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albertico66's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think I'm supposed to be this confused. I'm used to reading Grant Morrison's and Alan Moore's sophisticated narration, but I just can't get Lethem's. Great art by Farel Dalrymple.
unladylike's review against another edition
3.0
What a strange book this was. It starts slow and is confusing as fuck for the first couple of chapters. Once it starts to become apparent what's real and what isn't, around chapter 3 or 4, it gets a lot more engaging and enjoyable. Amazingly, this story takes place in the Marvel universe, and in Manhattan no less. But other than one reference to the Baxter Building and another to the Avengers, the characters and plot seem to exist on their own, isolated and unknown to anyone you might be familiar with in superhero comics.
Jonathan Lethem is certainly an interesting and talented writer, sometimes giving the feel of Grant Morrison's great Doom Patrol comics. I'd like to give this 4 stars based on my feeling of eagerness and interest for the second half of the book's ten chapters, but because it starts so confusingly and the ending is a wordless, strange, mysterious mess, I'll leave it at 3 stars.
Jonathan Lethem is certainly an interesting and talented writer, sometimes giving the feel of Grant Morrison's great Doom Patrol comics. I'd like to give this 4 stars based on my feeling of eagerness and interest for the second half of the book's ten chapters, but because it starts so confusingly and the ending is a wordless, strange, mysterious mess, I'll leave it at 3 stars.
jelundberg's review against another edition
4.0
What an incredibly bonkers, weird-ass book! Even knowing that it’s a reimagining of a mid-1970s comic doesn’t prepare you for how freewheeling and unapologetically bizarre it is. (I have to admit to rooting, more than once, for the giant hand that grows legs.) At the end, I honestly don’t know what to feel about the book, except that it’s like nothing I’ve ever read (with the possible exception of Grant Morrison’s The Filth).
dawnoftheread's review against another edition
3.0
A good read, even if you never read the original comics.
geniodiabolico's review against another edition
4.0
I actually didn't read the hardcover but the individual comic issues. It occupied a weird alternate reality with odd superheroes, instellar robots, alien observers and nanotech invaders. I liked how the Farel Dalrymple art was odd enough and far enough from the standard Marvel heroic tradition to create a tension. You knew from a glance this wasn't standard fare, and the tension was both part of the narrative and the reading experience.
The use of language in the text was also great. I loved how Lethem played around with it. For example, the alien observer / Greek chorus was the "Over-thinker". I loved that.
I never read all of the original Steve Gerber series and don't really remember much of it. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it highly.
The use of language in the text was also great. I loved how Lethem played around with it. For example, the alien observer / Greek chorus was the "Over-thinker". I loved that.
I never read all of the original Steve Gerber series and don't really remember much of it. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it highly.
amynbell's review against another edition
1.0
This is quite possibly the worst thing I've read all year. There were superheroes, super villains, evil robots, magic salt, a labyrinth, robot parents, nanobots, and all sorts of weird elements to this story. I usually like weird, but weird didn't make this tale very good. In fact, the weird barely made this tale make any sense at all. There were moments of lucidity in the story which always seemed to be followed by things that didn't make sense. This book was just a big ole waste of time. I'm glad it's over.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
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