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geekwayne's review
1.0
'Failsafe' by F.J. DeSanto, Todd Farmer, and Federico Dallocchio is about a scary future not far from now where the government has gone overboard to protect it's citizens. And speaking of overboard....
Fearing terrorist attacks, the government has secretly created sleeper agents. When they are triggered, they become super strong, have fast healing, seem to be immune to radiation, but not immune to EMP devices. And there are thousands of them!
I read a lot of things that stretch my willingness to believe, but this premise was so ludicrous that I kept reading just to find out more about this bonkers story. A lone U.S. agent is able to match wits and overpower these super soldiers. The citizens are completely unaware of this having happened to them, and their leader looks like someone out of a Mad Max movie. There are hostages, gun battles, karate kicks, and silly plot devices. The premise of this is just ridiculous.
The art felt weird too. Characters felt lifeless and flat on the page, and didn't seem to even be on the same plane with each other at times. The digital art was just lacking.
This might fall in to a "so bad it's good" category, but I'm not recommending it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Vault Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Fearing terrorist attacks, the government has secretly created sleeper agents. When they are triggered, they become super strong, have fast healing, seem to be immune to radiation, but not immune to EMP devices. And there are thousands of them!
I read a lot of things that stretch my willingness to believe, but this premise was so ludicrous that I kept reading just to find out more about this bonkers story. A lone U.S. agent is able to match wits and overpower these super soldiers. The citizens are completely unaware of this having happened to them, and their leader looks like someone out of a Mad Max movie. There are hostages, gun battles, karate kicks, and silly plot devices. The premise of this is just ridiculous.
The art felt weird too. Characters felt lifeless and flat on the page, and didn't seem to even be on the same plane with each other at times. The digital art was just lacking.
This might fall in to a "so bad it's good" category, but I'm not recommending it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Vault Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
ogreart's review
4.0
I received a free electronic ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
This was a powerful book. The story was tight and made some interesting points. There was not a lot of character development, and the end was way too fast. If this was a one shot, it needed to be longer. If it was the beginning of a series, the end could have been volume 2. Over all I enjoyed the story and the artwork as well. I'd be interested in reading more.
This was a powerful book. The story was tight and made some interesting points. There was not a lot of character development, and the end was way too fast. If this was a one shot, it needed to be longer. If it was the beginning of a series, the end could have been volume 2. Over all I enjoyed the story and the artwork as well. I'd be interested in reading more.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
4.0
3 1/2 Stars
I received a copy of Failsafe through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Failsafe is a fairly classic example of science fiction meets worst case scenarios of government control. It’s set in the not-so-distant future, and takes liberties with both the technology available and the actions of people.
This is a fun and quick read, on the whole. I think it only took me about an hour to get through it, probably less. So if you’re looking for a quick bit of entertainment, especially if you’re a science fiction buff, then this may be the perfect thing.
Failsafe, in essence, is one man (with some allies) against the big, bad government. He’s not a great man, by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s good. He’s good at what he does, and he’s taken effort to make up for the wrongs in his past. Unfortunately for him, that made him the perfect person for this job.
Before I dig into the analysis of this graphic novel, I just want to say that the creators did one thing flawlessly, and I think they should get credit for that. They did a wonderful job of making most of their characters feel human. The ‘good guys’ had legitimate reasons for their actions, and the ‘bad guys’ were designed to make us indignant and happy to loathe them.
Failsafe is the tale of the government taking technology too far, to put it simply. Here we have people that have been randomly infected with nanobots, and those very nanobots can override the person’s desires, plans, and training. Basically it turns them into trained killers without the need for ever having to train them.
I think I would have been happier about this whole thing (okay, happy sounds pretty weird considering what happens here) had it been set into a farther present. Having it set a mere ten years away seriously cuts into the believability of the whole thing.
For one thing, it’s hard to believe that nanobots will have been designed so effectively that they were mass produced and introduced to the public in that short time span (we’ll ignore the bit about nobody noticing). Then there’s the presumably obvious political commentary on the government. Having it be only ten years in the future obviously implies that it’s the current government that did it. Some people would probably love that, while it’ll easily alienate others. Regardless of the personal feelings on the matter, having it set father into the future would raise more questions, open room for discourse, and give us time to believe more of it.
I wouldn’t mind seeing more from this world, truth be told. I wouldn’t say no to them jumping a bit forward in time though…but that’s just my bias showing through I suppose. Still, I can’t ignore the fact that they did a wonderful job of establishing the characters and giving us reason to care.
I received a copy of Failsafe through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Failsafe is a fairly classic example of science fiction meets worst case scenarios of government control. It’s set in the not-so-distant future, and takes liberties with both the technology available and the actions of people.
This is a fun and quick read, on the whole. I think it only took me about an hour to get through it, probably less. So if you’re looking for a quick bit of entertainment, especially if you’re a science fiction buff, then this may be the perfect thing.
Failsafe, in essence, is one man (with some allies) against the big, bad government. He’s not a great man, by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s good. He’s good at what he does, and he’s taken effort to make up for the wrongs in his past. Unfortunately for him, that made him the perfect person for this job.
