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matt4hire's review
5.0
This one's easy to review; it's only 2 stories!
The first, Poison River, is a challenging read about Luba's history before she gets to Palomar, one that sometimes seems like it's not about Luba at all. Sometimes, it sings. Sometimes...it doesn't.
The second, Love & Rockets X, however, is fantastic throughout. It's filled with haunting moments, difficult moments, exultant moments...it's just fantastic.
The first, Poison River, is a challenging read about Luba's history before she gets to Palomar, one that sometimes seems like it's not about Luba at all. Sometimes, it sings. Sometimes...it doesn't.
The second, Love & Rockets X, however, is fantastic throughout. It's filled with haunting moments, difficult moments, exultant moments...it's just fantastic.
germancho's review
5.0
5 stars to Poison River. This second read allowed me to savor the nuances of the plot without getting frustrated like last time. This is to say, if you can follow the plot and the huge cast, you're in for a comic book masterpiece.
jamoroso8's review
4.0
a bit hard to follow at times (lots o characters) but so hypnotic, I haven't read a graphic novel this good in a while
jeffhall's review
4.0
This third volume of Gilbert Hernández's collected Palomar stories includes two novella-length pieces, the first of which ("Poison River") is one of the best things to ever flow from his pen. This is essentially the origin story of Hernández's primary protagonist (Luba) and focuses on her teenage years before taking up residence in the remote town of Palomar. It's a dense story of personal, political, and sexual intrigue with many interweaving threads, and despite its complexity, the author manages to keep the narrative moving at a brisk pace, broken up by the clever device of chapter-heading pages that each focus on one of the main characters. It's not an easy read, since violence is ever-present throughout the tale, but it's powerful stuff that makes for one heck of a compelling read.
Then there's the second work in this volume, "Love and Rockets X", which brings the action forward in time to focus on Luba's children who have moved to the United States. It's an intentionally comic work (as opposed to the dramatic "Poison River"), and while parts of it are amusing, overall it's nothing special, despite the author's attempt to include some social commentary (much of which feels rather forced).
Then there's the second work in this volume, "Love and Rockets X", which brings the action forward in time to focus on Luba's children who have moved to the United States. It's an intentionally comic work (as opposed to the dramatic "Poison River"), and while parts of it are amusing, overall it's nothing special, despite the author's attempt to include some social commentary (much of which feels rather forced).
aneelee's review
3.0
Not my flavor or style. Gave it three because dude is obviously a talented artist. It's the only reason I tried for as long as I did
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