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Invisible Republic #1
Invisible Republic, Vol. 1
Arthur McBride's regime has fallen. His planet has been plunged into chaos, his story shrouded in mystery, until reporter Croger Babb discovers the journal of Arthur's cousin, Maia. Inside is the violent, audacious, hidden history of the legendary freedom fighter. Erased from the official record, Maia alone knows how dangerous her cousin really is, and what truly happened to bring him to power.
Collecting: Invisible Republic 1-5
Collecting: Invisible Republic 1-5
128 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
February 6, 2022
This book was a pleasant surprise. Great art by Gabriel Hardman. An intriguing story about a failed dictator's rise to power on a colonized planet.
February 9, 2017
This graphic novel is nominated for the 2016 Hugo.
It's pretty okay, especially if you like good art and fist-pumping origin stories for SF revolutions. The characters are all plot driven, split between a span of 42 years, with a reporter trying to get the truth and the cousin of the ringleader who's just trying to get by.
Like I said it's pretty okay. The art is better than the story, though. I don't have any issues with either, except that this kind of thing is pretty standard for certain types of SF. It's particularly good only in terms of how it tells its story, not the actual story.
Or at least not yet. This is just early days, so far, but nothing particularly stands out as brilliant just yet. I may change my mind later on down the road when I see what kinds of craziness develops, or even if a lot of craziness develops, but then again, I might not.
I'm honestly not quite sure why it was nominated for the Hugo, except for the subject material. I Do like generational starships and politics after settling down, but for this to mean more than just "huh, this is mildly interesting," It's going to require a full beginning, middle, and end. I've *seen* a ton of comics do just that, easily, in just five issues. Unfortunately, this is a much bigger story begging a longer and more dedicated readership.
I'm sure a lot of people will get a big kick out of this one, though, so don't take just my word for it. The art is pretty awesome.
It's pretty okay, especially if you like good art and fist-pumping origin stories for SF revolutions. The characters are all plot driven, split between a span of 42 years, with a reporter trying to get the truth and the cousin of the ringleader who's just trying to get by.
Like I said it's pretty okay. The art is better than the story, though. I don't have any issues with either, except that this kind of thing is pretty standard for certain types of SF. It's particularly good only in terms of how it tells its story, not the actual story.
Or at least not yet. This is just early days, so far, but nothing particularly stands out as brilliant just yet. I may change my mind later on down the road when I see what kinds of craziness develops, or even if a lot of craziness develops, but then again, I might not.
I'm honestly not quite sure why it was nominated for the Hugo, except for the subject material. I Do like generational starships and politics after settling down, but for this to mean more than just "huh, this is mildly interesting," It's going to require a full beginning, middle, and end. I've *seen* a ton of comics do just that, easily, in just five issues. Unfortunately, this is a much bigger story begging a longer and more dedicated readership.
I'm sure a lot of people will get a big kick out of this one, though, so don't take just my word for it. The art is pretty awesome.
January 29, 2016
In the 29th century, Earth is a distant memory. The human race has left (been forced to leave?) the planet and terraformed moons and created space stations to live on. In the dying days of a regime, Croger Babb, a reporter, stumbles across the journal of a woman called Maia Reveron written 42 years previously. She’s the forgotten cousin of the rebel leader Arthur McBride whose entries reveal a dark side to the adulated man.
Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman’s comic is great looking with a strong premise but it’s very underwritten. The setup is rushed through, vague and sloppy – “the Malory regime” has ended, though it’s unclear who that is or what that means. There are posters of an older Arthur McBride (who, conveniently, hasn’t changed his look in over four decades) – but what does that mean? Was he the Malory regime or is he the new regime? Why does the future suck so hard – why’s there no food but an abundance of spaceships? How did seemingly every regime become militant - what happened to democracy?
Croger, also conveniently, stumbles across Maia’s journal in an alleyway – but what kind of journal is made up of loose-leaf A4 papers? Who writes journals that way? And anyway aren’t journals bound books? How did a pile of top secret A4 papers written decades ago wind up in an alleyway for anyone to find?
In the journal we discover that McBride murdered a couple of soldiers 42 years ago but I don’t think anybody knew he did. So why is this such incendiary information for the reporter – will people react poorly to discover their beloved leader done killed a couple of enemy soldiers? Surely they’d be pleased? Or, if he’s the recently deposed tyrant, why would two deaths decades ago be important now?
