WORLD READER review - You should be a World Reader reader
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
World Reader is a 2017 6 issue comic series written by Jeff Loveness and illustrated by Juan Doe. Published by AfterShock, this series has been on my radar since I first heard of them some few years ago but at the time honestly hadn't sprung out to me as being something I had to read pronto. But after reading a ton of excellent comics published by AfterShock, loving Jeff Loveness's work on Judas, and enjoying Dark Ark which Doe also did for AS, it seemed like an easy leap. Having read it in no time, I gotta say, I regret holding off on this for so long.
Back when I reviewed Dark Ark on Google+ (RIP) I gave Doe props for the art there but wasn't blown away by it personally. Still, I appreciated his unique aesthetic--but with World Reader, I feel as though his style suits the story perfectly. It's so psychedelic, so brilliant, so not anemic (aha, Dan! You thought I would've let that go by now?); the kind that some folks are going to spend more time savoring than I did (I'm kind of the worst person in that regard (and all others, but I digress)). What few quibbles that I have come in the form of some moments where the visual storytelling wasn't entirely clear to me. To a point, you do sort of have to expect that for a comic that so eagerly takes you along on its cosmic acid trip, but visual storytelling is also an incredibly important part of a comic. Rachel Deering mostly does the lettering, with Dave Sharpe providing it for #4 and #6, and both thankfully keep things pretty consistent though I do wish that more varied narration boxes were used as they all have the same colors/fonts so it's not as intuitive even if the writing makes it clear enough who's talking. Overall, it's solid lettering, easy to read and easy on the eyes, and there are moments when it communicates the dialogue in such a way that no other medium could rightly match.
I have only read two series from Loveness so far, but I already feel as though I would follow this guy's work just about anywhere (sans Splatto, Junction City, Blacklist, Powerverse, and others on my shit list, of course). Where to start? This is such a beautiful comic, with an incredibly neat premise. Our protagonist can listen to the dead of any planet, and is on a mission to help Earth find a new home. There's more to it, but to say anymore would be to give the game away. The story is consistently fascinating, and isn't afraid to go for a few gut punches here and there--and when it goes there, it connects. While some of the decisions made by the characters can at times be questionable, the characters themselves are generally pretty interesting. What really helps here is some really snappy dialogue, with a few great jokes to provide levity in an otherwise somber tale. While #5 feels a bit like a slight clusterfuck to me, the rest of the comic is well paced with something cool always around the next corner.
World Reader is another tight as fuck comic from an impressive team of talents. Something I really appreciate about World Reader and, by extension AfterShock's whole library, is its self-contained nature. It's the kind of short, yet immensely satisfying read I expect from these guys. I could see this sorta comic being the perfect gateway for non-comic fans to get into the medium. But it's a damn good read no matter your experience with comics, and you should definitely check it out if it seems like it'd be your style. World Reader gets a 9/10 from me.
Excellent
Summary:
A cerebral, touching read with eclectric, one of a kind visuals. Despite my issues here and there, this is the kind of comic that sticks with.
World Reader is a 2017 6 issue comic series written by Jeff Loveness and illustrated by Juan Doe. Published by AfterShock, this series has been on my radar since I first heard of them some few years ago but at the time honestly hadn't sprung out to me as being something I had to read pronto. But after reading a ton of excellent comics published by AfterShock, loving Jeff Loveness's work on Judas, and enjoying Dark Ark which Doe also did for AS, it seemed like an easy leap. Having read it in no time, I gotta say, I regret holding off on this for so long.
I have only read two series from Loveness so far, but I already feel as though I would follow this guy's work just about anywhere (sans Splatto, Junction City, Blacklist, Powerverse, and others on my shit list, of course). Where to start? This is such a beautiful comic, with an incredibly neat premise. Our protagonist can listen to the dead of any planet, and is on a mission to help Earth find a new home. There's more to it, but to say anymore would be to give the game away. The story is consistently fascinating, and isn't afraid to go for a few gut punches here and there--and when it goes there, it connects. While some of the decisions made by the characters can at times be questionable, the characters themselves are generally pretty interesting. What really helps here is some really snappy dialogue, with a few great jokes to provide levity in an otherwise somber tale. While #5 feels a bit like a slight clusterfuck to me, the rest of the comic is well paced with something cool always around the next corner.
World Reader is another tight as fuck comic from an impressive team of talents. Something I really appreciate about World Reader and, by extension AfterShock's whole library, is its self-contained nature. It's the kind of short, yet immensely satisfying read I expect from these guys. I could see this sorta comic being the perfect gateway for non-comic fans to get into the medium. But it's a damn good read no matter your experience with comics, and you should definitely check it out if it seems like it'd be your style. World Reader gets a 9/10 from me.
Excellent
Summary:
A cerebral, touching read with eclectric, one of a kind visuals. Despite my issues here and there, this is the kind of comic that sticks with.
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