Reviews

Monster by Enki Bilal

manuphoto's review against another edition

3.0

4 stars for the art, 2 for the story. I just can’t get into it. Maybe it’s just me…

jeffhall's review against another edition

5.0

I've been a fan of Enki Bilal's work since the glory days of Heavy Metal magazine in the 1980's, and I'm thrilled to see his best work being released in high quality, oversized hardcover volumes.

I had never previously encountered the stories in Monster, which represent a connected sequence of his more recent work. And I'm really glad I did encounter this volume, since it's an amazing tale of art, war, friendship, and the insanity of organized religion. Bilal draws on his Bosnian and Slovak heritage to tell a heart-breaking tale born of the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990's, and humanity's inability to derive any wisdom from the lessons of that (and every other) war.

Bilal's highly original graphic style is fully on display, and moreover it's clear that he is only getting better with age. This one is a keeper!

iliapop's review against another edition

4.0

A hypnotic, semi-impressionistic depiction of a cyberpunk future. The plot is convoluted but never obtuse, and it's shot through with a sense of absurd humour. The finale has the ring of deus ex machina about it, but I'm minded to forgive as it also contains Bilal's more explicit commentary on the nature of art, his reflections on his Serbian background and what looks like an endorsement of humanist progressive values in the face of religions and nationalisms that seek to divide the world. Probably the best thing he has done.

rileyeffective's review

3.0

I can appreciate the quality of the story and art, but it was honestly just not my cup of tea.