Well, Arale is one shot telling a story of alternative Russia, the place where Bolsheviks lost their coup of power tzar is still in power, immortal (iWell, Arale is one shot telling a story of alternative Russia, the place where Bolsheviks lost their coup of power tzar is still in power, immortal (is he?) and with his grand shadow ruler Rasputin fights an endless war with enemies on all sides. But the story is not about that war, the story is about one heroic lieutenant wh will change his life (and maybe many other ones) not by war, but by travel to a very special place. The plot is interesting, but there is so much on so little space. I enjoyed the reading, especially the "travel part", but it ended so quickly it was a bit unsatisfying. The art is something close to what I call "European classic style". Which is great, full of details and lifelike, but for experienced readers, like myself, it can get a bit boring. Hands on: - you like alternate history, even if it's a bit fantastical - Rasputin, gonna catch 'em all (in various comics) - you like war and fantasy and "mainstream" European comics Hands off: - you read too much of "Europe" recently. - the fast short stories aren't your jam - you hate recycling "Ghost in the Shell" tropes
Thank you, #europecomics and #netgalley for providing a free digital copy, this one even in a decent resolution.
Merged review:
Well, Arale is one shot telling a story of alternative Russia, the place where Bolsheviks lost their coup of power tzar is still in power, immortal (is he?) and with his grand shadow ruler Rasputin fights an endless war with enemies on all sides. But the story is not about that war, the story is about one heroic lieutenant wh will change his life (and maybe many other ones) not by war, but by travel to a very special place. The plot is interesting, but there is so much on so little space. I enjoyed the reading, especially the "travel part", but it ended so quickly it was a bit unsatisfying. The art is something close to what I call "European classic style". Which is great, full of details and lifelike, but for experienced readers, like myself, it can get a bit boring. Hands on: - you like alternate history, even if it's a bit fantastical - Rasputin, gonna catch 'em all (in various comics) - you like war and fantasy and "mainstream" European comics Hands off: - you read too much of "Europe" recently. - the fast short stories aren't your jam - you hate recycling "Ghost in the Shell" tropes
Thank you, #europecomics and #netgalley for providing a free digital copy, this one even in a decent resolution....more
This is splendid comics about terrible times. It maps the life of Francisco Boix, the Spanish prisoner in KL Mauthausen, and few of his fellow compatrThis is splendid comics about terrible times. It maps the life of Francisco Boix, the Spanish prisoner in KL Mauthausen, and few of his fellow compatriots. He became a photographer for Gestapo there, secretly determined to bring those photographs, the evidence of the Nazi atrocities, to the communist party. This is the tale, not document, so the historical facts are adjusted and the blanks are filled for sakes of the narration. But as someone who visited the place, I must say the result feels correct and authentic. The story is working well, the art is close to "Europe classic styles" (with a different style for photographs to make them look more lifelike) and together it gives almost reportage picture of Francisco past. No purposeful emotional scenes, no forced moral points, just the as closest picture of that time, place and one man's fate as comics book could be. And it feels right. The stories who force emotion and morals are more powerful at starts, but they also lose part of their credibility by that. Not The Photographer of Mauthausen. This graphic novel brings you the whole picture of one man (and by his eyes) as unbiased as it could be with one purpose. Not to make you sad or angry or something. But to commemorate Francisco and all his countrymen who shared this grim fate, many of them until their last day. To remind the past so we wouldn't be doomed to repeat it.
