madmaud77's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kyorosuke's review
5.0
Is there anything cuter than when Concrete tries to use the right movie terminology? I loved that. This one gets a little bump because the movie-making stuff is so fun and interesting and, I thought, very well done. There's also a moment where he talks about the dangers of trusting out of context video clips. How camcorders mean everyone will some day be caught on tape in some embarrassing moment and it may not reflect the truth. And that story is from 1986! A lot of wisdom herein.
My only criticisms would be that the main story uses a different inking style from the other concrete stories I've read and the art is a little muddled at times as a result. But it's still great. The other thing is that there are two shorter stories that tie in with the main narrative, but they're bundled into the back rather than integrated in. That's a little confusing, especially because one of them ends up leading directly into a scene one of the issues of the main story. I thought I'd missed something. Still, a really get set of stories.
My only criticisms would be that the main story uses a different inking style from the other concrete stories I've read and the art is a little muddled at times as a result. But it's still great. The other thing is that there are two shorter stories that tie in with the main narrative, but they're bundled into the back rather than integrated in. That's a little confusing, especially because one of them ends up leading directly into a scene one of the issues of the main story. I thought I'd missed something. Still, a really get set of stories.
manwithanagenda's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Despite being world-famous and a published author, Concrete has a cash-flow problem. So when Larry receives an offer about a high-paying job on a film Concrete readily accepts.
Chadwick pulled from his own experience working on a workhorse genre film for 'Fragile Creature', and it shows. The stretches of imagination and budget required to get a film off the ground are incredible, and the dynamic of the crew across so many departments...it felt very real. This might not be Concrete's most humanitarian effort, something he admits, but there is incredible satisfaction in working on making someone's dream come to life, even if it is based on a line of children's toys.
He struggles with acceptance on the film crew, well after he proves his worth. He makes as many friends as he does enemies, and of course makes a fool of himself with a pretty girl. Great powers don't erase the fallible man. Concrete doesn't fit easily into common conceptions of superhero comics, but with every installment I can see how he makes sense. There need to be heroes who take care of the everyday, the humanitarian, and even entertain us. I don't want Concrete to fall into a pattern, I hope 'Killer Smile' keeps Concrete moving in a new direction.
Concrete
Next: 'Concrete, Vol. 4: Killer Smile'
Previous: 'Short Stories 1990-95'
Chadwick pulled from his own experience working on a workhorse genre film for 'Fragile Creature', and it shows. The stretches of imagination and budget required to get a film off the ground are incredible, and the dynamic of the crew across so many departments...it felt very real. This might not be Concrete's most humanitarian effort, something he admits, but there is incredible satisfaction in working on making someone's dream come to life, even if it is based on a line of children's toys.
He struggles with acceptance on the film crew, well after he proves his worth. He makes as many friends as he does enemies, and of course makes a fool of himself with a pretty girl. Great powers don't erase the fallible man. Concrete doesn't fit easily into common conceptions of superhero comics, but with every installment I can see how he makes sense. There need to be heroes who take care of the everyday, the humanitarian, and even entertain us. I don't want Concrete to fall into a pattern, I hope 'Killer Smile' keeps Concrete moving in a new direction.
Concrete
Next: 'Concrete, Vol. 4: Killer Smile'
Previous: 'Short Stories 1990-95'
More...