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geekwayne's review
2.0
'The Wall' by Antoine Charreyron with art by Mario Alberti is a graphic novel of the post-apocalyptic future.
Solal and his sister Eva live the best they can, with Solal repairing things and looking after his little sister. When her medicine runs out, they have to brave the "Wall' a separated community of the wealthy, but they find strange secrets in that world that proves it to be less than ideal.
I like the idea of this, but it jumps back and forth in time and it was hard to follow. The art is good but rough and is also a bit hard to follow. I like the premise, I just wish it all flowed a bit better.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Solal and his sister Eva live the best they can, with Solal repairing things and looking after his little sister. When her medicine runs out, they have to brave the "Wall' a separated community of the wealthy, but they find strange secrets in that world that proves it to be less than ideal.
I like the idea of this, but it jumps back and forth in time and it was hard to follow. The art is good but rough and is also a bit hard to follow. I like the premise, I just wish it all flowed a bit better.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
joanarcherknight's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
supermilne's review
2.0
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of The Wall by Antoine Charreyron and Mario Alberti. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have read it and give feedback.
The Wall follows a young mechanic and his kid sister in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Her medicine runs out, and the last place they can go for more is in a fortified enclosure defended by an insanely huge robot. There are twists and turns, but think Elysium, Mad Max, and World War Z.
First off, the art was gorgeous. I loved the look of the Wall, and the community within, as well as how desolate the outside really is. I thought it was quite original, but there are a few things that irked me to the point where it was an unenjoyable read.
So much of this could have and should have worked, if not for the bizarre pacing. It felt very choppy at times and I’m not quite sure why it was done that way. It resulted in things moving far too quickly, especially in times where it shouldn’t be moving that quickly. Maybe it was to keep the page-count short or to give it an “action” feel? I don’t know.
While I do think the art is stunning (especially behind the wall), I honestly had no idea what was happening half the time. At times, it felt more like storyboarding for a movie (which didn’t translate well into a book like this) and so I think it was the focus on action that gave the art such a disjointed feel. I really had to think and squint to see who was who, or even what they were doing half the time.
All in all, I was pretty disappointed by this. It sounded really interesting, and despite a couple of hiccups along the way, the twist at the end of the first chapter/book really intrigued me. But after that it just seemed to devolve into mindless (and confusing) action that didn’t make much sense to me.
The Wall follows a young mechanic and his kid sister in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Her medicine runs out, and the last place they can go for more is in a fortified enclosure defended by an insanely huge robot. There are twists and turns, but think Elysium, Mad Max, and World War Z.
First off, the art was gorgeous. I loved the look of the Wall, and the community within, as well as how desolate the outside really is. I thought it was quite original, but there are a few things that irked me to the point where it was an unenjoyable read.
So much of this could have and should have worked, if not for the bizarre pacing. It felt very choppy at times and I’m not quite sure why it was done that way. It resulted in things moving far too quickly, especially in times where it shouldn’t be moving that quickly. Maybe it was to keep the page-count short or to give it an “action” feel? I don’t know.
While I do think the art is stunning (especially behind the wall), I honestly had no idea what was happening half the time. At times, it felt more like storyboarding for a movie (which didn’t translate well into a book like this) and so I think it was the focus on action that gave the art such a disjointed feel. I really had to think and squint to see who was who, or even what they were doing half the time.
All in all, I was pretty disappointed by this. It sounded really interesting, and despite a couple of hiccups along the way, the twist at the end of the first chapter/book really intrigued me. But after that it just seemed to devolve into mindless (and confusing) action that didn’t make much sense to me.
the_gm_penguin's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ladyreading365's review
5.0
I thought this comic was brilliant. The pictures were fantastic with such great detail it really added to the atmosphere and tension. Im not really into fantasy and dystopia books but I am now if this is how good they are I just couldn't put this comic down until I had finished it. I was that engrossed in it I lost all track of time. I especially loved the adding of colour for dramatic effects and the sparseness of the colour fitted the book perfectly I loved the blue hair for the character that was to help save them. I got really excited by this story line it had me on the edge of my seat, quickly turning the pages trying to work out what would happen next. I loved how unexpected eden was. I thought it was very clever to see the contrast between the two places and the twists of the story. I found the comic very gripping and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. It even scared me a little. I really recommend this comic to everyone who loves them busy with great attention to detail comics.
