carroq's review
2.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Siberia 56 is a sci-fi/horror story that takes place at a time where humanity is exploring the galaxy and finding places that could serve as potential colonies. The planet of the same name is an arctic world with some nasty creatures inhabiting it, but there is more going on than even the team studying the planet are aware of.
From the tone of the story, this feels like it is in the same vein as the Alien franchise. The structure and the pacing seemed forced though. It's like the creators came up with this idea they loved and rushed to get to it. I think a slower buildup would have worked better for me. It nails the feeling that this planet is inhospitable. Yet I was left wanting more than what this book was able to deliver. The characters felt one dimensional too. There is so much about the planet and the creatures that the human characters are more of an afterthought.
The art is wonderful though, particularly the landscape shots. There are numerous points where the point of view is pulled back to show off terrain with nice effect. That alone wasn't enough to carry the book though. It has some inklings of an interesting story near the end. I just didn't get enough payoff to justify getting to that point.
Siberia 56 is a sci-fi/horror story that takes place at a time where humanity is exploring the galaxy and finding places that could serve as potential colonies. The planet of the same name is an arctic world with some nasty creatures inhabiting it, but there is more going on than even the team studying the planet are aware of.
From the tone of the story, this feels like it is in the same vein as the Alien franchise. The structure and the pacing seemed forced though. It's like the creators came up with this idea they loved and rushed to get to it. I think a slower buildup would have worked better for me. It nails the feeling that this planet is inhospitable. Yet I was left wanting more than what this book was able to deliver. The characters felt one dimensional too. There is so much about the planet and the creatures that the human characters are more of an afterthought.
The art is wonderful though, particularly the landscape shots. There are numerous points where the point of view is pulled back to show off terrain with nice effect. That alone wasn't enough to carry the book though. It has some inklings of an interesting story near the end. I just didn't get enough payoff to justify getting to that point.
chigangrel's review
2.0
I received a copy of Siberia 56 from netgalley and Insight comics.
One of my favorite genres is horror, followed by sci-fi and adventure, especially when set in outer space, deep winter, or deep water. Siberia 56 hit almost all of those as a sci-fi horror comic set on a frozen, dangerous planet in the far future. The art by Alexis Sentenac is stunning and brings gorgeous life to the alien world of Siberia. I've read a lot of French comics, mainly by Éric Corbeyran, a legendary writer responsible for some of the best French comics out there. Siberia 56 reminded me of one I read ages ago -which I believe is French?- where a team of soldiers go to a frozen alien planet to investigate a base that went silent and they all wind up infected with some alien parasite. The art style is similar but the story for that one I remember being more interesting, and I while I can't remember the title I couldn't help but thinking of it as I read Siberia 56. (If I end up remembering what it was, I'll edit this with the title.)
I think I found my mind wandering because of how meandering and scattered Bec's story-telling is. Either he and his artist didn't communicate well or something went wrong with the English translation because the story feels disjointed, like a series of vignettes, rather than one cohesive narrative. This isn't due to this being a volume containing three issues either, it's a problem from page to page. At the end I felt I knew none of the characters; I can't even remember the main dude's name and I literally just finished reading this. Bec introduces concepts and ideas haphazardly and suddenly, giving the reader a whiplash of "what the hell, who are these people and what and why?!" in the third act. You're left with little to no explanation of anything... that's what kills me especially because the idea behind this comic is great! Siberia is a creepy crawly world full of mysterious giant threats and a mysterious objects left behind by mysterious aliens and yet it's all sacrificed for generic corporate military drama at the end.
Frustrating and disappointing, Siberia 56 fails to live up to a fascinating potential and it's beautiful artwork can't save it. I'm just glad I got to read it for free from netgalley and didn't waste money on it. I have some of Bec's other work on my Amazon wishlist and now I'm having doubts... If you're considering whether to read Siberia 56, just remember there's better sci-fi horror out there than this.
One of my favorite genres is horror, followed by sci-fi and adventure, especially when set in outer space, deep winter, or deep water. Siberia 56 hit almost all of those as a sci-fi horror comic set on a frozen, dangerous planet in the far future. The art by Alexis Sentenac is stunning and brings gorgeous life to the alien world of Siberia. I've read a lot of French comics, mainly by Éric Corbeyran, a legendary writer responsible for some of the best French comics out there. Siberia 56 reminded me of one I read ages ago -which I believe is French?- where a team of soldiers go to a frozen alien planet to investigate a base that went silent and they all wind up infected with some alien parasite. The art style is similar but the story for that one I remember being more interesting, and I while I can't remember the title I couldn't help but thinking of it as I read Siberia 56. (If I end up remembering what it was, I'll edit this with the title.)
I think I found my mind wandering because of how meandering and scattered Bec's story-telling is. Either he and his artist didn't communicate well or something went wrong with the English translation because the story feels disjointed, like a series of vignettes, rather than one cohesive narrative. This isn't due to this being a volume containing three issues either, it's a problem from page to page. At the end I felt I knew none of the characters; I can't even remember the main dude's name and I literally just finished reading this. Bec introduces concepts and ideas haphazardly and suddenly, giving the reader a whiplash of "what the hell, who are these people and what and why?!" in the third act. You're left with little to no explanation of anything... that's what kills me especially because the idea behind this comic is great! Siberia is a creepy crawly world full of mysterious giant threats and a mysterious objects left behind by mysterious aliens and yet it's all sacrificed for generic corporate military drama at the end.
