Reviews

Anomaly: The Rubicon by

nevtelen's review against another edition

2.0

Interesting idea, but not sure this quite worked for me. The extra content took me out of the story too much and the extra backgound info was just an infodump under another name.

roklobster's review against another edition

3.0

Overall I enjoyed this comic (doesn't really do it justice), but at times the art was confusing - the action was muddled or not as called out as it could have been. The story is familiar - sort of an Aliens corporation vibe meets a Lord of the Rings fight for middle earth thing. Enjoyable, but not totally original.

All that being said, it was a good read and I look forward to the next installment of it, should something like that exist.

amorriscode's review against another edition

3.0

The graphic novel was cool but at times the artwork was confusing and the story seemed rushed. The AR stuff was neat too.

theartolater's review against another edition

4.0

I've generally had a struggle, for whatever reason, with science fiction graphic novels. Something about the format mixed with the topic rarely seems to click, but I read something from Skip Brittenham not too long ago and saw this graphic novel available, and I had to check it out.

The story is basically about an interplanetary expedition to bring a planet into a confederation, but the system malfunctions and space flight issues keep the team stranded on this planet. The team is quickly attacked and enslaved, and the story is about them dealing with this new situation and how they get out.

There isn't a ton of new ground from a story perspective here. However it is a well-executed attempt with engaging characters and a few cool surprises along the way. The artwork is essentially 3-D renders that are painted, so some might find the visuals a little off-putting, but I thought it worked great for what was being presented. Also, there are apparently some augmented reality options that I didn't explore, but if you read this and are into that sort of thing, it's an added bonus.

Overall, though, on the basic level of a cool science fiction graphic novel (in an impossibly large format, I should add), I certainly enjoyed this. Worth a look if you can get your hands on a copy.

alexctelander's review against another edition

4.0

Years spent in the making, Anomaly is a marvel of the graphic novel genre from Skip Brittenham and Brian Haberlin, using a combination of giant, vibrant pages bursting with detail and color, a riveting storyline, multiple fold out sections showing actions scenes and magnificent tableaux. And there’s even a smartphone or tablet app to heighten the experience.

The year is the distant future, 3717. Our world has taken to the stars and conquered them. All nations, corporations and technologies have coalescent into an entity known as the CONGLOMERATE, which uses Enforcer Battalions to conquer alien races and planets to reap their wealth. Jon has been discharged from the elite Enforcer Corps and jumps at the chance to be part of a first contact mission, along with Samantha, Jasson and others. But on the planet of Anomaly everything can and does go wrong, stranding the group there. They find themselves in the midst of a great war between good and evil.

The artwork is breathtaking, the color and detail engrossing, the design and actions scenes pull you in and never let you go. The slightly weak point is the storyline, which becomes somewhat predictable. But there is still a great big cast of interesting characters, albeit with stereotypical diversity.

Readers also get the opportunity to use the app on their smartphone or tablet that is used to scan certain pages during the reading of Anomaly and pops up a 3D image of the scene of a creature or character, showing them acting and reacting. They can be poked and prodded like the seemingly holo-specimens they are, as well as opening up info files on them. It’s a fun experience that really feels like something out of science fiction. Overall, Anomaly is well worth the read; a most enjoyable experience, and one not soon to be forgotten.

Originally written on February 11, 2013 ©Alex C. Telander.

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speljamr's review against another edition

3.0

Anomaly is a rather large format book, spanning the width of at least 2 1/2 to 3 hardcover books, which makes it a bit unwieldy while reading it. I couldn't exactly carry it on the bus with me. But, what's inside seems to justify the rather oversize nature of this graphic novel.

The story itself is rather straight forward good vs. evil type of thing, and it certainly didn't do anything ground breaking in the way of science fiction. The only thing that truly makes the book worth taking a look at is the incredible art work. I can't say enough just how beautiful it really is. But in the end when you're done drooling over the pictures, the dialog leaves much to be desired and the story doesn't really inspire.

The end of the book has a big index with history and character biographies, which helps build out the world better and furthers the characters, and just might be more interesting than the story itself. I suspect someone's fan fiction could build a better story line with this info than the author did. In addition to the art there is a digital aspect to it in the form of augmented reality, but it didn't really do enough to add to things that the $75 price tag is justified.

For all the years it took to make this I expected more.