The Nobody takes H.G. Wells's timeless character of "The Invisible Man" and brings him into a modern small town, using him as a cipher to explore themes of identity, fear and paranoia, and how they can turn a small community in on itself and destroy even the most pure of friendships.
The Nobody takes H.G. Wells's timeless character of "The Invisible Man" and brings him into a modern small town, using him as a cipher to explore themes of identity, fear and paranoia, and how they can turn a small community in on itself and destroy even the most pure of friendships.
Enjoyed it, but not quite as much as his Essex County books. Since I think the Essex County series is brilliant, that is in no way a slam of this book. Nice pulp quality to it. Definitely a page turner, and yet still has the wonderfully spare artwork.
Enjoyed it, but not quite as much as his Essex County books. Since I think the Essex County series is brilliant, that is in no way a slam of this book. Nice pulp quality to it. Definitely a page turner, and yet still has the wonderfully spare artwork.
I am currently still digesting Jeff Lemire's "The Nobody". It is so overwhelming beautiful in its artistry and simplicity. The art work is breathtaking. Simply some of the best drawing out there right now. The use of the blue coloring adds to the overall impact of this graphic novel, lending itself to the isolation apparent in the story. I still can't stop seeing the images in my head. The panel work is gorgeous, some of them being split panels with one scene depicted inside the multiple panels. Those are my favorites. I first saw this done to amazing effect in Alex Robinson's "Too Cool To Be Forgotten" and LOVED it. Jeff Lemire adds his own twist to this type of panel work and creates some hauntingly beautiful scenes. The use of a cover page to separate each section of the book is another nice touch, giving it a very nostalgic …
I am currently still digesting Jeff Lemire's "The Nobody". It is so overwhelming beautiful in its artistry and simplicity. The art work is breathtaking. Simply some of the best drawing out there right now. The use of the blue coloring adds to the overall impact of this graphic novel, lending itself to the isolation apparent in the story. I still can't stop seeing the images in my head. The panel work is gorgeous, some of them being split panels with one scene depicted inside the multiple panels. Those are my favorites. I first saw this done to amazing effect in Alex Robinson's "Too Cool To Be Forgotten" and LOVED it. Jeff Lemire adds his own twist to this type of panel work and creates some hauntingly beautiful scenes. The use of a cover page to separate each section of the book is another nice touch, giving it a very nostalgic feel and further connecting readers to their comic book roots.
One thing missing? Page numbers. I wrote another review recently of another graphic novel that did not have page numbers, etc. The saving grace for me with the lack of page numbers for my OCD brain in this book is the quality of drawing and the fact that the art work was not similar between each panel and page. Jeff Lemire's art work makes you want to turn the pages back and forth from one scene to the next, so I was able to keep track of where I was in the story, and even if I had to re-read a page, it gave me another opportunity to dwell over the artwork.
Ok, I think I've talked enough about the art. How was the story? Personally, I thought the story was great! I know there have been other reviews that said that there was a lack of story or build up. I disagree. I think that Lemire is able to tell a story in his images, so he does not need to provide as much text. I felt that although there were unanswered questions (What caused this to happen to Greffen - what was he trying to accomplish with the experiments in the first place? Was he really invisible? Was he really John Kemp? Why did Vicki's mom leave?), I didn't really NEED the answers. I am ok still wondering. Because, ultimately, the story isn't about these questions. The story is about a man who is isolated and alone, making a single connection in a small town only to watch it be destroyed by those in the small town who are afraid of what they don't understand, leading him back to his own isolation.
