trinityturnsthepage's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.25
I can’t believe this book explained to me why I hate pinball. I didn’t realize there were like sequences and stuff to try and do! This was super informative and the art style was incredible and colorful.
robertrivasplata's review
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.25
History of Pinball going back to its (possible) ancient Greek origins through to the pinball Twitch streamers of the present day. Explains how pinball machines work, & how they have evolved since the 1930s when the game acquired the form we would recognize as pinball. Explains in detail how the garish art & elaborate effects of Pinball machines interact with the gameplay itself. Makes the case that pinball is an example of “an incredible intersection of all different art & design fields” which is a term I hope to apply to many different objects & situations going forward. The art is great, featuring lots of mushroom clouds emanating from minds being blown, & pinball grawlix. As with any good non-fiction “History of...” graphic novel, this one leaves me with a lot to look up & investigate on my own. My biggest question is about the world of Pinball repairmen. Is it like the dying world of typewriter repairmen? Or more like classic car hobbyists? Or are they more like IT folks with more of an “junk it -- cheaper to buy a new one” attitude?
frasersimons's review
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This is very informative and the information design is great. I can’t say I ever cared to know about pinball, but this was an Eisner book, so I checked it out anyway. To be honest, even when I was a kid, enamoured with arcades, pinball never once drew me in. The history of the game was interesting and I had no idea there was such a sub culture around it, but it makes sense. There is one around basically everything and we live in globalized times, so to each their own.
I do think that even though this is a teaching text, and in them reiteration is good, but there was facts repeated many times over only pages apart, and those stick out to me as annoying because they were also making the same points with the same information. How it’s presented is exceptional, though.
I do think that even though this is a teaching text, and in them reiteration is good, but there was facts repeated many times over only pages apart, and those stick out to me as annoying because they were also making the same points with the same information. How it’s presented is exceptional, though.