Reviews

Tricked by Alex Robinson

nateisdreaming's review against another edition

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5.0

people say his first book is better than this. if that's true, then i'm really really excited to read it :)

melissamilazzo's review against another edition

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5.0

Alex Robinson has, hands down, won my personal "best new author" award for this year. No, he's not a new author and no, there's no prize, but hey, he deserves it!

With Box Office Poison, Robinson created characters that were full and believable. I wanted to be friends with those characters, but was happy to have eavesdropped on their lives for a little bit. In Tricked, Robinson shows that he can master plot as well as character. This whole book is so tight, each panel leading up to a climax that feels both predestined and yet is still shocking. There isn't a throw away line or image in the entire book. The last few pages of the book (don't want to give it away) were absolutely beautiful in their layout. I ended up staring at them for about half an hour, thinking back on all the characters and their connections. It's not many books that drive me to reflect on them that long BEFORE I'm finished reading the book.

cemeterygates's review against another edition

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4.0

Alex Robinson's character work is absolutely fantastic. This is ac comic with depth and charm, which is hard to find in a graphic medium.

mekeisha's review

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

clairelorraine's review against another edition

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4.0

This made four out of eight car trip hours fly by.

bluepigeon's review

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5.0

Tricked follows six people through their daily lives and some milestone events until the big moment their lives all collide. Ray, the famous and rich rock star is struggling to write a single song since his solo album four years ago. Nick, the compulsive liar, works at a sport collectibles store as a forger (unbeknownst to his wife, of course). Phoebe embarks on a long journey via bus to meet someone she's never met before. Steve has mental health problems, especially since he went off his meds. Caprice works as a waitress in a diner owned by a gay couple and is looking for love. And Lily... She's just an office temp. Slowly, these lives connect in various ways as Steve slowly spirals out of control.

The art is fantastic. The inking, the panels, the dynamic scenes all work really well. The story carries character arcs well. Perhaps the least developed main character is Phoebe, who is young and shy, and it's hard to know what's going on in her head. The art really speaks volumes in Steve's story, where the internal dialog rants on and on about music and women and sex and so on, while the panels show what's happening to Steve and other people's reaction to him (to the point that, though Steve is not aware of it, he's talking out loud to himself, which causes him to disturb onlookers and get kicked out of the diner).

Overall, Tricked is a great story of art, love, and crime. Recommended for those who like penguins, tourist attractions, long bus rides, and baseball memorabilia.

tallblackguy's review

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3.0

I loved the author's previous work, and picked this up. One gripe I have is that the lettering is really uneven and some sections need to be read a few times to understand what's written. The story is good, and I enjoyed it for the most part.