iffer's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: Read as an eARC from NetGalley
For me, between two and three stars. For the most part, I really enjoyed the expressive artwork, the colorful landscapes, and the creativity that these showed (except for when people's mouths were drawn so wide open that you could completely see their gums, inside lip flaps, and yellowed teeth, which was unfortunately not infrequently). This graphic novel, especially through the art, evoked a similar feel to me as other popular weird/creepy/dark works, especially magical realism, that are kind of for children but not (e.g. Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton work, yet not as masterful).
However, I didn't find this enjoyable to read; rather, it was creepy and preachy about the "lessons" of life. At the end, there is the "big reveal", which is supposed to explain why everything that happens in the story is so bizarre, since it's a representation of the emotional and mental turmoil of a child. This doesn't change the fact that, throughout the story, whenever Joey would say, "I just want to go home!", I would think "I just want this weird trippy story to go somewhere or be over." :/
For me, between two and three stars. For the most part, I really enjoyed the expressive artwork, the colorful landscapes, and the creativity that these showed (except for when people's mouths were drawn so wide open that you could completely see their gums, inside lip flaps, and yellowed teeth, which was unfortunately not infrequently). This graphic novel, especially through the art, evoked a similar feel to me as other popular weird/creepy/dark works, especially magical realism, that are kind of for children but not (e.g. Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton work, yet not as masterful).
However, I didn't find this enjoyable to read; rather, it was creepy and preachy about the "lessons" of life. At the end, there is the "big reveal"
Spoiler
that the main character's dad has dieddaynpitseleh's review against another edition
2.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The artwork is very interesting - it reminds me of the 'David, No' picture book series, but very twisted, gory, and a bit disturbing. I didn't really care for the story at all - it reminded me of The Little Prince as it is a bit of a parable but never fully delivers on the message.
The artwork is very interesting - it reminds me of the 'David, No' picture book series, but very twisted, gory, and a bit disturbing. I didn't really care for the story at all - it reminded me of The Little Prince as it is a bit of a parable but never fully delivers on the message.
urlphantomhive's review against another edition
2.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
This was such a weird book. And although I normally really like weird books, this one wasn't weird in a good way. Okay, even the covers looks a bit weird, I admit, but it still was completely different from what I expected.
After Joey gets trapped in the walls of his basement, he tries to find the way back home and in the mean times has some kind of adventures (my best guess of what's happening).
Joey's story feels like a combination of a lot of short stories that don't really have that much to do with each other. The world is weird, I got the feeling it was supposed to be a little bit like Alice in Wonderland or The Little Prince, but it wasn't working for me. I didn't enjoy reading it.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This was such a weird book. And although I normally really like weird books, this one wasn't weird in a good way. Okay, even the covers looks a bit weird, I admit, but it still was completely different from what I expected.
After Joey gets trapped in the walls of his basement, he tries to find the way back home and in the mean times has some kind of adventures (my best guess of what's happening).
Joey's story feels like a combination of a lot of short stories that don't really have that much to do with each other. The world is weird, I got the feeling it was supposed to be a little bit like Alice in Wonderland or The Little Prince, but it wasn't working for me. I didn't enjoy reading it.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
tmarso's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Dark journey, extremely imaginative and pretty emotional
chwaters's review against another edition
3.0
Don't you hate it when you lean in to peer a little closer at something on the wall and you get sucked into a strange and disorienting alternate world? As 11-year-old Joey is about to find out, it's actually pretty terrifying and not at all enchanting. As Joey stumbles headlong into a nightmarish wonderland, he finds that it all seems to lead back to a truth that terrifies him more than anything else.
So, I have mixed feelings here. On the one hand, the artwork is wonderful and the story allows for some particularly creative art. On the other hand, the overall theme and impact of story itself is nearly eclipsed by the foray through the creepy looking glass, which dominates this brief graphic novel.
So, I have mixed feelings here. On the one hand, the artwork is wonderful and the story allows for some particularly creative art. On the other hand, the overall theme and impact of story itself is nearly eclipsed by the foray through the creepy looking glass, which dominates this brief graphic novel.
konna's review against another edition
3.0
Read full review at: http://thereadingarmchair.blogspot.gr/2015/05/review-glance-backward-by-tony-sandoval.html
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
A Glance Backward is a bizarre mixture of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and some twisted nightmare. Looking at the summary I never expected it to be this dark and violent, as it turned out to be. It's really short, so it's easy to read it in one sitting, but it's disturbing enough to think about it for quite some time after you've finished it.
Joseph, or Joel as is his nickname, is an 11 year old child with a great imagination. One day he gets sucked into a world, inside the walls of his home, from where he cannot escape. He tries to smash the bricks in order to get out of there, but each broken brick lead him to a totally different and surreal world. This journey makes Joel realise what it is to be an adult. Until the end of his adventures the young boy, who he is in the very first page, has taken his first steps towards adulthood.
