Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #665865 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-01
• Released on: 2001-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

One of the Best
frankly i was surprised that this series is rated so far at five stars from every reviewer. when it was being published, it was one of the most divisive comics i can remember. everyone either loved it or hated it, and considering that it was cancelled before the story was done, i would imagine the latter outweighed the former. anyhow, i would have bought ten copies of the series myself if it would have meant the series would continue to its natural end, and i suspect most of its fans felt the same way, because this comic really was something special.

the story is great, with a protagonist you really root for, and more importantly, feel for. the premise is intriguing and engaging. and the artwork and design are astonishing.

this book's greatest strength was also its greatest weakness. a lot of people were frustrated with how complicated the book is, both in story and art. nothing is really handed to the reader at all, certainly not early on. the slowly unravelling backstory and the chaotic artwork really emphasizes the environment. the reader has to work a bit, but that's part of the fun. also, being a graphic artist myself, perhaps i have an unfair edge when it comes to deciphering and navigating chris bachalo's panels, but i didn't find it to be much work at all.

to be fair, i think only people who really cared about this book would be bothered to write a review, so you probably won't hear from the camp that found this book impenetrable, but given the sheer quality of work, i always generally dismissed those people as lazy. these people cared about what they created and it shows.

the writing is layered and thoughtful. the art is energetic, with an incredible sense of environment. this book is infinitely better than most of the generic superhero comics floating around out there with nothing to say.

The Heavy Novel of Comics, but Worth It!
The artwork in this book has only one word to describe it: Stunning. Each page is rendered masterfully by the visionary that is Chris Bachalo. The story is amazing, but it is not as easy to read as your typical book. It takes time and thought to make sense of story because there is so much on each page. While this may hinder the simple reader's enjoyment, it makes the plot so much deeper and fuels a growing respect for the creators who deserve so much more respect in the industry than they currently receive.

Too much punk, not enough steam
I found myself disliking this comic, which is unfortunate because it was highly recommended by others as, well, 'steampunk'. I like steampunk, but I really don't like this.

This is like steampunk written by Gwar, but not nearly as tongue-in-cheek. Drama and style abound, but I cannot agree that the plot is complex. It was very disappointing.

The art and layout is highly detailed, highly colorful/inky, and reminds me quite a lot of World of Warcraft or MageKnight (miniatures). Character design is over-the-top. Unfortunately I felt like the whole thing was trying too hard to be different without first developing substance.

To be honest, by the midway point I was just hoping for:
A) An explanation without all the exposition
B) The death of most of the characters

The only positive thing I can say is that it is dripping with its own unique style, and I respect that artistic effort enough not to give it one star.