Frustrating and disappointing, Siberia 56 fails to live up to a fascinating potential and it's beautiful artwork can't save it. I'm just glad I got to read it for free from netgalley and didn't waste money on it. I have some of Bec's other work on my Amazon wishlist and now I'm having doubts... If you're considering whether to read Siberia 56, just remember there's better sci-fi horror out there than this.
toastx2's review
4.0
Siberia 56 should be a damned film project. Someone make this into a movie/TV hybrid project stat!. Take your Alien/Prometheus worlds and mix with your Pitch Black/Riddick, sprinkle in a bit of Event Horizon, Dune, and little Ghost of Mars.. That is the amalgamate feel that Siberia 56 gives. It is presented as a collection of three comic volumes: The 13th Mission, Morbius, and The Pyramid
Siberia 56 is a terrible planet. It is a candidate for colonization ONLY because it has an atmosphere compatible with Human life. That is close to all it has going for it. The tropic belt ranges from 14° to -40°, with consistent lightning storms, erratic knife blade mountain ranges, and hostile life forms that live under the ice. If you get closer to the poles, the temps drop to -330° with wind sheer close to 200mph.
The novel opens on the 13th mission, a group of replacement pre-colonists who are dropping into the atmosphere for an eight year stint on the planet. They are eighty million light years from earth, so many of them are resigned to simply being home. Nearly a hundred years of pre-colony research has been happening and yet they still hit road blocks. In this case, multiple engine failure and a crash landing a hundred and fifty files from the HQ.
While stomping through the snow on a 15 day hike to civilization, the crash survivors stumble across the frozen corpse of a Silhur, under ice razor toothed worm about the size of a Naval Destroyer. Bitten and torn apart, they are left to wonder what could possibly accomplish this action and never be seen in a century of research.
They do not have to wonder for long. As they are terrorized by a beast who leaves a frozen wake of body parts, they locate several artifacts from a multi-million year old civilization who appears to have left a calling card for any who follow in their footsteps.
Goddamn good.
Seems like there is a trend forming where I am reading graphic novels translated from French to English. Some were English, translated to French then back to English, but I am digressing. This French graphic novel is beautifully crafted with intense images and an indepth plotline. As the volumes progress, and you are more vested in the plot, the story text becomes significantly more verbose. Christophe Bec and Alexis Sentenac have built a beautiful object here. The English translation by Ivanka Hahnenberger was precise and had I been unaware this was a translation, I would not have questioned it.
---
Disclosure- This Graphic Novel was provided to me for review purposes by the publisher. The publisher however does not know that I have planted subliminal thoughts into their conciousness and will be expecting them to cook me pancakes any day now. We will see who comes out on top in this trade. Had their novel been unfavorable in my viewing, I would have provided clear critique to this point, no matter how delicious the breakfast foods delicately fed to me and my wife in bed. Bring mimosa.
Siberia 56 is a terrible planet. It is a candidate for colonization ONLY because it has an atmosphere compatible with Human life. That is close to all it has going for it. The tropic belt ranges from 14° to -40°, with consistent lightning storms, erratic knife blade mountain ranges, and hostile life forms that live under the ice. If you get closer to the poles, the temps drop to -330° with wind sheer close to 200mph.
The novel opens on the 13th mission, a group of replacement pre-colonists who are dropping into the atmosphere for an eight year stint on the planet. They are eighty million light years from earth, so many of them are resigned to simply being home. Nearly a hundred years of pre-colony research has been happening and yet they still hit road blocks. In this case, multiple engine failure and a crash landing a hundred and fifty files from the HQ.
While stomping through the snow on a 15 day hike to civilization, the crash survivors stumble across the frozen corpse of a Silhur, under ice razor toothed worm about the size of a Naval Destroyer. Bitten and torn apart, they are left to wonder what could possibly accomplish this action and never be seen in a century of research.
They do not have to wonder for long. As they are terrorized by a beast who leaves a frozen wake of body parts, they locate several artifacts from a multi-million year old civilization who appears to have left a calling card for any who follow in their footsteps.
Goddamn good.
Seems like there is a trend forming where I am reading graphic novels translated from French to English. Some were English, translated to French then back to English, but I am digressing. This French graphic novel is beautifully crafted with intense images and an indepth plotline. As the volumes progress, and you are more vested in the plot, the story text becomes significantly more verbose. Christophe Bec and Alexis Sentenac have built a beautiful object here. The English translation by Ivanka Hahnenberger was precise and had I been unaware this was a translation, I would not have questioned it.