The story is intriguing. I've always liked adventures like that, where the young protagonist learns what is life, sometimes the hard way. When at first Joel was taken into this mysterious world, everything seemed really weird, without any indication as to what purpose they served, or even if there was a way out. I was drawn to this bizarreness and I was curious to see how many different realities there were and where Joel would end up. In most of the worlds, he met various people, from which nobody seemed willing to help him find a way back into his home. Towards the end though I felt that the story had turned into a lot of violence, which was unnecessary. I also didn't really understand how Joel managed to return into his place. I felt that the end of the journey was a little rushed. The ending tried to make up for it, and give an explanation for why his imagination had prisoned him in that weird world, but it was also rushed. The story would have worked better if it was a little longer.
Joel was a likeable child. I liked the fact that he tried to overcome every new obstacle that came his way and he was really fixed on his goal, to return to his home. It's only natural that he had times when his fear and dispair overcame him, but there was always something that made him even more determined than defore. I can't really talk about the other characters that appear on the graphic novel. We never really get to know them, since Joel only meets them for a while and then he goes to the next world. What I can say is that each one of them depicts a different aspect of an adults life, the responsibility, the love, the consequence, the way to survive.
A Glance Backward is a graphic novel that is weird and dark. It didn't take long to read it, but it disturbed me, especially the images towards the end. I can understand why many who will read it, won't enjoy much, that's why I recommend it with caution.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
A Glance Backward is a bizarre mixture of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and some twisted nightmare. Looking at the summary I never expected it to be this dark and violent, as it turned out to be. It's really short, so it's easy to read it in one sitting, but it's disturbing enough to think about it for quite some time after you've finished it.
Joseph, or Joel as is his nickname, is an 11 year old child with a great imagination. One day he gets sucked into a world, inside the walls of his home, from where he cannot escape. He tries to smash the bricks in order to get out of there, but each broken brick lead him to a totally different and surreal world. This journey makes Joel realise what it is to be an adult. Until the end of his adventures the young boy, who he is in the very first page, has taken his first steps towards adulthood.
The story is intriguing. I've always liked adventures like that, where the young protagonist learns what is life, sometimes the hard way. When at first Joel was taken into this mysterious world, everything seemed really weird, without any indication as to what purpose they served, or even if there was a way out. I was drawn to this bizarreness and I was curious to see how many different realities there were and where Joel would end up. In most of the worlds, he met various people, from which nobody seemed willing to help him find a way back into his home. Towards the end though I felt that the story had turned into a lot of violence, which was unnecessary. I also didn't really understand how Joel managed to return into his place. I felt that the end of the journey was a little rushed. The ending tried to make up for it, and give an explanation for why his imagination had prisoned him in that weird world, but it was also rushed. The story would have worked better if it was a little longer.
Joel was a likeable child. I liked the fact that he tried to overcome every new obstacle that came his way and he was really fixed on his goal, to return to his home. It's only natural that he had times when his fear and dispair overcame him, but there was always something that made him even more determined than defore. I can't really talk about the other characters that appear on the graphic novel. We never really get to know them, since Joel only meets them for a while and then he goes to the next world. What I can say is that each one of them depicts a different aspect of an adults life, the responsibility, the love, the consequence, the way to survive.
A Glance Backward is a graphic novel that is weird and dark. It didn't take long to read it, but it disturbed me, especially the images towards the end. I can understand why many who will read it, won't enjoy much, that's why I recommend it with caution.
destdest's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
1.0
I don’t know. Philosophy and vignettes of life’s ups and downs are presented through unsettling artwork. I’m sure others will find this magical and whimsical, but I found it draining. A kid gets brutally mangled at the end, and there’s a running sense of peril throughout the story. Everyone just seems angry at the kid all the time, and the last-minute conclusion didn’t feel fitting.
Spoiler
so all this time the boy was running from the truth of accepting his father’s death…Also, since when is Michael Jackson Hip-hop? Like, I was reading that reference like what??? King of Pop, hello…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
meganmagicmusings's review
4.0
*I was fortunate enough to receive an eARC of this book from NetGalley, thank you!*
I was unconvinced by this graphic novel until the very end where it hit me hard in the chest. This is the story of a young boy who gets trapped in a fantasy world of his own imagination. Throughout this journey he learns a lot of grown up lessons, some we all wish we never learned. It's a very quick read and I found myself conflicted by whether it should have expanded on the worlds more or that it's shortness added to the simplicity of its story. A very interesting read but not for the faint-hearted.
I was unconvinced by this graphic novel until the very end where it hit me hard in the chest. This is the story of a young boy who gets trapped in a fantasy world of his own imagination. Throughout this journey he learns a lot of grown up lessons, some we all wish we never learned. It's a very quick read and I found myself conflicted by whether it should have expanded on the worlds more or that it's shortness added to the simplicity of its story. A very interesting read but not for the faint-hearted.