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ceeclod's review against another edition
5.0
The economy but with mammon. Only Jonathan Hickman could not only make a concept like that work, but make every characters motivation compelling.
sfletcher26's review against another edition
5.0
Image comics really are one of the best graphic novel publishers out there at the moment. Their writers and artists are absolutely top notch and this series looks like it's going to be one of their best.
Complex, convoluted and as black as pitch this is a joy to read.
Complex, convoluted and as black as pitch this is a joy to read.
ostrava's review against another edition
5.0
What a weird ass fucking comic. So, it couldn't be more explicit in its overall opinion of the financial market, but to make a comic book depicting them as satan worshippers who eat babies in their free time is bizarre.
But this is fiction and not reality so we're allowed to get a bit crazy. And through the sher craziness I feel like a lot is said on how power works in our world, the value and nature of money and the human psyche of those who worshipp it and pile it up as if they were dragons.
It does feel like a charitable portrait of the type of psychopaths that rule us, similar to serial killer stories that show them as cunning and charming people when most of them are asocial clowns with no interesting opinions whatsoever. Because that's what unempathetic people are: uninteresting. But their stories aren't and don't we all have a bit of morbidity inside of us? I have it as I'm the intended audience for these stories. It's intriguing from start to finish and I am officially hooked. I'll have to admit it, I enjoyed the craziness but I do wonder where the author will take it from here...
But this is fiction and not reality so we're allowed to get a bit crazy. And through the sher craziness I feel like a lot is said on how power works in our world, the value and nature of money and the human psyche of those who worshipp it and pile it up as if they were dragons.
It does feel like a charitable portrait of the type of psychopaths that rule us, similar to serial killer stories that show them as cunning and charming people when most of them are asocial clowns with no interesting opinions whatsoever. Because that's what unempathetic people are: uninteresting. But their stories aren't and don't we all have a bit of morbidity inside of us? I have it as I'm the intended audience for these stories. It's intriguing from start to finish and I am officially hooked. I'll have to admit it, I enjoyed the craziness but I do wonder where the author will take it from here...
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a massive fan of Jonathan Hickman. While many comic book writers introduce you to some characters in peril, and then you watch them get out of it, Hickman is more likely to throw a wall of text and symbols at you, weave a plot that you need an outline to understand, hands you said outline, and then presumes you will follow the story to its end. When it works: The Nightly News, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers/New Avengers, Transhuman, and East Of West (so far), it's some of the best comicing you can hope for. And when he misses the mark: God Is Dead, Red Mass From Mars, and The Manhattan Projects, it's usually at least interesting for a while.
For me, it's too early to tell whether or not this is going to be any good. It's a super-convoluted story about the generations of families who run Wall Street through magic and sacrifice. There are family trees and time lines to help you follow how people are related to each other and their station in the magical hierarchy. At times, it doesn't feel like enough. But some times it feels like it doesn't matter.
At it's heart, this is your story of corporate greed and backstabbing amped up to 37 out of 10. It's culty. It's dire. And its art is gritty, which is a word I usually only use to describe terrible '90s DC comics, but here it works. It doesn't look like any other Hickman book, despite its similar iconography.
I'd recommend this for someone looking for a dense comic that you have to read and reread to fully appreciate. I just can't promise it will pay off in the end. But I felt that way about Hickman's Fantastic Four run, and was happy to discover that everything wrapped up neatly and satisfactorily.
For me, it's too early to tell whether or not this is going to be any good. It's a super-convoluted story about the generations of families who run Wall Street through magic and sacrifice. There are family trees and time lines to help you follow how people are related to each other and their station in the magical hierarchy. At times, it doesn't feel like enough. But some times it feels like it doesn't matter.
At it's heart, this is your story of corporate greed and backstabbing amped up to 37 out of 10. It's culty. It's dire. And its art is gritty, which is a word I usually only use to describe terrible '90s DC comics, but here it works. It doesn't look like any other Hickman book, despite its similar iconography.
I'd recommend this for someone looking for a dense comic that you have to read and reread to fully appreciate. I just can't promise it will pay off in the end. But I felt that way about Hickman's Fantastic Four run, and was happy to discover that everything wrapped up neatly and satisfactorily.
usethesidedoor's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
srgower's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read. A bit disjointed at times and hard to follow but now I want to see what's after chapter 4.
emmarj's review against another edition
4.0
Goodreads Choice Awards 2017 Best Graphic Novels & Comics nominee.
bethanymartin's review against another edition
4.0
read at the recommendation of a 12th grader, so disorienting in a really good way
woolfinbooks's review against another edition
1.0
This was suggested to me for quite a while. Having read it, I have nothing good to say about the purchase other than I supported my local comic shop. The antisemitism is beyond disgusting. How it ever made it past editors and approved by Image is beyond me. If you're seeking better conspiracy theory content, from the same publisher, I'd suggest The Department of Truth. It even tackles the kind of antisemitic conspiracy theories that plagued this comic.