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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Los Bros: the early days..., September 12, 2000
Okay, first of all: by giving this only 3 stars, I am in no way dismissing Los Bros Hernandez or their remarkable overall achievement. (I hope to eventually get around to reviewing the other 14 volumes in the L&R collection.) It's completely subjective on my part. I got into L&R when Jaime and Gilbert were well into their Hoppers and Palomar worlds, respectively. To me, that's L&R. This first volume, collecting the first two issues, shows the brothers finding their way into their signature themes and styles. There's also a lot of semi-readable sci-fi stuff, mostly from Gilbert, in the form of "BEM." (I should probably go back and re-read that more carefully, just to give it another day in court.) It wasn't long before Los Bros discovered that, yes, Gary Groth was going to support their vision even if it didn't include machines and monsters. As soon as they dropped the pulpy stuff and started hanging out with their thousands (seemingly) of real-world characters, L&R truly became L&R as critics and readers knew and loved it. Still, if you're just getting into L&R, you do have to start here. If only for completeness' sake. If nothing else, it's a trip to see Los Bros' early drawing styles, especially Jaime's (he got a lot slicker as the years went on; Gilbert had a looser style to begin with and got even looser and more expressive; I enjoy both their styles equally). Plus, you do get to meet fan favorites Maggie and Hopey (Jaime) and Luba (Gilbert) here for the first time. I'm just not all that interested in the "Mechanics" stuff (Rand Race was probably the least interesting character Jaime ever put to paper) or Gilbert's "Heavy Metal"-influenced stuff, and I'm definitely one of those readers who thought Maggie got about 1,000 times cooler when she put on weight in the later comics. But that's just my opinion...I could be wrong.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
rough start, July 25, 2010
L+R, as an initial whole, is probably one of the most secure and entertaining worlds created for comics. The Bros Hernandez didn't fully find their voice until a few years in, so L+R vol. 1 sort of seems like practice. Their ambition even exceeds the depth of their story-telling abilities, as they jam-pack plot and dialogue to hyper-extensive proportions. When L+R hits its laid back mode a couple volumes down, things really get interesting. For what it is, it's even hard for me to give L+R vol. 1 four stars. I think I just give an extra star for the world The Hernandez Bros create in this volume, which leads to some of the greatest stories and characters modern fiction has birthed. Still good, but not that good.
writing: [6/10]
art: [9/10]
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pure wacky, graphic novel bliss..., August 19, 2006
I got out - way out - of comic books several years before the debut of the Hernandez Bros. Love and Rockets books, but a friend of mine kept shoving the series under my nose, time after time. His persistence finally paid off; eventually, after a stategic, last-ditch attempt with a Christmas gift (thanks Brett!), I finally took notice.
I'm dang glad that I did. L&R couldn't rekindle my love affair with comics and draw me back into wanting to work in the medium, like I think my friend hoped, but the series did impress me. The Hernandez Bros. took the comic book in an entirely different direction than the medium had ever gone (even in the independents and graphic novels), and the Bros. and their work just got better with time. Music for Mechanics (Complete Love and Rockets, Book 1) Vol. 1 is the must see starting point for those just experiencing Los Bros. Hernandez' work.
Although I liked Gilbert's stuff well enough, my personal favorites here are the Mechanics stories by Jaime. I still dig his Dan DeCarlo/Archie's comics inspired drawing and the punk-rock madness of Maggie and her sci-fi exploits. Gilbert's artwork got a little too bizarre for my tastes. Or maybe it was due to my fond memories of Betty and Veronica... I don't know.
Hard to believe it's been more than two decades since I opened that Christmas gift, and I'm glad to say that, so far, Love and Rockets has weathered time's test. If you're new to the crew, I hope you enjoy your introduction. Have fun - the ride just gets better from here.
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