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gold_star_reader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
joshgauthier's review against another edition
5.0
I read plenty of comics and graphic novels (and enjoy many of them) but every so often I stumble across a graphic novel that feels like it achieves a higher level of craftsmanship. I haven't read much of Snyder's work, but Lemire is a dependable favorite of mine in the comics world. And together, the two of them have constructed a truly fascinating work in "A.D."
Combining prose, comics, illustrations, and visual style in a unique blend, "A.D." initially feels a little unsettling in its nonlinear movement between separate parts of the story's timeline. The tone is solemn, sometimes sparse, and very often takes on a thoughtful, philosophical tone - though always grounded in very human experience.
The threat of mortality, identity, connection, memory, the unity of parts to make a whole - there are so many themes woven into this volume in both content and symbolism. As the story progresses, disparate pieces recur, mirror each other, link together - until everything in the graphic novel is working together to form a unified whole. And even with all the philosophical layers underlying the story, the forward momentum is grounded in the experience of the protagonist who faces very real questions and very personal struggles over the course of a story that blends science fiction seamlessly into a narrative that feels familiar to our own world - right through an ending that is unexpected and resonant, lingering past the final page of the story.
It's a complex story well-delivered through every aspect of its visual and narrative telling. It's engaging in the moment, and one of those stories that is worth thinking about even after you're finished reading it.
Combining prose, comics, illustrations, and visual style in a unique blend, "A.D." initially feels a little unsettling in its nonlinear movement between separate parts of the story's timeline. The tone is solemn, sometimes sparse, and very often takes on a thoughtful, philosophical tone - though always grounded in very human experience.
The threat of mortality, identity, connection, memory, the unity of parts to make a whole - there are so many themes woven into this volume in both content and symbolism. As the story progresses, disparate pieces recur, mirror each other, link together - until everything in the graphic novel is working together to form a unified whole. And even with all the philosophical layers underlying the story, the forward momentum is grounded in the experience of the protagonist who faces very real questions and very personal struggles over the course of a story that blends science fiction seamlessly into a narrative that feels familiar to our own world - right through an ending that is unexpected and resonant, lingering past the final page of the story.
It's a complex story well-delivered through every aspect of its visual and narrative telling. It's engaging in the moment, and one of those stories that is worth thinking about even after you're finished reading it.
some_okie_dude27's review
An edited review of this book will come sooner or later, this last one was pretty bad.
rocketwave's review against another edition
5.0
Snyder and Lemire sitting in a tree!
M-I-N-D-B-L-O-W-N
Great graphic novel, well more novel. With amazing supporting art from Jeff Lemire.
Would read and be sad again
M-I-N-D-B-L-O-W-N
Great graphic novel, well more novel. With amazing supporting art from Jeff Lemire.
Would read and be sad again
anubis9's review against another edition
4.0
These are two of my favorite creators in comics today, and they did not disappoint, but I've got to tell you the older I get, the more I dislike ambiguous endings! In my younger art-house-film-loving days, I would ponder and discuss ambiguous endings ad nauseam. Now, I think it's just lazy storytelling. That said, I really enjoyed the format of keeping the "present day" storyline in comic form while keeping the flashback scenes in prose. The two forms paralleled each other very well to maintain tension and drama, but that ending though.
sizrobe's review against another edition
4.0
A story of a career thief who joins a post-apocalyptic community where death has been cured, but without extending memory. Roughly a third is prose, another third is prose with like an illustration per page, and then another third is in proper comic panels. It feels pretty experimental. Some of it is even in second person. The plot is told out of chronological order, and it all makes sense in the end. Decent.
readwithmeemz's review
3.0
I am an Indigo employee, and I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music, in exchange for an honest review.
(Review to come)
(Review to come)
lookhome's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine a combination of X-Men The Last Stand Meets Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and you'll have some idea of what you're getting into.
This is a wonderful graphic novel with some insightful thoughts on the concept of The Grand narrative and the 21st century push towards individualism.
Keep an open eye for a few unsubtle nods to Yeat's The Second Coming.
If you enjoy some of the more philosophical aspect of the work, be sure to check out any of Adam Curtis's documentaries.
This is a wonderful graphic novel with some insightful thoughts on the concept of The Grand narrative and the 21st century push towards individualism.
Keep an open eye for a few unsubtle nods to Yeat's The Second Coming.
If you enjoy some of the more philosophical aspect of the work, be sure to check out any of Adam Curtis's documentaries.
crookedtreehouse's review
4.0
If you have a friend who you want to get into graphic novels, but who isn't interested in reading your Sandman or X-Men collections, and who balks at Maus or Persepolis (no offense, but your friend sounds like kind of a snobby jerk), you might find [a:Scott Snyder|70026|Scott Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1337783422p2/70026.jpg] and [a:Jeff Lemire|543719|Jeff Lemire|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1300396580p2/543719.jpg]'s A.D. works for them. Unlike most modern comics and graphic novels, there's a great deal of prose text, in addition to the graphic elements, so they're not going to finish reading it in ten minutes.
If you're familiar with Snyder's writing or Lemire's art, there aren't any real surprises here. The combination of their arts gel really well together, but I could tell by page three that Snyder was up this typical trope of...I don't want to spoil anyone else's Snyder-reading experience but you don't have to look too close to realize that all of his stories are the same core with a few different baubles. Luckily, he's really good at writing that one story, so it's always entertaining, if you can get past that particular trope.
In addition to people who aren't into most graphic novels, I recommend this for people looking for an unusual graphic novel experience, or for people who like they're sci-fi a little more Twilight Zone and a little less Battlestar Galactica.
If you're familiar with Snyder's writing or Lemire's art, there aren't any real surprises here. The combination of their arts gel really well together, but I could tell by page three that Snyder was up this typical trope of...I don't want to spoil anyone else's Snyder-reading experience but you don't have to look too close to realize that all of his stories are the same core with a few different baubles. Luckily, he's really good at writing that one story, so it's always entertaining, if you can get past that particular trope.
In addition to people who aren't into most graphic novels, I recommend this for people looking for an unusual graphic novel experience, or for people who like they're sci-fi a little more Twilight Zone and a little less Battlestar Galactica.
jsevern1117's review against another edition
Wow it was ok. I mean pretty good. I liked it.