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esselleayy's review against another edition
4.0
Great story. Great pacing. Too many characters who look alike.
crispymerola's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
3.25
It's impossible to effectively rate a portion of a larger work - there's a lot to love here, even if the narrative doesn't come together (which I'm sure is by design).
This is a sprawling epic. We see Berlin from the perspective of academics, journalists, the communists, the police - it's an impressive amount of breadth, and I rarely felt lost as to who I was with and why I should care. That said, the goal of this thing seems to be less narrative or character-driven, so I don't get a very intimate sense of who our characters are as I read. My heart is a wittle cold, but my brain is humming with activity.
There are a few sentimental moments that buck this trend, and they're usually presented with an impressionistic layout - this makes the moments hit even harder, considering how measured most of Lute's panels are otherwise.
This is a sprawling epic. We see Berlin from the perspective of academics, journalists, the communists, the police - it's an impressive amount of breadth, and I rarely felt lost as to who I was with and why I should care. That said, the goal of this thing seems to be less narrative or character-driven, so I don't get a very intimate sense of who our characters are as I read. My heart is a wittle cold, but my brain is humming with activity.
There are a few sentimental moments that buck this trend, and they're usually presented with an impressionistic layout - this makes the moments hit even harder, considering how measured most of Lute's panels are otherwise.
laiastma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lucia_28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The German revolution on the 1st of May 1929, that's the point of this book.
A couple hundred pages just clearing the situatio for the readers to immerse themselves through the lovable characters into the conflict.
I've thoroughly enjoyed Lute's writing and above all its way of detaching the characters emotion through the illustration. The relationships between the characters are relatable (even if Marthe and Kurt's age gap is quite disturbing), and the author portraits diverse characters of every social stage.
I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested either in graphic novels or modern history.
I'm looking forward to reading the second volume as soon as I get to the library.
A couple hundred pages just clearing the situatio for the readers to immerse themselves through the lovable characters into the conflict.
I've thoroughly enjoyed Lute's writing and above all its way of detaching the characters emotion through the illustration. The relationships between the characters are relatable (even if Marthe and Kurt's age gap is quite disturbing), and the author portraits diverse characters of every social stage.
I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested either in graphic novels or modern history.
I'm looking forward to reading the second volume as soon as I get to the library.
lukeisthename34's review against another edition
4.0
Grabbed the first issue of this at FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (shout out to Hall of Justice in Parker, CO) and was interested so I bought the first two volumes. Great so far. I love with a creator like Lutes can so dispassionately offer up historical fiction like this.
nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nhw.livejournal.com/250710.html[return][return]Fantastic. Very much in the Will Eisner tradition, following a set of characters through a richly imagined historical background; for instance the Potsdamerplatz, in the early episodes, seems to almost have a life of its own. But unlike Will Eisner, we know that there is a historical catastrophe coming; each episode takes place in one of the months from September 1928 to May Day 1929, with different characters experiencing different aspects of the gathering storm. Berlin has always fascinated me, and this book has further whetted my appetite. The most disappointing thing about it is that it's only the first part of a trilogy and the next two bits aren't out yet.
neven's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful, crisp art; Interesting writing. Excited to see where this goes.
robertrivasplata's review against another edition
4.0
Story of various characters meeting & not meeting in late 1920s Berlin. Main characters are queer bohemian artists, communist workers, & leftist journalists. Also many vignettes featuring the daily internal lives of various minor characters (cops, prostitutes, nazi street thugs, bums, etc), some of whom appear later, and many of whom do not. Features many streetscapes.
booksaremyjam's review against another edition
3.0
Simply drawn but complicatedly written, Berlin, Vol 1 is a groundwork graphic novel. Jason Lutes tackles 1920s Berlin and the unrest there which arguably allowed Adolf Hitler to come into power and do everything he did. Lutes gives us both sides, so the reader can begin to try to understand how every day people got swept up in such evil hate and malice. There are times where the narrative gets very very dense - but I suppose what better medium than a graphic novel to give a history lesson in 1920s German politics.
My only gripe (and this may not be fair) is that the drawings are so simple, and the timeframes not explicitly noted, that I sometimes got confused about which character I was following at which time, and what exactly they were standing for, and how I should feel about what is happening to them. I had to flip back on more than one occasion to reorient myself to a different character or space.
Oh, and bravo to Lutes for bringing a queer lens to this story. We damn well need more of those.
My only gripe (and this may not be fair) is that the drawings are so simple, and the timeframes not explicitly noted, that I sometimes got confused about which character I was following at which time, and what exactly they were standing for, and how I should feel about what is happening to them. I had to flip back on more than one occasion to reorient myself to a different character or space.
Oh, and bravo to Lutes for bringing a queer lens to this story. We damn well need more of those.