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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Doomboy' by Tony Sandoval tells the story of how loss can propel our creativity. It's a harder edged story, but the art is kind of a strange juxtaposition to it, but I ended liking it.
The characters look really young with the style of art, so it was a bit strange to see them cussing, drinking and hanging out in clubs. I got used to the style and moved on to the story. Young D (or ID, it's hard to tell with the stylized way his name is spelled) has recently lost his girlfriend and finds himself with a hole where his heart was. A literal hole. Along with this, he's also not getting along with his band. He decides to take his music into a visceral space and try to broadcast it to his lost love. What ends up as an isolated project might end up reaching farther than he thinks. This doesn't solve all the problems, but gets him to move on with his life.
The art is unusual and, at times, completely beautiful. There are skyscapes that kept me glued to some pages. The story and art end up working, and I ended up liking this quite a bit. It is a bit rougher with language and drinking which might make the cover art deceiving for those thinking it's a lighter book, but it's a good read.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this interesting graphic novel.
The characters look really young with the style of art, so it was a bit strange to see them cussing, drinking and hanging out in clubs. I got used to the style and moved on to the story. Young D (or ID, it's hard to tell with the stylized way his name is spelled) has recently lost his girlfriend and finds himself with a hole where his heart was. A literal hole. Along with this, he's also not getting along with his band. He decides to take his music into a visceral space and try to broadcast it to his lost love. What ends up as an isolated project might end up reaching farther than he thinks. This doesn't solve all the problems, but gets him to move on with his life.
The art is unusual and, at times, completely beautiful. There are skyscapes that kept me glued to some pages. The story and art end up working, and I ended up liking this quite a bit. It is a bit rougher with language and drinking which might make the cover art deceiving for those thinking it's a lighter book, but it's a good read.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this interesting graphic novel.
moon6471's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Incredible illustrations that are central to the entire story : it’s a graphic novel
papalbina's review against another edition
3.0
this is the story of how a boy learnt to move on after the lost of a loved one through music. it is quite powerful drawn and portrayed, although the art is not one i would like in normal conditions, but i think it suits the story pretty well and made it very special. also the choice of colours being mostly cold tones is perfect for the heartbreak and the pain that is shown in the book.
at the beginning it is a bit confusing who is who without shapes to differentiate between girls and boys with the long hair and dark looks, but it gets clearer the more you read. there are parts that don't seem very important for the main plot, but in the end all merge and it is kind of adorable and sweet.
especially i'd like to mention the parts with the drawings of the thunderstorms and the representations of the music. they were beautiful.
at the beginning it is a bit confusing who is who without shapes to differentiate between girls and boys with the long hair and dark looks, but it gets clearer the more you read. there are parts that don't seem very important for the main plot, but in the end all merge and it is kind of adorable and sweet.
especially i'd like to mention the parts with the drawings of the thunderstorms and the representations of the music. they were beautiful.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
2.0
The art is great, the primary story arc is okay, but the whole thing feels like an outline rather than a complete story.
There's also this thing that happens in books that talk about music or food or something that we, as readers, can't really experience through the media of text and pictures. It's why it's so hard to review music. How do you write sound? And how do you write sound such that I HEAR what's going on?
I wonder what the utility of a rock critic is anymore. Like in Rolling Stone. I mean, it's easier for me to jump on YouTube and hear a song than it is for me to read someone's opinion on it, and that listening experience is probably going to be a lot better than reading about the listening experience. I still sort of get it with movies. A movie review takes 2 minutes to read and could save me two hours. But a review of a song, it's not saving me a lot of time, and it just seems like a weak way to get across the info I need, which is what something sounds like.
Part of me wonders if this is why we're so obsessed with the personal life of musicians and the like. What else are rock critics going to write about? They know damn well we don't need their words about the songs themselves, so it helps a lot more to write about who is dating who, what happened with what. How is it that I know Kanye West's baby names and who he's married to and I have no idea what his last...I don't even know how many singles, sound like?
My personal theory, it's something people can write about. Critique.
In 1990, it made all the sense in the world for a rock critic to review a new Weezer album. Is this a bunch of bullshit? Why is this only 43 minutes long? Is the sound like Pinkerton? Blue album?
These were things I wouldn't know without going to the record store and hoping they had the record in one of their listening stations, which was also a risk because you had to don headphones worn by the other fellow scumbags who didn't want to just buy an album.
In 1990, we were talking $20, and when you bought a new album, you may have heard 2 of the songs on the radio, if you were lucky. Someone had to at least try to help us.
But in 2016, it takes less time to look up a couple songs online and then make a purchase informed by the ultimate decider, personal taste.
Anyway, Doomboy. A book that hinges quite a bit on the sound of doom metal, and a book that has a lot to do with being awesome on the guitar, but I just can't "hear" it. And in a book where the sonic qualities are so important to the arc, the reading experience is a little flat.
