Customer Reviews

Alpha Shade, Chapter 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's hard to imagine that the previous reviewer read the same book I did, because I absolutely loved it. It's an outstanding first volume of a grand graphic novel epic of worlds in conflict. The story revolves around a group of friends caught up in the storm of war and this first volume serves mainly to introduce principal characters and the parallel worlds they live in. And what a set of worlds they are!

Technologies clash as flying big-gun battleships vie with airplanes for command of the skies. Sentient cats with psychic powers scheme with human politicians behind the scenes. Warbirds are literally that, huge flying avians that carry out military missions. Heroism and villainy stand side by side on the battlefield. The characters are engaging people we get to know well enough that we cheer when they triumph and mourn when they are killed. For this is war, after all, and those serving on the side we readers are allied with are as much at risk as their enemies. I'm not going to go into the plot here. For that, you should go buy this book and read it. ASAP.

The story is told through beautifully rendered, highly-detailed, multi-paneled full-color pages in a large 9X12 format. The illustrations are so detailed that you can identify makes and models of vehicles, read text on computer screens and tell which Earthly weapons systems were the prototypes for the Alpha Shade military equipment. Action scenes vividly capture the stress combat has placed on the characters. The characters show many nuances of expression that are captured perfectly on the pages. My copy of this book was an exceptional example of printed comic art, done on heavy glossy stock and sturdily bound. I found none of the flubs typical of printed full-color comic art.

I'm anxious for release of Vol. 2 of this series. Which I intend to buy the minute it's available. (^_*)

"Alpha Shade" is a highly-unique comic experience that challenges its readers by defying typical expectations. Those that hurriedly flip through the book's pages or skim them on the official website seem equally quick to dismiss it as some sort of American poseur manga clone. Words like "steampunk" or "anime style" are casually thrown around with the arrogant faux-authority of a person basking in a self-proclaimed and presumptious sense of "expertise." All these comments do is prove that such people haven't actually read it.

This is a shame, because this book is operating on a completely different artistic and storytelling level. "Alpha Shade" is *not* manga, and shouldn't be dismissed as a deritative attempt to ape that particular style. For those that can appreciate the graphic novel as a distinct medium, this book is worth your valuable time.

Those that actually take the time to carefully read this book (as opposed to those that lazily form an opinion based on pre-formed assumptions) will be rewarded with a story that credits the reader's intelligence. The authors have created a fascinating world where military technology and supernatural animals co-exist, using it as the backdrop to detail an assassination attempt in the middle of a warzone. Rather than burden the audience with endless exposition, the story presents its fantastical details very matter-of-factly. We're ushered through the first chapter without immediately knowing every character's motivation, much less the "rules" of this strange world, which makes a change from traditional storytelling. This has the unusual effect of not only throwing the reader off-balance, but encouraging them to turn the page in order to learn more. It can be unsettling, and perhaps off-putting to those that aren't able or willing to think critically while reading. Alan Moore's "Watchmen" is often hailed as a groundbreaking and defining entry in the world of graphic novels, but it's hardly an easy read. "Alpha Shade" aspires to similar heights, in that it's attempting to forge new territory in its approach to storytelling.

The conclusion will undoubtedly throw the reader for a loop, while the words "End Chapter One" remind them that this is only the first entry in what promises to be a highly-detailed and epic multi-volume saga.

The art is astonishing, with action sequences in particular being beautifully rendered. Characters and settings are carefully detailed, while the intense color has the images practically bursting off of the page. Every panel looks as if it could be a still frame from a fully animated feature.

The creators continue to offer their work for free on their website (www.alpha-shade.com), posting pages as they are completed (meaning that the beginning of Chapter 2 can be enjoyed, although it too defies expectations). While the website is a fascinating way to observe a work-in-progress, it can admittedly make for a frustrating reading experience - it isn't designed or intended to work as a "daily web strip." The story is best served by having access to the entire collection of pages in print form, making Chapter 1 of "Alpha Shade" an essential purchase if one is to enjoy it in its full glory. The narrative pace is better served as well, as there is a definite "calm before the storm" flow to the proceedings that's more easily appreciated in print form.

While we're all entitled to our opinion, I find that the tone of the first reviewer's writeup highly suspect (it seems unnecessarily venomous and doesn't elaborate on any of its "points"). It should be noted that this softcover book is printed on 100 lb glossy paper (60 lb paper is magazine stock) and is sturdily bound (a good thing, since you'll be reading it many times to take it all in). Contrary to what the first reviewer suggested, these pages are *not* going to fall out. Production is top-notch and the price is well within reason, considering the exceptional quality of the book. Then again, that particular reviewer might know all that if they actually had a copy.

In an age where our entertainment is spoon-fed to us, it is absolutely refreshing to come across a story that asks its audience to become actively involved and ask questions rather than leading them like sheep through a predicatable narrative. "Alpha Shade" has plenty of curve balls to throw at you, and is a breath of fresh air in a medium that has seen its fair share of stagnancy.

A worthwhile purchase.