The story jumps from the present with Croger, who’s being hunted for no reason for the journal, to the past where Maia and Arthur are trying to escape detection for the murders Arthur committed. Neither are that interesting – Croger’s less so largely because it’s unclear what the stakes are, and Maia/Arthur’s because there’s little context. Who are the oppressors they’re rebelling against? What are all these wars about? Then Maia becomes a beekeeper, which is always thrilling to read(!).
But even though we follow these characters for the entire book, I never felt like I got to know them or even cared about what they were doing even if I knew what the point of it all was. Bechko/Hardman aren’t good enough writers to create an emotional connection between their story and the reader. What’s worse is that this is an interesting premise and McBride is a compelling and mysterious character. I do want to learn more about him and this future human society and how things came to pass, but this team don’t deliver on the promise of the material.
Hardman is a very talented illustrator though and the art throughout is excellent. I can see why Christopher Nolan used him as his storyboard artist on Inception and Interstellar as more than a few sequences in the comic had a cinematic feel to them and the spaceship designs looked amazing. Hardman’s work is always impressive whether in his dog book, Kinski, or in his Wonder Woman issue from Sensation Comics, the guy can draw everything so well!
But the sci-fi flavour, both in look and in the story, is background detail only. Invisible Republic is a political thriller that just happens to be set in the future with spaceships whizzing about. Except the politics is unfathomable, the thriller is generic and confused, and the characters are one-dimensional creations. Maybe this is just the scene-setting first chapter and the next book(s?) will flesh out this world, but I’ve yet to be wowed by Hardman’s writing in the same way as his art. Invisible Republic is an unimpressive, but visually superb, read with the potential to become something good.
Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman’s comic is great looking with a strong premise but it’s very underwritten. The setup is rushed through, vague and sloppy – “the Malory regime” has ended, though it’s unclear who that is or what that means. There are posters of an older Arthur McBride (who, conveniently, hasn’t changed his look in over four decades) – but what does that mean? Was he the Malory regime or is he the new regime? Why does the future suck so hard – why’s there no food but an abundance of spaceships? How did seemingly every regime become militant - what happened to democracy?
Croger, also conveniently, stumbles across Maia’s journal in an alleyway – but what kind of journal is made up of loose-leaf A4 papers? Who writes journals that way? And anyway aren’t journals bound books? How did a pile of top secret A4 papers written decades ago wind up in an alleyway for anyone to find?
In the journal we discover that McBride murdered a couple of soldiers 42 years ago but I don’t think anybody knew he did. So why is this such incendiary information for the reporter – will people react poorly to discover their beloved leader done killed a couple of enemy soldiers? Surely they’d be pleased? Or, if he’s the recently deposed tyrant, why would two deaths decades ago be important now?
The story jumps from the present with Croger, who’s being hunted for no reason for the journal, to the past where Maia and Arthur are trying to escape detection for the murders Arthur committed. Neither are that interesting – Croger’s less so largely because it’s unclear what the stakes are, and Maia/Arthur’s because there’s little context. Who are the oppressors they’re rebelling against? What are all these wars about? Then Maia becomes a beekeeper, which is always thrilling to read(!).
But even though we follow these characters for the entire book, I never felt like I got to know them or even cared about what they were doing even if I knew what the point of it all was. Bechko/Hardman aren’t good enough writers to create an emotional connection between their story and the reader. What’s worse is that this is an interesting premise and McBride is a compelling and mysterious character. I do want to learn more about him and this future human society and how things came to pass, but this team don’t deliver on the promise of the material.
Hardman is a very talented illustrator though and the art throughout is excellent. I can see why Christopher Nolan used him as his storyboard artist on Inception and Interstellar as more than a few sequences in the comic had a cinematic feel to them and the spaceship designs looked amazing. Hardman’s work is always impressive whether in his dog book, Kinski, or in his Wonder Woman issue from Sensation Comics, the guy can draw everything so well!
But the sci-fi flavour, both in look and in the story, is background detail only. Invisible Republic is a political thriller that just happens to be set in the future with spaceships whizzing about. Except the politics is unfathomable, the thriller is generic and confused, and the characters are one-dimensional creations. Maybe this is just the scene-setting first chapter and the next book(s?) will flesh out this world, but I’ve yet to be wowed by Hardman’s writing in the same way as his art. Invisible Republic is an unimpressive, but visually superb, read with the potential to become something good.
