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joshbrown's Reviews (431)
A wonderful story of survival, not just in a physical sense, but emotional survival as well. The protagonist, Kya, is a character of immense strength that turns to her surroundings for company when seemingly all of humanity has left her behind. The person someone like that becomes is fascinating, especially when other people start to enter the picture once more.
Equally brutal and clever, this story pushed the protagonist to places rarely seen in this genre. The world(s) building is exceptional, the characters well drawn, and I can't wait to tear into the next one.
3 1/2. Loses a lot of momentum in the middle but the beginning, end, and everything else involving the Az and Crowley really works.
Nostalgia, regret, loneliness, love, heartache. Inherent emotions that Lemire can convey with what seems at first like a simple sketch. Using just black, white, and a lot of vast open space, Essex County still feels rich and lived in, and the characters who inhabit it even more so. Throughout these stories, a family tree is explored and the cuts between past and present that we are given are sharp; sometimes painful or lovely or both. The same panel displayed three times in a row often brings you into a character's headspace more than a thought bubble could.
Simple art and a simple story could be taken as an insult. In this case, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Simple art and a simple story could be taken as an insult. In this case, that couldn't be further from the truth.
College is a strange place. You find yourself suddenly living on your own, surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of people your same age, all of you convinced you've sprung straight into adulthood. Your quest to find yourself and where you belong in this new world can make the relationships you build here feel like some of the strongest ever built. These people can become your friends, your family, your whole new society. The outside world can disappear.
Now add the naughty influence of Ancient Greek culture and a hyper-exclusive club that encourages your deepest indulgences. The result is a timeless classic that delves into high drama and suspense, but works even better as a coming of age narrative of a guy seduced into a life he thought he always wanted.
Now add the naughty influence of Ancient Greek culture and a hyper-exclusive club that encourages your deepest indulgences. The result is a timeless classic that delves into high drama and suspense, but works even better as a coming of age narrative of a guy seduced into a life he thought he always wanted.
New X-Men: Omnibus
Marc Silvestri, Frank Quitely, John Paul Leon, Grant Morrison, Igor Kordey, Tom Derenick, Keron Grant, Phil Jimenez, Leinil Francis Yu, Chris Bachalo, Ethan Van Sciver
Grant Morrison did the job he intended to do well. He pulled the Marvel Mutants into the 21st Century and simultaneously gave them a fresh start without having to wipe away decades of continuity. The characters feel like real people who are jaded after going through crisis after crisis. And his work with Emma Frost (sexed up artwork aside) made the whole run super interesting.
On the other hand, his pacing was a little all over the place. He doesn't seed in the long game nearly as well as Claremont. Certain aspects seem to be there just to provoke (there is literally a subplot where Beast says he's gay just provoke his ex). And the climax of his run hinges on treating Magneto as both a patient, manipulative mastermind and an over the top relic of a by gone era.
But all in all this had a cinematic scope that kept the pages turning, and it can't be overstated how much influence this has had over the last 20 years of X-Men comics.
On the other hand, his pacing was a little all over the place. He doesn't seed in the long game nearly as well as Claremont. Certain aspects seem to be there just to provoke (there is literally a subplot where Beast says he's gay just provoke his ex). And the climax of his run hinges on treating Magneto as both a patient, manipulative mastermind and an over the top relic of a by gone era.
But all in all this had a cinematic scope that kept the pages turning, and it can't be overstated how much influence this has had over the last 20 years of X-Men comics.
Rorschach is by far the most uninteresting part of this story; dark and gruesome and has less layers than his costume. But pretty much everything else still works so well for me. The coloring is fantastic and the writing trick done 1000 times of "this caption is from another scene but it actually describes this panel!" works on me every. time.
Tales from the Black Freighter and all the other supplemental material are a great way of breaking up what can at times be a real drawn out main narrative. The inspiration this has had on the comics and film has not been great. We were given Dark and Unsympathetic characters but without the rich, developed world that this comic offered and staged these "heroes" in. Despite some of the stories this has inspired, Watchmen can still stand alone in its wild, entertaining glory.
Tales from the Black Freighter and all the other supplemental material are a great way of breaking up what can at times be a real drawn out main narrative. The inspiration this has had on the comics and film has not been great. We were given Dark and Unsympathetic characters but without the rich, developed world that this comic offered and staged these "heroes" in. Despite some of the stories this has inspired, Watchmen can still stand alone in its wild, entertaining glory.
A great premise is realized here by Claudia Gray, again using her gift of populating the Star Wars universe with realistic characters and fleshed out world building. This story playing out over the events of the original trilogy allows us a broader look at the Empire and its war with the Rebellion. Though this does mean one of our main characters must stay loyal to the Empire throughout, and the reasoning she has to do so sometimes feels too forced. The amount of time this story covers also means that there isn't a lot of room to build up secondary characters, though this isn't a major problem since the core relationship of the book is developed so well.
Finally, the ending is quite sudden, foreshadowing a sequel that I hope Gray is able to write in the future. Her command of story is great, and it's exciting to see such a strong voice take hold in this universe.
Finally, the ending is quite sudden, foreshadowing a sequel that I hope Gray is able to write in the future. Her command of story is great, and it's exciting to see such a strong voice take hold in this universe.