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geekwayne's review
4.0
'Nottingham' by David Hazan with art by Shane Connery Volk is a dark take on the Robin Hood legend.
There is a serial killer in Nottingham killing the rich and robbing them. The killer wears a scary mask full of teeth. The Sheriff of Nottingham is narrowing down suspects, and the path leads to familiar characters we know from folklore.
As a fan of the Robin Hood legend, I enjoyed this bloody take on it, and I think the unique, angular art really helped contribute to it. The art is angular and caricatured and I really liked the character design.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Mad Cave Studios, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
There is a serial killer in Nottingham killing the rich and robbing them. The killer wears a scary mask full of teeth. The Sheriff of Nottingham is narrowing down suspects, and the path leads to familiar characters we know from folklore.
As a fan of the Robin Hood legend, I enjoyed this bloody take on it, and I think the unique, angular art really helped contribute to it. The art is angular and caricatured and I really liked the character design.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Mad Cave Studios, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
royallyreading's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
ericbuscemi's review
3.0
I actually can't decide if I like this or not. I grew up with the Disney cartoon Robin Hood, and then later with Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, so I have a deeply ingrained love of the characters and lore. But this version is just so twisted, and I am not sure if I find it refreshing or appalling. There are already multiple named character deaths in this first volume, so I have no idea where they are going with it. I do think if I continue reading, I will have an issue with the villainization of Robin and Marian.
adamchalmers's review
5.0
I'm not much of a graphic novel or comics guy, but I loved this! It was tense and suspenseful in a way that other comics I've read are not. I'm not very familiar with the original Robin Hood story, so the plot beats were unexpected. Great art.
ebbie_casuallereading's review
4.0
Love the angular style of the illustrations. Really really liked how it's unclear who's the good guy in the famous story retelling.
I feel like there's a parallel to be drawn at famous masked vigilantes, as there's usually a point where the question is asked about how they fight their fights: is it doing more harm than good? Spinning this kind of questioning on the Robin Hood tale is new to me and highly intriguing.
There's also a bit of a rehabilitation for the Sheriff I would say and I don't dislike it, even though I grew up being totally into Robin Hood while despising Guysbourne and the Sheriff. The angle chosen here is really interesting, and I'm looking forward to see where it goes. I would say it's a bit unclear what are the real motivations of the Sheriff still, on top of the simple one of doing his job. There might be a small paradox there as he says he genuinely cares for the innocents or the common folk, but it is not clearly shown through his actions.
It's a good introduction to what is to be a series, however I wonder how much juice there's still left to continue it for more than another volume or 2. Hopefully enough to go on for a little more because I'm truly engaged.
There's a metaphor drawn between 2 tales of sheeps, shepherd and wolf, and the story unfolding. I'm still unsure if it's genius or messy. For me, it didn't further my comprehension of what was to be the meaning behind the comparison, but left everything covered with more confusion. Not sure if that was the purpose or not. However, I feel that it would have been wiser to maybe just use one and leave the reader unsure has to who played what part instead of using the wolf and sheep drinking from the river tale in the mix, who isn't as strong a metaphor as the other one.
All in all, I really enjoyed myself reading it and with the illustrations being super nice and dramatic, I feel like it's the kind of comic book one would like to own.
I feel like there's a parallel to be drawn at famous masked vigilantes, as there's usually a point where the question is asked about how they fight their fights: is it doing more harm than good? Spinning this kind of questioning on the Robin Hood tale is new to me and highly intriguing.
There's also a bit of a rehabilitation for the Sheriff I would say and I don't dislike it, even though I grew up being totally into Robin Hood while despising Guysbourne and the Sheriff. The angle chosen here is really interesting, and I'm looking forward to see where it goes. I would say it's a bit unclear what are the real motivations of the Sheriff still, on top of the simple one of doing his job. There might be a small paradox there as he says he genuinely cares for the innocents or the common folk, but it is not clearly shown through his actions.
It's a good introduction to what is to be a series, however I wonder how much juice there's still left to continue it for more than another volume or 2. Hopefully enough to go on for a little more because I'm truly engaged.
There's a metaphor drawn between 2 tales of sheeps, shepherd and wolf, and the story unfolding. I'm still unsure if it's genius or messy. For me, it didn't further my comprehension of what was to be the meaning behind the comparison, but left everything covered with more confusion. Not sure if that was the purpose or not. However, I feel that it would have been wiser to maybe just use one and leave the reader unsure has to who played what part instead of using the wolf and sheep drinking from the river tale in the mix, who isn't as strong a metaphor as the other one.
All in all, I really enjoyed myself reading it and with the illustrations being super nice and dramatic, I feel like it's the kind of comic book one would like to own.
lkb0154's review
3.0
This is a dark version of the tale of Robinhood. While the story is straightforward, the artwork and story are both delightful. I assume there is another one coming after this due to the cliffhanger. It was not life-changing, and some of the fonts are difficult to read. However, if you want a quick and simple read, this comic will do.
I received a free copy and decided to give an honest review.
I received a free copy and decided to give an honest review.
dryden's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
nialiterally's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
biblioellegraphy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Nottingham is both exactly what I expected, and nothing like what I expected.
To be honest, I didn't look too much into before reading other than it was a graphic novel retelling of Robin Hood and at it's core, that is exactly what Nottingham is.
This first volume is dark, gritty, and pulls enough from the source material without being a rehashed/regurgitated version of the same old thing over and over.
The art style wasn't exactly my thing, but I did thoroughly enjoy the new take on such a well-known and recognisable tale.
To be honest, I didn't look too much into before reading other than it was a graphic novel retelling of Robin Hood and at it's core, that is exactly what Nottingham is.
This first volume is dark, gritty, and pulls enough from the source material without being a rehashed/regurgitated version of the same old thing over and over.
The art style wasn't exactly my thing, but I did thoroughly enjoy the new take on such a well-known and recognisable tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Blood