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unladylike's review
4.0
This was by far the most WTF and at times, disappointing, in all the Finder I've read (which is to say, all of it). It's the first Finder I've seen in colour, which was briefly interesting, but I didn't feel it added to Carla Speed McNeil's illustration style at all.
Third World follows the adventures of Jaeger as a courier/messenger. That fact alone makes it one of the more straight-forward and cohesive storylines in the world of Finder, but there were so many bizarre and confusing moments in my first reading of it that I was never fully on board. I'm still giving it 3.5-4 stars because the second half picks up and starts to go in a more interesting multi-issue arc direction, but it was clear that McNeil was packing in several ideas that deserved much more attention than they received.
For anyone new to Finder, I would recommend starting with [b:Finder, Vol. 04: Talisman|422955|Finder, Vol. 04 Talisman|Carla Speed McNeil|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1194835532s/422955.jpg|412060] (which is #4 in the very affordable first Library omnibus collection, but stands alone better than any other portion). Then either go back and read the rest of Finder Library 1 and 2, or check out [b:Finder, Vol. 09: Voice|9298590|Finder, Vol. 09 Voice|Carla Speed McNeil|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403201073s/9298590.jpg|14181222]. If you can, I highly recommend flipping to the back after every few pages to catch up on the end notes, which add a great deal of insight.
Third World follows the adventures of Jaeger as a courier/messenger. That fact alone makes it one of the more straight-forward and cohesive storylines in the world of Finder, but there were so many bizarre and confusing moments in my first reading of it that I was never fully on board. I'm still giving it 3.5-4 stars because the second half picks up and starts to go in a more interesting multi-issue arc direction, but it was clear that McNeil was packing in several ideas that deserved much more attention than they received.
For anyone new to Finder, I would recommend starting with [b:Finder, Vol. 04: Talisman|422955|Finder, Vol. 04 Talisman|Carla Speed McNeil|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1194835532s/422955.jpg|412060] (which is #4 in the very affordable first Library omnibus collection, but stands alone better than any other portion). Then either go back and read the rest of Finder Library 1 and 2, or check out [b:Finder, Vol. 09: Voice|9298590|Finder, Vol. 09 Voice|Carla Speed McNeil|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403201073s/9298590.jpg|14181222]. If you can, I highly recommend flipping to the back after every few pages to catch up on the end notes, which add a great deal of insight.
mschlat's review
4.0
I'm a big fan of the Finder series and am very glad to see McNeil publishing new stuff under the Dark Horse banner. Most of the work in this volume was originally presented in Dark Horse Presents on a monthly basis, meaning that it's in color (first time for Finder) and is comprised of small chunks (eight to twelve pages at a time).
If you are not familiar with Finder, McNeill's protagonist is Jaeger, who among other strange abilities can always get himself anywhere and find practically anything. Not surprisingly, he finds himself a job in this volume for a courier company. The setting is a mixture of some science fiction, a bit of fuzzy culture, and a lot of the life of indigenous peoples. It's basically like nothing else I read; McNeill seems to excel at producing the sui generis works that I associate with comics artists like [a:Donna Barr|163322|Donna Barr|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-e0ba3b90c110cd67123d6a850d85373e.png] or [a:Larry Marder|816108|Larry Marder|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]. Their worlds are real, compelling, and (oddly) logical with huge amounts of otherness and still a strongly emotional grounding. If you like the comic book Saga, it dips in the same pond McNeill regularly swims in: depictions of people you know in settings you cannot imagine.
If you are not familiar with Finder, McNeill's protagonist is Jaeger, who among other strange abilities can always get himself anywhere and find practically anything. Not surprisingly, he finds himself a job in this volume for a courier company. The setting is a mixture of some science fiction, a bit of fuzzy culture, and a lot of the life of indigenous peoples. It's basically like nothing else I read; McNeill seems to excel at producing the sui generis works that I associate with comics artists like [a:Donna Barr|163322|Donna Barr|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-e0ba3b90c110cd67123d6a850d85373e.png] or [a:Larry Marder|816108|Larry Marder|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]. Their worlds are real, compelling, and (oddly) logical with huge amounts of otherness and still a strongly emotional grounding. If you like the comic book Saga, it dips in the same pond McNeill regularly swims in: depictions of people you know in settings you cannot imagine.
kjboldon's review
5.0
Finder's fantasy/sci-fi/whatsit is still one of my favorite comic-book series.
wordnerdy's review
4.0
Hooray for new Finder, and in beautiful color! I really love the way Carla Speed McNeil has created this huge world, and the interplay of race/culture/class within it. There is some gross medical stuff toward the end though.
lukeisthename34's review
4.0
Like reading a fever dream. Unsure if I started with the right volume but I liked it and will look for more.
tiamatq's review
I'm gonna hold off on reviewing this. For some reason, I thought I could pick this up without having read the rest of the series. I felt so lost reading through this. Hopefully reading earlier volumes will make more sense.
kfan's review
4.0
This is great and Carla Speed McNeil is my favorite world-builder, forever and ever, and I will always be happy whenever there is new Finder, the end. This book consists of a few short pieces about Jaeger becoming a courier, followed by a longer story, and it's GREAT but then it ends on an extreme cliffhanger and I'm kind of distraught about having to wait to see what happens next.
If you're new to Finder definitely don't start here, but read everything else and then read this.
If you're new to Finder definitely don't start here, but read everything else and then read this.
maiakobabe's review
5.0
Carla Speed McNeil is a master in her own created genre of aboriginal sci-fi. If you haven't yet picked up her astonishingly good Finder series I would urge you to start with the first book, as this is not a good place to start. It is, however, a delicious treat for those who have read the 1400 or so preceding pages. Jaeger is unsatisfied with his current lot in life and so decides to take on a Real Job. He winds up as a delivery boy at X-Ray's Courier service, and against the odds he is astonishingly good at it. He finds shortcuts in the city that should not exist, and manages to deliver packages to people who he should never have been able to find. He becomes so skilled that he attracts the attention of the upper management- and it turns out that excelling in this position may have been the worst mistake of his life. It's wonderful to dip into this rich world in full color. This is, both for art and for writing, one of my favorite comic series of all time.