Showing posts with label European comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label European comics. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Graphic Novel Review - Tango Volume 1, An Ocean of Stone by Phillipe Xavier and Matz

I've always been impressed with European comics and graphic novels. They tend to be more grounded in the real world than American comics, they tend to have a high level of draftsmanship, and they tend to be sold in large volumes that contain an entire story.

Tango Volume 1, An Ocean of Stone by Phillipe Xavier and Matz is a tough guy drama graphic novel from Europe Comics. It is available as an eBook.

The Good


Characters. There isn't a lot of plot, but for this particular story there doesn't need to be, because the characters and their interactions are all so interesting. Each has a lot of character, each is unique and not just another troupe, and all have great chemistry with each other.

Art. The artwork is beautiful. Everything is so skillfully rendered, and yet this still looks and feels like a comic book and not illustrations or paintings. There is so much emotion communicated in the art, and the movement is so fluid and lifelike.

Multiple Stories Come Together. This story is actually the convergence of several stories that cross at one point. While they are independent, they come together in a very natural and enjoyable way.

Twist. I am really good at seeing twists early on in stories. It's rare I'm surprised by anything at the end. This book surprised me at the very end, and I was really glad for it.



The Bad

...


What I Would Like to Have Seen


I was very satisfied.


Overall


Tango Volume 1, An Ocean of Stone by Phillipe Xavier and Matz is a tough guy drama graphic novel from Europe Comics. There isn't a lot of plot, but for this particular story there doesn't need to be, because the characters and their interactions are all so interesting. Each has a lot of character, each is unique and not just another troupe, and all have great chemistry with each other. The artwork is beautiful. Everything is so skillfully rendered, and yet this still looks and feels like a comic book and not illustrations or paintings. There is so much emotion communicated in the art, and the movement is so fluid and lifelike. This story is actually the convergence of several stories that cross at one point. While they are independent, they come together in a very natural and enjoyable way. I am really good at seeing twists early on in stories. It's rare I'm surprised by anything at the end. This book surprised me at the very end, and I was really glad for it. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.


  

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/

Monday, December 28, 2020

Book Review - The Mighty Return of Ric Hochet 3. How to Commit the Perfect Murder by Zidrou and Van Liemt

I love superhero comics, but I think I enjoy humor comics and slice of life mystery comics even more.

The Mighty Return of Ric Hochet 3. How to Commit the Perfect Murder by Zidrou and Van Liemt is a mystery graphic novel and a reinvention of the classic Belgium Ric Hochet title. It is available digitally in English.

The Good


Art. Van Liemt is a great artist and does the perfect job of capturing the look and feel of the old Ric Hochet comics from Tibet while still looking modern. His figure work is both anatomically accurate and cartoony enough to have great flow and emotion. The backgrounds are all well rendered, and the colors only add to the beautiful line work.

Story. The story is a really clever concept--someone commits murder by planting a how-to guide on murder in amongst books and magazines. People pick them up and follow the instructions leading to a rash of crime. Not only is the concept great, but the execution is so well done. The story flows so smoothly and moves at a great pace. And it is long enough that the entire story is told in these nearly 60 pages so you don't have to track down another issue to see what happens.

Characters. This graphic novel has some really fun characters who are not characteratures nor exaggerations, yet they aren't boring or unmemorable. The balance the creators struck between realism to ground the story and cartoony fantasy to take full advantage of the medium is truly incredible.

 

The Bad

 
Only three issues are available.


What I Would Like to Have Seen


One hundred issues.


Overall


The Mighty Return of Ric Hochet 3. How to Commit the Perfect Murder by Zidrou and Van Liemt is a mystery graphic novel and a reinvention of the classic Belgium Ric Hochet title. The story is a really clever concept--someone commits murder by planting a how-to guide on murder in amongst books and magazines. People pick them up and follow the instructions leading to a rash of crime. Not only is the concept great, but the execution is so well done. The story flows so smoothly and moves at a great pace. And it is long enough that the entire story is told in these nearly 60 pages so you don't have to track down another issue to see what happens. Van Liemt is a great artist and does the perfect job of capturing the look and feel of the old Ric Hochet comics from Tibet while still looking modern. His figure work is both anatomically accurate and cartoony enough to have great flow and emotion. The backgrounds are all well rendered, and the colors only add to the beautiful line work. This graphic novel has some really fun characters who are not characteratures nor exaggerations, yet they aren't boring or unmemorable. The balance the creators struck between realism to ground the story and cartoony fantasy to take full advantage of the medium is truly incredible. The only negative is only three issues are available. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.


  

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/