There's also this thing that happens in books that talk about music or food or something that we, as readers, can't really experience through the media of text and pictures. It's why it's so hard to review music. How do you write sound? And how do you write sound such that I HEAR what's going on?
I wonder what the utility of a rock critic is anymore. Like in Rolling Stone. I mean, it's easier for me to jump on YouTube and hear a song than it is for me to read someone's opinion on it, and that listening experience is probably going to be a lot better than reading about the listening experience. I still sort of get it with movies. A movie review takes 2 minutes to read and could save me two hours. But a review of a song, it's not saving me a lot of time, and it just seems like a weak way to get across the info I need, which is what something sounds like.
Part of me wonders if this is why we're so obsessed with the personal life of musicians and the like. What else are rock critics going to write about? They know damn well we don't need their words about the songs themselves, so it helps a lot more to write about who is dating who, what happened with what. How is it that I know Kanye West's baby names and who he's married to and I have no idea what his last...I don't even know how many singles, sound like?
My personal theory, it's something people can write about. Critique.
In 1990, it made all the sense in the world for a rock critic to review a new Weezer album. Is this a bunch of bullshit? Why is this only 43 minutes long? Is the sound like Pinkerton? Blue album?
These were things I wouldn't know without going to the record store and hoping they had the record in one of their listening stations, which was also a risk because you had to don headphones worn by the other fellow scumbags who didn't want to just buy an album.
In 1990, we were talking $20, and when you bought a new album, you may have heard 2 of the songs on the radio, if you were lucky. Someone had to at least try to help us.
But in 2016, it takes less time to look up a couple songs online and then make a purchase informed by the ultimate decider, personal taste.
Anyway, Doomboy. A book that hinges quite a bit on the sound of doom metal, and a book that has a lot to do with being awesome on the guitar, but I just can't "hear" it. And in a book where the sonic qualities are so important to the arc, the reading experience is a little flat.
jakes89's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
the_rita's review
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
abookdork's review against another edition
5.0
I love the art in Doomboy it is very raw but has many beautiful moments. The art reflects the story being told and then goes beyond what you would be able to grasp from the written word. I love the blend of realistic and fantasy throughout the story and how it is portrayed in the illustrations. I kind of want to read it again right now!
synkopenleben's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes music is the only thing that helps you get through the day. For D, the longhaired metal kid from Tony Sandoval's Doomkid, music is the outlet to vent his emotions. All his anger and despair over the death of his girlfriend pours out from his guitar as the wind howls and the waves crash onto his sordid existence. Put on some Omega Massif and start reading.
While at the core a slice-of-life story, Doomboy's real talent lies in the vivid descriptions of D's guitar sessions: Sandoval's gritty drawings make place for beautifully rendered vikings and etherial swirls of wind and dust. There are envious ex-bandmembers, girls selling stars, the Green Room of Doom, gay Doom guys, vomit and beer: What more could you want?
Sandoval's style is somewhat unique: He doesn't strive for excessive realism and some of the panels seem too rushed, but at the important points he tends to abandon the usual ink and photoshop illustrative style for swirly watercolour paintings that makes you gasp. To be honest, I loved the art more than the actual story. I can relate to what D goes through: While no one died in my life, I used music as an outlet to get away and deal with problems I had. There is solace in music, especially Doom Metal and its derivatives (I prefer Post-Rock): Massive walls of sound, reverberating guitars, no human voices to take you out of the immersion. This is important: Sometimes you just need your time to get over the shit you have to deal with. It took D fifteen sessions to be ready to move on, and his sessions made him famous. Without true emotions, music tends to stay pale and superficial.
I think that Doomboy has some strong points, especially the art style and the guitar scenes. The story, on the other hand, skips around a lot, which makes it hard to follow. In the end, I liked it for what it is: A well-crafted comic.
(I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
While at the core a slice-of-life story, Doomboy's real talent lies in the vivid descriptions of D's guitar sessions: Sandoval's gritty drawings make place for beautifully rendered vikings and etherial swirls of wind and dust. There are envious ex-bandmembers, girls selling stars, the Green Room of Doom, gay Doom guys, vomit and beer: What more could you want?
Sandoval's style is somewhat unique: He doesn't strive for excessive realism and some of the panels seem too rushed, but at the important points he tends to abandon the usual ink and photoshop illustrative style for swirly watercolour paintings that makes you gasp. To be honest, I loved the art more than the actual story. I can relate to what D goes through: While no one died in my life, I used music as an outlet to get away and deal with problems I had. There is solace in music, especially Doom Metal and its derivatives (I prefer Post-Rock): Massive walls of sound, reverberating guitars, no human voices to take you out of the immersion. This is important: Sometimes you just need your time to get over the shit you have to deal with. It took D fifteen sessions to be ready to move on, and his sessions made him famous. Without true emotions, music tends to stay pale and superficial.
I think that Doomboy has some strong points, especially the art style and the guitar scenes. The story, on the other hand, skips around a lot, which makes it hard to follow. In the end, I liked it for what it is: A well-crafted comic.
(I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)