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Mystery Society #1-5
Mystery Society
Nick Hammond and Anastasia Collins are the Mystery Society -- and bring new meaning to "underground cult" status! Stealthily avoiding the authorities, this skulduggery duo spend their time and money righting wrongs committed in the world's underbellies.
132 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2010
8 people are currently reading
1,291 people want to read
About the author
Steve Niles
884听books450听followersSTEVE NILES is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of it's "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years."
Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison.
Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea.
--from the author's website
Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison.
Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
July 30, 2018
On balance, Mystery Society is a fun frolic, a high-speed romp through a world where talking skeletons, disembodied science fiction writers, and nuclear powered little girls can simultaneously take on the full strength of the United States army and locate the missing skull of Edgar Allen Poe. Fiona Staples' artwork alone makes this worth the price of admission. She is to drawing comics what Egon Spengler is to dropping references to obscure, arcane texts.
But, while the high concept is wonderful, the execution isn鈥檛 always as superb. Willing Suspension of Disbelief is such a core element of the plot that it鈥檚 required that you capitalize it when referencing it in reviews of the book, and there are a lot of potentially thorny story challenges that are resolved with the nonchalant toss of a semi-witty bon mot. Then there鈥檚 the recovery of Poe鈥檚 skull, which plays like the B (or even C) plot of a Tim Allen sitcom鈥攊n the context of a long-running series, you might shrug and say, 鈥淗ey, not one of the best subplots the gang at Mystery Society has ever done, but it made for some fun moments.鈥� In the midst of a five-issue limited series, however, where storytelling space is at a premium, it feels distracting and illogical (like the basic premise of a Tim Allen sitcom).
Still, there鈥檚 more than enough delightfulness here to make it a worthwhile diversion鈥攊t鈥檚 like watching a dog eat peanut butter. We鈥檒l call it 3.5 stars and round up.
But, while the high concept is wonderful, the execution isn鈥檛 always as superb. Willing Suspension of Disbelief is such a core element of the plot that it鈥檚 required that you capitalize it when referencing it in reviews of the book, and there are a lot of potentially thorny story challenges that are resolved with the nonchalant toss of a semi-witty bon mot. Then there鈥檚 the recovery of Poe鈥檚 skull, which plays like the B (or even C) plot of a Tim Allen sitcom鈥攊n the context of a long-running series, you might shrug and say, 鈥淗ey, not one of the best subplots the gang at Mystery Society has ever done, but it made for some fun moments.鈥� In the midst of a five-issue limited series, however, where storytelling space is at a premium, it feels distracting and illogical (like the basic premise of a Tim Allen sitcom).
Still, there鈥檚 more than enough delightfulness here to make it a worthwhile diversion鈥攊t鈥檚 like watching a dog eat peanut butter. We鈥檒l call it 3.5 stars and round up.
April 17, 2015
Fiona Staples is a really, really talented artist. Her art is just so beautiful to look at, and she gives her characters so much life. I would be happy with a book that had only her art and no text. I actually got this book for the sole reason that I knew it had her art in it. As far as that goes, I got what I was looking for. Because as far as the story goes, Fiona Staples is a really, really talented artist.
Niles really wanted this to be a Weird and Quirky book, and he oversells. Constantly. Over and over, Niles writes the characters to emphasize their weird quirkiness, at the expense of characterization or plot or anything more interesting than how weird and quirky they are. The main characters have almost nonexistent motivation. They want to be the Indiana Jones of paranormal and conspiracies, and they have the money to do it. Why? I don't know, they just do. Likewise with their comrades. Why exactly does Jules Verne want to join their little group? And why is his brain in a robot body anyways? What little defining characteristics the Mystery couple has (yes, their last name is really Mystery) is an overwhelming need to be dramatic.
Which can lead to odd grandstanding, some of which doesn't even make sense. Much of the volume has the framing device that Nick Mystery is telling his side of the story to the press while he's being transferred between prisons. Really, how likely is that? There's a lot of grandstanding all over, including from the truly annoying villain. And it all doesn't really add up to much of anything.