---
Disclosure- This Graphic Novel was provided to me for review purposes by the publisher. The publisher however does not know that I have planted subliminal thoughts into their conciousness and will be expecting them to cook me pancakes any day now. We will see who comes out on top in this trade. Had their novel been unfavorable in my viewing, I would have provided clear critique to this point, no matter how delicious the breakfast foods delicately fed to me and my wife in bed. Bring mimosa.
cathepsut's review
3.0
Review for Volumes 1 to 3.
The story started with our space travellers waking up from (cryogenic?) sleep and puking their guts out--I felt a strong Alien vibe. They crash land on their destined planet and start a hike for survival through a stark, frozen landscape.
The artwork is almost monochrome, except for rare scenes of sunsets over the barren scenery. Colour is used sparingly. The best parts of this comic are the landscapes.
I especially liked the cover, it's like Dune on ice, instead of sandworms we get ice snakes.
The beginning of Volume 2 was a surprise in terms of timeline. Hadn't expected that. I liked the plot more than Volume 1, it had more tension.
Volume 3 went off into another direction again. The pacing was generally a little uneven and I was missing a bit of a red thread throughout the whole thing (#1-3), there wasn't a consistent plot idea connecting the volumes.
A pretty wordy comic. And considering that, the world building could have done with some work. The supporting characters besides Ned all stayed flat. Only two of the main side kicks even had names (that I remembered) and for one of those her look kept changing, so I was never quite sure, what character I was looking at.
Some of the panels were difficult to decipher. I had to look at most of the action sequences several times to figure out the plot. I often wasn't sure what was going on. The SF elements didn't sound very scientific and none of the main plot points were resolved.
The main monster was a disappointment, as invisible. It would have been a nice touch to show it in all of its goriness at least once towards the end.
So, bottom line... It was ok. I liked the artwork, the story telling was not a win.
Would I read the next volume? Yes, maybe, as Volume 3 left me hanging with an open ending.
Would I recommend this to a friend? Perhaps, with the caveat that the story did not win me over and needs some work.
I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
The story started with our space travellers waking up from (cryogenic?) sleep and puking their guts out--I felt a strong Alien vibe. They crash land on their destined planet and start a hike for survival through a stark, frozen landscape.
The artwork is almost monochrome, except for rare scenes of sunsets over the barren scenery. Colour is used sparingly. The best parts of this comic are the landscapes.
I especially liked the cover, it's like Dune on ice, instead of sandworms we get ice snakes.
The beginning of Volume 2 was a surprise in terms of timeline. Hadn't expected that. I liked the plot more than Volume 1, it had more tension.
Volume 3 went off into another direction again. The pacing was generally a little uneven and I was missing a bit of a red thread throughout the whole thing (#1-3), there wasn't a consistent plot idea connecting the volumes.
A pretty wordy comic. And considering that, the world building could have done with some work. The supporting characters besides Ned all stayed flat. Only two of the main side kicks even had names (that I remembered) and for one of those her look kept changing, so I was never quite sure, what character I was looking at.
Some of the panels were difficult to decipher. I had to look at most of the action sequences several times to figure out the plot. I often wasn't sure what was going on. The SF elements didn't sound very scientific and none of the main plot points were resolved.
The main monster was a disappointment, as invisible. It would have been a nice touch to show it in all of its goriness at least once towards the end.
So, bottom line... It was ok. I liked the artwork, the story telling was not a win.
Would I read the next volume? Yes, maybe, as Volume 3 left me hanging with an open ending.
Would I recommend this to a friend? Perhaps, with the caveat that the story did not win me over and needs some work.
I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
nadinee24's review
3.0
Siberia 56's basic story is my weakness when it comes to science fiction. A team of scientist is dispatched to a new planet to explore and collect as much data as possible.
To start off, the illustrations and coloring set the tone of the story. They are dark and ominous, which creates an unsettling feeling while reading. The illustrations reminded me Dark Horse's Alien comics.
The story is intriguing; however the edition I received to review made it almost impossible to understand who was talking and what was going on.
The dialogue is overwritten and didn't sound as professional and scientific. Thereby making the story and characters loose their credibility.
Why is it that in all science fiction stories, whether they are comics or film, does the female character always end up in a white tank top and underwear? You mean to tell me that in the future there are only white tank tops available to wear underneath space suits?
Overall, Siberia 56 is an entertaining story. It kept me entertained, but didn’t offer anything new or exciting to the genre. If you enjoy science fiction stories with a dash of horror then you'll most likely enjoy Siberia 56.
To start off, the illustrations and coloring set the tone of the story. They are dark and ominous, which creates an unsettling feeling while reading. The illustrations reminded me Dark Horse's Alien comics.
The story is intriguing; however the edition I received to review made it almost impossible to understand who was talking and what was going on.
The dialogue is overwritten and didn't sound as professional and scientific. Thereby making the story and characters loose their credibility.
Why is it that in all science fiction stories, whether they are comics or film, does the female character always end up in a white tank top and underwear? You mean to tell me that in the future there are only white tank tops available to wear underneath space suits?
Overall, Siberia 56 is an entertaining story. It kept me entertained, but didn’t offer anything new or exciting to the genre. If you enjoy science fiction stories with a dash of horror then you'll most likely enjoy Siberia 56.
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