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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Huh. What exactly did I just read. There appears to be no real point to this book. It starts off with a radio cast that says to look for the light inside yourself. Then the reader gets four different stories told in alternating “Chapters”. One is of a girl contemplating suicide after some type of attack at a club, a teen “influencer” who no longer talks, a PhD computer wize who creates and maintains a pharmaceutical company website, a an immigrant who is forced to become an art snitch or be sent back to Japan. The stories have no relation to each other. So story wise this was a let down. However, the artist has done amazing things. The way they use color to represent emotions in each story. The main color palette for each character is different, and chosen based on the emotion depicted within. It is for this reason only, that this graphic novel gets a 3 Stars.
#GondorGirlGNChallenge
#GondorGirlGNChallenge
This is an incredible single issue comic featuring four stories that are basically about life.
The art is gorgeous. Each character has its own colour scheme which attributes to the feeling and atmosphere of each part. I was enjoying all the backgrounds of the places we explored, the author really took their time to create these real, lived in spaces. In general, all stories are very real and I could see myself meeting them on the street by accident.
I was invested right from the beginning. Mike (the green story) was probably my favourite just because his facial expressions and outlook on life resonated with me. Steph's story was just as beautiful even if I am still not entirely sure what it all means.
I was missing a more conclusive ending but I was generally satisfied.
I received and advanced reading copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The art is gorgeous. Each character has its own colour scheme which attributes to the feeling and atmosphere of each part. I was enjoying all the backgrounds of the places we explored, the author really took their time to create these real, lived in spaces. In general, all stories are very real and I could see myself meeting them on the street by accident.
I was invested right from the beginning. Mike (the green story) was probably my favourite just because his facial expressions and outlook on life resonated with me. Steph's story was just as beautiful even if I am still not entirely sure what it all means.
I was missing a more conclusive ending but I was generally satisfied.
I received and advanced reading copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Warnings: nudity, homophobia (mention of parental abuse of a trans person, and homophobic remarks in general), gun violence, mention of a mass shooting, use of racial slurs
Rep: Has POC main and secondary characters and a trans woman as a secondary character
Midnight Radio is an anthology of four stories that intersect, and the way it was designed lended very well to how it was rendered. The four stories are done in four different color tones, and while they intersect at times, they are separate and playing out together through the book instead of going one by one.
There's a game developer who is stuck in a job he doesn't like, working for a corporation that has bloodied hands, a Japanese girl who seeks freedom but is being threatened with deportation unless she co-operates with a sting, a selectively mute teen who is an Instagram star and communicated in real life through the captions on his post, with a sick sister and a trans friend who needs his support, and finally, a queer woman who has been afraid and in doubt. The stories start out confusing, but as we reach towards the end, the connections make sense. I did find that for most of the story it was leaning a little bit on cliches ('boo social media is so terrible', 'what problems do these young online stars have anyway?' sort of things) rather than presenting a new perspective on a situation, but it did a good job with each character's development nevertheless.
The artwork of this book was beautiful, and I loved the loose line work, the subtle semi-realistic style, and the strict color tones that kept things distinct and precise. I would like to mention, though, that due to the color tone, sometimes the text would be difficult to read. The expressions and poses felt exaggerated at times, but overall I would say the storyboard was cleverly done with smooth transitions and good flow to the action of the characters.
Verdict: a decent story-line, and beautiful artwork.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Lion Forge, via Edelweiss.
Rep: Has POC main and secondary characters and a trans woman as a secondary character
Midnight Radio is an anthology of four stories that intersect, and the way it was designed lended very well to how it was rendered. The four stories are done in four different color tones, and while they intersect at times, they are separate and playing out together through the book instead of going one by one.
There's a game developer who is stuck in a job he doesn't like, working for a corporation that has bloodied hands, a Japanese girl who seeks freedom but is being threatened with deportation unless she co-operates with a sting, a selectively mute teen who is an Instagram star and communicated in real life through the captions on his post, with a sick sister and a trans friend who needs his support, and finally, a queer woman who has been afraid and in doubt. The stories start out confusing, but as we reach towards the end, the connections make sense. I did find that for most of the story it was leaning a little bit on cliches ('boo social media is so terrible', 'what problems do these young online stars have anyway?' sort of things) rather than presenting a new perspective on a situation, but it did a good job with each character's development nevertheless.
The artwork of this book was beautiful, and I loved the loose line work, the subtle semi-realistic style, and the strict color tones that kept things distinct and precise. I would like to mention, though, that due to the color tone, sometimes the text would be difficult to read. The expressions and poses felt exaggerated at times, but overall I would say the storyboard was cleverly done with smooth transitions and good flow to the action of the characters.
Verdict: a decent story-line, and beautiful artwork.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Lion Forge, via Edelweiss.
Argh...really wanted to like this more, because I agree with the politics, but good politics alone isn't enough to sustain a fictional narrative. News flash to writers: if you just want to make a political point, write an essay. If you want to convey a political opinion adequately through fiction, you have to focus on character development first. Or else it's never going to work. Did love the art in this, though, especially the tight color focus in different sections.