Merged review:
This is splendid comics about terrible times. It maps the life of Francisco Boix, the Spanish prisoner in KL Mauthausen, and few of his fellow compatriots. He became a photographer for Gestapo there, secretly determined to bring those photographs, the evidence of the Nazi atrocities, to the communist party. This is the tale, not document, so the historical facts are adjusted and the blanks are filled for sakes of the narration. But as someone who visited the place, I must say the result feels correct and authentic. The story is working well, the art is close to "Europe classic styles" (with a different style for photographs to make them look more lifelike) and together it gives almost reportage picture of Francisco past. No purposeful emotional scenes, no forced moral points, just the as closest picture of that time, place and one man's fate as comics book could be. And it feels right. The stories who force emotion and morals are more powerful at starts, but they also lose part of their credibility by that. Not The Photographer of Mauthausen. This graphic novel brings you the whole picture of one man (and by his eyes) as unbiased as it could be with one purpose. Not to make you sad or angry or something. But to commemorate Francisco and all his countrymen who shared this grim fate, many of them until their last day. To remind the past so we wouldn't be doomed to repeat it....more
(4,3 of 5 for two solid stories For Herb and Marv) These two very nice stories are about Herbert soon being a parent in a clash of cultures and Marvin,(4,3 of 5 for two solid stories For Herb and Marv) These two very nice stories are about Herbert soon being a parent in a clash of cultures and Marvin, a fresh parent, for saving the Dungeon (again) and meeting his wife's old friend. Both (and they are connected, of course) are big fun and worked nicely for me....more
(4,0 of 5 for nice Herbert and Marvin fun) Over time there isn't much to say about the Dungeon series, the quality of the stories varies, the art is us(4,0 of 5 for nice Herbert and Marvin fun) Over time there isn't much to say about the Dungeon series, the quality of the stories varies, the art is usually consistent and it is still very readable and fun. This time it's about Marv and Herb resolving their love alongside going on another suicide mission. The story has this snowballing style, it starts small and things just add on....more
(3,9 of 5 for a nice ancient Rome/Gauls action story) This quite short story is probably better than the current poor rating on Goodreads, even if I wi(3,9 of 5 for a nice ancient Rome/Gauls action story) This quite short story is probably better than the current poor rating on Goodreads, even if I will with my "feel" star rating add to it. One side is the art of Dan Brereton, which is great. I can imagine there will be few who would like the richness and intensity of it, but I like it. The other side is Tito Faraci because it looks like "once Disney guy, always Disney guy". At least a bit. And we know what Disney can do to the good lore or the depiction of history. And, "by Odin", if Faraci really tries, it still feels off. History aside - it is a great fantasy adventure/story? Either no. The comics land something like 80-ish pages and even if trying best, it still leads to shortcuts and simplifications and even if the idea and atmosphere so far are great, it eventually comes out as dull. Do I like the comics? I do, and if you like Dan's art, don't hold on to history and are willing to accept the limits that a story with nice potential can manage on way fewer pages, then you will too....more
(3,8 of 5 for one good and one mediocre story) I really like the Dungeon series, even if not all stories bear similar levels of dark humour, wit, thril(3,8 of 5 for one good and one mediocre story) I really like the Dungeon series, even if not all stories bear similar levels of dark humour, wit, thrill, innovation and fun. This one consists of two main stories, kind of linked together. They lead to the born of the Dungeon in terms as we know it best. The first one is much more fun than the second one by quite far. Because the second one focus on Hyacinth and the Dungeon and more feels like a storyline supporting smaller sketches, which doesn't work much for me to build the tension and drive to read fully devours me and sucks in the story. This repeats through Dungeon books several times. But the amount of the good ones, like the first one in this book, is still high....more
(3,6 of 5 for a nice introduction to tattoo history) So far the Little Book was rather disappointing. As a comic book and/or encyclopaedia experience. (3,6 of 5 for a nice introduction to tattoo history) So far the Little Book was rather disappointing. As a comic book and/or encyclopaedia experience. This one was a rather better one of them. Having a backbone storyline and using comic mechanics, was something pleasant to see in this series. The informative side was good too, although it was rather brief and more like an introduction. Still, this one is first which was readable-digestable from front to back. None of the previous was....more
