Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not an impressive debut, August 11, 2009
This review is from: Dark Entries (Vertigo Crime) (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
In the comic book world crime comics have a steadily growing cult following. As the industry continues to expand past the superhero genre, DC/Vertigo has decided to experiment with a "Crime" line of books, and among the first batch is Dark Entries.
Written by crime novelist Ian Rankin (Exit Music) and illustrated by Italian artist Werther Dell'Edera (Loveless, Punisher War Zone), Dark Entries stars Vertigo regular John Constantine of Hellblazer fame.
A new reality show is on the air in England, a show that's designed to instill fear into its participants. The contestants are trapped in a "haunted house" with the rigged scary bits at the control of the producers, and the only way to win and end the terror is to find and get into the hidden room with the mysterious prize. The contestants in the house have started seeing disturbing ethereal images and are truly frightened. The problem is that the producers of the show haven't switched on any of the automated horrors. These visions are happening all by themselves. After much convincing, primarily using a large wad of money, John Constantine agrees to go investigate. Of course, all is not as it seems, and there's more to this mystery than at first meets the eye.
The writing is fine, if bland and predictable. The "reality TV show gone awry" concept has been done. The narration jumps around between different characters' points-of-view without explanation or a clean transition. One page we're in Constantine's head, the next we're in one of the gameshow contestants' head. And the twist at the end could have been good, but somehow failed to grab my interest.
The artwork is black-and-white, with intentionally rough line work, and zipotones added to flashbacks, dream sequences, or other surreal moments. It told the story pretty clearly, though a few of the characters are difficult to tell apart.
Oh, and . . . THERE'S NO CRIME!!! There's certainly a mystery, but this isn't a crime book at all.
This is by no means a bad book. It's a fine way to kill a couple hours. But it's hardly a revelation. If this is the quality of the whole line, then I don't think the line is going to last very long.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Writing, Appropriate Art, But the Story Falls Apart, September 13, 2009
This review is from: Dark Entries (Vertigo Crime) (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I'm an enthusiastic reader of comic books over the years, and a big fan of the graphic novel format. I've read John Constantine on and off, and enjoyed many of his exploits, beginning with Garth Ennis's bang-up job on John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits, continuing through the brilliant Warren Ellis's arc in books like John Constantine, Hellblazer: Setting Sun and, perhaps, hitting its single-compilation fit peak with Brian Azzarello's raunchy, psychologically complex and tricky Hellblazer: Hard Time (Hellblazer (Graphic Novels)).
So, I was excited to see the prolific and well-regarded mainstream crime/mystery writer Ian Rankin take a stab at the enigmatic magician Constantine. I always enjoy the attempts of writers who've achieved success in other areas take a stab at telling stories through sequential art, which is not as easy as it looks and an art form in itself.
So, how does Rankin do? Unfortunately, just OK. The first half of the book is great, especially the first couple of pages, which establish a cheeky, satiric look at John Constantine's London. I also loved the book's set-up - snarky, cynical Constantine sent in to troubleshoot a reality show gone spookily bad? Brilliant.
But once we start learning what lies beneath Dark Entries promising setup, the story falls apart. It gets absurdly overblown and far removed from even the extra-reality of the Constantine series, which generally succeeds the most when it mixes real world situations with just a touch of the occult.
Add in an ending that relies so heavily on a deus ex machina that you can't help but feel that Rankin had no idea how to believably extricate Constantine from his ridiculous surroundings, and you wind up with a bit of a mess on your hands.
However, there are pleasures to be had here. Rankin is a good writer, and while I thought his plot was weak, there is great enjoyment to be had in his witty dialogue and sardonic world view. There is also much to admire in artist Werther Dell'Edera's work. While I'm not generally a fan of B&W art, the starkness fits this dystopian tale. Ironically, as Rankin's story gets progressively more preposterous, Dell'Edera's drawing becomes more engaging, evoking the iconic excesses and humor of EC's classic comics from the '40's and '50's.
All in all, Dark Entries is a minor entry in the Constantine saga. If you pick it up because you're a fan of Rankin - and one always hope that mainstream writers will draw their readers into the world of graphic novels - be sure to read some of the seminal Constantine tales listed at the start of this review. It just gets better from here.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting graphic novel, cool idea, great art, January 20, 2011
This review is from: Dark Entries (Vertigo Crime) (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Although I enjoy graphic novels, I wouldn't say I'm any kind of expert on them. However, this very amusing story in graphic novel format seems like one of the really good ones.
John Constantine (from "Hellblazer" and other places) is a paranormal investigator and is hired by television executives to investigate on a new reality show where it appears the cast is having a problem with haunting. The other members of the cast are seeing terrible visions and Constantine is needed to determine the cause. The mystery itself is a "closed room" mystery, which are always the best.
One thing I liked about the text itself is the shift from white backgrounds to black backgrounds when the location shifts. I can't be more specific without ruining a great twist, but you'll understand once you get your hands on and read through this terrific story.
The artwork is amazing - although it is almost exclusively black and white, it is clean and easy to view - too many graphic novels end up with too much detail cluttering those tiny panels to the point where it is impossible to really see what is going on. Details are definitely there, but they are as necessary and easier on the eye than many others.
For fans of horror comics, horror stories, urban fantasy and "Hellblazer," this story is a must-have.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