I'm not entirely sorry that I read this. Fiona Staples, you guys! But if not for her, I really don't think that there'd be much of anything to recommend this.
Niles really wanted this to be a Weird and Quirky book, and he oversells. Constantly. Over and over, Niles writes the characters to emphasize their weird quirkiness, at the expense of characterization or plot or anything more interesting than how weird and quirky they are. The main characters have almost nonexistent motivation. They want to be the Indiana Jones of paranormal and conspiracies, and they have the money to do it. Why? I don't know, they just do. Likewise with their comrades. Why exactly does Jules Verne want to join their little group? And why is his brain in a robot body anyways? What little defining characteristics the Mystery couple has (yes, their last name is really Mystery) is an overwhelming need to be dramatic.
Which can lead to odd grandstanding, some of which doesn't even make sense. Much of the volume has the framing device that Nick Mystery is telling his side of the story to the press while he's being transferred between prisons. Really, how likely is that? There's a lot of grandstanding all over, including from the truly annoying villain. And it all doesn't really add up to much of anything.
I'm not entirely sorry that I read this. Fiona Staples, you guys! But if not for her, I really don't think that there'd be much of anything to recommend this.
February 25, 2016
1.5 stars, rounded down.
Not much to say about this one, except "Avoid it".
Edit: Actually, I'll say a little bit more. If you are looking for a (very) cheap knock-off/modern retelling of Alan Moore's , then this graphic novel is right up your alley. I'm not sure if author Steve Niles intended that, or if he even knew what he was going for (modern-age steampunk?) as he wrote this, but it didn't really work for me at all. The artwork was sort of *bleh*, too.
Not much to say about this one, except "Avoid it".
Edit: Actually, I'll say a little bit more. If you are looking for a (very) cheap knock-off/modern retelling of Alan Moore's , then this graphic novel is right up your alley. I'm not sure if author Steve Niles intended that, or if he even knew what he was going for (modern-age steampunk?) as he wrote this, but it didn't really work for me at all. The artwork was sort of *bleh*, too.
June 23, 2015
This book was made just for me. It's about a mystery super-team that solves paranormal cases, complete with supernatural allies, secret hide-outs and high tech gadgets, and references Area 51, Jules Verne and Edgar Allen Poe. Sign me up.
This graphic novel -- which on top of everything else, was beautifully drawn -- is the perfect blend of , , , , and . So, if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, well then you've been warned. Otherwise, maybe this is made just for you, too. I only hope there will be more than this five-issue mini-series, because all it's done is whet my appetite for more.
This graphic novel -- which on top of everything else, was beautifully drawn -- is the perfect blend of , , , , and . So, if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, well then you've been warned. Otherwise, maybe this is made just for you, too. I only hope there will be more than this five-issue mini-series, because all it's done is whet my appetite for more.
August 18, 2015
[3.5 Stars] This one was quite enjoyable, but it wasn't quite as whimsical or action-packed as I was expecting. The climax to the story juat didn't hit as hard as I wanted it to! The artwork is really beautiful though! I adore Verne!
November 7, 2017
I've had this book lying around for years and had forgotten I had it. I discovered it while searching my office the other day and was surprised by its existence. Steve Niles! Of and ! Fiona Staples! Of ! Why has this been languishing?! (Because I have too many books, is why.)
So I devoured it before work today, and it definitely improved my mood after the downer that was . Which is good, but oh so depressing.
This is just a fun romp that combines all sorts of secret world stuff like Area 51, androids, psychic powers, killer robots, human experimentation, the works. This is lighthearted adventure that cleanses the pallet, like a refreshing summer sorbet.
Our main characters are a couple who are into arcane mysteries and cryptozoology and wacky conspiracy theories, but none of it dark, just fun. They are inexplicably suddenly wealthy, so they go whole hog into exploring all of these things, rescuing a couple of girls who were experimented on back in the late 1940s and then put into suspended animation, and recruiting various other oddities, such as the previously-created character Secret Skull, who is an undead woman, as well as Verne, the brain of the writer preserved in a robot body. Like I said, goofy.
