The Eisner-nominated series inspired by The Odyssey is finally completed and collected. The Soldier With No Name survived years of war only to be stranded halfway across the globe when the conflict ended. Getting home means going through the hell: escaping shipwrecks, beating a vicious opponent wearing a cycloptic combat armor, and resisting the siren's call of a predatory society. Contains bonus material by artist Phil Noto.
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"Though Image puts out a ton of miniseries, this is by far one of the best they've released in ages...As an ode to a classic, as a modern war story, as a gorgeous work of art; THE INFINITE HORIZON masters it all." - Aint It Cool News
aintitcool.com/node/54698#11
"The Infinite Horizon is the kind of story that will easily join the ranks of other big comic book tales, like The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen." - Comic Booked
comicbooked.com/review-the-infinite-horizon/
"Part retelling of Homer's Odyssey, part post-apocalyptic war story, The Infinite Horizon has clearly carved out a name of its own...the series has taken on a life of its own, and the journey has surely been worth the wait." - Digital Noob
"For a new perspective on an ancient story you can't go wrong with The Infinite Horizon" - Blair Butler, Fresh Ink G4TV.com
"The bleak tale ends, like the epic that inspired it, with both triumph and hope, making for a satisfying and thought-provoking story." - Starred review from Publisher's Weekly publishersweekly.com/978-1-58240-972-6
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Keith Dennis
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had to read "The Odyssey" five times throughout my schooling career, and I read it at least two and a half times. So I appreciated the Infinite Horizon as a way to retell that story in a modern setting, but it works really well. As I read, I kept wondering how were they going to handle the suitors who hung out at Odysseus' wife's house for 10 years? How were they going to do the cyclops, the sirens, etc. The answer is that they do them all very well. My sister-in-law is a high school English teacher. I suggested that she use it as a way to make the Odyssey relevant to kids raised with smart phones.
Outside of the whole Odyssey connection, I'm a fan of so-dystopian-they're-almost-post-apocalyptic stories. This qualifies as one of those too. Long story short; it's great.
Outside of the whole Odyssey connection, I'm a fan of so-dystopian-they're-almost-post-apocalyptic stories. This qualifies as one of those too. Long story short; it's great.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Sam Damon
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a brilliant re-working of the Odyssey, told in modern times with a U.S. officer as Odysseus fighting in Syria and not Troy. The situation there goes to hell and he has to work his way back to Upstate New York to reunite with his family. The U.S. is in a semi-apocalyptic state, order has largely broken down and his farm has been occupied by his neighbors who are intent on taking his property and the vital water supply it controls.
I thought the writer and artist did a great job grabbing the reader's attention and painting the changing and evolving landscapes as the odyssey continues. Something which struck me was how at-odds a ten-year journey, i.e. an odyssey, are with the modern setting. We are used to short attention span stories where the plot is set up and the issue addressed in 60 minutes (not including commercials). Odysseus remains focused on his goal despite the loss of his friends and comrades, sustaining injuries and suffering setbacks; but you never doubt he's going to get back to New York and reap havoc. I couldn't put it down and, without wishing to spoil the ending, when he gets his revenge as only he could, I was more pumped than if I was watching the latest blockbuster at the cineplex.
My only criticism, and I fully acknowledge most people won't notice this or care, is the lack of accuracy in depicting the military hardware during the opening firefight in Syria. I'm a Soldier so I pick up on these things, but I wish the artist had taken a bit more time and researched what we're wearing these days and what MRAPs and HMMWVs look like. Like I said, that's an eye gauge and not enough to affect my rating.
All-in-all, this is what graphic novels are all about: well-written, thought-provoking, beautifully drawn and inked and unique.... Read more ›
I thought the writer and artist did a great job grabbing the reader's attention and painting the changing and evolving landscapes as the odyssey continues. Something which struck me was how at-odds a ten-year journey, i.e. an odyssey, are with the modern setting. We are used to short attention span stories where the plot is set up and the issue addressed in 60 minutes (not including commercials). Odysseus remains focused on his goal despite the loss of his friends and comrades, sustaining injuries and suffering setbacks; but you never doubt he's going to get back to New York and reap havoc. I couldn't put it down and, without wishing to spoil the ending, when he gets his revenge as only he could, I was more pumped than if I was watching the latest blockbuster at the cineplex.
My only criticism, and I fully acknowledge most people won't notice this or care, is the lack of accuracy in depicting the military hardware during the opening firefight in Syria. I'm a Soldier so I pick up on these things, but I wish the artist had taken a bit more time and researched what we're wearing these days and what MRAPs and HMMWVs look like. Like I said, that's an eye gauge and not enough to affect my rating.
All-in-all, this is what graphic novels are all about: well-written, thought-provoking, beautifully drawn and inked and unique.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I don't really want to spoil anything for any potential reader so I'll try to walk a tightrope here. (Also how great is it that the surprise is wondering how the elements you already know will be translated?)
The world building is remarkably realistic. Even for the most jaded reader, it is hard to find any fault with the logic of construction. The art is well-executed, and Noto does some very interesting things with showing the passage of time.