January 3, 2016
Kao što je vidljivo u poslednje vreme istražujem stripove i grafičke novele :D
"Invisible Republic" je interesantna grafička novela koja ima atmosferu romana "Dispossessed" (koji, pogađate, obožavam), a na momente i "Blade Runnera"...
Priča je intrigantna, a artwork odličan. Postoji mnogo potencijala i pitanje je da li će se taj potencijal iskoristiti do kraja.
Stabilna četvorka, i čekam sledeće nastavke...
"Invisible Republic" je interesantna grafička novela koja ima atmosferu romana "Dispossessed" (koji, pogađate, obožavam), a na momente i "Blade Runnera"...
Priča je intrigantna, a artwork odličan. Postoji mnogo potencijala i pitanje je da li će se taj potencijal iskoristiti do kraja.
Stabilna četvorka, i čekam sledeće nastavke...
November 7, 2015
3.5 Stars
On a distant moon a beaten journalist discovers some apparently hidden truth about the government which just collapsed. The sci-fi aspect is definitely not the point of the story, the investigative thriller is.
Well, it seems like a good story but this 1st arc tells too few to forge myself a final decision. It still can either develop as a real page-turner or turn into a failed soufflé. My bets are on the former but still. Let's say that for now I'm really intrigued but not hooked yet. I reckon the question will be decided next arc.
Art is good anyway. Good storytelling, scratchy-realist but not so much it's illegible. Nice colors from Jordan Boyt, rainy grays when the action is now, very Blade Runner/Seven like, more pastels, oranges and greens when the action takes place 40 years before.
I will definitely try vol.2.
On a distant moon a beaten journalist discovers some apparently hidden truth about the government which just collapsed. The sci-fi aspect is definitely not the point of the story, the investigative thriller is.
Well, it seems like a good story but this 1st arc tells too few to forge myself a final decision. It still can either develop as a real page-turner or turn into a failed soufflé. My bets are on the former but still. Let's say that for now I'm really intrigued but not hooked yet. I reckon the question will be decided next arc.
Art is good anyway. Good storytelling, scratchy-realist but not so much it's illegible. Nice colors from Jordan Boyt, rainy grays when the action is now, very Blade Runner/Seven like, more pastels, oranges and greens when the action takes place 40 years before.
I will definitely try vol.2.
December 28, 2019
4.5 stars.
Reread: December 27, 2019
This has got to be my favourite graphic novel series. I really wish it weren’t on a break after the third volume 😔
First read: November 16, 2017
This was amazing!
I had picked it up on a whim at the public library a few weeks ago, in an attempt to beat my reading slump. I finally got around to it, and I really loved it!
The story was really solid, the artwork incredible. Felt a little bored during the reporter’s parts, though. (That’s why 4.5 instead of 5 stars).
Most of all, I loved how things came together towards the end!
I haven’t read such an excellent graphic novel in a long time, and I can’t wait to start the second volume 😃
Reread: December 27, 2019
This has got to be my favourite graphic novel series. I really wish it weren’t on a break after the third volume 😔
First read: November 16, 2017
This was amazing!
I had picked it up on a whim at the public library a few weeks ago, in an attempt to beat my reading slump. I finally got around to it, and I really loved it!
The story was really solid, the artwork incredible. Felt a little bored during the reporter’s parts, though. (That’s why 4.5 instead of 5 stars).
Most of all, I loved how things came together towards the end!
I haven’t read such an excellent graphic novel in a long time, and I can’t wait to start the second volume 😃
August 7, 2015
Sometimes you just want a dark, gritty, sci-fi themed kinda story. You know the kind - nothing good happens, things are bleak, and life on an alien planet is kinda the shits.
Let's throw some politics into the mix as well, shall we.
Oh - and let's make this one of those stories that have already ended - but we're gonna work our way through it all anyways.
This is what Invisible Republic more or less is.
But even with all of those tropes - I have to admit that the characters are interesting, and I care about where things are headed. It can be so easy to lose yourself (as a creator) in what could easily become a paint by numbers kind of story.
