Reviews

The Eternaut by Francisco Solano Lopez, Héctor Germán Oesterheld

aguspineda's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

zeroiv's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

michaelclorah's review

5.0

via NYPL - Superb. With its claustrophobic focus on the microcosm of a few survivors battling against overwhelming odds, The Eternaut has essentially single-handedly redeemed the alien invasion of Earth plot.

goshak's review against another edition

4.0

во многих аспектах этот комикс, конечно, жутко устарел. про единственного женского персонажа, к примеру, вспоминают только когда надо пожрать или что-то подшить. по всем остальным вопросам она считается некомпетентной. но если отвлечься от сексизма (тяжеловато, да), то книга на удивление хорошо держит интерес. это особенно удивительно, учитывая, что комиксу скоро стукнет 70 лет, а фантастика в принципе стареет очень быстро.

meadforddude's review against another edition

4.0

So propulsive in its plotting that I honestly can't fathom how this was split up for its initial, serialized publication. This is a fascinating riff on "War of the Worlds" that's appealingly culturally specific to Argentina/South America, and visually stunning at every turn.

Definitely a dense piece of work, but a rewarding one. There are some remarkable sci-fi concepts presented throughout, and the overall series of escalating threats posed by the alien invaders is nothing short of masterful to witness. This whole thing escalates in hauntingly inexorable fashion, and it's pretty wonderful.

The end notes briefly mention a proposed adaptation by Lucretia Martel, to which I can only say: Yes, please, I would like to watch that.

vinpauld's review

5.0

This epic tale of an alien invasion, originally published in weekly installments in the Buenos Aires newspaper Hora Cero from 1957-1959, reads like an Argentinian version of "The War of the Worlds," but with Cold War references thrown in. The story begins in the home of a comic book writer, who, while working at his desk one night, witnesses the appearance of a time traveler. His visitor, a man fated to travel through eternity, refers to himself as The Eternaut. This man, trapped in time, soon begins to relate a terrifying tale of events set to take place in Earth's future, a future just a few years away. We learn the man's real name is Juan Salvo and his story, leading up to how he became a time traveler, is a tale of devastating alien invasion, one that begins on a quiet night as he and his nerdy pals play a game of cards. The bulk of the story is a tale of resistance, of humanity's fight for survival and of a group of men, who, using their wits, manage to fight back against an army of invaders who have enslaved other alien races and inducted them into their war of conquest on Earth. Originally written as a weekly newspaper serial, The Eternaut is an episodic tale and because of its serial origins, information is sometimes repeated (helpful for an audience that might have joined the story late in progress, allowing readers to jump in at any point and understand what was taking place). The black and white artwork is for the most part amazing and seems to improve as the story goes along. After finishing this, it's easy to understand how the character of Juan Salvo, aka the Eternaut, became a symbol of resistance in a country that has a dark history of repression under a military government. As revealed in this edition's preface, it's sad to realize that the author himself became a victim of Argentina's repressive regime and was one of the thousands of people who mysteriously disappeared after being taken into government custody in the late 1970s.

camilumani's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ahab_jr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

frietziek's review against another edition

2.0

Perdón. Encaré "El Eternauta" con muchas expectativas debido a la historia e importancia cultural que tiene en mi país. Y realmente intenté que me gustase, pero no lo logró, 2,5/5...

Personajes: Muy estereotipados, con acciones muy poco creíbles frente a las situaciones que se dan en la historia. Demasiado machismo en torno al único personaje femenino de la historia.

Historia: Totalmente predecible, sin sustancia, forzada, los buenos siempre tienen una solución mágica para todo. La muerte de los personajes están mal hechas.

Ambientación: El mejor aspecto, fue genial ver bsas en un contexto post-apocaliptico en una historieta.

Entiendo que fue escrita hace mucho tiempo y que fue innovador técnicamente hablando(en el sentido del formato, la novela gráfica y eso), pero ni siquiera así puedo perdonarle los puntos flojos.

agusnahas's review against another edition

5.0

Ok por qué no había leído El Eternauta antes?
Creo que definitivamente entra en una de las mejores historias de ciencia ficción que leí en mi vida. Tremendamente bien construida, el punto justo de distopía y desesperación, y el final es genuinamente espectacular. “Brillante” se queda cortísimo.
Oesterheld ❤️❤️❤️