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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An impressive artistic vision, January 15, 2007
This review is from: Robotika (Hardcover)
[4.5 stars, actually] Alex Sheikman has crafted a visually stunning (props to Joel Chua for his outstanding color work) sci-fi spaghetti western that ultimately serves as an entertaining and thought-provoking introduction to three very intriguing characters -- the silent swordsman (samurai? ronin?) Niko; the enigmatic Cherokee Geisha; and the two-gun toting, cybernetic eye-having Bronski -- and an equally intriguing "far future" where technology has run amok.
The four collected issues tell two separate but connected stories, both centering on Niko, while offering a peek at a much larger world that is tantalizingly full of storytelling potential. There are two backup stories included that add some depth to Cherokee Geisha and Bronski's characters, and the Steampunk Samurai Sketchbook offers a look at Sheikman's amazing pencil work.
This is an absolutely beautiful hardcover edition -- Archaia Studios Press clearly doesn't know how to roll any other way -- and Robotika is very different from anything I've ever read, an impressive artistic vision that mixes several familiar elements into something very unique. It is, I daresay, an ambitious masterpiece -- not without its flaws, but impressive, nevertheless -- and highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful art, a fantastic science-fiction action story, October 10, 2007
This review is from: Robotika (Hardcover)
Equally influenced by the genres of the wandering samurai and the cyberpunk future, Robotika is an action-packed vision of a far-flung future and an honorable ronin trying to make his way in it.
Sheikman's artwork features the imaginative panel layouts and design touches of JH Williams III's Promethea, the over-the-top violence of Geoff Darrow's Shaolin Cowboy, the clean line and clear storytelling of Matt Wagner's Grendel and the almost photo-realistic faces of Tony Harris's Ex Machina. Artists this good aren't supposed to just appear out of nowhere, but that seems to be what Sheikman has done, as this book is one of the best-looking comics I've seen in quite a while.
The world of Robotika is a neat genre blend, featuring not only the techno-fetishism of a cybernetic future full of bio-engineering but the elegant details of Japanese culture, an influence most notable in the clothing, art and some of the architecture. The book is filled with such bizarre and intriguing ideas as cyber-nannies turned Amazonian style warriors, mixes of man and machine gone feral, demonic-looking cyborgs guarding a high mountain temple and the like.
In terms of the writing, the book is also a fusion of a variety of ideas and influences. Sheikman takes his characters across the wilds of his created universe as well as into the rarified air of high society. In addition to cybernetic creations battling one another, there are fantastic, almost magical elements, and the technology of Robotika has clearly advanced to the point where it can seem like magic.
With gorgeous art, strange and wonderful ideas and the beautiful production values of Archaia Studios Press, Robotika is definitely worth a look. It's especially worthwhile for fans of dreamy dystopian visions like Matt Wagner's Grendel or Moebius's Airtight Garage.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intersting fusion of the American Western and European sensibilities, January 30, 2010
This review is from: Robotika (Hardcover)
First, about the art. It's gorgeous. I see a bit of Dave Johnson (100 Bullets) in it, a bit of Tony Harris (Ex Machina), and as one of the contributers to the forward mentioned, a bit of Alphonse Mucha in the coloring. It's a lovely book. This shows what happens when an artist (quite competently!) writes a book at his own pace; each page can be a frame-worthy gem on its own. There's pages in this that are show-stoppers.
Secondly, the story. For me, this book peaks too early, with the end of the second issue (or chapter) while it goes on for two more issues after that. Our protagonist Niko, a mute futuristic samurai, is dispatched by his queen to retrieve the first true artificial lifeform. This takes up the first two issue, and the search ends with a denouement that is just plain shocking. (Mobius would love it!) An absolutely great moment. Unfortunately, it's impossible to match that high point in the next two issues, which see Niko leaving the queen's service and hiring out as bodyguard for some pilgrims going to a dangerous holy site. While the last two issues are anticlimactic, they do leave you wanting more. Niko and his world are fascinating, a place not too distant in the future when mechanical implants are both marvelous and repellent, sometimes at the same time.
I kicked a full star off this review for the lettering on Niko's sidekick, the Cherokee Geisha, a tough punk ninja chick. The lettering for her speech is horizontal instead of vertical, which makes reading her captions a real chore. It's "cute" but unnecessarily distracting.
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