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geekwayne's review
3.0
'Fissure' by Tim Daniel with art by Patricio Delpeche is a clever horror concept that illustrates a town and how it is divided. Sort of.
El Sueno, Texas, is close to the border. It's population has a good mix of people. There is also a nearby newly finished border wall. That doesn't stop Hark Wright from seeing his pregnant girlfriend Avery Lee Olmos. What might stop them is the giant fissure running down the middle of the street, and the weird monsters that live inside of it. While townfolk are strangely called to jump in, Hark is saved from doing the same by Avery. Together they have to get out and maybe save the town.
I liked the concept a bit more than the execution, but I still liked this story. I think I know what the writer was attempting and it got close in my mind. Perhaps in any subsequent story, it will come together a bit better. I did like Patricio Delpeche's art though, and it fit the creepty aspects of the story pretty well.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Vault Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
El Sueno, Texas, is close to the border. It's population has a good mix of people. There is also a nearby newly finished border wall. That doesn't stop Hark Wright from seeing his pregnant girlfriend Avery Lee Olmos. What might stop them is the giant fissure running down the middle of the street, and the weird monsters that live inside of it. While townfolk are strangely called to jump in, Hark is saved from doing the same by Avery. Together they have to get out and maybe save the town.
I liked the concept a bit more than the execution, but I still liked this story. I think I know what the writer was attempting and it got close in my mind. Perhaps in any subsequent story, it will come together a bit better. I did like Patricio Delpeche's art though, and it fit the creepty aspects of the story pretty well.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Vault Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
bethtabler's review
4.0
Vault is my new favorite comics publisher. With many of their titles, they combine socially relevant ideas and science fiction/horror/fantasy that gives their stories a more profound meaning while still being entertaining and thought-provoking. The initial idea of portraying race relations as a chasm is what drove me to buy a copy of Fissure by Tim Daniel in the first place.
El Sueno was always a divided town. On one side you have the US and the other side we have Mexico. One day, a mysterious gas erupts from the ground with a rumble, and the mental divide that had always split the town is now a physical one. Many townsfolk fall into the chasm, while others are driven by some force that attracts them. At the heart of the story is Romeo and Juliet lovers, pregnant Latina Avery Lee Olmos, and Hark Wright. The conflicts, familial, and cultural that keep them apart turn into physical and horror laden. What lies in the abyss of that sinkhole will test a young couple's ability to survive. They need to join together to survive the chasm. Something wicked lays at the bottom of that hole, something not quite human.
There are a lot of well-done aspects of this story. First and foremost is the excellent writing done by Tim Daniel (Enormous, The Plot). Daniel managed to capture the tension and nuances of a community divided by politics in a way that was not heavy-handed. It was apparent what the struggles were that El Sueno faced as a community, without coming out and slamming the readers face in it. The Romeo and Juliet type love story also fits well within the context of a divided society. Again it wasn't heavy-handed, but sweet. Hark and Avery could have been any couple that struggled with the divide of culture and politics. Instead, because of the excellent writing, they came off as real people rather than caricatures of a Latina and a southern white man. Also, the story is told partially in Spanish. I loved that. It is a rare thing to have multiple languages in a graphic novel, and second, it is appropriate for the story and a city that straddles Mexico and the US.
The graphics are gorgeous. Each of the panels has a slight tinge of a supernatural green to them, letting the reader know that not all is right. Again, I didn't find this to be heavy-handed. Instead, it added a sinister, almost sickly quality to the graphics that let me know that not all was right with El Sueno.
My only slight complaint was that Fissure could have been longer. There could have been more story told. Near the end of the book, the story felt a little rushed. I wanted to know more about Avery and Hark's struggle to escape. I wanted to learn more about the creatures and why they were there.
Overall, Fissure was a great addition to the Vault catalog. It had everything a horror comic needs plus a lot more to make the issues more substantial and memorable. Also, because Daniel is such a great writer, I will be checking out some of his other works.
Check out Fissure and let me know what you think.
El Sueno was always a divided town. On one side you have the US and the other side we have Mexico. One day, a mysterious gas erupts from the ground with a rumble, and the mental divide that had always split the town is now a physical one. Many townsfolk fall into the chasm, while others are driven by some force that attracts them. At the heart of the story is Romeo and Juliet lovers, pregnant Latina Avery Lee Olmos, and Hark Wright. The conflicts, familial, and cultural that keep them apart turn into physical and horror laden. What lies in the abyss of that sinkhole will test a young couple's ability to survive. They need to join together to survive the chasm. Something wicked lays at the bottom of that hole, something not quite human.
