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A review by lanica
Hatter M, Volume 1: The Looking Glass Wars by Liz Cavalier, Frank Beddor, Ben Templesmith
2.0
The original books were a good read, although the first novel was better than the second, which was a lot better than the third. I enjoyed the series as a whole and found the character of Hatter Madigan simply wonderful. I am a fan of the medium of graphic novels, and looked forward to these with great anticipation because they were written by the original author, not another person's imagining of someone else character.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with both the story and, even more so, the art. A lot of the story was an exact retelling of how Hatter got to this world. I understand it's needed for anyone who hadn't read the novels, but I had been hoping for a bit more...I don't know, additional information or maybe a little more drama. Instead we are told exactly what was said in the novel, now with pictures.
That leads me to the art...it's wispy, blurry, unfocused. That's the way Redd was described...and I find it annoying that the image they created of Hatter is not the focused, dark, rules-following cut and dried image that he was build up to be in the book. I was expecting something more realistic, dark and brooding, a real world feel, where the character of Hatter was thrown into the unexpected. I wanted to see how he reacted in 'our world'. Instead we got a glimpse of a fantastical world with little to tie its pieces together.
The characters Hatter meets are mostly tied to the story of Alyss, but what are the chances in a world this size they would end up meeting exactly the same set of bad guys? This graphic novel seemed disconnected, the bits fo story had little to tie them together and the story - right...what story. Hatter wonders into our world, then searches for Alyss. I guess he figures out how to navigate the portals, but that's not discussed, how else would he have been able to get from Europe to China in one page? From the story I had the image of a nomadic sort of search that took years at a time to complete. Instead we have a few moments of adventure barely tied together by the main character. He seems to have no specific plan, no real direction.
Anyhow - I ramble. The art does not suit the character. The story does not live up to its original medium.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with both the story and, even more so, the art. A lot of the story was an exact retelling of how Hatter got to this world. I understand it's needed for anyone who hadn't read the novels, but I had been hoping for a bit more...I don't know, additional information or maybe a little more drama. Instead we are told exactly what was said in the novel, now with pictures.
That leads me to the art...it's wispy, blurry, unfocused. That's the way Redd was described...and I find it annoying that the image they created of Hatter is not the focused, dark, rules-following cut and dried image that he was build up to be in the book. I was expecting something more realistic, dark and brooding, a real world feel, where the character of Hatter was thrown into the unexpected. I wanted to see how he reacted in 'our world'. Instead we got a glimpse of a fantastical world with little to tie its pieces together.
The characters Hatter meets are mostly tied to the story of Alyss, but what are the chances in a world this size they would end up meeting exactly the same set of bad guys? This graphic novel seemed disconnected, the bits fo story had little to tie them together and the story - right...what story. Hatter wonders into our world, then searches for Alyss. I guess he figures out how to navigate the portals, but that's not discussed, how else would he have been able to get from Europe to China in one page? From the story I had the image of a nomadic sort of search that took years at a time to complete. Instead we have a few moments of adventure barely tied together by the main character. He seems to have no specific plan, no real direction.
Anyhow - I ramble. The art does not suit the character. The story does not live up to its original medium.