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lowoki's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Started out strong and provided a lot of interesting information. The back half got obnoxiously centrist while attempting to deflect blame from capitalism. Fun ideas like "nothing wrong with trying to make a profit because that's how corporations survive" and "conservatism keeps society stable". Nothing I didn't expect, considering how rare it is for anyone to draw the obvious conclusions in economics, but still a bit disappointing. All in all just okay.
beefmaster's review against another edition
3.0
One of those things where I'm totally in agreement with the author, but I didn't care for the execution. Not the political stuff, but the aesthetics themselves. The author doesn't often use the form of the comic book beyond illustrations for his points. Even on a panel by panel basic, compositions are flat or completely lacking in depth. Nothing about the comic book form of this book is compelling. The only reason why this exists as a comic book is because thick tomes of financial irregularities are complex, daunting, and difficult. A ruthless reductionism is required for the form of the comic book, increasing its accessibility at the cost of decreasing its fidelity to necessary complexity. Still, I found the reasonable approach to this to be quite convincing. Liberalism certainly isn't perfect but it's a fucking utopia compared to the bullshit rapaciousness of the right.
justaprilann's review against another edition
5.0
I know I’m biased giving this five stars, but I don’t care. I liked the conclusion, it felt empowering (even without a blueprint for us readers). I am obsessed with illustrated non-fiction as it requires the authors to take complex ideas and explain them simply. I thought this book did it well without oversimplifying or missing too much context (it obviously can’t and doesn’t say everything that occurred during that time). I’m now madder than ever at the financial industry and uncaring billionaire class, and I think that was the goal.
dlsmall's review against another edition
3.0
Part one on Rand is pretty accurate, though for all the on-point criticism regarding her protagonists philosophies at times, I assume the author wouldn’t dispute some sympathies to those of the opposing looters/moochers. Part two is like a Frontline documentary/The Big Short mashup, and there is nothing wrong with that. Part three accurately notes the MANY shortcomings found in the conservative movement without seeing any of those in the liberal side…but such is always true for the practitioners of our two major tribes, and that building blindness that both squads seem to be so proud and defiant about is maybe a challenge that has gone past the point of no return. If the fairly objective front two sections were intended to ease a young, more impressionable reader into the propaganda of the closing section, well, we’ll-done.
lordcheez's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Factual, like all of Daryl Cunningham’s work is. Interesting as well, but if you know the era, it feels more like an information dump.
sizrobe's review against another edition
4.0
A great primer on Ayn Rand's personal history and deplorable philosophy and the 2008 financial crisis. I already knew most of what the book detailed about the two topics, but I didn't know how the two were related. Alan Greenspan, who is largely responsible for the crisis, was a strong follower of Rand's beliefs and was a member of her circle of admirers for years. Who could have guessed that literally exalting unrepentant greed as the highest virtue would backfire so horribly?
The only problem with this book is the art. It's awful. This probably would have been better suited to be ordinary prose.
The only problem with this book is the art. It's awful. This probably would have been better suited to be ordinary prose.
austinstorm's review against another edition
2.0
What a great idea for a comic book. Ayn Rand is already a larger-than-life villain, seemingly directly motivated by trauma she experienced early in life and completely uncompromising in her advocacy of 'selfishness'.
The book is divided into three parts. The first is a biography of Rand, which does a decent job of condensing things. The second is an overview of the 2008 financial collapse, which is also great.
Where things fall apart is in the third section, which attempts to be balanced in its presentation of the differences between liberals and conservatives, but feels forced and odd - like he's trying to assure us that he really understands conservatives so that he can lay the blame for the entire financial crisis at their feet.
It's frustrating because there are so many great contradictions in the life of Rand - her fierce advocacy for abortion (in the name of self-interest, of course) and her denunciation of feminism. And in the financial crisis - the selfishness of bankers, and the selfish entitlement of the 'American dream' of home ownership. But the author is ultimately too ideological to get beyond white hats and black hats.
Finding ideology in your comics is like getting unsweetened shredded wheat as your breakfast cereal.
The worst part of the book, unfortunately, is the format. This didn't need to be a comic book. Apart from a few standout moments, it's just narration. The compositions are all the same, and are very flat. I wasn't expecting the comic version of the 9/11 commission report, but this could've been so much better.
I get the need to be reductionistic, but there's so much pathos in the life of Rand. This attempts to get at it in a few places (her husband's marginalization) in a Chris Ware-esque way, but it's unsuccessful.
The book is divided into three parts. The first is a biography of Rand, which does a decent job of condensing things. The second is an overview of the 2008 financial collapse, which is also great.
Where things fall apart is in the third section, which attempts to be balanced in its presentation of the differences between liberals and conservatives, but feels forced and odd - like he's trying to assure us that he really understands conservatives so that he can lay the blame for the entire financial crisis at their feet.
It's frustrating because there are so many great contradictions in the life of Rand - her fierce advocacy for abortion (in the name of self-interest, of course) and her denunciation of feminism. And in the financial crisis - the selfishness of bankers, and the selfish entitlement of the 'American dream' of home ownership. But the author is ultimately too ideological to get beyond white hats and black hats.
Finding ideology in your comics is like getting unsweetened shredded wheat as your breakfast cereal.
The worst part of the book, unfortunately, is the format. This didn't need to be a comic book. Apart from a few standout moments, it's just narration. The compositions are all the same, and are very flat. I wasn't expecting the comic version of the 9/11 commission report, but this could've been so much better.
I get the need to be reductionistic, but there's so much pathos in the life of Rand. This attempts to get at it in a few places (her husband's marginalization) in a Chris Ware-esque way, but it's unsuccessful.