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anniekslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun comic but I had some trouble making sense of it. I also would have loved to see more about the time-traveling part of the story, it was rather short.
amdame1's review against another edition
3.0
This graphic novel was originally a series in The Phoenix.
The ship "Mary Alice" is a ghost ship and can travel through time - although the crew cannot control when and where they go. One crew member is John Blake, a young boy who rescues a girl, Serena, when she is swept off her family's yacht during a storm. In Serena's time, there is an evil corporation desperately seeking the ship to use it for their own nefarious plans. Lots of action and adventure, and full color graphics make this an appealing read. I hope there are more books in the series to flesh out some of the other characters and their backgrounds.
The ship "Mary Alice" is a ghost ship and can travel through time - although the crew cannot control when and where they go. One crew member is John Blake, a young boy who rescues a girl, Serena, when she is swept off her family's yacht during a storm. In Serena's time, there is an evil corporation desperately seeking the ship to use it for their own nefarious plans. Lots of action and adventure, and full color graphics make this an appealing read. I hope there are more books in the series to flesh out some of the other characters and their backgrounds.
miikareading's review against another edition
5.0
Really good and awesome ship with fantastic illustrated pictures.
_nothankyou_'s review against another edition
I’m all in for a Philip Pullman sci-fi/fantasy conspiracy story in any form.
destdest's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the artwork and color direction of this story. But I was confused or bored 75% of the time. Maybe if I had understood more of what was happening, I would have liked this story.
spaceyfaerie's review against another edition
3.0
This was rather confusing and I wish it had been a little longer to explain the many, many plot lines in here. But the art was nice, and John reminded me a lot of John Barrowman, so that was a fun perspective to read this through . . . like baby Captain Jack starting his time traveling escapades!
miikareading's review against another edition
5.0
Really good and awesome ship with fantastic illustrated pictures.
tashrow's review against another edition
4.0
This is Philip Pullman’s first graphic novel and what a way to start! It is the story of the Mary Alice, a ship that is caught traveling through time. Her crew is from all over the world and from all parts of time. But they are in danger as one of the most powerful men in the modern day is searching for them because the boy on board the Mary Alice, John Blake, knows his secret and could ruin him. When an Australian girl falls off of her family’s boat, she is rescued by John and taken aboard the Mary Alice. Now she has a chance to save them in return, if she can.
Pullman’s graphic novel reads like a film script. It is full of guns, explosions, and fights that make it a wild read. Then there is the historical piece to it, something that slows the intense momentum and makes the book warmer and more vital. Add in the touch of ghostly science fiction that moves the ship through time and you have a rich mix of genres that is impossible to stop reading.
Fordham’s art is done in full color, rich and vibrant on the page. His art is clear and precise, offering children reading this book a real feel of adult graphic novels. There is no cuteness here, just a realistic science fiction ghost story that is exactly what will lead young readers to search for more graphic novels and comics to read.
Get this into the hands of children who love super hero comics and they will fall hard for John Blake and the Mary Alice. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Pullman’s graphic novel reads like a film script. It is full of guns, explosions, and fights that make it a wild read. Then there is the historical piece to it, something that slows the intense momentum and makes the book warmer and more vital. Add in the touch of ghostly science fiction that moves the ship through time and you have a rich mix of genres that is impossible to stop reading.
Fordham’s art is done in full color, rich and vibrant on the page. His art is clear and precise, offering children reading this book a real feel of adult graphic novels. There is no cuteness here, just a realistic science fiction ghost story that is exactly what will lead young readers to search for more graphic novels and comics to read.
Get this into the hands of children who love super hero comics and they will fall hard for John Blake and the Mary Alice. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
tinkeringlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This book has a bit of an incohesive start as Pullman draws together Einstein’s imaginary time travel experiment, an evil Steve Jobs/Jeff Bezos mashup, brilliant conspiracy theorists, a ghost ship, and a Kiwi family sailing around the world. It does come together eventually, and the illustration is brilliant, but I still dislike the totally evil bad guy vs noble youth trope. Kids will like the adventure. Grades 6-9.
mat_tobin's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to say 'James Bond does Time-Travel' and I think that would both unfairly dumb down Pullman's graphic novel but also give a fair overview of some of the tropes used. I did enjoy this romp which involves a boat, the Mary Alice, free outside the boundaries of time yet unable to control the course it takes. Meanwhile, in our time, a Steve Jobs type evil-villain mastermind has been hearing of John Blake's boat and wishes to access to the singular device which is allowing Blake and his crew to travel through time.
The graphic novel (first serialised in The Phoenix) has a host of interesting characters. I would have liked to have spent more time getting to know the crew and their backgrounds. As a first in the series (I hope there's more) it's a good start but the characters need fleshing out if we're going to start caring for them.
The graphic novel (first serialised in The Phoenix) has a host of interesting characters. I would have liked to have spent more time getting to know the crew and their backgrounds. As a first in the series (I hope there's more) it's a good start but the characters need fleshing out if we're going to start caring for them.