Before I dig into the analysis of this graphic novel, I just want to say that the creators did one thing flawlessly, and I think they should get credit for that. They did a wonderful job of making most of their characters feel human. The ‘good guys’ had legitimate reasons for their actions, and the ‘bad guys’ were designed to make us indignant and happy to loathe them.
Failsafe is the tale of the government taking technology too far, to put it simply. Here we have people that have been randomly infected with nanobots, and those very nanobots can override the person’s desires, plans, and training. Basically it turns them into trained killers without the need for ever having to train them.
I think I would have been happier about this whole thing (okay, happy sounds pretty weird considering what happens here) had it been set into a farther present. Having it set a mere ten years away seriously cuts into the believability of the whole thing.
For one thing, it’s hard to believe that nanobots will have been designed so effectively that they were mass produced and introduced to the public in that short time span (we’ll ignore the bit about nobody noticing). Then there’s the presumably obvious political commentary on the government. Having it be only ten years in the future obviously implies that it’s the current government that did it. Some people would probably love that, while it’ll easily alienate others. Regardless of the personal feelings on the matter, having it set father into the future would raise more questions, open room for discourse, and give us time to believe more of it.
I wouldn’t mind seeing more from this world, truth be told. I wouldn’t say no to them jumping a bit forward in time though…but that’s just my bias showing through I suppose. Still, I can’t ignore the fact that they did a wonderful job of establishing the characters and giving us reason to care.
ramblingoutloud's review
1.0
No, I'm sorry, this was not for me. Firstly, the illustrations did nothing to get me interested in the story - they felt emotionless, really. Secondly, the dialogue felt stilted and weird. Thirdly, well... I just didn't like it. The story isn't terrible, though lacking in interesting characters. I like science fiction-themed graphic novels since I tend to lean away from the regular novels, so it was a bit of a disappointment. I can't say anything more, since I struggled and didn't finish it.
Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!
/ Denise
Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!
/ Denise
etienne02's review
1.0
Lot of action, but the lack of originality in the story just hurt it a lot. It also feel a bit empty. Don't really worth it. Sorry...
lukegoldstein's review against another edition
4.0
Looking at the political climate today it's admittedly a far cry from the one depicted in 'Failsafe', but it always is in the beginning. Not trying to sound ominous, just pointing out that all dissolutions of freedoms, personal rights, and entire societies start so small to be almost insignificant. Then it builds, one seemingly logical and innocuous step until the lumbering giant of 'progress' tramples any vision of what your past felt like. OK, that really did come off as ominous, let's get into the book.
'Failsafe', from the team of F.J. DeSanto, Todd Farmer, and Federico Dallocchio, begins with a fairly common premise these days. People exist who have been enhanced by secret technology, initially for the benefit and protection of others, but one small tweak and the protectors become the attackers. Where the story takes a more interesting turn is the discovery that many of these enhanced people were made that way without their knowledge. They are called to join forces under a shadowed leader who obviously waits until the most opportune time to reveal his true identity. So what begins as a well-versed 'us vs. them' theme quickly turns to 'us for us.'
The enhanced people fight for their right to exist in they claim the island of Manhattan as their home. They understand from the beginning their existence is a threat to their secretive creators, but no matter what they've become, they are still people and citizens of the United States. A deal is offered to let thing continue forward peacefully, but when in history has the oppressing team ever taken the empathetic and understanding way out. At my count, zero.
'Failsafe' brings the momentum and tone of a cyberpunk graphic novel, but building an underlying theme with real-world implications. As I said, the future laid out is still fantastical and not anything we are remotely close to , but the ethics of who counts as a real person and how far do we extend basic human rights, well, those conversations have been going on for decades and continue today. It is one of the reasons I love graphic novels and comic books because they have a venue where they can reach an audience still open to new worlds, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. They can help reinforce certain values that mainstream entertainment thinks is too delicate to tackle just yet.
'Failsafe' is full-throttle action, but leaves thought provoking questions behind.
'Failsafe', from the team of F.J. DeSanto, Todd Farmer, and Federico Dallocchio, begins with a fairly common premise these days. People exist who have been enhanced by secret technology, initially for the benefit and protection of others, but one small tweak and the protectors become the attackers. Where the story takes a more interesting turn is the discovery that many of these enhanced people were made that way without their knowledge. They are called to join forces under a shadowed leader who obviously waits until the most opportune time to reveal his true identity. So what begins as a well-versed 'us vs. them' theme quickly turns to 'us for us.'
The enhanced people fight for their right to exist in they claim the island of Manhattan as their home. They understand from the beginning their existence is a threat to their secretive creators, but no matter what they've become, they are still people and citizens of the United States. A deal is offered to let thing continue forward peacefully, but when in history has the oppressing team ever taken the empathetic and understanding way out. At my count, zero.
'Failsafe' brings the momentum and tone of a cyberpunk graphic novel, but building an underlying theme with real-world implications. As I said, the future laid out is still fantastical and not anything we are remotely close to , but the ethics of who counts as a real person and how far do we extend basic human rights, well, those conversations have been going on for decades and continue today. It is one of the reasons I love graphic novels and comic books because they have a venue where they can reach an audience still open to new worlds, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. They can help reinforce certain values that mainstream entertainment thinks is too delicate to tackle just yet.
'Failsafe' is full-throttle action, but leaves thought provoking questions behind.
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