There are a lot of well-done aspects of this story. First and foremost is the excellent writing done by Tim Daniel (Enormous, The Plot). Daniel managed to capture the tension and nuances of a community divided by politics in a way that was not heavy-handed. It was apparent what the struggles were that El Sueno faced as a community, without coming out and slamming the readers face in it. The Romeo and Juliet type love story also fits well within the context of a divided society. Again it wasn't heavy-handed, but sweet. Hark and Avery could have been any couple that struggled with the divide of culture and politics. Instead, because of the excellent writing, they came off as real people rather than caricatures of a Latina and a southern white man. Also, the story is told partially in Spanish. I loved that. It is a rare thing to have multiple languages in a graphic novel, and second, it is appropriate for the story and a city that straddles Mexico and the US.
The graphics are gorgeous. Each of the panels has a slight tinge of a supernatural green to them, letting the reader know that not all is right. Again, I didn't find this to be heavy-handed. Instead, it added a sinister, almost sickly quality to the graphics that let me know that not all was right with El Sueno.
My only slight complaint was that Fissure could have been longer. There could have been more story told. Near the end of the book, the story felt a little rushed. I wanted to know more about Avery and Hark's struggle to escape. I wanted to learn more about the creatures and why they were there.
Overall, Fissure was a great addition to the Vault catalog. It had everything a horror comic needs plus a lot more to make the issues more substantial and memorable. Also, because Daniel is such a great writer, I will be checking out some of his other works.
Check out Fissure and let me know what you think.
jkenna1990's review
3.0
I really liked the artwork of this comic. I liked the story but I feel like it could have been more fleshed out. It seemed a little rushed in the beginning but it settled into itself pretty quickly. I liked the science fiction aspect of the story but I kind of wish there had been more to the story. It just seemed like there could have been a few more issues to really flesh out the story. As much as I liked it it felt incomplete. The artwork is fantastic and I really enjoyed the large panels that showed off the illustrations so well. Overall, this is a pretty solid comic and I think that sci-fi fans will have fun reading it.
jkenna90's review
3.0
I really liked the artwork of this comic. I liked the story but I feel like it could have been more fleshed out. It seemed a little rushed in the beginning but it settled into itself pretty quickly. I liked the science fiction aspect of the story but I kind of wish there had been more to the story. It just seemed like there could have been a few more issues to really flesh out the story. As much as I liked it it felt incomplete. The artwork is fantastic and I really enjoyed the large panels that showed off the illustrations so well. Overall, this is a pretty solid comic and I think that sci-fi fans will have fun reading it.
carroq's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I rather enjoyed this book. Amidst the tensions of a border town in the U.S. people have been disappearing and a strange fissure opens up in the ground. The relationships between the characters are interesting. I particularly liked how Avery's father and Hark's grandmother mirrored each other. Some of the characters speak Spanish (without translation), which I thought was a nice touch for defining the setting.
This is not an action packed book though. It builds to the threat and the characters respond it in ways other than brute force. The art is pretty good too. It uses the horror standard of hinting at the evil that is just out of sight. The coloring might be the best part though. It really makes the book stand apart.
I rather enjoyed this book. Amidst the tensions of a border town in the U.S. people have been disappearing and a strange fissure opens up in the ground. The relationships between the characters are interesting. I particularly liked how Avery's father and Hark's grandmother mirrored each other. Some of the characters speak Spanish (without translation), which I thought was a nice touch for defining the setting.
This is not an action packed book though. It builds to the threat and the characters respond it in ways other than brute force. The art is pretty good too. It uses the horror standard of hinting at the evil that is just out of sight. The coloring might be the best part though. It really makes the book stand apart.
squirrelz's review
3.0
Pivots from what could have been a compelling mystery story with heartfelt characters into a very rushed and unearned action comic
fixatedonfiction's review
4.0
Thank you for letting me read this book. It was excellent, I loved all the images in the book, as well as the story.
jkenna's review
3.0
I really liked the artwork of this comic. I liked the story but I feel like it could have been more fleshed out. It seemed a little rushed in the beginning but it settled into itself pretty quickly. I liked the science fiction aspect of the story but I kind of wish there had been more to the story. It just seemed like there could have been a few more issues to really flesh out the story. As much as I liked it it felt incomplete. The artwork is fantastic and I really enjoyed the large panels that showed off the illustrations so well. Overall, this is a pretty solid comic and I think that sci-fi fans will have fun reading it.
etienne02's review against another edition
1.0
The premise and inspiration of this one sound fascinating, but it failed in the execution. The pace is too slow, the horror/supernatural stuff not present enough, the storyline evolution is too low in this first volume and the characters are totally uninteresting. The idea was good, but this comic isn’t.
booknooknoggin's review against another edition
2.0
This started out okay but by the time it reached the end I couldn't wait for it to be over. Doesn't have enough going for it to keep me interested in continuing as a series.