Alpha Shade is one of the few webcomics out there that has a plan. They know exactly where they're going with the story, they have a long-term plan to turn their comic into a profitable business, and they strongly believe in quality over quantity (consider that the material in this book took 20 months to complete.) Some people say that this chapter, the first of more than 30 that they have planned, doesn't have much story, but that is mostly incorrect. This chapter was meant to be an "action intro", something that all forms of media have employed, and successfully at that. These 90 pages are meant to get you to ask questions, like "Why is the flyer rider so passionate about killing Laura?" and "Why is the gold watch so important to Laura?" This is exactly what action intro are supposed to do; get you interested. In this case, such an intro works to great effect, at least for me.

Aside from the comic, the Brudlos brothers also post audio commentary on their website, www.alpha-shade.com. They talk about the most recent pages, not just the story being told but problems that may have come up in production, things that they're particularly proud of, comments they've gotten (the good, the bad, and the downright moronic.) People who allege that the brothers are just making up the story obviously have not heard the whole story behind the comic, and if they're calling it a Last Exile ripoff, they probably haven't read the comic very well either.

All in all, Alpha Shade chapter 1 is a high quality product. The content is richly detailed and the print quality is higher than any other print version of a webcomic that i have seen (that includes Megatokyo.) I look forward to years of purchasing new chapters of this story and seeing the direction in which the brothers take this story

Harry Z

I am thrilled to see such a terrific new graphic novel on the market. This book is far above any I have seen so far. I love the conflict and the charactors. I just cant wait for a second and a third book.

(...)

Alpha Shade is one of the best new graphic novels I have seen in a long time. The product is solid. (the reviewer that reported pages falling out was either reading a different comic or recieved a defective copy because this is a solid book) The art is beautiful and is very effective at getting across what it wants. Overall the book was put together really well.

Now on to the story, Alpha Shade chapter one starts the story "in media res". (or in the middle of the action for those that don't speak latin) The entire thing is a battle that is used to introduce the world of Alpha Shade and at least one of the main characters. (Laura) The next few chapters are going to be the story of how Laura and her friends get from Earth to the world of Alpha Shade. (sort of a "through the looking glass" thing I guess) Overall I am very excited to see where the story will go and I think that the Brudlos brothers really know what they are doing. I highly recomend picking it up.

For me, this comic had a lot of promise, but did not deliver. I found the art well done, but I was more interested in the story, which I found lacking.

To start off, there was very little suspense to draw me in, even though this entire chapter is one big battle. The first page, for instance is boring. I look at it and think. "Great, this is just another day in the life of a soldier." Then on the next few pages, we see tanks and a burning city, and finally my curiosity is piqued. "Cool." I think. "There's fighting going on." And then a pilot and the main character wave to each other. That totally killed the suspense that had been building.

Further on, the point of view switches so many times that it was difficult to keep track of who was who. This tactic of story telling ruined a lot of the suspense and emotional attachment I was supposed to be building.

I especially did not have an emotional attachment to the main character. The Brudlos' try to depict her as a gung-ho woman, but I feel that she hardly did anything gung-ho. At one point, she is pinned at the bunker, and she's just sitting there waiting for this problem to be solved for her. A gung-ho character would at least be trying to find a way out.

So for me, this chapter's plot boiled down to a detailed battle that I did not care one iota for. Yes, there are some cool scenes, including an aerial battle that spans 6 pages. But that aerial battle is so distanced from the main characters, that as I read it, I thought "why is this in here?"

Of course, this story isn't all bad. The dialogue is decent, the storyboarding isn't confusing, and there are intriguing details. It just wasn't enough to get me hooked.

Now, you don't have to take my word for it. Test this comic out yourself by reading it at the official website www.alpha-shade.com and form your own opinion (The comic in book form includes 6 pages of extras you can't find on the site). All I can say is when I want to read a comic, I want more than just pretty pictures.

This is the first "chapter" of the webcomic Alpha Shade. I bought it at an anime convention recently and how I wish I hadnt. I couldnt even finish the book because it was so awful, that's how bad it was. The book, though it does look very colourful is very poorly made, some of the pages even fell out while I was reading it. For the price I paid I expected a lot better, I'm guessing they overcharged and went cheap with the books printing.

Flicking through the book some of the images do look nice but you get the feeling most of the pages were rushed and some of the backgrounds can look rather crude. The artist, in an attempt to obviously cash in on the whole anime craze has opted for an anime style with his character designs, which really doesnt work.

The story, if you can even consider it one, is unfortunately unoriginal and full of plot holes. None of the characters are interesting, you just really get the impression that there are no writers behind Alpha Shade and I dont even think they know where they're going with the story.

Overall it's a disappointing comic, I only wish I could get a refund because I really regret this purchase. If only I had read it at the convention I would have thrown it back in their face and demand my money back. I would consider giving it to a charity shop but I dont think even they'd accept it. I rate this book 0 stars and would recommend you not waste your time and money. If you want something more entertaining than buy the Last Exile DVD. I think they stole a lot of their ideas for Alpha Shade from that series, very unoriginal.

Don't quit your day jobs Joseph and Christopher Brudlos (married), I'll have my burger with fries.