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marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
Fun story time. In 2011, I tried to read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but ended up putting it down because I couldn't visualize/keep up with the drugs/what was going on. I told myself I would try again when I was "older." So when I saw this graphic novel, I had a feeling my struggles would be over and man was I right. This obviously does not replace the original work, but it does make the original work easier for me to understand and now I'm eager to pick it up again. The artwork in this is quite lovely also.
I received an e-copy of this through Net-Galley for an honest review
I received an e-copy of this through Net-Galley for an honest review
geekwayne's review against another edition
5.0
'Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' is a graphic novel by Troy Little based on the book. In many ways, this seems like the perfect form for such a bonkers piece of literature.
I've read the original book, and I've seen the movie based on the book. Now I've read the graphic novel adaptation, and I found myself nodding my head and realizing this version is a darn near perfect adaptation.
For those not familiar, the book is about a trip to Las Vegas in the post 1960s by a journalist and his attorney friend to report on a motorcycle race. A large quantity of illegal substances are consumed and not much sleep is had and the book feels like the fever dream of a lunatic. There are hallucinations of reptiles, the trashing of hotel rooms, and the paranoia of being caught and thrown in prison for multiple infractions. Along the way, there is a thread woven of post-idealism in a world where we are still in the Vietnam War and the dreams of the young seem like fading memories.
There is quite a bit of text, and I love that it's done in a typewriter font. The art is cartoonish, which is absolutely perfect for this story. The hallucinations pop off the pages and the art warps and bends depending on the abused drug. It's a crazy trip and the art is perfect for the whole thing.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
I've read the original book, and I've seen the movie based on the book. Now I've read the graphic novel adaptation, and I found myself nodding my head and realizing this version is a darn near perfect adaptation.
For those not familiar, the book is about a trip to Las Vegas in the post 1960s by a journalist and his attorney friend to report on a motorcycle race. A large quantity of illegal substances are consumed and not much sleep is had and the book feels like the fever dream of a lunatic. There are hallucinations of reptiles, the trashing of hotel rooms, and the paranoia of being caught and thrown in prison for multiple infractions. Along the way, there is a thread woven of post-idealism in a world where we are still in the Vietnam War and the dreams of the young seem like fading memories.
There is quite a bit of text, and I love that it's done in a typewriter font. The art is cartoonish, which is absolutely perfect for this story. The hallucinations pop off the pages and the art warps and bends depending on the abused drug. It's a crazy trip and the art is perfect for the whole thing.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
3.0
I requested to 'read this now' on Netgalley, though I then waited too long to download it, and instead received the title through an inter-library loan after it was published.
I never read the book, and I think I fell asleep during the movie. Still, both are lauded enough that, after looking at the artwork on the cover, I decided to give the graphic novel version a try. Based on what I know (which, as I said, is little), this version is a solid, accurate representation.
I did enjoy the artwork quite a bit; the expressiveness of the characters, especially during their drug trips, was captured very nicely. That kept me engaged, though there was an awful lot of text. I might have preferred the text spaced out over more panels, but I understand why it was not.
I suspect fans of the original book will enjoy this.
I never read the book, and I think I fell asleep during the movie. Still, both are lauded enough that, after looking at the artwork on the cover, I decided to give the graphic novel version a try. Based on what I know (which, as I said, is little), this version is a solid, accurate representation.
I did enjoy the artwork quite a bit; the expressiveness of the characters, especially during their drug trips, was captured very nicely. That kept me engaged, though there was an awful lot of text. I might have preferred the text spaced out over more panels, but I understand why it was not.
I suspect fans of the original book will enjoy this.
wrasea's review against another edition
3.0
"A little bit of this town goes a very long way. After five days in Vegas you feel like you've been here for five years. Some people say they like it - but then some people like Nixon, too."
lanternatomika's review against another edition
5.0
For something like 99% of all people, this is the closest they'll ever get to tripping on basically every drug on the planet all at once
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is essentially a book of vignettes depicting the manic, drug-fueled adventures of a journalist named Raoul Duke and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo, as they tear through Las Vegas and destroy everything that comes their way - including themselves. There's not much of a point going into specifics about why a journalist and his attorney have come to Las Vegas, other than to say that they're searching for the American Dream. Whatever the American Dream is supposed to be, they definitely don't find it here
What they do find is a corrupt city made for people like these two to lose their minds in. They arrive in a convertible with a trunk bursting with every narcotic known to man and proceed to harass the people, trash hotel rooms and skirt trouble with the police. I really dug the ending of the book, too: a lot of money was lost, a lot of energy expended, Raoul got himself a bad heart like Dr Gonzo's and nothing was gained from the venture. So he gets off the plane in Denver, sniffs some amyl and gets ready to do it all over again
There's more to this book than just some funny stories about a journalist going wild (based on Hunter S. Thompson's real life experiences, too???). The fact that these two crave to be under the influence of some drug or another says something about the field of journalism in that time, and also remarks on American society. Thompson has a great, sardonic way of articulating his points, of letting the reader know what he thinks is wrong with his life and his country. For instance:
I haven't read the not-graphic novel version of this book, but to be honest, I probably would've given that 4 stars instead of 5. I really need there to be some kind of plot or some kind of structure in my books, and I know that if an author without the sensibilities of Thompson attempted this book, I'd give up on it. That extra star, though, comes from Troy Little's art. How talented an artist do you have to be to illustrate a story like this and pull the reader right into the drug and booze soaked mind of Raoul Duke? His art is funny, loopy and actually portrays the feeling of being on all the drugs these guys are on fairly well (I enjoyed spinning my Surface around trying to read a page from Duke's acid trip). I won't go as far as saying that you can't go back to just text after reading this, but the art and story complement each other extremely well
Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas gets an amyl-powered hearty recommendation from me. Whether you're reading the graphic novel version or just the regular old novel, you'll be having some kind of hangover by the time you're done with it, I'm sure
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is essentially a book of vignettes depicting the manic, drug-fueled adventures of a journalist named Raoul Duke and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo, as they tear through Las Vegas and destroy everything that comes their way - including themselves. There's not much of a point going into specifics about why a journalist and his attorney have come to Las Vegas, other than to say that they're searching for the American Dream. Whatever the American Dream is supposed to be, they definitely don't find it here
What they do find is a corrupt city made for people like these two to lose their minds in. They arrive in a convertible with a trunk bursting with every narcotic known to man and proceed to harass the people, trash hotel rooms and skirt trouble with the police. I really dug the ending of the book, too: a lot of money was lost, a lot of energy expended, Raoul got himself a bad heart like Dr Gonzo's and nothing was gained from the venture. So he gets off the plane in Denver, sniffs some amyl and gets ready to do it all over again
There's more to this book than just some funny stories about a journalist going wild (based on Hunter S. Thompson's real life experiences, too???). The fact that these two crave to be under the influence of some drug or another says something about the field of journalism in that time, and also remarks on American society. Thompson has a great, sardonic way of articulating his points, of letting the reader know what he thinks is wrong with his life and his country. For instance:
"Sympathy? Not for me. No mercy for a criminal freak in Las Vegas. In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity"
I haven't read the not-graphic novel version of this book, but to be honest, I probably would've given that 4 stars instead of 5. I really need there to be some kind of plot or some kind of structure in my books, and I know that if an author without the sensibilities of Thompson attempted this book, I'd give up on it. That extra star, though, comes from Troy Little's art. How talented an artist do you have to be to illustrate a story like this and pull the reader right into the drug and booze soaked mind of Raoul Duke? His art is funny, loopy and actually portrays the feeling of being on all the drugs these guys are on fairly well (I enjoyed spinning my Surface around trying to read a page from Duke's acid trip). I won't go as far as saying that you can't go back to just text after reading this, but the art and story complement each other extremely well
Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas gets an amyl-powered hearty recommendation from me. Whether you're reading the graphic novel version or just the regular old novel, you'll be having some kind of hangover by the time you're done with it, I'm sure
gimpyknee's review against another edition
2.0
Little is no Ralph Steadman and, unfortunately, there will never be another Hunter S. Thompson.
ramsfan1963's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A mess, a total incomprehensible mess.
olioat65's review
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
some_okie_dude27's review against another edition
I'm not a reader of graphic adaptations of books that I enjoy, as I prefer to read books as how they were intended to be read. But, given on how much I enjoy the source material of Hunter S. Thompson's classic novel about the degradation of the hippie movement and the illusion of The American Dream, as well as the movie adaptation directed by Monty Python veteran Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro as the two anti-heroes, which has become one of my favorites. So I decided to try and see what this book had in store in terms of adaptation.
The words and style of the novel are left relatively the same, and if you want to read my review on the original book, go here. But I'll be mainly focusing on the art of Troy Little to see if it's worthy of Hunter's time and effort. Now, if it were up to me, I probably would've had Ralph Steadman (Hunter's original artist) or Skottie Young do the graphic adaptation of the novel, but luckily Little's passion for the original book shines through and one could tell from the style of the book that Little didn't want to give the readers a bad taste when he went to adapt the source material (or should I say, give a worse taste than the book already gives you), his zany and cartoony style does Hunter's madcap and offbeat style justice.
There's also the depiction of the characters themselves. Hunter, or Raoul Duke, is depicted like a deranged tourist, one that would probably have people giving him the stink eye either due to his appearance or mannerisms, but one that you would also most likely have a beer with, Oscar Zeta Acosta, or Dr. Gonzo, is rather 'normal' looking, or, I should say, as normal as a hulking, deranged man could be. Little's depiction of them shows them as people, but also as the over the top, larger than life cartoons that they garnered through this book.
To end off this review, it's a book that captures what made the book great to begin with, in all its depravity and decadence.
The words and style of the novel are left relatively the same, and if you want to read my review on the original book, go here. But I'll be mainly focusing on the art of Troy Little to see if it's worthy of Hunter's time and effort. Now, if it were up to me, I probably would've had Ralph Steadman (Hunter's original artist) or Skottie Young do the graphic adaptation of the novel, but luckily Little's passion for the original book shines through and one could tell from the style of the book that Little didn't want to give the readers a bad taste when he went to adapt the source material (or should I say, give a worse taste than the book already gives you), his zany and cartoony style does Hunter's madcap and offbeat style justice.
There's also the depiction of the characters themselves. Hunter, or Raoul Duke, is depicted like a deranged tourist, one that would probably have people giving him the stink eye either due to his appearance or mannerisms, but one that you would also most likely have a beer with, Oscar Zeta Acosta, or Dr. Gonzo, is rather 'normal' looking, or, I should say, as normal as a hulking, deranged man could be. Little's depiction of them shows them as people, but also as the over the top, larger than life cartoons that they garnered through this book.
To end off this review, it's a book that captures what made the book great to begin with, in all its depravity and decadence.