Unfortunately it seems these 5 issues are all that were ever made. So while we do get a complete story here, we don't get all the answers of how these characters came to be, and not how our heroes secured their new-found wealth. It's not important to the story, but I'm sure Niles had a fun explanation for it.
So I devoured it before work today, and it definitely improved my mood after the downer that was . Which is good, but oh so depressing.
This is just a fun romp that combines all sorts of secret world stuff like Area 51, androids, psychic powers, killer robots, human experimentation, the works. This is lighthearted adventure that cleanses the pallet, like a refreshing summer sorbet.
Our main characters are a couple who are into arcane mysteries and cryptozoology and wacky conspiracy theories, but none of it dark, just fun. They are inexplicably suddenly wealthy, so they go whole hog into exploring all of these things, rescuing a couple of girls who were experimented on back in the late 1940s and then put into suspended animation, and recruiting various other oddities, such as the previously-created character Secret Skull, who is an undead woman, as well as Verne, the brain of the writer preserved in a robot body. Like I said, goofy.
Unfortunately it seems these 5 issues are all that were ever made. So while we do get a complete story here, we don't get all the answers of how these characters came to be, and not how our heroes secured their new-found wealth. It's not important to the story, but I'm sure Niles had a fun explanation for it.
June 18, 2013
So close!
This had all the elements lined up to be a great book and yet it just doesn't _quite_ come together.
Admittedly the biggest draw initially for me was the art by Fiona Staples because I love the work she has done on _Saga._ And she doesn't let me down here.
But there were other exciting elements here. Jules Verne's brain in a giant robot? Yup that's cool. A husband and wife mystery solving team? Yeah I'll go for some of that.
You see this book really wants to be wacky and crazy and it throws out some big ideas. The husband and wife team are ridiculously, crazy rich, so they've got a UFO shaped escape craft and a jet that actually has bubbles for 5 people. Like I said, it wants to be wacky. There's a character whose last name is *Culprit*
But maybe it's trying too hard. Maybe it's trying to do too much. In this volume there's the main plot and a B plot. The B plot doesn't get enough time to justify its existence. Calling it a plot would be overstating it. So it wastes the characters that are involved in it.
And that time could probably have been better spent on the pacing of the main plot and fleshing it out a bit more. Because we're left with some terrible cliches, like the old dog general and the spoilt military brat. Stuff we've seen a million times before. I'd also be happy if we never saw Area 51 again in fiction. I'm tired of secret government committees. It's been done to death.
But it's *so* close. So close. The repartee between the husband (who looks rather like Cary Elwes in _The Princess Bride)_ and wife team is delightful. The character designs are great. And the possibilities set up here are boundless.
I enjoyed it. But it didn't live up to its potential.
This had all the elements lined up to be a great book and yet it just doesn't _quite_ come together.
Admittedly the biggest draw initially for me was the art by Fiona Staples because I love the work she has done on _Saga._ And she doesn't let me down here.
But there were other exciting elements here. Jules Verne's brain in a giant robot? Yup that's cool. A husband and wife mystery solving team? Yeah I'll go for some of that.
You see this book really wants to be wacky and crazy and it throws out some big ideas. The husband and wife team are ridiculously, crazy rich, so they've got a UFO shaped escape craft and a jet that actually has bubbles for 5 people. Like I said, it wants to be wacky. There's a character whose last name is *Culprit*
But maybe it's trying too hard. Maybe it's trying to do too much. In this volume there's the main plot and a B plot. The B plot doesn't get enough time to justify its existence. Calling it a plot would be overstating it. So it wastes the characters that are involved in it.
And that time could probably have been better spent on the pacing of the main plot and fleshing it out a bit more. Because we're left with some terrible cliches, like the old dog general and the spoilt military brat. Stuff we've seen a million times before. I'd also be happy if we never saw Area 51 again in fiction. I'm tired of secret government committees. It's been done to death.
