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saidtheraina's review against another edition
Very not my thing. Refraining from a star rating for that reason.
I'm sure a lot of the problem was the genre - I generally don't get into war/torture stories. But something about the storytelling didn't quite feel clear to me, either. I almost didn't finish it.
I'm sure a lot of the problem was the genre - I generally don't get into war/torture stories. But something about the storytelling didn't quite feel clear to me, either. I almost didn't finish it.
lbeller7's review against another edition
4.0
Read this hoping not to find Islamophobia, and while it did exist as part of the story of how the typical American views and misunderstands Jihad, Muslims, and the War on Terror, its driving message did not communicate anything negative or hateful of the religion. It focused more on how humans use religion to become puppets unknowingly. It is an extreme depiction of the power of memetic theory and seeks to answer the question of how someone could be a suicide bomber. It makes a much bigger statement on the military system in the US, one that I agree with. I would highly suggest a reading of it. It is most certainly engaging and even if you don't like it, I believe you will have been glad to have read it. The gay aspects of the storyline did appear to be forced and unnecessary, and I think its inclusion undermined the message a bit.
lindacbugg's review against another edition
4.0
When I was finished I sat there in shock,shaking for a full minute. A really powerful book about both sides of the terrorist coin. I wish I could write something profound but I don't have the words. Read this book!!!
tymelgren's review
3.0
Pretty good and pretty weird story about how all teams are fake teams (as opposed to imaginary teams).
foxclouds's review
3.0
This is a graphic novel I randomly picked up at the library. I was attracted by the cover even though the plot seemed a bit different from what I usually read.
This book is a train wreck. You keep reading it even when you wish you could stop. I am not saying I didn't like it. It has a powerful message that will kick you into your gut and steal your breath. Yes, memes are real, as well as coding, hypnosis, torture, etc. This book didn't shy away to show it all when it comes to war. And underneath it all - a tragic story of two men.
I liked the idea, I really did. It is just I personally take such plots too close to heart and this is not something that I would call an entertaining read. I read it because I couldn't put it down, but the book left me feeling sad and hopeless.
I took one star off because I didn't like the drawings itself, but plot wise this book is 4/5 stars.
Beware that this books is full of triggers.
This book is a train wreck. You keep reading it even when you wish you could stop. I am not saying I didn't like it. It has a powerful message that will kick you into your gut and steal your breath. Yes, memes are real, as well as coding, hypnosis, torture, etc. This book didn't shy away to show it all when it comes to war. And underneath it all - a tragic story of two men.
I liked the idea, I really did. It is just I personally take such plots too close to heart and this is not something that I would call an entertaining read. I read it because I couldn't put it down, but the book left me feeling sad and hopeless.
I took one star off because I didn't like the drawings itself, but plot wise this book is 4/5 stars.
Beware that this books is full of triggers.
meepelous's review
4.0
Another fiction book that read like nonfiction. My biggest complaint about this book is that it leaned too far towards the preaching to the choir side of things. If you believe the kinds of things that this book is espousing you will like it; if you don't, or just have no clue what they are talking about it, you will not really learn anything by reading this book. I am sort of stuck in the middle on this one so I feel pretty inspired to look into it more, but there wasn't even a suggested reading list at the end so I will probably never get around to doing more research into this subject because I will procrastinate and forget.
As far as the art goes, it had a pretty classic feel for the Vertigo titles I've read. Lost of expressive lines, which sometimes ends up looking a bit messy. The color pallet is pretty expressive, changing with the moods and setting of the scenes. The page layout varied every few pages but wasn't hard to follow. The art was just weird enough to reflect the convoluted nature of the story without rendering everything a jumbled mess.
As far as writing goes, I was expecting weird going in, but it still managed to weird me out. It's a heavy book with a million and a half different ideas interwoven with each other, but the plot is still pretty fast paced. So even if you don't understand everything they are talking about (like me) you will probably feel yourself being sucked in. As I mentioned at the start of the review, this comic definitly felt like it was preaching to the choir. So if you are in any way shape or form pro torture/GITMO you will probably not like this book.
Otherwise this book is fairly even toned. While they are looking at the "source of terrorism" Canton also turns his critical eye on the USA and their own policies. So the contrast in the novel is less east vs west and more love vs war. As the subtitle suggests, the main characters do move through a relationship that in someways could be termed romantic, but the book is more interested in looking at the basic human need for connection whether that be in familial, religious or patriotic senses.
As far as the art goes, it had a pretty classic feel for the Vertigo titles I've read. Lost of expressive lines, which sometimes ends up looking a bit messy. The color pallet is pretty expressive, changing with the moods and setting of the scenes. The page layout varied every few pages but wasn't hard to follow. The art was just weird enough to reflect the convoluted nature of the story without rendering everything a jumbled mess.
As far as writing goes, I was expecting weird going in, but it still managed to weird me out. It's a heavy book with a million and a half different ideas interwoven with each other, but the plot is still pretty fast paced. So even if you don't understand everything they are talking about (like me) you will probably feel yourself being sucked in. As I mentioned at the start of the review, this comic definitly felt like it was preaching to the choir. So if you are in any way shape or form pro torture/GITMO you will probably not like this book.
Otherwise this book is fairly even toned. While they are looking at the "source of terrorism" Canton also turns his critical eye on the USA and their own policies. So the contrast in the novel is less east vs west and more love vs war. As the subtitle suggests, the main characters do move through a relationship that in someways could be termed romantic, but the book is more interested in looking at the basic human need for connection whether that be in familial, religious or patriotic senses.
notagreatreader's review
1.0
It's messed up in its ideas but also a mess as a comic book trying to sell them to us.
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