Customer Reviews

Public Domain

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Although I am a huge fan of Channel Zero, I was pretty disappointed in Public Domain. Although it's got some cool development information about CZ in it, this book really lacks in original artwork, and doesn't offer much in material that went unseen in the CZ books.

If you're a rampant Brian Wood fan as I am, this book is worth having in your collection, to complete it if nothing else. If you don't meet that criteria, you might want to skip this one.

There's really no concise way to explain what this book is, but it all works as a cohesive whole. In the introduction, Brian Wood basically suggests this is more of a "DVD Special Extras" package, and really, that's the analogous equivalent.

There's really not as much direct exploration of behind the scenes on the production of the Channel Zero graphic novel proper as much as it's odds and ends that led up to that book's production. This isn't a scriptbook, and really the Channel Zero project is too complex to be given away so simply.

About half of the book is a graphic exploration of production art, source photos, and sort of remixed visual ambience from the Channel Zero universe. The rest is a handful of source stories and aborted story concept pitches surrounding the Channel Zero project, including offbeat would-have-been spinoffs and similar projects.

It's a bit of a shame that there's not more related illustration work related to the Jennie 2.5 character, because the section of sketches and character designs toward the end of the book are absolutely incredible. Wood has a unique drawing style--a lot more "action-y" than many of his indie counterparts, but distinctly more flowing and wild than mainstream artists. As much credit as Wood gets for his graphic design, he's really very underrated as an illustrator, I think. In this book, he shows a very clear processional development in his drawing style that is educational to would-be illustrators and intriguing on its own.

Obviously this book is a supplement to the Channel Zero graphic novel, but it's well worth checking out Wood's other graphic novels (particularly Couscous Express, Couriers and Demo) prior to picking this one up as well, possibly. However, as a visual treat, and for anyone looking for another dose of CZ-related goodness, this book is well worth the low cover price.