But it's *so* close. So close. The repartee between the husband (who looks rather like Cary Elwes in _The Princess Bride)_ and wife team is delightful. The character designs are great. And the possibilities set up here are boundless.
I enjoyed it. But it didn't live up to its potential.
June 23, 2013
A sexy couple with the means and the motivation to solve some of the more unusual crimes are recruiting members for their new Mystery Society. Conveniently, a ghoul named Secret Skull and Jules Verne's brain encased in a quirky robot body apply for the job. Add the atomic twins that Nick Mystery rescues from Area 51 and we have the makings of a really fun team.
Unfortunately, in spite of Fiona Staples' fantastic artwork, this great concept falls flat with sub-par plotting, sub-par subplotting, a lack of mystery, an annoying antagonist and rather lame attempts at wit and humour. This comment is very negative, but I'd like to think that it's a negative with a lean to the positive. As in, I can see a lot of potential for good old fashioned tongue-in cheek mystery wagon fun with this book, if it can stop trying so hard and just relax and enjoy itself.
See more reviews at
Unfortunately, in spite of Fiona Staples' fantastic artwork, this great concept falls flat with sub-par plotting, sub-par subplotting, a lack of mystery, an annoying antagonist and rather lame attempts at wit and humour. This comment is very negative, but I'd like to think that it's a negative with a lean to the positive. As in, I can see a lot of potential for good old fashioned tongue-in cheek mystery wagon fun with this book, if it can stop trying so hard and just relax and enjoy itself.
See more reviews at
June 6, 2018
Maximalni hodnoceni davam jen vecem, ktery me absolutne nadchnou a hltam kazdou stranku. Nerikam, ze sem si ze Mystery Society sednul na zadek, ale jednoduse tomu neni co vytknout. Uzavrenej kompaktni pribeh, kterej pekne odesejpa a je plnej skvele napsanejch postav, originalnich napadu a humoru. A cokoliv, ceho se dotkne Fiona Staples je proste golden.
August 24, 2013
This was cute, and would be a kickass movie. With 1987 Cary Elwes as Nick Mystery. Someone find a time machine, go back and grab him and bring him back just for this, 'kay?
Much like North 40, this is another Staples story that should have continued. [sigh]
Much like North 40, this is another Staples story that should have continued. [sigh]
November 16, 2017
Mystery Society was an incredible little read because hello, it's illustrated by Fiona Staples! That brilliant artist couldn't do a bad drawing if she tried. I also love that no matter what she draws for any story you can always see her personal touch on the people's faces and the lines of everything she draws.
This book is a collection of the five issues compiled in this story and it's all very quick moving and to the point. It's a great short story about a mystery loving couple, a dead woman, twins with superpowers and a brain of a man in a robot.
I don't think the story itself was completely fantastic because as I said it was super fast so it was patchy and fast-forwarded to the point where none of it really made sense. So if you don't mind things not making sense then just relax and read a beautiful graphic about sensible, honest people that also happen to be going head to head with the top government agencies of the country!
This book is a collection of the five issues compiled in this story and it's all very quick moving and to the point. It's a great short story about a mystery loving couple, a dead woman, twins with superpowers and a brain of a man in a robot.
I don't think the story itself was completely fantastic because as I said it was super fast so it was patchy and fast-forwarded to the point where none of it really made sense. So if you don't mind things not making sense then just relax and read a beautiful graphic about sensible, honest people that also happen to be going head to head with the top government agencies of the country!
June 2, 2018
De tr猫s beaux dessins, un sc茅nario un peu facile ...
July 10, 2022
Una castanyeta que va de superenrotllada i aspira a s猫rie de Netflix pr貌pia i no passa de tonteria intrascendent.
May 5, 2011
So many wonderful things to say. Where to begin?
The art is fantastic and I was loving every moment. Fiona Staples does a wonderful job, and I love the look she gives to the characters. The color palette and "sketchy" look of everything adds to the feel of the book as much as the writing does. I would love to see her do another book with these characters.
The story was amazing. Not ground breaking literature, but still amazing. I liked the story's pace and the easy dialogue between Nick and Ana. The way each character got their own personality across was great, and they each had moments to shine. I personally really liked Ana's character; she was tough, secure in her sexuality, and feminine. You don't get many female characters who exhibit all those qualities in a comic book; let alone a book sans pictures.
My only complaint, and it's huge, is that this series is TOO SHORT. I need more Mystery Society, and I need it now. Forget "want". This is a NEED.
All in all, two thumbs way way up, and a gold star for the great dialogue and kick ass art.
The art is fantastic and I was loving every moment. Fiona Staples does a wonderful job, and I love the look she gives to the characters. The color palette and "sketchy" look of everything adds to the feel of the book as much as the writing does. I would love to see her do another book with these characters.
The story was amazing. Not ground breaking literature, but still amazing. I liked the story's pace and the easy dialogue between Nick and Ana. The way each character got their own personality across was great, and they each had moments to shine. I personally really liked Ana's character; she was tough, secure in her sexuality, and feminine. You don't get many female characters who exhibit all those qualities in a comic book; let alone a book sans pictures.
My only complaint, and it's huge, is that this series is TOO SHORT. I need more Mystery Society, and I need it now. Forget "want". This is a NEED.
All in all, two thumbs way way up, and a gold star for the great dialogue and kick ass art.
December 20, 2015
Nearly perfect little mishmash of action, scifi, and the supernatural. I'm so bummed that, aside from a one shot in 2013, Niles has never returned to these characters. I think it's my favorite of all that he's written. I collected this in single issues but reread it because Fiona Staples wasn't on my radar, it being pre-Saga and all, and I wanted to compare her earlier work to what she's doing now. The art has a different texture--it might just be the coloring--but it's just as wonderful as everything else she's done. Bring back the Mystery Society, Steve Niles! Please!
April 5, 2015
Not a ton of depth in the plot, but this was a fun romp with a great sense of humor and fantastic artwork. I'd love to read more about this crew.
May 18, 2015
The artwork was amazing and I was highly entertained. The story made absolutely no sense but it managed to be fun anyway.
May 19, 2018
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Doporu膷uji pokud se chcete pobavit a vydechnout.
A mus铆m 艡铆ct 啪e mu tahle poloha skv臎l茅 sedla, a j谩 se celou dobu skv臎le bavil.
Cel茅 se to vlastn臎 to膷铆 o organizaci kterou zalo啪il sympatick媒 man啪elsk媒 p谩r z d暖vodu aby odhalovali l啪i a myst茅ria 膷i r暖zn谩 spiknut铆. Brzy se k nim p艡id谩 i Ghoulice a Jules Verne v podob臎 robota, jeho啪 poh谩n铆 Vern暖v mozek. Charaktery i kdy啪 zn臎j铆 hodn臎 bizarn臎 tak jsou napsan茅 skv臎le a sympaticky, maj铆 mezi sebou chemii a po p谩r str谩nk谩ch si je obl铆b铆te. To plat铆 i pro hlavn铆 man啪elsk媒 p谩r, kter媒 jsem si obl铆bil instantn臎.
Tomu v拧emu nav铆c pom谩h谩 tak茅 kresba Fiony Staples, kter谩 je poveden谩 a k humorn茅mu stylu sed铆, bohu啪el pap铆r a trochu udu拧en媒 coloring j铆 trochu ub媒v谩 na kr谩se. Dal拧铆 a posledn铆 v媒tku kterou m谩m je pom臎rn臎 urychlen媒 d臎j spolu s koncem. Nev铆m jestli to opravdu bylo my拧leno jako p臎tid铆ln谩 mini s茅rie, ale tak n臎jak jsem se c铆til ochuzen. Proto啪e jeden vedlej拧铆 d铆l o ztracen茅 lebce Edgara Ellena Poea d铆ky urychlenosti vyzn臎la pon臎kud do pr谩zdna.
Ka啪dop谩dn臎 i tak tomu d谩v谩m 5/5 proto啪e jsem se skv臎le pobavil a jako humorn媒 dobrodru啪n媒 komiks to funguje skv臎le, a je拧t臎 k tomu v拧emu dostanete sympatick茅 charaktery 膷i hezkou kresbu.
Doporu膷uji pokud se chcete pobavit a vydechnout.
October 3, 2017
I read this as a part of the San Diego Comic-con Book Club for October.
I LOVED IT! Of course, the art is amazing, Fiona Staples never disappoints. I was so happy with the diversity of characters in this too-short story, and I really would love to follow them around the world solving mysteries and debunking folk tales.
If you are totally unfamiliar with this book, it follows a group of rag-tag misfits who use their vast sums of money to do things like buy fancy escape vehicles and break into area 51 to rescue top secret experiments from the clutches of the US government. These characters can do no wrong! You have a set of African American twins, a robot who is powered by Jules Verne's brain, a married couple who both share control of the society in equal measure, and a...zombie? They all come together to form an amazing team. I don't want to say much more about the story, I really just think everyone who like kind of zany fun adventure stories needs to pick it up. It's a really quick light-hearted read that packs enough sci-fi madness to keep me happy.
I LOVED IT! Of course, the art is amazing, Fiona Staples never disappoints. I was so happy with the diversity of characters in this too-short story, and I really would love to follow them around the world solving mysteries and debunking folk tales.
If you are totally unfamiliar with this book, it follows a group of rag-tag misfits who use their vast sums of money to do things like buy fancy escape vehicles and break into area 51 to rescue top secret experiments from the clutches of the US government. These characters can do no wrong! You have a set of African American twins, a robot who is powered by Jules Verne's brain, a married couple who both share control of the society in equal measure, and a...zombie? They all come together to form an amazing team. I don't want to say much more about the story, I really just think everyone who like kind of zany fun adventure stories needs to pick it up. It's a really quick light-hearted read that packs enough sci-fi madness to keep me happy.
July 14, 2019
Since this was published 9 years ago and no other sequels have come to fruition, I'm going to assume this series is not going to continue, which is kind of a bummer because I really enjoyed the characters and the story. Some of the dialogue was weird and the cover sexualizes Anastasia more than the actual story does (like, just make Nick stand like that too while you're at it). Otherwise it was fun and quirky and I would have liked to see what would happen next. Oh well. Win some and lose some I guess.
April 22, 2018
Ha sido una lectura interesante. No suelo leer c贸mic o novela gr谩fica y estoy comenzando con ellos. Me ha gustado, tiene cierto toque de humor, me recuerda a las situaciones del matrimonio Beresfordm, de Agatha Christie, por ejemplo. Una lectura agradable que ayuda a continuar con la novela gr谩fica.
June 14, 2018
It's p. much what it sounds like! It's knockoff conspiracy theory Addams Family, but w/ more explosions. Or like a version of BPRD where everyone is a sexy idiot. Very stupid and very fun.
It's not like super remarkable but I bought this book mostly b/c of Fiona Staples' art, so it turned out to be worth it. Maybe not memorable but defs. entertaining.
It's not like super remarkable but I bought this book mostly b/c of Fiona Staples' art, so it turned out to be worth it. Maybe not memorable but defs. entertaining.
January 26, 2021
Interesting premise (much like Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - which I definitely have to reread, soon!) with some really great art. I grabbed this graphic novel because of the cover art (the Skulduggery Pleasant-looking character, "Secret Skull" caught my eye). Jules Verne - at least his brain in a mechanical suit - is also a member of the society (he reminded me of Tik-Tok from the 80's Return To Oz movie, except Verne can fly and he never tips over or says, "I need repair."). Unique and entertaining. Would make a great movie.
August 13, 2018
So I really liked this book. I thought it was fun, I loved the dynamic between the characters and it didn't feel too forced. Excited to read the other vols.
October 15, 2020
Perfection, I only wish there was more馃槩
April 1, 2021
This is great fun, with a goofy sense of humor, beautiful art from Fiona Staples, and a nicely structured plot.
Four stars instead of five just because this is a setup for a series that never continued after this, and that's unfortunate.
Would make a great movie or TV show...
Four stars instead of five just because this is a setup for a series that never continued after this, and that's unfortunate.
Would make a great movie or TV show...
February 11, 2019
Loved the characters and I wish there was more. Fiona Staples is the bomb dot com!
February 15, 2019
I really enjoyed this one!
I'm starting to really enjoy comics.
I'm starting to really enjoy comics.
April 27, 2019
3.4 stars
Pretty fun story with some solid work from Fiona Staples, this and The October Faction (which I still need to get caught up on) are Niles' best works
Pretty fun story with some solid work from Fiona Staples, this and The October Faction (which I still need to get caught up on) are Niles' best works
April 3, 2013
I have to say that I'm both pleased and disappointed by this book. I'm pleased, as it gives me an early look at Staples' work pre-Saga, but I'm also disappointed because at times I can't help but feel that I've seen better from both of the creative minds involved here.
The weakest point for this is the story. This is a stand alone volume, but at times the plot here is pretty thin. While reading I got the impression that so much was left unsaid or unrevealed in the hopes of future volumes, but this doesn't help the feeling that occasionally the story and the characters felt a little forced. The plot progresses because it has to, not because it unfolds organically. Don't get me wrong- there are some points during this story that I was really loving the action and intrigue. The basic idea of the story is awesome: a group that searches out oddities and mysteries, but at times it was just a little too dull for what it was trying to do. I think that maybe if the sub-plot about the theft of Edgar Allen Poe's skull was removed to focus on the main story surrounding Nick Hammond's capture after he rescued two mysterious little girls, the book probably would have been that much the stronger for it. It's just too much going on in one volume and it stretches everything too thin. You're given enough to know what's going on and you won't be terribly lost, but you will wish that you'd been given more of one thing and less of others.
The artwork though, that's where this really sparkles. It's very identifiable as Staples' work and while it is occasionally a little rougher than the polished style in her Saga series, it's still gorgeous. I could see where some of the same character designs were used for later characters, so this alone made this book fun to read. If not for the excellent art, I think I probably would have taken far longer to read this one and probably would've traded it in for store credit as soon as I could.
Overall this isn't awful. If I didn't know that Steve Niles was writing it, I might have rated this slightly higher. But I do, which means that I also know that he can do a lot better than this and that the story deserved far more than what it got. It's something I'd definitely recommend as a library read or something you'd bum off a friend, but I'd hesitate at purchasing it outright like I did. Flip through it first.
The weakest point for this is the story. This is a stand alone volume, but at times the plot here is pretty thin. While reading I got the impression that so much was left unsaid or unrevealed in the hopes of future volumes, but this doesn't help the feeling that occasionally the story and the characters felt a little forced. The plot progresses because it has to, not because it unfolds organically. Don't get me wrong- there are some points during this story that I was really loving the action and intrigue. The basic idea of the story is awesome: a group that searches out oddities and mysteries, but at times it was just a little too dull for what it was trying to do. I think that maybe if the sub-plot about the theft of Edgar Allen Poe's skull was removed to focus on the main story surrounding Nick Hammond's capture after he rescued two mysterious little girls, the book probably would have been that much the stronger for it. It's just too much going on in one volume and it stretches everything too thin. You're given enough to know what's going on and you won't be terribly lost, but you will wish that you'd been given more of one thing and less of others.
The artwork though, that's where this really sparkles. It's very identifiable as Staples' work and while it is occasionally a little rougher than the polished style in her Saga series, it's still gorgeous. I could see where some of the same character designs were used for later characters, so this alone made this book fun to read. If not for the excellent art, I think I probably would have taken far longer to read this one and probably would've traded it in for store credit as soon as I could.
Overall this isn't awful. If I didn't know that Steve Niles was writing it, I might have rated this slightly higher. But I do, which means that I also know that he can do a lot better than this and that the story deserved far more than what it got. It's something I'd definitely recommend as a library read or something you'd bum off a friend, but I'd hesitate at purchasing it outright like I did. Flip through it first.
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