle that old flame. The long preamble you’ve just suffered is my way of saying that I’m not sure if I liked ‘Brother Nash’ or not. The important thing for anyone reading this to note is that as likely to be my fault as it is Bridgit Connell’s.
‘Brother Nash’ is vibrant, imaginative, inclusive and fun. It’s also a bit bewildering at times and I never felt like I really got to know the characters. There’s a lot that I felt I should like here, but somehow it never clicked with me.
This graphic novel collects the first three issues which make up one continuous story. Nash, the hero, is a Native American trucker with a shaman for a best friend and lycanthropic tendencies. Connell, who handles both writing and art duties, does a good job of pulling in Native American mythology. Both the hero and the villains are shape shifters and there are a host of great creatures on display. I especially liked the insect like bad guys. Throw in some car chases, a fair amount of violence and a robust rosta of characters and you have the makings of a good series. It’s all a bit too frenetic though, and I found myself lost at times, although that may just be because I’m out of practice reading this kind of thing.
The art is cartoonish and suits the bizarre events of the story. I preferred the pencilling (which is great) to the colours, which seemed to lack vibrancy at times. Having a single creator behind the volume definitely helps though, and the book has a feel all of its own. Whilst the story is fun, I never felt myself really connecting with the characters, although that may come in future issues.
This was an enjoyable re-introduction to comics for me. It’s fast, fun and funny, even if it did leave my old head spinning a bit at times.
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