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solidly_average 's review for:
Sailor Twain: Or: The Mermaid in the Hudson
by Mark Siegel
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
First of all, I have to admit that I somehow missed the fact that Sailor Twain was a graphic novel when I requested a copy. I was interested in the story blurb, but a little...surprised by the format.
That being said, I think the art was the strongest part of the book. It was gloomy and moody and very atmospheric. I loved the views of the ocean, the steamships, and the cityscapes. I thought it was kind of a weird choice, though, to put such cartoon-y and animated looking characters on such sophisticated background shots. The maps and faux articles on the chapter breaks were a really nice tough. The story was interesting enough (mermaids! mythology! disappearing steamship captains! mysterious authors!) but I didn't feel like it developed as well as it could have, and the characters did not have enough depth.
The hyper-sexualized mermaid was annoying, as was the lusty Lafayette and his sexcapades with every remaining female character. The strongest female shows up a little too late, and with a cool backstory that goes sadly nowhere. I found myself not really caring about what happened to Twain. Also, there is a character that looks exactly like Amy Winehouse. I mean, seriously, what's up with that?
Overall, it was a fun read with an appealing premise and some great art, but I would have preferred a little more story out of its 400 pages.
First of all, I have to admit that I somehow missed the fact that Sailor Twain was a graphic novel when I requested a copy. I was interested in the story blurb, but a little...surprised by the format.
That being said, I think the art was the strongest part of the book. It was gloomy and moody and very atmospheric. I loved the views of the ocean, the steamships, and the cityscapes. I thought it was kind of a weird choice, though, to put such cartoon-y and animated looking characters on such sophisticated background shots. The maps and faux articles on the chapter breaks were a really nice tough. The story was interesting enough (mermaids! mythology! disappearing steamship captains! mysterious authors!) but I didn't feel like it developed as well as it could have, and the characters did not have enough depth.
The hyper-sexualized mermaid was annoying, as was the lusty Lafayette and his sexcapades with every remaining female character. The strongest female shows up a little too late, and with a cool backstory that goes sadly nowhere. I found myself not really caring about what happened to Twain. Also, there is a character that looks exactly like Amy Winehouse. I mean, seriously, what's up with that?
Overall, it was a fun read with an appealing premise and some great art, but I would have preferred a little more story out of its 400 pages.