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The Art of War
by
Kelly Roman (Goodreads Author),
Michael DeWeese
A stunning and gritty graphic novel integrating the iconic strategy text by Sun Tzu into a sweeping thriller set in the near future when Wall Street is militarized and China is the world's dominant economy.
Kelly Roman served time for a horrific friendly fire incident. Once free, he discovers that his brother died while working for Sun Tzu, the ruthless strategist who runs...more
Kelly Roman served time for a horrific friendly fire incident. Once free, he discovers that his brother died while working for Sun Tzu, the ruthless strategist who runs...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
July 31st 2012
by Harper Perennial
(first published 2012)
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Community Reviews
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As usual I received this graphic novel as a giveaway on GoodReads. As a Graphic Novel "The Art of War" is rather outside my general ken of reading. I don't scoff too loudly at the genre but it's not typically one that I seek out with great enthusiasm unless, of course, it happens to arrive free in the mail. Therefore I'll be the first to admit that I may not be the most qualified person to trust on this topic.
Roman's offering certainly doesn't lack for gritty violence. His ample use of weaponize...more
Roman's offering certainly doesn't lack for gritty violence. His ample use of weaponize...more
There's a certain sense in which it's not okay to trash someone's creative output, if only because the act of writing is courageous in itself. Could you follow through on a project like this to the point of publication? Well if the answer is no, then you shouldn't be entirely dismissive of someone's efforts.
The art seemed ok. But there were many issues of issues of presentation, e.g. red on black on glossy paper is not legible.
My main gripe is this: inserting the text of the Sun Tzu classic int...more
The art seemed ok. But there were many issues of issues of presentation, e.g. red on black on glossy paper is not legible.
My main gripe is this: inserting the text of the Sun Tzu classic int...more
I picked this up at the library after reading an interview with the author. He spent years on it and even had to re-do the coloring because of some issue with the shades of red used (this graphic novel is in black and white except for the gallons of blood and occasional tattoo).
Alas, the tone is unrelentingly juvenile and the story incoherent (the future has insect-sized microdrone assassin bugs but you can't buy a company without an unnotarized physical signature). The gritty characters general...more
Alas, the tone is unrelentingly juvenile and the story incoherent (the future has insect-sized microdrone assassin bugs but you can't buy a company without an unnotarized physical signature). The gritty characters general...more
1 like · like · see review
Definitely the most violent graphic novel I've read so far, filled to the brim with body horror. Every few pages I found myself uttering some variant of "Holy shit!"
The storyline is a pretty standard sci-fi/action plot, centered around the main character (whose shares the author's name... I'm not sure what to make of that) who is simultaneously seeking vengeance for his brother's murder and trying to run away from the overwhelming guilt of one big mistake he made during his sordid past —by align...more
The storyline is a pretty standard sci-fi/action plot, centered around the main character (whose shares the author's name... I'm not sure what to make of that) who is simultaneously seeking vengeance for his brother's murder and trying to run away from the overwhelming guilt of one big mistake he made during his sordid past —by align...more
I'm interested in the English translation of The Art of War because I've worked for a thousand pinheads who believe it applies to the work world and to know the principles they operate by is useful.
The Art of War is the narrative for this futuristic novel. It's fun, but a little hard to follow. The art is challenging and sometimes characters look similar. So far (2/3 finished), it's fun.
The Art of War is the narrative for this futuristic novel. It's fun, but a little hard to follow. The art is challenging and sometimes characters look similar. So far (2/3 finished), it's fun.
The Art of War is an intersting graphic novel, which takes some of Sun Tzu's most notable reflections on warfare and incprporates them into a story of bloody corporate rivalry. Set in the not so distant future in a dystopian America that has been crippled by debt to China, the story follows a corporate samurai trying to avenge his brother's death.
The story is pretty Over the top, but not in a bad way. It blends science fiction, social commentary and action in a fearless and unflinching manner. I...more
The story is pretty Over the top, but not in a bad way. It blends science fiction, social commentary and action in a fearless and unflinching manner. I...more
When I received The Art of War by Kelly Roman through Goodreads' First Reads program, I was very excited. The concept of a graphic novel based on the strategic classic is very intriguing, but Roman takes the idea further and sets his adaptation in a not-so-distant future rife with fantastic technologies and dark political themes. I was psyched to read this graphic novel, but when I finished, I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. It was still a fun read, though.
The fantastic art was fitt...more
The fantastic art was fitt...more
This made some lists as one of the top ten graphic novels of the year and I saw my library had it in, so I read it. Interesting concept to take an ancient text The Art of War, and have that be the backdrop of a contemporary sci fi set in the near future where Wall Street is militarized, China is the economic center of the world, and a guy named Kelly Roman is the main character... So the ancient text seems urbane and sophisticated compared to the ULTRA-violence we see in glossy black, white and...more
Although graphic novels are not my usual choice of casual reading this one is filled with breathtaking LEAPS of creative imagination. While reading it the thought kept occurring: "Wow, how'd they come up with THIS?" Example of a "leap" >> it is sometime before the coming midcentury and China has conquered the world, not through military conquest -- but through brilliant MANIPULATION of the world's financial markets. Example #2: an enemy can be zapped by deploying a poison-wielding insect d...more
This is f-cking sick yo! I was like SH-T through the whole story! Man Its so Awesome of how did this illustration! I was f-cking disgusted as a female here...Seriously ...i usually read those girly problems but this Sh-t takes a whole new level! Great for tomboys or guys who love Blood red!!