Luckily, for us, it feels like Gabriel Hardman does indeed know where he is going, and the route that he is taking to get there is a pretty darned good one.
So bring on the Rebellion! I'm interested!
Vive la...strange-alien-planet-people that just want to live a better life and not get shit on by people that are richer than they are!
Let's throw some politics into the mix as well, shall we.
Oh - and let's make this one of those stories that have already ended - but we're gonna work our way through it all anyways.
This is what Invisible Republic more or less is.
But even with all of those tropes - I have to admit that the characters are interesting, and I care about where things are headed. It can be so easy to lose yourself (as a creator) in what could easily become a paint by numbers kind of story.
Luckily, for us, it feels like Gabriel Hardman does indeed know where he is going, and the route that he is taking to get there is a pretty darned good one.
So bring on the Rebellion! I'm interested!
Vive la...strange-alien-planet-people that just want to live a better life and not get shit on by people that are richer than they are!
December 27, 2019
People explored space and created colonies. But not everything is ideal, new worlds are struggling with various problems. Some of them are controled by armies answering to no one, on some there are revolutions or wars. Story takes place in one of them, dictator regime has fallen, people are starwing and fighing for rations. Burnt out journalist just found journall of cousing of the former dicatator, revealing some evenst leading to his rise and putting some thing in different perspective. But not everybody is happy that deamons from the past are brpught to the light. First five issues are well written, switching between past and present, slowly revealing parts of the story. You don't realn much, but they serve as good set up of the world and introduction of characters. Art is rough and dark, suiting the atmospehere of the unhospitable space colony.
November 23, 2015
There's always more to the story, especially when it comes to politics. Here, a journalist discovers a story belonging to a woman named Maia, who turns out to be related to Arthur MacBride, the recently deposed despot who led the rebellion to overthrow the previous government. Is he the great leader everyone believes him to be? Maybe, maybe not, but he certainly knows how to manipulate the truth to further his cause. And it becomes obvious that having that truth revealed is not necessarily good for the journalism business.
This is a gritty future, made even grittier by the jagged lines and muted colours of the artwork. It's a slowburn story where you already know the end of the story, but are caught up in the mystery of finding out how everyone got there, what is true, and what is political propaganda. Basically, real life.
www.bibliosanctum.com
This is a gritty future, made even grittier by the jagged lines and muted colours of the artwork. It's a slowburn story where you already know the end of the story, but are caught up in the mystery of finding out how everyone got there, what is true, and what is political propaganda. Basically, real life.
www.bibliosanctum.com
March 2, 2017
it seems like a good story but this 1st arc tells too few to forge myself a final decision. It still can either develop as a real page-turner or turn into a failed soufflé. My bets are on the former but still. Let's say that for now I'm really intrigued but not hooked yet. I reckon the question will be decided next arc.
Art is good anyway. Good storytelling, scratchy-realist but not so much it's illegible. Nice colors from Jordan Boyt, rainy grays when the action is now, very Blade Runner/Seven like, more pastels, oranges and greens when the action takes place 40 years before.
I will definitely try vol.2.
Art is good anyway. Good storytelling, scratchy-realist but not so much it's illegible. Nice colors from Jordan Boyt, rainy grays when the action is now, very Blade Runner/Seven like, more pastels, oranges and greens when the action takes place 40 years before.
I will definitely try vol.2.
January 18, 2016
Why I read it: First off, I love Image Comics. I try to read their stuff every chance I get. Second, the dark and gritty art really pulled me in.
What I thought: I’m glad I read this as a trade. It’s slow paced and I think that if I’d just gotten a single issue that I would have read it and been done. The pacing doesn’t have the same problem in the trade. What I mean by that is it has steady build up to where the first TPB leaves you hanging. It leaves you wanting more. It’s still slow, yet manageable.
Even after one volume, it’s hard to figure out who the story is truly about. Is it about Maia Reveron, the cousin to the Arthur McBride? Or is it going she going to be the vehicle in which Arthur’s story is honestly told with no lies or omissions.
In a world very different from our own, Maia is relatable. I could see myself making the same decisions. I would steal if I absolutely needed to. Given the chance to redeem myself through hard work, I would. I would sacrifice my own wants and needs to protect the people who aided me. But Maia’s drive for freedom? Most everyone would fight and do things they didn’t believe in just to keep freedom, especially in a world where it’s so scarce.
