zorpblorp's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lads's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
jhliu's review
4.0
A bizarre little comic about a girl who goes in search of her missing father, who left years ago for the Isle of 100,000 Graves in search of treasure and never returned. Jason's animal-headed characters go through this darkly comic story with their trademark blank expressions. Without giving away too much, it's a violent but funny story about a very clever and resourceful little gril.
elna17a9a's review
4.0
If you've seen Seven Psychopaths, then you're well-primed for this slight comic, by the author of the screenplay and Jason, the famously laconic and unexpected graphic novelist.
And while slight, 100,000 Graves packs a punch. Gwenny finds a treasure map in a bottle and realizes it's the same one her father found and followed years ago, never to return. Having been left alone with her (crazy?) mother, Gwenny hires a band of pirates and bluffs her way into one of them swearing to protect her.
Gwenny's father, it turns out, never made his way to the island and instead used his leaving as a chance to create a new life, leaving his wife and daughter behind. When Gwenny confronts him, there is no shouting or crying: she calmly confronts him and leaves. She is a confident, self-possessed girl, and now that this mystery is solved she can move on.
A beautiful, unexpected, and sparse novella.
And while slight, 100,000 Graves packs a punch. Gwenny finds a treasure map in a bottle and realizes it's the same one her father found and followed years ago, never to return. Having been left alone with her (crazy?) mother, Gwenny hires a band of pirates and bluffs her way into one of them swearing to protect her.
Spoiler
Of course, in a twist that should be expected from the two creators but still hits, the island is revealed as an executioner's training academy, and anyone who arrives is found guilty and used as practice dummies. Gwenny's protector, mired in quicksand, begs to be left behind. Gwenny then reveals she never knew his secret, and was blackmailing him over nothing. The panels after he tells her to leave, in which he realizes his quickly approaching and lonely death, are heart-wrenching and true. How many of us have pushed someone away and immediately regretted it?Gwenny's father, it turns out, never made his way to the island and instead used his leaving as a chance to create a new life, leaving his wife and daughter behind. When Gwenny confronts him, there is no shouting or crying: she calmly confronts him and leaves. She is a confident, self-possessed girl, and now that this mystery is solved she can move on.
A beautiful, unexpected, and sparse novella.
raandoga's review
4.0
This has been my favorite of the Jason books because there's this careful sense of sad whimsy that I found pretty enchanting, especially compared to the other books which felt pretty one note.
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