Reviews
The Complete Emily the Strange: All Things Strange by Rob Reger, Brian Brooks, Jessica Gruner
secret_stardust's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
trulybooked's review against another edition
1.0
My lack of connection to this book made a lot more sense after I found out she's an advertising mascot. I think my expectations were off and that ruined the book for me.
eliel's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I returned to this now as an adult after having liked one of the Emily the Strange novels as a kid. Nostalgia, however, did not quite carry these comics. I like the art style a lot, it's very fun but the stories are honestly not that interesting to me and some of the remarks are extremely repetitive. I liked the book originally for the story, and these comics lacked a proper narrative. Teen angst without a narrative gets dull quite quickly.
hidinginstacks's review
4.0
This book isn't for everyone. I almost didn't finish it, but pushed through it & found that it's really clever & the illustrations are cool. I probably would have enjoyed this more when I was in high school when I was going through my "dark rocker phase" but overall it was rad. The art is very unique. There aren't any ongoing plots except the very last story of Emily's 13th birthday--the rest are shorts & funny throwbacks to those old ads that used to be in magazines. I'm not a big fan of the creator for a different reason (it seems a lot of people got stiffed from their Kickstarter) but whatevs. I didn't buy this book, I just checked it out from my local library. If you enjoy rock culture references, dark & goth things, this is the comic for you.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review
4.0
Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekFdUYdECCg
Just to add a bit of context; I was utterly obsessed with Emily the Strange when I was younger, however I never knew where she was from (I guess really until now). Was she from a show? A book? A made up character for merchandise, like that of Hello Kitty or Pon and Zi? I think I just knew her from the figures my brother had, and so my idolization of her begun! I recall drawing her for hours at a time! :D So you can tell, that when I received this bind up of all the comics (?? My edition says it's the first 3 volumes but Goodreads says it's complete) I was thrilled.
Now, I've written the above to state that yes, I am as little biased to her, because of the fond nostalgic memories I had of her, when I was growing up, so the rating is probably pushed up a tad more than some may think it deserves... With that out of the way, let's move onto the actual review! ^^
Although I didn't understand the music references, found the jokes very "emo" and cringey and was confused as to why the last issue was a formulated story, as opposed to the chaotic nonsense that was the vast majority of the volume, I found myself really enjoying it. It was an incoherent mess, but felt bizarre and perfect for that theme.
There were times where I wasn't sure when a particular story finished, but I soon began to notice obvious "The End" markings or just quickly realized when it was clearly a different story, due to art style change, story line, etc.
I loved that this showcases a variety of art styles because it still felt fluent and complementary and you could still recognise Emily. Some of the art reminded me of [b:I Love U Baby: Characters Collection Book|2136066|I Love U Baby Characters Collection Book|Bigbrosworkshop|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1347778694s/2136066.jpg|2141551].
I loved how throughout this volume, Emily and her creators poke fun at famous fairytales by twisting them to her own interpretation. I particularly favoured the Cinderella one and liked her [a:Edgar Allan Poe|4624490|Edgar Allan Poe|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1454522972p2/4624490.jpg] inspired Scarytale Theatre segment.
The interviews were very random and for the most part and I didn't really pay much mind to them, apart from the Gerard Way one.
I think the introduction interview should really be read after if you haven't read the comics before as I was spoiled... even though some said spoiler alert... little too late.
These comics definitely have a lot going on and can look very over crowded and intimidating, but I think a lot of people will just get used to that and I like having lots to look at.
There was some cool use use of colour (red) against black, but it was difficult to read when it was read TEXT on black.
Overall, it's quirky layout makes sense for the nonsensical, bizare, yet charming stories. I'm so happy to have been gifted this as it's a nice bit of novelty that I appreciate after being a long time fan, but is also an entertaining read that I can jump in and out of anytime I feel like it.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy >(^_^)<
Gén
Just to add a bit of context; I was utterly obsessed with Emily the Strange when I was younger, however I never knew where she was from (I guess really until now). Was she from a show? A book? A made up character for merchandise, like that of Hello Kitty or Pon and Zi? I think I just knew her from the figures my brother had, and so my idolization of her begun! I recall drawing her for hours at a time! :D So you can tell, that when I received this bind up of all the comics (?? My edition says it's the first 3 volumes but Goodreads says it's complete) I was thrilled.
Now, I've written the above to state that yes, I am as little biased to her, because of the fond nostalgic memories I had of her, when I was growing up, so the rating is probably pushed up a tad more than some may think it deserves... With that out of the way, let's move onto the actual review! ^^
Although I didn't understand the music references, found the jokes very "emo" and cringey and was confused as to why the last issue was a formulated story, as opposed to the chaotic nonsense that was the vast majority of the volume, I found myself really enjoying it. It was an incoherent mess, but felt bizarre and perfect for that theme.
There were times where I wasn't sure when a particular story finished, but I soon began to notice obvious "The End" markings or just quickly realized when it was clearly a different story, due to art style change, story line, etc.
I loved that this showcases a variety of art styles because it still felt fluent and complementary and you could still recognise Emily. Some of the art reminded me of [b:I Love U Baby: Characters Collection Book|2136066|I Love U Baby Characters Collection Book|Bigbrosworkshop|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1347778694s/2136066.jpg|2141551].
I loved how throughout this volume, Emily and her creators poke fun at famous fairytales by twisting them to her own interpretation. I particularly favoured the Cinderella one and liked her [a:Edgar Allan Poe|4624490|Edgar Allan Poe|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1454522972p2/4624490.jpg] inspired Scarytale Theatre segment.
The interviews were very random and for the most part and I didn't really pay much mind to them, apart from the Gerard Way one.
I think the introduction interview should really be read after if you haven't read the comics before as I was spoiled... even though some said spoiler alert... little too late.
These comics definitely have a lot going on and can look very over crowded and intimidating, but I think a lot of people will just get used to that and I like having lots to look at.
There was some cool use use of colour (red) against black, but it was difficult to read when it was read TEXT on black.
Overall, it's quirky layout makes sense for the nonsensical, bizare, yet charming stories. I'm so happy to have been gifted this as it's a nice bit of novelty that I appreciate after being a long time fan, but is also an entertaining read that I can jump in and out of anytime I feel like it.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy >(^_^)<
Gén