Arthur McBride is a cut throat in a politician’s body. We learn less about him than Maia in this book but we learn that in private he’s willing to do anything, including kill people, to either survive or promote himself in some way. In public, he’s willing to spin the terrible things he’s done into something that was for the welfare of himself or others but never touches the truth.
The reporters who are finding out all this history and reporting on the infamous Arthur McBride are mostly annoying and do little to contribute other than narrating the story in some sense.
The art was very fitting to the story. It set the tone of a dark story that needs to unfold rather than just being told.
VERDICT:
It’s worth picking up. Image trades are cheap and I think a lot of people who like dark mysteries will enjoy this. If you’re wanting something fast paced I would sit this one out.
What I thought: I’m glad I read this as a trade. It’s slow paced and I think that if I’d just gotten a single issue that I would have read it and been done. The pacing doesn’t have the same problem in the trade. What I mean by that is it has steady build up to where the first TPB leaves you hanging. It leaves you wanting more. It’s still slow, yet manageable.
Even after one volume, it’s hard to figure out who the story is truly about. Is it about Maia Reveron, the cousin to the Arthur McBride? Or is it going she going to be the vehicle in which Arthur’s story is honestly told with no lies or omissions.
In a world very different from our own, Maia is relatable. I could see myself making the same decisions. I would steal if I absolutely needed to. Given the chance to redeem myself through hard work, I would. I would sacrifice my own wants and needs to protect the people who aided me. But Maia’s drive for freedom? Most everyone would fight and do things they didn’t believe in just to keep freedom, especially in a world where it’s so scarce.
Arthur McBride is a cut throat in a politician’s body. We learn less about him than Maia in this book but we learn that in private he’s willing to do anything, including kill people, to either survive or promote himself in some way. In public, he’s willing to spin the terrible things he’s done into something that was for the welfare of himself or others but never touches the truth.
The reporters who are finding out all this history and reporting on the infamous Arthur McBride are mostly annoying and do little to contribute other than narrating the story in some sense.
The art was very fitting to the story. It set the tone of a dark story that needs to unfold rather than just being told.
VERDICT:
It’s worth picking up. Image trades are cheap and I think a lot of people who like dark mysteries will enjoy this. If you’re wanting something fast paced I would sit this one out.
June 9, 2016
There's something about Invisible Republic that makes me feel like it was produced in the wrong medium. Nominated for a Hugo, it's clearly written with a mind towards more profound depths, but the pacing of the story just hints at the direction and scope before dropping the reader at an unsatisfying cliffhanger.
I wanted very much to like it, but with a pallet that felt arbitrarily limited, a story that felt lacking, and a plot that never really seemed to arrive, I finished Invisible Republic feeling more frustrated than excited. There is potential here--but the potential, even for an installment in a series, is unrealized. Without reason to sympathize with either the characters or place, the reader is left to wonder who they should be cheering, or even mourning. It takes the order to "cut to the chase" and cuts completely past it to the aftermath. Perhaps future installments of the story will pull the threads of story together, but in comparison to past Hugo nominees and winners in this category, Invisible Republic feels like a stunted effort.
I wanted very much to like it, but with a pallet that felt arbitrarily limited, a story that felt lacking, and a plot that never really seemed to arrive, I finished Invisible Republic feeling more frustrated than excited. There is potential here--but the potential, even for an installment in a series, is unrealized. Without reason to sympathize with either the characters or place, the reader is left to wonder who they should be cheering, or even mourning. It takes the order to "cut to the chase" and cuts completely past it to the aftermath. Perhaps future installments of the story will pull the threads of story together, but in comparison to past Hugo nominees and winners in this category, Invisible Republic feels like a stunted effort.
September 3, 2015
Very promising start to a series. Reads like the comic adaptation of a novel - it's layered, conceptually sophisticated, and doesn't hold the reader's hand at all. Mystery on mystery drive the plot, as the series starts not long after the fall of a regime, with a writer delving into the secrets of how it started. Running in two time frames - the other tells the story of the regime's beginning.
A use of muted colors differentiates between the timelines, and there's just a ton of visual worldbuilding going on in the series. Definitely recommended for SF fans.
A use of muted colors differentiates between the timelines, and there's just a ton of visual worldbuilding going on in the series. Definitely recommended for SF fans.
