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sirdrewbles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
mscherer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
klemler's review against another edition
5.0
I read this in one sitting. Absolutely loved it, full of heart and metal.
METAL WILL DESTROY ALL EVIL!
METAL WILL DESTROY ALL EVIL!
thestephil's review against another edition
3.0
I’m attempting to get into comics and this was my first attempt. The art style was great and the story was unique. I have a hard time getting into the story with comics vs novels but it was a quick enjoyable time.
mynameisreek's review against another edition
4.0
Felt a bit frantic to finish, but powerful regardless in its message. Absolutely absurd premise, but so effective as a metaphor for how we find meaning, and what inspires bravery in the face of life's struggles.
linopalve's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jekutree's review against another edition
4.0
Biggest surprise of the year. Based off the premise alone, I was expecting a basic, fun story that I could crack open to cleanse my palette in between bigger reads. But what I got, was an extremely well crafted story with gorgeous art, a touching character arc and lots of metal.
Murder Falcon tells the story of Jake, a guitarist who’s pushed away everyone in his life but most notably his wife and band mates. This all stops when monsters begin to invade the earth and his music becomes the only thing that can stop them. Jake must get his band back together and stop the invasion. Jake and his band mates fight these monsters with these heavy metal spirits that are empowered by their music. Jake gets the titular Murder Falcon who is one of my favorite characters of the past decade. He’s so damn cool.
This book on the surface seems to be exactly what I described in the first paragraph, but as it progresses it tells a really emotional and touching story about Jake and his battle with something I won’t spoil and himself. Jake is his own worst enemy in this, more so than the monsters he battles. This story has him overcome his self doubts in a way that is inspiring to read. The characters are all extremely likable and well rounded. Pretty much all the characters have their own time in the spotlight which leads the reader to care about each character on an individual level. I was surprised by this considering how much of the story is driven by Jake. Each character feels like their own person beyond being Jake’s friends. I also really enjoyed all the metal references in this one. Growing up listening to metal definitely made me keen on all the references but if you knew nothing about metal or rock music you could enjoy this book just as much as I did.
The art by Daniel Warren Johnson matches the quality of the story and exceeds it. I will admit there are a few times where the pacing of the story progresses a bit too fast but his art never lets up. His art style is really unique and fits the story perfectly. The designs of the world, monsters and heavy metal spirits are all amazing. Murder Falcon is one of the coolest looking comic characters ever. The layouts of this book are really unique too, DWJ uses a lot of smaller panels that react to large center panels pretty frequently which is an awesome way to structure a page. The way flashbacks are used are pretty great too, DWJ interlaces them with panels that are occurring in real time to show how pst events are currently affecting Jake. It’s a cool way to see what he’s thinking without using thought bubbles or dialogue. The colors by Mike Spicer are also gorgeous, a lot of this book’s charm is owed to him. This book would definitely benefit from an oversized format and I’d really like to see a Remender sized hardcover for this book.
The only flaws I have with this book are the pacing towards the end, if this was 9 issues I felt the story would’ve had a bit more time to breathe but that’s it for the quality of the story. A minor complaint I had was that the lettering at times seemed a bit too small which is another reason I want an oversized edition so badly. Another thing is that there’s a LOT of similarities to Pacific Rim. The fact that there’s a tear that monsters come through that are stopped by extremely powerful tools controlled by a specific group of people makes it super Pacific Rim-esque. I think the heavy metal aspect, the character work and the cool factor of the heavy metal spirits make it unique enough that it stands on its own, but it’s still something worth mentioning.
This book was a welcome treat and blew me away at pretty much every turn. Murder Falcon is a book that should be on everyone’s shelves.
9/10
Murder Falcon tells the story of Jake, a guitarist who’s pushed away everyone in his life but most notably his wife and band mates. This all stops when monsters begin to invade the earth and his music becomes the only thing that can stop them. Jake must get his band back together and stop the invasion. Jake and his band mates fight these monsters with these heavy metal spirits that are empowered by their music. Jake gets the titular Murder Falcon who is one of my favorite characters of the past decade. He’s so damn cool.
This book on the surface seems to be exactly what I described in the first paragraph, but as it progresses it tells a really emotional and touching story about Jake and his battle with something I won’t spoil and himself. Jake is his own worst enemy in this, more so than the monsters he battles. This story has him overcome his self doubts in a way that is inspiring to read. The characters are all extremely likable and well rounded. Pretty much all the characters have their own time in the spotlight which leads the reader to care about each character on an individual level. I was surprised by this considering how much of the story is driven by Jake. Each character feels like their own person beyond being Jake’s friends. I also really enjoyed all the metal references in this one. Growing up listening to metal definitely made me keen on all the references but if you knew nothing about metal or rock music you could enjoy this book just as much as I did.
The art by Daniel Warren Johnson matches the quality of the story and exceeds it. I will admit there are a few times where the pacing of the story progresses a bit too fast but his art never lets up. His art style is really unique and fits the story perfectly. The designs of the world, monsters and heavy metal spirits are all amazing. Murder Falcon is one of the coolest looking comic characters ever. The layouts of this book are really unique too, DWJ uses a lot of smaller panels that react to large center panels pretty frequently which is an awesome way to structure a page. The way flashbacks are used are pretty great too, DWJ interlaces them with panels that are occurring in real time to show how pst events are currently affecting Jake. It’s a cool way to see what he’s thinking without using thought bubbles or dialogue. The colors by Mike Spicer are also gorgeous, a lot of this book’s charm is owed to him. This book would definitely benefit from an oversized format and I’d really like to see a Remender sized hardcover for this book.
The only flaws I have with this book are the pacing towards the end, if this was 9 issues I felt the story would’ve had a bit more time to breathe but that’s it for the quality of the story. A minor complaint I had was that the lettering at times seemed a bit too small which is another reason I want an oversized edition so badly. Another thing is that there’s a LOT of similarities to Pacific Rim. The fact that there’s a tear that monsters come through that are stopped by extremely powerful tools controlled by a specific group of people makes it super Pacific Rim-esque. I think the heavy metal aspect, the character work and the cool factor of the heavy metal spirits make it unique enough that it stands on its own, but it’s still something worth mentioning.
This book was a welcome treat and blew me away at pretty much every turn. Murder Falcon is a book that should be on everyone’s shelves.
9/10
howiedoowinfam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
georgezakka's review against another edition
4.0
Going into the book without the novelty of liking metal really pushed me away, but with an interesting plot, great characters, and an overall fun experience, Murder Falcon delivers in all sorts of ways. The ending is also very satisfying and does not leave you disappointed.