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unladylike's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most gorgeously illustrated graphic novels/comics I've seen recently. Some people are complaining that the plot was too confusing or boring, but I found it absolutely fascinating. I really hope Claire Gibson is able to take this story arc far. The characters and mythos within this world are rich and mysterious. Gibson gets different subtle emotions across very effectively with the facial expressions she draws, and the panel layout is clear and informative to the story even when there are no words.
bekkysaurus_rex's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
saidtheraina's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh, I was disappointed!
It sounded great, but I found it hard to follow, with wooden dialogue, and ultimately forgettable.
Good points: Full color illustrations, and characters who aren't white-skinned.
Sad.
It sounded great, but I found it hard to follow, with wooden dialogue, and ultimately forgettable.
Good points: Full color illustrations, and characters who aren't white-skinned.
Sad.
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/12/09/from-under-mountains-by-claire-gibson-marian-churchland-sloane-leong/
From Under Mountains is a fantasy graphic novel starring a teenage princess who chafes against the role assigned to her by her gender. Lady Elena longs for adventure and to know more about the world beyond the palace, but her father Lord Crowe sees her as nothing but a pawn to be married off for political gain.
When tragedy strikes the royal family, Lord Crowe falls into a depression, and Lady Elena finds herself at the reigns of the kingdom. Because she’s been underestimated for so long though, she doesn’t have the background knowledge or the skills to understand the big picture, and there are many people who seek to take advantage of her. Meanwhile, a witch is conjuring spirits from beyond the grave that threaten to upset the balance.
I have so many feelings about this book:
The art is gorgeous, and filled with vibrant autumn colors.
At the same time, many of the characters look very similar, and it can be hard to tell them apart.
Requires a lot of work on the part of the reader to piece together what’s going on.
Sometimes characters’ flash green. It’s probably symbolic of something, but I’m not quite sure what.
In terms of pacing, the story meanders like a lazy spring through a forest. It isn’t rushed in the least.
I love seeing fantasy that isn’t just another permutation of medieval Europe.
Witchcraft and otherworldly eldritch beings make me happy.
My general taste in comics runs toward high concept fantasy/horror with a lot of worldbuilding (or, as Mike tells me, I’m really just a comic book hipster). In general, I enjoyed From Under Mountains, despite its flaws. There were a lot of elements that I greatly enjoyed, especially the blend of witchcraft and statecraft. I also felt like this volume barely scratched the surface of a much larger world, and am eager to learn more about it.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/12/09/from-under-mountains-by-claire-gibson-marian-churchland-sloane-leong/
From Under Mountains is a fantasy graphic novel starring a teenage princess who chafes against the role assigned to her by her gender. Lady Elena longs for adventure and to know more about the world beyond the palace, but her father Lord Crowe sees her as nothing but a pawn to be married off for political gain.
When tragedy strikes the royal family, Lord Crowe falls into a depression, and Lady Elena finds herself at the reigns of the kingdom. Because she’s been underestimated for so long though, she doesn’t have the background knowledge or the skills to understand the big picture, and there are many people who seek to take advantage of her. Meanwhile, a witch is conjuring spirits from beyond the grave that threaten to upset the balance.
I have so many feelings about this book:
The art is gorgeous, and filled with vibrant autumn colors.
At the same time, many of the characters look very similar, and it can be hard to tell them apart.
Requires a lot of work on the part of the reader to piece together what’s going on.
Sometimes characters’ flash green. It’s probably symbolic of something, but I’m not quite sure what.
In terms of pacing, the story meanders like a lazy spring through a forest. It isn’t rushed in the least.
I love seeing fantasy that isn’t just another permutation of medieval Europe.
Witchcraft and otherworldly eldritch beings make me happy.
My general taste in comics runs toward high concept fantasy/horror with a lot of worldbuilding (or, as Mike tells me, I’m really just a comic book hipster). In general, I enjoyed From Under Mountains, despite its flaws. There were a lot of elements that I greatly enjoyed, especially the blend of witchcraft and statecraft. I also felt like this volume barely scratched the surface of a much larger world, and am eager to learn more about it.
literatehedgehog's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous, luscious fantasy comic. The paneling is some of the most beautiful, enthralling work I've seen in comics. With great world-building, shown-not-told historical and religious conflicts, and a variety of implied cultures and races, this could be an excellent series. I do wish for stronger characterization, and an easier time determining when story lines jump, but I can't have it all, I guess. It's darn amazing as it is.
spiringempress's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really good start but here we are four years later and there still isn't a new issue or even the hint that this story will continue. So, I have to unfortunately review this as a standalone and to be frank, it's not that good. My main issue with this graphic novel is that it has a really great premise, there's a hero, who came to fame under mysterious circumstances, a noblewoman, who wants to do more than be a wife, and a shadow assassin brought to life by a desert witch that is wrecking havoc on the kingdoms but it's kinda a tease. We don't really see anything come to fruition. Once we become well acquainted with them, which amounts to a lot of dialogue and exposition, the volume ends and there doesn't seem to a chance that it will continue.
So, once you hit this realization and the fact that the story really didn't start in this volume plus the similar character designs and slight odd pacing (seriously who ends an issue with I have a preposition for you and you're like "wait who are these people" and then the serious effect is lost) then this seemingly standalone and unfinished volume does not seem that great.
So, once you hit this realization and the fact that the story really didn't start in this volume plus the similar character designs and slight odd pacing (seriously who ends an issue with I have a preposition for you and you're like "wait who are these people" and then the serious effect is lost) then this seemingly standalone and unfinished volume does not seem that great.
panelparty's review against another edition
3.0
I had a really hard time following this story and telling the characters apart. The costume design and world-building notes at the end were probably the most interesting thing happening in this book. A lot of reviewers talk about how great the art is, but I thought it was pretty mediocre, along with the rest of the book.
e_t_smith's review
2.0
The challenge with writing serial fiction aimed at long-running ambitions is that you still have to make the opening chapters interesting on their own, and this story doesn't achieve that. The characters and situations might as well all have signs hanging on them declaring "please trust that this gets interesting later." But by this volume's end, nothing had been built up enough to earn any investment, no conflict or challenge had been faced, and I was left feeling like I'd read one issue's worth of story teased out over six. The problems aren't helped by the art, which frankly often appears crude and indistinct, demanding extra effort to understand scenes and recognize characters (there's a particularly infuriating instance when two characters, visually similar except for the colors of their scarves, switch those colors between pages, causing some confusion in dialog). It's not all bad; the wide shape of the world is promising, with it's Indian and Asian influences, and what we see of the characters hints at interesting motives. But hints aren't enough to keep me around for a second volume.