September 13, 2015
A wonderful series, and a very solid first volume. This is one of the best series currently coming out of Image. We recently talked with Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko for the podcast, and that episode should go up on Monday (9/14/15).
September 4, 2015
I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.
This series is about a woman named Maia, and her cousin Arthur McBride, who are living in a futuristic world that is nothing like what we currently see the world to be. There are a lot of politics involved in the plot, and at times I found this a bit too much and so I often found my interest wavering. I found the characters interesting, but I didn't find them engaging, nor did I care what happened to them at any point, with the exception of Maia, who I did grow a slight attachment for.
I expected a bit more plot and intrigue from this series, instead I got politics, politics and even more politics. I found the art style to be of my liking, though none of the pages stood out as being stunning to me. The pace was relatively steady, not rushing through anything, but at the same time not dragging. I'd say my biggest problem with the Invisible Republic, was that it was just very average. I'm unsure if I will continue the series or not, I did enjoy this edition, but it left me feeling a little disappointed. Perhaps future editions will do more world building and character development, and less politics. If that were to be the case then I would definitely read on, so for now I'm leaving continuing the series as a maybe.
This series is about a woman named Maia, and her cousin Arthur McBride, who are living in a futuristic world that is nothing like what we currently see the world to be. There are a lot of politics involved in the plot, and at times I found this a bit too much and so I often found my interest wavering. I found the characters interesting, but I didn't find them engaging, nor did I care what happened to them at any point, with the exception of Maia, who I did grow a slight attachment for.
I expected a bit more plot and intrigue from this series, instead I got politics, politics and even more politics. I found the art style to be of my liking, though none of the pages stood out as being stunning to me. The pace was relatively steady, not rushing through anything, but at the same time not dragging. I'd say my biggest problem with the Invisible Republic, was that it was just very average. I'm unsure if I will continue the series or not, I did enjoy this edition, but it left me feeling a little disappointed. Perhaps future editions will do more world building and character development, and less politics. If that were to be the case then I would definitely read on, so for now I'm leaving continuing the series as a maybe.
November 8, 2016
There are a lot of solid elements here, from art to characters to dialogue. But the story seems to lack any sort of stakes for me. This literally sets itself up as the secret story behind the rise of a recently deposed local strongman on a backwater moon far from Earth in the distant future. Sorry to be provincial, but that's like coming across a four-page secondary feature in the middle of a news magazine about the history of a small country on a distant continent. Everything is very important to the people who live there and the journalist who has immersed himself in the story, but chances are, if I'm pressed for time, I'll probably skip it. Best case scenario, I might skim the first dozen paragraphs and chide myself lightly for not caring enough. Consider me chided.
June 11, 2016
Honestly, I wasn't sure at all what to expect with this. I came into this series after reading, and enjoying enormously, the Planet of the Apes series by this creative team. This is filled with some interesting social commentary and lots of political intrigue. The characters are well developed, with multiple layers and have lots of growth potential. While there is a lot of introduction to the world, the focus is on the characters and not the minutiae of the background. Which is a fault that many inexperienced authors fall into, not so here. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the next volume.
March 22, 2016
While this book has a sci-fi setting, it is a political thriller first of all. The main character is a reporter who has stumbled on a story, the story of the cousin of the recently deposed (?) dictator of a moon. The story contains some unsavory criminal details about the once leader. But what does it all mean and who is trying to cover things up?
An interesting start to the series but a slower burn/less action than most other books in the graphic sci-fi genre.
An interesting start to the series but a slower burn/less action than most other books in the graphic sci-fi genre.
May 15, 2016
I don't know how this story manages to feel both solidly in the future but still redolent of the revolutions and uprisings of history. I love the conflicting narratives, the back and forth of media and politics and memoir.
July 26, 2016
I guess it is fine? The artwork is nice, the plot is ok, but I doubt I would pick the next volume up.