Most importantly of all, the comic retains the qualities of epic poetry and myth that make them timeless. It is written in a way that delivers a fairly scathing indictment of what it is like to be at the top of the food chain, yet avoids all the traps of showing a point of view through a political lens. The most compelling storytellers make us do the work. They present us stories that force us to contemplate questions. Questions that dig at our established beliefs. If we don't want to be challenged in our beliefs, we have no future. This graphic novel succeeds most heartily here.
That isn't to say we'll actually change our mind, the Captain doesn't seem to change much in his quest, though others around him do. As I reader, I was forced to change my perception of him as I read, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. I originally took his `ink under the fingernails' remark as a slight, until I realized he didn't mean it as insult, but perhaps just an assessment.
The world building is remarkably realistic. Even for the most jaded reader, it is hard to find any fault with the logic of construction. The art is well-executed, and Noto does some very interesting things with showing the passage of time.
Most importantly of all, the comic retains the qualities of epic poetry and myth that make them timeless. It is written in a way that delivers a fairly scathing indictment of what it is like to be at the top of the food chain, yet avoids all the traps of showing a point of view through a political lens. The most compelling storytellers make us do the work. They present us stories that force us to contemplate questions. Questions that dig at our established beliefs. If we don't want to be challenged in our beliefs, we have no future. This graphic novel succeeds most heartily here.
That isn't to say we'll actually change our mind, the Captain doesn't seem to change much in his quest, though others around him do. As I reader, I was forced to change my perception of him as I read, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. I originally took his `ink under the fingernails' remark as a slight, until I realized he didn't mean it as insult, but perhaps just an assessment.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this graphic novel retelling of The Odyssey, the story of how a warrior returns home from distant lands (here, Iraq rather than the Trojan War) and never gives up the desire to get back to his wife and son. I liked the way the story of his wife Penelope is interspersed with his, and I looked forward to, and was pleased by, the modern-day parallels to the adventures of Odysseus.
I hadn't read work by Gerry Duggan before, but will look for more. Phil Noto's artwork was very good, focusing more on realistic elements (though he had some good surreal work as well) and less on the gore.
I hadn't read work by Gerry Duggan before, but will look for more. Phil Noto's artwork was very good, focusing more on realistic elements (though he had some good surreal work as well) and less on the gore.
Format:Paperback
I so very much wanted to like The Infinite Horizon: Duggan and Noto are both gifted comics creators, and the notion of reinterpreting Homer's Odyssey for the post-Iraq War era is a brilliant one. Alas, I found the execution of said notion mostly unrewarding.
Noto's art, always somewhat loose (and usually more expressive for it), seems rushed in this instance. The backgrounds are scant, indistinct, and in some instances, just plain poorly drawn, while the figures are often stiff and flat. The writing is at times almost blasé: the characters have few distinguishing personality quirks or identifying characteristics. Perhaps most disappointing, The Infinite Horizon's reinterpretation of Homer's Cyclops comes off as having been wrested from some generic superhero epic, a manifestation conceptually ill-suited to this starkly realistic tale of one soldier's long, arduous attempt to leave war behind.
It's not awful; the series collected in this volume was Eisner-nominated, after all. Some scenes are quite effective, and the casual brutality of life in a warzone isn't sugarcoated, which gives the work a certain sense of authenticity. You might enjoy it more than I did (obviously, these things are almost entirely subjective, and as such your mileage may vary). This reviewer, however, found The Infinite Horizon to be, on the whole, both uninspired and uninspiring.
Given that this book is based on one of the most inspiring works of literature in human history, well...that's a rather profound disappointment.
Noto's art, always somewhat loose (and usually more expressive for it), seems rushed in this instance. The backgrounds are scant, indistinct, and in some instances, just plain poorly drawn, while the figures are often stiff and flat. The writing is at times almost blasé: the characters have few distinguishing personality quirks or identifying characteristics. Perhaps most disappointing, The Infinite Horizon's reinterpretation of Homer's Cyclops comes off as having been wrested from some generic superhero epic, a manifestation conceptually ill-suited to this starkly realistic tale of one soldier's long, arduous attempt to leave war behind.
It's not awful; the series collected in this volume was Eisner-nominated, after all. Some scenes are quite effective, and the casual brutality of life in a warzone isn't sugarcoated, which gives the work a certain sense of authenticity. You might enjoy it more than I did (obviously, these things are almost entirely subjective, and as such your mileage may vary). This reviewer, however, found The Infinite Horizon to be, on the whole, both uninspired and uninspiring.
Given that this book is based on one of the most inspiring works of literature in human history, well...that's a rather profound disappointment.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Conflicted
I really wanted to like this book. I haven't read anything by Duggan before, but I really dug Noto's work on titles like X-Force and the artwork he put up on his site. Read more
Published 9 months ago by C. Lawrence
3.0 out of 5 stars
Infinite review
This comic is a modern reinterperetation of Homer's Odyssey that places an American soldier in the role of Odysseus as he tries to return home to his wife and son. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mitch Hamilton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Odyssey...AMERICAN STYLE!
I'd like to start by simply saying the Iliad & Odyssey are two of my favorite books...EVER.
I think the Fitzgerald translation rules over the Lattimore yet the latter has the... Read more
I think the Fitzgerald translation rules over the Lattimore yet the latter has the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by rev sully
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