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hdbblog's review against another edition
3.0
Eh, this could have been so much better. As it stands, this isn't a bad read. We meet Brian, a man trying to cope with a mental illness and the death of his abusive father at the same time. All Brian wants is for things to be normal. He has a pregnant wife, and has built a life for himself. What could go wrong? Apparently, quite a lot.
Kudos to Fialkov for writing an interesting twist into this serial killer story. I definitely didn't see that coming. What I think was missing here, to really pull me in, was the length. Brian's story was heartbreaking. His inability sometimes to distinguish his hallucinations from reality was terrifying, and I felt for him. It's just that there wasn't enough time for me to really fall into his story. Before I knew it, things were at a climax, and the story was over.
I do have to give a big high five to Rahsan Ekedal for the illustrations in this book though. Each panel is lovingly crafted in black ink on stark white, and it really emphasizes the bleakness of the whole story. I will say that I wasn't a huge fan of the two page spreads, laid out as they were though. It would have been easier to read them in a loosely bound book that would lay flat, but in this case they were hard to read.
Final verdict? Borrow this. It's good, and if you're interested in serial killers I think you'll enjoy it.
Kudos to Fialkov for writing an interesting twist into this serial killer story. I definitely didn't see that coming. What I think was missing here, to really pull me in, was the length. Brian's story was heartbreaking. His inability sometimes to distinguish his hallucinations from reality was terrifying, and I felt for him. It's just that there wasn't enough time for me to really fall into his story. Before I knew it, things were at a climax, and the story was over.
I do have to give a big high five to Rahsan Ekedal for the illustrations in this book though. Each panel is lovingly crafted in black ink on stark white, and it really emphasizes the bleakness of the whole story. I will say that I wasn't a huge fan of the two page spreads, laid out as they were though. It would have been easier to read them in a loosely bound book that would lay flat, but in this case they were hard to read.
Final verdict? Borrow this. It's good, and if you're interested in serial killers I think you'll enjoy it.
kimcheel's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Echoes' by Joshua Hale Fialkov with art by Rahsan Ekedal is a moody, paranoid-filled horror story that kept me turning pages. I like this kind of tightly confined story with a narrator that may not be totally trustworthy.
Brian Cohn is a man with schizophrenia and a device that reminds him to take his meds. He also has a dying father that he doesn't seem all that close to. When he gets a weird message from his father before he dies, Brian has to investigate. What he finds, leads him to believe his father was a serial killer. Brian starts to wonder if he has inherited this too. Add in a few missed medication times, and a very nosy cop, and that sends Brian on the run, away from his wife and soon to be newborn baby. Can he escape the past and find out what he has become?
The horror here is for all the victims, but it is also for Brian as he realizes that the monster may reside in him. The box of souvenirs he finds is chilling and creepy, as is the cop who seems to always be right there by Brian. The art fits the mood of the book. It's black and white with lots of shadows over eyes and faces. I don't think color would have worked, so this was a great choice in my mind.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Brian Cohn is a man with schizophrenia and a device that reminds him to take his meds. He also has a dying father that he doesn't seem all that close to. When he gets a weird message from his father before he dies, Brian has to investigate. What he finds, leads him to believe his father was a serial killer. Brian starts to wonder if he has inherited this too. Add in a few missed medication times, and a very nosy cop, and that sends Brian on the run, away from his wife and soon to be newborn baby. Can he escape the past and find out what he has become?
The horror here is for all the victims, but it is also for Brian as he realizes that the monster may reside in him. The box of souvenirs he finds is chilling and creepy, as is the cop who seems to always be right there by Brian. The art fits the mood of the book. It's black and white with lots of shadows over eyes and faces. I don't think color would have worked, so this was a great choice in my mind.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
misha_ali's review against another edition
4.0
This was actually significantly better than I expected.
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
2.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent horror graphic novel. I enjoyed the artwork, but found the story to be just okay. The characters (especially the wife) were not really well-developed. The story was very quick, and just as it was starting to get going, it was over. I would be interested to read other works by the author though.
This was a decent horror graphic novel. I enjoyed the artwork, but found the story to be just okay. The characters (especially the wife) were not really well-developed. The story was very quick, and just as it was starting to get going, it was over. I would be interested to read other works by the author though.
londonfog86's review against another edition
4.0
No spoilers here.
I received this book in exchange for and honest review.
http://boundininkbooks.com/2016/04/05/review-echoes-by-joshua-hale-fialkov/
I am not usually a suspense/horror fan, but I love Criminal Minds. So when I read the synopsis for this while looking for new books to review for you lovelies, I knew I needed to read this. I was so, so, so excited about starting this graphic novel... and Joshua Hale Fialkov did not disappoint.
It starts out kind of jumbled in the beginning to get you used to Brian's jumbled mental state. Once it really gets going, however, and Brian finds his father's trophies, his mental state begins to unravel. His ability to tell the difference between what's real and what's happening in his head comes completely undone when he meets a cop looking for a missing girl.
If I had to use a series of one words adjectives to explain this book it would be: dark, suspenseful, mind-bending, and creepy. Fialkov excelled at making me want to root for Brian Cohn. As the story unfolded and things got more complicated, I wanted to reach into the book and save Brian but I was also afraid of him.
Brian is broken and confused. Sinister forces are at work and you aren't sure when Brian got to be so scary. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. My stomach was tense and knotted while I read and I found myself holding my breath as I turned the page. When I reached the end, I needed more.
I'll be picking up the print version with all five parts as soon as possible because I need to know what happens.
I received this book in exchange for and honest review.
http://boundininkbooks.com/2016/04/05/review-echoes-by-joshua-hale-fialkov/
I am not usually a suspense/horror fan, but I love Criminal Minds. So when I read the synopsis for this while looking for new books to review for you lovelies, I knew I needed to read this. I was so, so, so excited about starting this graphic novel... and Joshua Hale Fialkov did not disappoint.
It starts out kind of jumbled in the beginning to get you used to Brian's jumbled mental state. Once it really gets going, however, and Brian finds his father's trophies, his mental state begins to unravel. His ability to tell the difference between what's real and what's happening in his head comes completely undone when he meets a cop looking for a missing girl.
If I had to use a series of one words adjectives to explain this book it would be: dark, suspenseful, mind-bending, and creepy. Fialkov excelled at making me want to root for Brian Cohn. As the story unfolded and things got more complicated, I wanted to reach into the book and save Brian but I was also afraid of him.
Brian is broken and confused. Sinister forces are at work and you aren't sure when Brian got to be so scary. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. My stomach was tense and knotted while I read and I found myself holding my breath as I turned the page. When I reached the end, I needed more.
I'll be picking up the print version with all five parts as soon as possible because I need to know what happens.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
4.0
Wow.
Wow.
Creepy.
Dark.
Horrific.
What can I say that won't give anything away?
Besides that it was so intense I had to finish it in a single sitting?
The writing was good and the black and white art lent a mysterious air to the story.
Definitely a different kind of whodunnit.
Recommended if you like dark stories with serial killers.
Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Distributors, and Image Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.
Wow.
Creepy.
Dark.
Horrific.
What can I say that won't give anything away?
Besides that it was so intense I had to finish it in a single sitting?
The writing was good and the black and white art lent a mysterious air to the story.
Definitely a different kind of whodunnit.
Recommended if you like dark stories with serial killers.
Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Distributors, and Image Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.
honguan's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
sophieislington's review against another edition
3.0
I read this far too fast. It was really good but deserves a second read through from me to get a proper review.