Reviews

Victor LaValle's Destroyer by Dietrich Smith, Victor LaValle

ghoe25's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

tess_aliterarybuff's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

goblindayin's review against another edition

4.0

“As I write this I wonder which seems more fantastical: that a woman could bring her dead son back to life, or that a country might ever hold itself accountable for injustices it has perpetrated”

I took a wee while to get into it and nearly DNF’d in the middle of the second issue. I think it was due to it being written in a way unlike other graphic novels I’ve read. Didn’t really know what the hell was going on and didn’t see the significant. I’m very glad I kept at it

monisousa93's review against another edition

dark

3.25

kumquats87's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.75

ravenlily's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bearsincastles's review against another edition

4.0

Gorgeous artwork. Thought provoking. Last page was my favorite.

katiehicks's review against another edition

3.75

I love how Victor LaValle adapts classic literature- in my opinion, he does it kind of perfectly. He has a great grasp on the themes and underlying implications that make the stories immortal, but imagines how those themes translate to today. This is no exception- framing our current society on the brink of a new scientific age that mirrors the inspiration for Frankenstien in a way feels obvious, but then LaValle takes it one step further by also re-imagining the themes of monstrosity and society’s fear of the Other. Akai being both a young black boy but also a human/ tech/ AI symbiote is so smart.

That being said, despite how much I love both the original story and LaValle’s adaptation, I don’t think this will be my favorite of his. My problems with it are twofold: one, I don’t really think the graphic novel medium added anything to the story, and in some cases, may have detracted from it. The creature design of the original Creature and Akai were really cool, but there wasn’t any memorable coloring, layouts, or text choices. In fact, there were a few places where I found it a little unclear what was happening, who was talking, etc. I think more interesting layouts would have really been helpful. In the end, the best element is LaValle’s writing, which made me think it would have been better off as a short story or novella.

My other problem is the inclusion of the original Creature. Since the whole comic series is so short, it makes the story feel more like an allegory than anything else. I think this was actually a good move- monster stories always lend themselves really well to being unsubtle metaphors in the first place, and I think this story in particular worked. But that leaves me confused as to the allegorical importance of the Creature, and why he was such a major part of the third act.

It feels mostly like he was just a plot device used to destroy the Lab and reveal Josephine as the final “villain”- not to mention leaving Akai alone in the end in a way that mirrors the ending of the original book. I don’t know what the solution to this was, since those two things really needed to happen to make the story work, but it just feels like the story could have been a bit tighter and more cohesive, especially given the short format.

Overall, though, a really great, fast-paced read.

city_girl_writer's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.25

I was really confused in the worst way possible. I was not a fan of this interpretation of Frankenstein. I could not follow with character motivations and plot. I will try Victor LaValle's novels and novellas, but this was disappointing.

thatnerdclaire's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Racism, Police brutality, Child death, and Grief