Many thanks to the authors and publishing team for producing a wonderful edge of your seat and gripping comic for us all to enjoy.
Many thanks to the authors and publishing team for producing a wonderful edge of your seat and gripping comic for us all to enjoy.
graypeape's review
dark
fast-paced
3.0
This is a tough one, I really thought I'd like this more. I dig post-apocalyptic stuff, and this story does have good ideas behind it: people struggling to live in a post-apocalyptic world, with some fighting to get to the other side of the Wall, behind which is ED3N, an oasis of easy living where no one wants for anything and life is perfect. Lots of room for present-day symbolism about walls both physical and metaphorical, keeping out refugees, immigrants, and other "undesirables." Cinematic art, full of action. However...
The execution is... not great. The pace is choppy, the timeline jumps around in a confusing way, and I just didn't get attached to the characters (I don't need to love them or even like them, but I should be interested in what happens to them). I did maintain a desire to continue reading; I still wanted to see how things played out. The initial twist wasn't super surprising, but hey, it's a good trope, and it worked. Once I caught on to the flashbacks (seriously, a little hint that events weren't concurrent would've been helpful), things made more sense, but that part of the story felt a bit rushed, I guess to make room for all the battle scenes in the second half - I'd've preferred less action and more story, but YMMV. The art is great, really nice, but the battle scenes were confusing, and it got hard to tell what was going on.
Would I recommend this? Maybe. I'd add caveats, though.
The execution is... not great. The pace is choppy, the timeline jumps around in a confusing way, and I just didn't get attached to the characters (I don't need to love them or even like them, but I should be interested in what happens to them). I did maintain a desire to continue reading; I still wanted to see how things played out. The initial twist wasn't super surprising, but hey, it's a good trope, and it worked. Once I caught on to the flashbacks (seriously, a little hint that events weren't concurrent would've been helpful), things made more sense, but that part of the story felt a bit rushed, I guess to make room for all the battle scenes in the second half - I'd've preferred less action and more story, but YMMV. The art is great, really nice, but the battle scenes were confusing, and it got hard to tell what was going on.
Would I recommend this? Maybe. I'd add caveats, though.
dsnake1's review
2.0
NetGalley and the publisher, Magnetic Press, provided me with a review copy.
The Wall is a post-climate-apocalypse graphic novel that's a bit Mad Max, a bit Elysium (the 2013 film), and a bit accidental zombies.
If that sounds awesome, it's because the concept is awesome. Sadly, the execution, from the art to the pacing to the writing all fell extremely short.
My two biggest complaints are the pacing, which seems to skip over a lot of necessary characterization and relationship-building, and how hard this comic is to follow. Art in a comic isn't just supposed to be beautiful, although that's nice. It's supposed to tell part of the story. The art simply wasn't geared toward that. There were far too many far-away 'scape scenes with dialog bubbles where it wasn't clear who was talking. The dialog/text often seemed to jump around, and the art didn't help bridge the gap.
Those two issues plagued every other part of the comic. It turned the plot from what, broad-strokes, should be an emotional, enthralling series of actions as our characters navigate this incredibly interesting setting into a boring, confusing mess with unmotivated characters making weird decisions for the sake of the plot. Sadly, there are enough issues throughout that I can't recommend this for anything other than reading a setting synopsis because that's far and away the most interesting part of this comic.
The Wall is a post-climate-apocalypse graphic novel that's a bit Mad Max, a bit Elysium (the 2013 film), and a bit accidental zombies.
If that sounds awesome, it's because the concept is awesome. Sadly, the execution, from the art to the pacing to the writing all fell extremely short.
My two biggest complaints are the pacing, which seems to skip over a lot of necessary characterization and relationship-building, and how hard this comic is to follow. Art in a comic isn't just supposed to be beautiful, although that's nice. It's supposed to tell part of the story. The art simply wasn't geared toward that. There were far too many far-away 'scape scenes with dialog bubbles where it wasn't clear who was talking. The dialog/text often seemed to jump around, and the art didn't help bridge the gap.
Those two issues plagued every other part of the comic. It turned the plot from what, broad-strokes, should be an emotional, enthralling series of actions as our characters navigate this incredibly interesting setting into a boring, confusing mess with unmotivated characters making weird decisions for the sake of the plot. Sadly, there are enough issues throughout that I can't recommend this for anything other than reading a setting synopsis because that's far and away the most interesting part of this comic.
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