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saidtheraina's review
4.0
Yep, another great collection. Most of the pieces I liked the most I already knew, although a few surprised me. I really liked Smith's criteria for picking inclusions. And it's nice to have small chunks of less comfortable works to try out.
Overall standout: [a:Sam Alden|6907669|Sam Alden|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] - I've asked the library to buy one of his books.
Oh, and it's nice to be reminded of how much I like [a:Terry Moore|8914|Terry Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1241895023p2/8914.jpg].
Overall standout: [a:Sam Alden|6907669|Sam Alden|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] - I've asked the library to buy one of his books.
Oh, and it's nice to be reminded of how much I like [a:Terry Moore|8914|Terry Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1241895023p2/8914.jpg].
tiedyedude's review
4.0
Like any compilations, not everything is going to suit everyone's tastes. This is a pretty solid collection, though. I was particularly impressed with the contributions by Sam Alden and Jesse Jacobs.
katiegrrrl's review
4.0
I enjoyed most of the comics included in this collection. There excerpts from some of my favorite graphic novels of last year.
pearseanderson's review
4.0
Some of the excerpts felt so disconnected, I would've preferred if they'd been switched with contained shorts that maybe were a bit less unique. On a whole, this was a warming and quick read. It showed me that comics are still beautiful and as booming/complex/varied as the current short story market. That's always a good thing to learn. Great colors too!
staciesbooks's review
3.0
This collection was pretty average. There were some that I loved and some that I detested, but most of them were sort of just "meh." I found myself gravitating towards the tremendously dark, cryptic, and weird ones.
My favorites were:
The Divine Manifestation of a Singular Impulse by Jesse Jacobs, Turn Back by Sam Alden, Manananggal by Michael DeForge, The Good Wife by Sophie Goldstein, and The Strange Boy by Derf Backderf.
I would love to check out more from those above. I already know I ADORE Michael DeForge's artwork, as I've read other things by him, but it's cool to have found some other people to research.
Everything else just seemed so bland and "safe," like some cartoonists were afraid to push the envelop with their art. There were a large amount of excerpts, so maybe in the context of the larger work the stories got better. However, if this is supposed to be a collection of the "best" and if you give me a plain, boring-ass excerpt then I'm going to have to pass on the main body of work the excerpt came from. I'm glad I found a few that I liked though, you never really know what to expect when diving into a big collection like this.
Not gonna bother with individual summaries, some didn't even really have much of a plot and were more there to evoke a feeling, but here's a breakdown of my scores for each section:
70 Nights of Pleasure- 2 stars
The Story of Gráinne Ní Mháille- 3.5 stars
American Elf- 1 star
You Lied to Us!- 2.75 stars
Story Time- 4 stars
Raiders- 3 stars
1912- 3.5 stars
A Husband and a Wife- 2.5 stars
Mirror- 2.5 stars
The Speaker- 4 stars
The Divine Manifestation of a Singular Impulse- 5 stars
Turn Back- 5 stars
Manananggal- 5 stars
The Good Wife- 4 stars
Four Comics- 3.5 stars
Nita Goes Home- 2 stars
Concrete Park- 3 stars
Top Five- 3 stars
The Strange Boy- 4.5 stars
A Killer Surprise- 4 stars
George- 4 stars
Velocipede- 3 stars
Fun Strips- 1.5 stars
Saints in the Store- 2 stars
Scary Bathtub Stories- 3.5 stars
Cody- 3 stars
In the Rough- 1 star
Love Me Forever! Oh! Oh! Oh!- 4 stars
Discipline- 3.75 stars
1969 2.5 stars
My favorites were:
The Divine Manifestation of a Singular Impulse by Jesse Jacobs, Turn Back by Sam Alden, Manananggal by Michael DeForge, The Good Wife by Sophie Goldstein, and The Strange Boy by Derf Backderf.
I would love to check out more from those above. I already know I ADORE Michael DeForge's artwork, as I've read other things by him, but it's cool to have found some other people to research.
Everything else just seemed so bland and "safe," like some cartoonists were afraid to push the envelop with their art. There were a large amount of excerpts, so maybe in the context of the larger work the stories got better. However, if this is supposed to be a collection of the "best" and if you give me a plain, boring-ass excerpt then I'm going to have to pass on the main body of work the excerpt came from. I'm glad I found a few that I liked though, you never really know what to expect when diving into a big collection like this.
Not gonna bother with individual summaries, some didn't even really have much of a plot and were more there to evoke a feeling, but here's a breakdown of my scores for each section:
70 Nights of Pleasure- 2 stars
The Story of Gráinne Ní Mháille- 3.5 stars
American Elf- 1 star
You Lied to Us!- 2.75 stars
Story Time- 4 stars
Raiders- 3 stars
1912- 3.5 stars
A Husband and a Wife- 2.5 stars
Mirror- 2.5 stars
The Speaker- 4 stars
The Divine Manifestation of a Singular Impulse- 5 stars
Turn Back- 5 stars
Manananggal- 5 stars
The Good Wife- 4 stars
Four Comics- 3.5 stars
Nita Goes Home- 2 stars
Concrete Park- 3 stars
Top Five- 3 stars
The Strange Boy- 4.5 stars
A Killer Surprise- 4 stars
George- 4 stars
Velocipede- 3 stars
Fun Strips- 1.5 stars
Saints in the Store- 2 stars
Scary Bathtub Stories- 3.5 stars
Cody- 3 stars
In the Rough- 1 star
Love Me Forever! Oh! Oh! Oh!- 4 stars
Discipline- 3.75 stars
1969 2.5 stars
dav's review
3.0
A random grab at the library from the display shelf. Some of them are great. Some should come with a tab of acid. Some I want more of. I would subscribe to Evan Dorkin's Fun Strips if I could. Maybe I can but his website is down right now. Cartoonists don't get e-tailing I guess. Actually it looks like all of Live Journal is down right now. That's what you get for dealing with the Russians!. Kate Beacon's Velocipede is delightful. Elanor Davis's Nita Goes Home is an pleasing mix of styles/genres/themes or whatever. I'm going to hunt down and finish the rest of Tony Puryear's Concrete Park.
Skipped a few of the long/boring-looking ones but I'm sure they would have been good in some way.
Skipped a few of the long/boring-looking ones but I'm sure they would have been good in some way.