Review: Arzach

Arzach by Mœbius
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Arzach is an interesting experiment with the comic book form. There is no dialogue, only images. It works, to a degree, because the stories are short and relatively simple. The lack of dialogue is doubly limiting, because you can't have the complex interactions that are facilitated by conversation, but also because some dialogue is usually necessary to give context to the images; the illustrations themselves are limited by their word-free context. They're beautiful, of course, because it's Moebius and indulging in otherworldly landscapes and eccentric characters is his element. Several of the stories have a bit of a Mad Max feel, as Arzach is a lone, taciturn warrior in the wilderness who sometimes saves the day but mostly keeps to himself. Overall, a very quick 'read' and enjoyable, but not particularly engaging.

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Review: Icaro, Vol. 1

Icaro, Vol. 1 by Mœbius
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This review applies to both Icaro Volume 1 and Volume 2.

I love Moebius's work, but Icaro really disappointed me. There was so little story, and the artwork was not particularly interesting or beautiful. We're supposed to be invested in Icaro's relationship with one of the scientists studying him, but I don't think it comes across at all. And when that relationship becomes the focus of the story I lose all investment in the story, as well. The translation into English is also absolutely awful. Overall, some pretty frames, but generally uninteresting artwork and story.

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