Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brubaker is always fun. He makes even the goofy (a dude named Ethan Reckless) seem cool and relatable. These antihero characters could be dopey or uninteresting, but he always fleshes them out into full fledged, tangible protagonists with a story that the reader wants to follow.
Another great crime novel by the Brubaker Phillips team. This one taking place in the 80s, with the art and coloring perfectly evoking the Los Angeles of the times. The novel starts out as a typical revenge novel, with the main character trying to make up for his past sins by finding his exes killer. Yet the novel takes more complicated turns, and nearly everyone’s intentions turns out to be more complicated, more self-absorbed, and more corrupt than what it seems. No one is innocent, but neither are they truly guilty in completely unexpected ways.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a banger of a graphic novel, just as sharp as it is angry. It goes all-in on the old-school pulp aesthetics and tone but laces it with a razored edge that’s scathingly modern.
Brubaker is a writer I’m just getting acquainted with, but I can already tell his storytelling style will become a favorite. He’s so intentional, so precise with how he carves his way into a story, a character, a tone. What’s so gratifying about it, too, is that Brubaker is obviously a master of his craft but hasn’t let himself lose the joy of that craft.
And Philips’ art, damn. So much expression and so much personality packed into vibrant, hazy, sun-tinged grittiness. It’s got an aesthetic that’s at once remarkably cinematic but unmistakably grounded in the comic book medium and its many unique gifts. Layouts, coloring, line works, framing: every page here practically sings.
I’m so glad I get to read two more of these this year.
Brubaker is a writer I’m just getting acquainted with, but I can already tell his storytelling style will become a favorite. He’s so intentional, so precise with how he carves his way into a story, a character, a tone. What’s so gratifying about it, too, is that Brubaker is obviously a master of his craft but hasn’t let himself lose the joy of that craft.
And Philips’ art, damn. So much expression and so much personality packed into vibrant, hazy, sun-tinged grittiness. It’s got an aesthetic that’s at once remarkably cinematic but unmistakably grounded in the comic book medium and its many unique gifts. Layouts, coloring, line works, framing: every page here practically sings.
I’m so glad I get to read two more of these this year.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes