Customer Reviews

Comic Book Tattoo Limited Edition

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I hesitated to buy this book at first. I've sort of fallen away from my rabid Tori Amos obsession, but, I was curious about all the hype and press it's getting (in the Tori community) and found a copy on E-Bay. It's stunningly beautiful. I admit, like many of Tori's songs, the message in some of the comics is a bit cryptic. Many of them are obtuse in their words, but gorgeous in their artwork. Some of them are silly in their artwork, but amazing in their story. Any way you slice it or dice it, this is a gorgeous optical orgy. It's hard to not have the songs playing in your head while you're reading the book. I'm hoping they do another volume in the future because there are so many other songs that could be illustrated. Whether you love or hate Tori, you should pick up this book for the amazing artwork and the obvious love and attention they gave to her songs and her muse.

So if you're a Tori-phile, I'm guessing you'll buy the book, no questions asked. You won't be disappointed. Even if you're not a Tori fan, or not even a comic fan (I'm not), I think you'll love the book. Each story is beautifully and fully rendered. It's amazing to see someone else's interpretation of a song that you thought you had figured out all the ins and outs to, and see how far their ideas can be from your own. Several of the stories gave me goosebumps, and I haven't even finished yet. I would recommend considering buying the hard cover or the LE. I got the paper back and it is lovely, but so big that it would be nice to have in hardcover. I'm so pleased to own this book: new ideas to mull over, beautiful stories to move me, and a great conversation piece for my coffee table. Neil Gaimans introduction is beautiful as well.

This is a massive book. I originally intended on purchasing the paperback and I'm so glad that I didn't! It's the perfect "coffee table book," wonderful conversation starter, and masterfully created. I know I sound like a broken record, but this book is incredible, and well worth the extra money for the hardcover... you wont be disappointed!

First off, this book is definitely worth your 20 dollars. I mean, considering the quality of the book (and quantity, since it's massive), 20 bucks is totally decent.

The artwork here is stunning. It's hard to not be amazed with the quality of the comics - even if you aren't a comics fan, like me.

One thing you should probably know about this book is that Tori never intended for the stories here to be visual cover versions of her songs. She let the artists and writers play. Tori uses a phrase, "mental mischief," which really explains the license the creators of this book's stories had. This is evident in stories like "Bouncing Off Clouds," which really has nothing to do with love in a relationship, the original context Clyde sings the song in. Instead it portrays a scene in a company called Cloud Bouncers Delivery Service, or something of that sort.

Some stories will be rather cryptic, as mentioned before by other reviewers. One example is "Marianne," which has no text at all, just pictures of a bee juxtaposed with a carnival ride. "Father Lucifer," "Honey" and "Toast" were hard to follow for me.

Oh, and there is a Y Kant Tori Read song here too. "Pirates" was another song I didn't quite get.

My favorite story has to be "Here. In My Head," followed by "Waitress." Whoever did these stories should be given a medal. "Here. In My Head" is charming and compelling; it's about a girl who can morph into a raven but needs to figure out what she really wants. "Waitress" gets kudos because it comes close to being a cover version of the song. It makes you REALLY hate the waitress (yes there is a waitress!) in the story. What's cool is that you see flashbacks of the past slowly unfolding as the scene at the present slowly scrutinizes its settings.

I also really liked "God" and "Devils and Gods." "God" had a nice twist to it, and "Devils and Gods" is an emotional yet mysterious story.

There are some I didn't really like, especially "Sugar," "Sweet the Sting," and, sadly, "Bouncing Off Clouds."

Anyway, I know I'm going to receive a lot of flak for giving Comic Book Tattoo 4 stars, but I have my reasons. There are a couple of spelling errors, not just in the comics themselves, but I think there are some missing lyrics too. The book was put together so quickly that I guess they overlooked a few things. Being the perfectionist that I am, I can't bring myself to give it 5 stars.

But I will admit that Comic Book Tattoo exceeded my expectations. I believe it will exceed yours too.

I'm a pretty hard critic, but this is greatness. The art and the way they manifest it through Tori's lyrics is brilliant. The book is huge and I have to take an evening out by myself to read the whole thing. BUY IT, its the best 20 bucks you'll spend this summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not a comic book reader, but this book has done an excellent job of introducing me to the genre and the different styles of the comic medium. It is breathtaking, big, and entertaining!

I am not even halfway through this book and I am already in love with it. It is very big and heavy, but worth the inexpensive price. The art is amazing and each story is different. It's like a woven tapestry of Tori Amos's mind and heart. Her lyrics read like poetry, and the collaboration between author/musician/artist is simply breathtaking. I'd recommend this book to Tori Amos fans everywhere and even to those who are not fans.

This book is a wonderful endeavor. The artwork is amazing and I love the concept of comic book stories inspired by Tori Amos' songs. I've heard that Tori and the guy who oversaw the project, Rantz, pretty much allowed the artists to have free creative rein. Thus, the stories fall along a spectrum for me.

First of all you cannot help but have a standard for stories based on your fave songs. One in particular disappointed me so much that I regretted buying the book for a moment. It was certainly a mixed bag. Some reactions: Too short; simply incomprehensible; *chuckle*; wonderful storytelling; too shallow; disgusting; trite; mind blowingly amazing; freaky etc. The most wonderful moments were when a story would show me something new in the music. Winter and Snow Cherries are a couple that I really enjoyed.

If there were an option to buy these stories separately I might recommend that. However, like some of Tori's music it may be that I have to live with these stories for a while to appreciate some of them. Another perk is that there have been rumors that Tori is writing songs based on these stories, that are nothing like the original songs the stories were based on. So it'll be fun to have the book for that reason. I recommend it. But prepare for a mixed bag.

Just page upon page of magic. It's the only word I have to describe it. I couldn't recommend this any harder.

I spent my entire day today reading Comic Book Tattoo. I was surprised and somewhat relieved to find that the stories are not stories about the songs word by word. In Tori's afterword she explained that she wanted the writers and artists to dream, not do "cover versions" of her songs, and dream they did! I recommend getting this in hardback. I put the book on my scale and it came out 14lbs! (est. shipping weight is 7lbs) I'd be terrified I'd read the paperback to pieces because it's such a massive book! I guarantee that even if you are not a Tori fan you will love this collection of stories! They are strong beautiful, and full of life! Some are funny, some are tragic, and some are delightfully whimsical. There is something for everyone here!