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November 20, 2020Centuries in the future, a journalist on a moon whose regime has just fallen finds a new window on the former ruler's background. The story is insightful on how a petty crook can become a hero of liberation and then a tyrant, even if the threats the journalist faces again fall into that new problem for stories like this, now we've seen that exposing the truth doesn't change anything. For the British reader, it's maybe a bigger stumbling block that the moon, Avalon, was formerly known as Maidstone (and its sister moon is Kent!), but then the reminder of that Leave-voting lorry park helps to emphasise the degree to which this world of poverty and shortages, resentment and despair, is pretty much how I expect Brexit Britain to look: at one point a (different) reporter describes a scene as "Equal parts squalid and tragic, as civilians who have already endured so much are forced to fight for meager rations donated by a distant government that barely understands their needs. The result is yet another riot over what many would consider scraps." Yep, sounds like 2021, except for the bit where the government even does that much - food supply isn't their responsibility, remember? The art, and especially the weary, grubby colour palette, is also a big part of the effect, making it all the more amusing when colourist Jordan Boyd's bio claims he nearly flunked kindergarten for excessive use of the black crayon.
January 23, 2018
Set on a distant terraformed moon, this feels like it's aiming for a kind of 70s thriller, Three Days of the Condor, vibe. The story jumps back and forth across forty years, as we first meet runaway indentured farmer Arthur McBride, and then leap forward to the downfall of the revolutionary regime he created. In this later period, freelance reporter Croger Bobb stumbles across (in the most ridiculous way), the journal of McBride's cousin, who has been redacted from history. In flashbacks we follow McBride and the cousin in their early days on the run, while the reporter tries to understand the true story of the origin of the revolution. Each period has it's own distinctive look and feel, but while the artwork is gritty and immersive, the story isn't. I struggled to find much of narrative interest to care about, and the pace is hardly propelling. Now that I've read the first third of the story, I'll probably read the next two volumes to see how it all plays out, but I can't say I really recommend this to anyone.
October 7, 2017
Breaking Bad meets Blade Runner dice la Sinopsis y vos te tiras de cabeza. Lo cierto es que no defrauda. Comienzo prometedor, cliffhanger muy bueno al final.
September 15, 2015
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Invisible Republic is an intriguing, literary-minded science fiction graphic novel that begins small but builds in size and momentum as the plot progresses. So although the POVs initially seem quite diverse/happening across large swaths of time, slowly and assuredly they begin to converge by the end of this first volume (which has a definitive story arc). But the focus of this future-noir is on the people; author Hardman builds characters that are extremely flawed but also brilliantly ambitious in their own ways. It is in their weaknesses that they fall and their strengths that they succeed - perhaps not always for the greater good.Story: In a planet/moon on a far reaching system, a somewhat down-on-his-luck reporter stumbles across a manuscript written by a woman with ties to a Che-Guevara type revolutionary. What he discovers is an explosive tell-all that could shed new light on the planet/moon's tumultuous history. But there are those who do not want to see a memoir published of this woman who seemingly has been erased from history. Politics and double crossing will soon hound the reporter as he attempts to make his career on his explosive find. At the same time, the story of the woman, cousin to the revolutionary, slowly unfolds in the past.
We're given two main POVs: reporter Babb and cousin to fiery revolutionary McBride, Maia Reveron. Her witness to actual events, many of which were dramatically changed to favor revolutionary McBride, are quite revelatory to Babb. And while he begins to track down more information of the mysterious McBride cousin that no one has heard of, his life is soon put in danger. He's not sure who is after him and the memoirs - or why - but his flight and then Maia's reminisces are the basis of Invisible Republic.
The art is suitably detailed and expressive, with Maia's POV colored in oranges/reds and Babb's in blues/greens. Ironically, those choices make the present time of Babb seen far more depressing and Dickensian (which is very much the feel of Avalon) than Maia's warmer past. The art is quite straightforward and very Bladerunner in feel - a very run down, dirty, and demoralizing metropolis of the future.
Although the pace is languid (Babb's researching is counterpointed by Maia trying to start life over as a bee keeper and keep running from her cousin and the past), it is steady. As more and more truths come out and author Hardman carefully adds reveals about both the past and the present, the plot intrigues. It may seem confusing at first but clearly there is a big picture we're building toward in future volumes.
In all, I enjoy Invisible Republic. It feels very much like a literary sci fi piece - intelligent, restrained, and with a very interesting build toward a surprising future. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
June 18, 2018
Enjoyable. Better than I expected. I’ll keep reading ; I think I’ll read the next one. Probably I think I will read the next one. Pretty sure.
February 16, 2017
Picked this up on a whim and I'm glad I did. I'm soundly impressed.