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No-one can be sure what's going to happen tomorrow let alone 20 years into the future. However, this graphic novel paints a vivid picture of what the world will look like if we carry on how we've always carried on, governed by greed and the greedy. Call me crazy, but I recently bought an American Red Cross Emergency Preparedness backpack which is filled with essentials like water, dried food, a flashlight, basic medical supplies and a whistle. Fortunately there's just enough room for the Art of...more
Stunning artwork, engaging storyline... strange slapdash combination of the two. I'm no stranger to graphic novels, so that I was kind of bewildered by the two separate elements of this one coming together as one threw me for a loop. The characters are fluid, and the plot begs for more, but it can get confusing. Between the choppy narration, the ever-present excerpts from Sun Tzu's The Art of War that really needed the most digestion and the sloppy dialogue, I just couldn't find myself invested...more
Great thing about graphic novels are their ability to bring in the visual aspect of a narrative concurrent with the literature. So you can imagine, taking a super-solid text like Sun Tzu's Art of War and interlacing these themes into a corporatist future in collapse and what you end up with is a dope freaking graphic novel.
Illustrations are fantastic, use of tri-chomatic (black/white and red) is striking and the tale of revenge serves Sun Tzu's legacy well. A welcome refresher to the text-only v...more
Illustrations are fantastic, use of tri-chomatic (black/white and red) is striking and the tale of revenge serves Sun Tzu's legacy well. A welcome refresher to the text-only v...more
young guys come in requesting The Art of War all. of. the. time. I'm going to start recommending this and see how they react. "It's about two warring hedge funds of the future. One of them is run by an ultra-violent version of Sun Tzu and the interview involves heavy torture. The other is run by a guy whose business strategy is to grow ant antennae all over his body so he can feel group emotions. And they're fighting over black hole technology. It's also a revenge story."
I think they'll go for i...more
I think they'll go for i...more
Decent story, though the inclusion of the original Art of War writing was slightly confusing at times. I didn't really feel for any of the characters, as they didn't have a whole lot to their backstories. The art was at times quite good and at times not so good, which is fine, I don't expect every panel to be amazing. I did like how it was non-standard panels though. There were some interesting formatted pages because of that. I liked the stark black and white with red.
I'd probably read this ag...more
I'd probably read this ag...more
Portuguese translation? What? That's either a huge reading comprehension fail on my part or the giveaway description was changed after I already submitted my entry. At least it's a graphic novel so I can still comment on the quality of the artwork.
I wasn't sure how "into" this book I could get- it was very dark, very gritty, and plenty of blood. But this was a good book- it did an excellent job of juxtaposing Sun Tzu's ancient text with futuristic scheming- war is timeless, after all. And again, I usually get bored with plain, black and white illustrations (hey, don't judge), but these were really well-done. There's a scene at the end, when a character is coming to in a hospital bed, and his eyes are adjusting- and that's one really good...more
Dark and dystopic doesn't even begin to describe it, and the artwork is as subtle as a slap in the face, but it's quite a read. Intelligent and disturbing in equal measure.
hollywood has a penchant for recycling old themes due to a lack of creativity but this book has it right. it's not 100% original, yet it's extremely fascinating.
Mediocre storyline, less than mediocre artwork. Having read Tsai Chih Chung's The Art of War covering the same material, this was an enormous disappointment.
It's a wonderful journey that is only surpassed by the artistic visualization of the story. Any fan of Sun Tzu or just a casual fan of graphic novels would enjoy this novel.
Not as gripping as the cover would have you believe. :P Still, it was readable and fairly interesting.
This is NOT a kiddie book! I enjoyed it - the grittiness, the starkness, the near-future dystopia militarized society, even the weakly veiled Stephen Hawking character and the names - Ripley for the bad-ass girl side-kick, The Prince for the bad guy (LOVED the twist at the end with him), although I'm not sure about the author using his own name for the main character. It also had enough of a story combined with the visual interest that I made it last a few days, not normal for me reading a graph...more
clever
interesting perspective of the future, whilst referring to the Art of War
This was a very detailed graphic novel. I like the way that the only colors in this book were red, black and white. The oil from my fingers really showed on the black pages though.
I loved how it took actual verses from The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
The graphics really made this book come alive. It took the reader into the dark realm of war.
I received this from the Goodreads first reads on Oct 26.
I loved how it took actual verses from The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
The graphics really made this book come alive. It took the reader into the dark realm of war.
I received this from the Goodreads first reads on Oct 26.
M.I.T.N.G reviews The Art Of War
http://mediocrityisthenewgenius.com/2...
http://mediocrityisthenewgenius.com/2...
While I really appreciate what they TRIED to do here, the quality of the art, and the story were kinda all over the place.
But as Sun Tzu's text from the actual "Art Of War" was included
it made this worth reading,
for the most part.
But as Sun Tzu's text from the actual "Art Of War" was included
it made this worth reading,
for the most part.
Brilliant book - as entertaining as it was scary. Roman creates a world we don't want to see come true!
More than awesome, more than I had expected, full review to come! great work for two guys on a first graphic novel! <3
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Kelly Roman learned woodblock printmaking at Deerfield Academy and graduated from Harvard where he studied creative writing with Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Richard Ford. Kelly is a co-owner of Fisher Wallace Laboratories, a progressive medical device company that treats the symptoms of PTSD. THE ART OF WAR is his debut graphic novel.
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13 apr. 08:58