Scan barcode
adelelane's review
3.0
(note to self: make a graphic novel tag)
overall this book was reallllly quick and easy to read (i could've finished within an hour but i had lunch).
what made me pick it up though was the cover. the use of colours, composition and text was really refreshing and aesthetically pleasing, also i have an interest with body suits, so the astronaut suit was a little bonus for me.
it's a beautiful graphic novel with enchanting landscape scenes and i appreciated the way Culbard used the grid and his lack of text in places, however, the plot was really weak and that was it's downfall for me. it wasn't anything new honestly. the three main characters discover that they're the only ones left on earth, along with a few number of others and those three characters have to overcome their personal demons.
also, i felt it was really rushed, especially in Lilly's and the Japanese character's story and i guess because of this the illustrations did get me confused and should have been a bit more clearer.
anway, my eyes really did enjoy the illustrations (i'm looking at the cover now and i'm honestly so love), but hopefully next time i pick up Culbard's work it'll be a more satisfying journey.
overall this book was reallllly quick and easy to read (i could've finished within an hour but i had lunch).
what made me pick it up though was the cover. the use of colours, composition and text was really refreshing and aesthetically pleasing, also i have an interest with body suits, so the astronaut suit was a little bonus for me.
it's a beautiful graphic novel with enchanting landscape scenes and i appreciated the way Culbard used the grid and his lack of text in places, however, the plot was really weak and that was it's downfall for me. it wasn't anything new honestly. the three main characters discover that they're the only ones left on earth, along with a few number of others and those three characters have to overcome their personal demons.
also, i felt it was really rushed, especially in Lilly's and the Japanese character's story and i guess because of this the illustrations did get me confused and should have been a bit more clearer.
anway, my eyes really did enjoy the illustrations (i'm looking at the cover now and i'm honestly so love), but hopefully next time i pick up Culbard's work it'll be a more satisfying journey.
rebeccacider's review
1.0
I didn't expect to love this book, but even so, I found it singularly disappointing.
My experience is partly the result of poor jacket copy - I quickly figured out that Celeste is a trippy dream sequence with pretty art, not a speculative comic about the disappearance of humankind. However, I'd argue this was a structural failing as well. The art is the only success here; I found the three parallel narratives shallow and disappointing.
My experience is partly the result of poor jacket copy - I quickly figured out that Celeste is a trippy dream sequence with pretty art, not a speculative comic about the disappearance of humankind. However, I'd argue this was a structural failing as well. The art is the only success here; I found the three parallel narratives shallow and disappointing.
tcc1's review
2.5
strange, surreal and i think i understand but i wanted more and this didn’t do it for me
lookhome's review
3.0
The line between heaven and hell is a thin one indeed.
Celeste explores certain popular tropes of fate or free will with some success.
The three narratives cohere into a final story that tries to provide a glimpse into... what?
Purgatory?
Heaven?
Hell?
Ones’ flawed desires?
Do these pink petals allow for self discovery? Are they a cosmic form of Ayahuasca ?
There is little closure in these stories.
It’s about as satisfying as the final episode of lost was...
The art is great and playful though as a previous reviewer pointed out, the pink undies constantly viable are indeed questionable and a little weird.
While there are worse things to read out there, I suggest you pick up anything by Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman or joe hill and eat up that mythology instead
Celeste explores certain popular tropes of fate or free will with some success.
The three narratives cohere into a final story that tries to provide a glimpse into... what?
Purgatory?
Heaven?
Hell?
Ones’ flawed desires?
Do these pink petals allow for self discovery? Are they a cosmic form of Ayahuasca ?
There is little closure in these stories.
It’s about as satisfying as the final episode of lost was...
The art is great and playful though as a previous reviewer pointed out, the pink undies constantly viable are indeed questionable and a little weird.
While there are worse things to read out there, I suggest you pick up anything by Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman or joe hill and eat up that mythology instead
jessicajewel's review
2.0
Beautiful art, but the story did nothing for me... And I love "contemporary Japanese fiction" (i.e. magical realism)...
chelseamartinez's review
2.0
The art is very classic comic-book and there's a kind of cyclical structure to the entire story. Beyond that I'm not really sure what was going on (and one of the girl character's underwear more-than-peeking out of her cargo pants was so improbable so as to be distracting). The third story with non-English-speaking characters was interesting but I wasn't sure how the pieces fit together or whether it really got the attention the other two pieces commanded.
mischele_jamgochian's review
4.0
Craving a little sci-fi with your we all die alone ennui? I.N.J Culbard's intense depiction of the human condition post-event (although we're not certain that said event actually happened, or what said event may have been) is just the thing. Culbard tells his tale in three parallel narratives, featuring three lonely people: a young girl living with albinism in London, a Japanese comic artist on the brink of taking his own life, and an uptight man stuck in LA gridlock who has just received a mysterious interrupted phone call concerning his wife. The story itself is interesting enough, but what sets Celeste apart is Culbard's phenomenal, one might even say stellar, artwork: a mix of masterful single, multiple, and otherwise mixed-up panels that provide depth for his characters in a way that words can never do. While some readers might find the open-ending frustrating, I was delighted by the ambiguity and appreciated the opportunity for imaginative interpretation throughout the work. Give it to fans of Jeff Lemire's Trillium. Grade 11 +