(3,4 of 5 for a decent lesson on the history of "New Hollywood") After shabby Sharks and utterly terrible Heavy Metal, the New Hollywood is finally a d(3,4 of 5 for a decent lesson on the history of "New Hollywood") After shabby Sharks and utterly terrible Heavy Metal, the New Hollywood is finally a decent one. It has some comic qualities, and some encyclopedic ones, and the art is still basic but works fine(-ish). This one I enjoyed and felt good about, even if it can get a little wordy too. But that's part of the deal with this type of comic. ...more
(3,7 of 5 for a nice "historian fantasy" look on the Cuban revolution) I'm not sure if I read this some age before or if it's just my vast reading over(3,7 of 5 for a nice "historian fantasy" look on the Cuban revolution) I'm not sure if I read this some age before or if it's just my vast reading overtime on this topic playing tricks on me. But it felt kind of familiar to me. Anyway, this one is nice, tries to be as historically accurate as possible with some accounted compromises to help the story be more "readable". For me, each of these changes is "no harm done". There are plenty of characters already, and all the bearded men or bald old men popping up at a fast pace are confusing already. Yes, Morgan, Che and Fidel are visually distinctive, but other characters, especially as they come and go, can be a bit confusing. I admire the effort of the author to be as historically accurate as possible, even if all main characters are in very grey areas and it's usually the depiction of the author which runs them more white or black. And it's fine here, because it's from the point of view of Morgan and Menoyo, so their side of history gets a bit whitened and the other (Fidel's) a bit darkened by what's put in and left out. Also, this is not a book on Cuban history, and 200 pages are barely enough for Morgan's story and a little bit of context to set it in the historical frame. I do not recommend it to someone with zero knowledge about this era, or not interested in geopolitics back then and the Cuban revolution. Because for those, it would be heavy-handed and may be confusing in some parts....more
(3,7 of 5 for "fictional biography" comics of being a middle-aged husband) To the comic itself - it's not long and easily read in one bedtime reading. (3,7 of 5 for "fictional biography" comics of being a middle-aged husband) To the comic itself - it's not long and easily read in one bedtime reading. The art style fits the story, the European "real life" or "biography" one. Calm, descriptive, drama movie-like scenes concept. Both story and art are good comic craftsmanship. Nothing surprising, but nothing mediocre. To the story itself: it's about weary life routine, a point in the life of a "beta" middle-aged man with a wife and two boys, going on domestic vacation. I really enjoyed the story, especially in matters I found many touching points with my own life experience, so the main character highly resonated with me. And it's a weird experience to look at your life/life situations from outside. We all have unique experiences but the pattern could be very common for similar setups. But still reading comics about some fictional French men living through situations and points of life very much resembling mine is baffling. For that experience, I give extra rating points. And rating this comics bit "objectively" is hard, because it connects to specific experiences, and there lies the main weight. So it's hit or miss with each reader's kind of comic book....more
(4,5 of 5 for epic bittersweet finish) I really liked this finale. And the whole series too. It works best to read one volume followed closely by anoth(4,5 of 5 for epic bittersweet finish) I really liked this finale. And the whole series too. It works best to read one volume followed closely by another, I wish I had time to do that. But sweet, Orbital goes in the firm path of European sci-fi. Simple, rich, epic, thrilling and beautiful....more
(4,3 of 5 for a pitch of the grand finale of Orbital) I liked how things turned into this volume. The creators steered to the great epic finale but slo(4,3 of 5 for a pitch of the grand finale of Orbital) I liked how things turned into this volume. The creators steered to the great epic finale but slowed down a bit in expanding it and just focused to move forward and strengthen the bond between the reader and the main characters....more
(4,1 of 5 for Orbital going epic...) ... at least in events and discoveries. Once again, we got a nice epic climax, bigger than the previous one. I thi(4,1 of 5 for Orbital going epic...) ... at least in events and discoveries. Once again, we got a nice epic climax, bigger than the previous one. I think the author went a bit ballistic here - it felt like "let's flip the table and go Michael Bay now" than taking its "natural" path. But it was fun nonetheless. But now I feel more like "it should end soon". And Luckily, it will so let's go for the one before last....more
(4 of 5 for a nice Borne-like episode) At this point, there is very little to address except the story. Which I try to stay off most of the time. The s(4 of 5 for a nice Borne-like episode) At this point, there is very little to address except the story. Which I try to stay off most of the time. The story is still good and thrilling....more
(4,1 of 5 for this climactic episode) This reminds me of the pariah-heroic climax of modern sci-fi TV like Star Trek Discovery. Very engaging story wit(4,1 of 5 for this climactic episode) This reminds me of the pariah-heroic climax of modern sci-fi TV like Star Trek Discovery. Very engaging story with a very thrilling ending. And we're only half way trough. How this will continue? I look forward to the next book!...more
(4 of 5 for the very next, very same but different adventure of our "agent" duo) The first story, two volumes long, swings to another, which is split t(4 of 5 for the very next, very same but different adventure of our "agent" duo) The first story, two volumes long, swings to another, which is split too. In this book, we have the first part which honours the principles of the previous story. Backstage plays, manipulating, sabotages. Same principles, a different feel. Which is good. Orbital has the right tempo and thrilling and intriguing content. I enjoy it quite a lot even if it felt more like "Valerian" sci-fi than "Star Trek" one and later I started to like less fantasy in my fantasy and more sci-fi in my sci-fi. ...more
(4 of 5 for sci-fi spy/diplomatic game with a lot of action) The second book of Orbital jumped straight into the action and finished the storyline that(4 of 5 for sci-fi spy/diplomatic game with a lot of action) The second book of Orbital jumped straight into the action and finished the storyline that the first book started. It was fun and despite its diplomatic/spy game theme, it's more like an action movie. The last third felt a bit rushed, but it still worked fine and I really enjoyed it. ...more
(4 of 5 for nice intergalactic sci-fi) Orbital is pretty good, even if it uses some well-known schemes and tropes, so far. But I still enjoy that, it's(4 of 5 for nice intergalactic sci-fi) Orbital is pretty good, even if it uses some well-known schemes and tropes, so far. But I still enjoy that, it's well fitted into its own world (which is a variation to classic multi-galactic-races collective narrative). The art is fine, feels "European" and works for the story well. I thought that I would be able to say more, but after the first "book", which is some fifty pages of comics (so something like double-issue), which is not much and we only get basics and the start of the story. But I like where it is cut - quite a cliffhanger, but it's more like a clean cut from the whole thing than an "orchestrated" episodic one, like with regular issues. ...more
(3,2 of 5 for the best part of this SAS comics trilogy) There is nothing much to say, the level of enjoyment of this book is again a bit better for eve(3,2 of 5 for the best part of this SAS comics trilogy) There is nothing much to say, the level of enjoyment of this book is again a bit better for even more action parts. As a whole, the start is quite hard to chew through, thanks to the author's approach to storytelling. It gets better, but not fast enough. Again, with generic art, this series can be missed. Maybe WW2 history fans may find some value in them....more
(2,9 of 5 for a slightly better and more enjoyable history lesson than the previous one) The global issue is still the same, generic art and meek story(2,9 of 5 for a slightly better and more enjoyable history lesson than the previous one) The global issue is still the same, generic art and meek storytelling. But this one sees a little bit more of the action, which is for readers' desired element when you talk about fracking SAS. The WW2 military daredevils. It's still cut to the bone, though. I understand, that creating action in comics takes a lot of pages - a lot to draw, ink and colour. And those pages are quickly read (and in case of generic art style like this usually never examined by a reader closely again). But still, the comic should be an enjoyable, complete experience. And history and stories like this will take a lot of pages. So if the preferred format is BD, so you have fifty-ish pages for each volume, you need to cut it short. And sometimes, like in this case, the result is not good....more
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