Customer Reviews

Girl Genius Volume 7: Agatha Heterodyne and the Voice of the Castle (v. 7)

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

 

 

This is one of the best comic series in print today, the art and writing are top notch. The quality of the binding and print are good and its one of those trade paperbacks you will take off the shelf and enjoy.

It seems some people have had problems with pages coming out, I have not had any trouble. I hear the artist is switching to a new publisher, in april or may 2009. Probably to address this issue.

If you are new to the series I reccomend you start from the beginning.

This volume takes a serious turn with the title character 'Girl Genius' possessed and evil plans taking root.

Elements from the last few volumes come together and things build towards a climax. The art is as lovely as ever, the humor still makes me smile and the book is still good for all-ages.

My one complaint is that the binding cracked on the first reading and pages fell out. The publisher needs to address quality control with their books.

Agatha Heterodyne is a Spark--a mad scientist--with the pedigree of not one but two dangerous families. And no sooner had she learned this than her parents were torn limb from limb aboard the airship castle of Klaus Wolfenbach. But Lilith's last words were "Get to Castle Heterodyne--it will help you." And so Agatha has returned through adventure and peril to the ancestral home of Mechanicsburg.

First, Agatha must first take a lesson in the secrets of Mechanicsburg, even as the town learns what it means to have a Heterodyne heir home at last. (Mad scientist, meet coffee shop. Coffee shop, meet mad scientist. Oops!)

While Klaus recovers from his last battle with Agatha (she dropped a chicken house on him) Klaus's son Gilgamesh has plans for Agatha. He must try to save his father, the Castle, the town, and Agatha, a job that will require every bit of training that his Machiavellian father has given him, and a few tricks of his own besides, leading Agatha to a new appreciation of this talented and devoted young man. His father has different ideas, not without reason.

And into the middle of it all strides a wildcard in pink, complete with her own airship.

The artwork, as usual, is superb. The grotesqueries of the castle, the Art Nouveau of the coffee shop, and the expressions of the characters all command attention. There are shout-outs to other web comics, as well as a reference ("poiled slurgs--fried ...") to Phil Foglio's other work. The characters are clever and well-constructed. The plot--the best part of the story--continues apace.

The Girl Genius webcomic from which these books are derived was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story of 2008.

I love this comic! The only concern is that the pages are not glued in very well.

Met the authors at Kumoricon and got this issue signed by both Foglios which only adds to the pleasure this series gives our family. Love the clanks, the colour, and the peculiar story line.

I see from other reviews that I'm not the only person who has been having problems with the pages falling out of the girl genius books. This is a truly innovative comic that would deserve 5 stars if only the publisher would improve the quality of their binding.