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A review by saraluna
The Escapists by Brian K. Vaughan
3.0
Perhaps I came away feeling this was only okay because my expectations were so high; Kavalier and Clay was an amazing novel, and Brian K. Vaughan is one of my favorite comic writers. Unfortunately, the writing here is more on the cliche, slightly amateurish side a la Runaways instead of closer to Ex Machina or Y: The Last Man where Vaughan truly shines.
That said, there's still plenty here to like. Chabon's intro is adorable and well-written as ever, the art is lovely in places (and the cover illustrations in the back by greats like Frank Miller and James Jean are worth the price of admission alone). There's also some clever intersections of art and writing ("won't a billboard be more exciting than trying to fit your art into all those tiny boxes?" Pan to an aerial view of all the cubicles). I love the overall affirmation of imagination as well. Unfortunately, I found the characters kind of two-dimensional and everything was tied up a bit too neatly. A cute, quick read, which you'll probably like if you enjoy both comics and Kavalier and Clay.
That said, there's still plenty here to like. Chabon's intro is adorable and well-written as ever, the art is lovely in places (and the cover illustrations in the back by greats like Frank Miller and James Jean are worth the price of admission alone). There's also some clever intersections of art and writing ("won't a billboard be more exciting than trying to fit your art into all those tiny boxes?" Pan to an aerial view of all the cubicles). I love the overall affirmation of imagination as well. Unfortunately, I found the characters kind of two-dimensional and everything was tied up a bit too neatly. A cute, quick read, which you'll probably like if you enjoy both comics and Kavalier and Clay.