So I will get this out of the way - it's not a terribly unique story. That being said, it's not derivitive either. And even the familiar elements are very well done.
As a whole, this is a dark, gritty political sci-fi investigative thriller. The story is well-told, complex, and engaging. The art is great and fits the tone perfectly. All in all, no complaints. I enjoyed it a lot.
So I will get this out of the way - it's not a terribly unique story. That being said, it's not derivitive either. And even the familiar elements are very well done.
As a whole, this is a dark, gritty political sci-fi investigative thriller. The story is well-told, complex, and engaging. The art is great and fits the tone perfectly. All in all, no complaints. I enjoyed it a lot.
June 1, 2019
Journalist Croger Babb is investigating a story of the past that nobody wants to talk about. His big break comes when he stumbles upon the memoirs of Maia Reveron, the cousin of the leader of the now-fallen Mallory regime. The memoirs tell the story of his early days and how he took over Avalon. At this point Croger is outright hunted to cover the story up .
Over 40 years before, Arthur and Maia just left the farm when a trio of soldiers approach and try to conscript them. They respond violently, though Maia does so reluctantly and leaves one of the soldiers alive. The soldier is then seen on the news, giving Arthur's description, but not Maia's. Arthur is angry with Maia, but draws the police to himself and the two are separated.
Over 40 years before, Arthur and Maia just left the farm when a trio of soldiers approach and try to conscript them. They respond violently, though Maia does so reluctantly and leaves one of the soldiers alive. The soldier is then seen on the news, giving Arthur's description, but not Maia's. Arthur is angry with Maia, but draws the police to himself and the two are separated.
January 5, 2018
Political science fiction, and fairly good at it. Nice storytelling.
Hard sci fi is tough to pull off, and they don't quite make it. The most difficult scientific questions are all handwaved in service of a political metaphor where everything is exactly the same but on a different planet. Science fiction that doesn't have cell phones or the internet at its center is closer to historical fantasy. But it's good at what it does, so I'm ready to read volume two.
The wild coincidence that fuels the plot still galls me. Good thing they are still writing important things on paper and then burning those important papers around a tin can to stay warm on winter nights in the future or nothing about this story would ever have happened. Seriously; typewriters are an artifact of one particular phase in technological development, and saying that, post-internet, we will revert to them, is like saying that a pill-addled alcoholic who undergoes a complete nervous collapse would therefore go through puberty again.
Hard sci fi is tough to pull off, and they don't quite make it. The most difficult scientific questions are all handwaved in service of a political metaphor where everything is exactly the same but on a different planet. Science fiction that doesn't have cell phones or the internet at its center is closer to historical fantasy. But it's good at what it does, so I'm ready to read volume two.
The wild coincidence that fuels the plot still galls me. Good thing they are still writing important things on paper and then burning those important papers around a tin can to stay warm on winter nights in the future or nothing about this story would ever have happened. Seriously; typewriters are an artifact of one particular phase in technological development, and saying that, post-internet, we will revert to them, is like saying that a pill-addled alcoholic who undergoes a complete nervous collapse would therefore go through puberty again.
September 29, 2015
Gabriel Hardman draws extremely well and Corinna Bechko writes a mean script. There's definitely great collaboration between this husband and wife team to achieve point and counterpoint between the words and art to make the most use of the comic medium.
However, although I enjoyed this first installment, and I would keep reading this when the next trade comes out, or watch it if it were a sci-fi show, I think that much of this comes from the fact that I enjoy gritty, thought-provoking sci-fi, but not necessarily because there is (yet?) anything incredibly new in this series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy.
However, although I enjoyed this first installment, and I would keep reading this when the next trade comes out, or watch it if it were a sci-fi show, I think that much of this comes from the fact that I enjoy gritty, thought-provoking sci-fi, but not necessarily because there is (yet?) anything incredibly new in this series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy.
November 15, 2016
Little slow at first but then it got better & better as the story progressed & by the final issue in this 5 issue volume I was totally captivated & thoroughly enjoying. The author does some great character work cover to cover, but the story seemed to start a little slow & I admit I was thinking this might not be what I was hoping for, but then all that character work paid off and before I knew it I was reading a great story. I think this is gonna be a really good series. Looking forward to Vol 2 with great enthusiasm!
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