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8th out of 35 books
—
32 voters
The New York Four
by
Brian Wood (Goodreads Author),
Ryan Kelly
The ultimate insider's guide to New York City is presented through the eyes of Brooklyn-born Riley, who is starting her freshman year at NYU and is about to find out what an adventure--and a mystery--living in the Big Apple can be.
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
July 22nd 2008
by Minx
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I enjoyed this one a lot more than I've enjoyed other Minx titles (my favorite thus far is Re-Gifters, and my least favorite was Clubbing...sadly, since I really love Andi Watson generally.)
Great art, good solid story, although it's crying out for a sequel (hopefully one is planned!?). I did enjoy the focus on learning to balance your online life with your real life -- I've been known to get sucked in to online stuff a bit too much, and I had a friend who had a serious problem remembering her "l...more
Great art, good solid story, although it's crying out for a sequel (hopefully one is planned!?). I did enjoy the focus on learning to balance your online life with your real life -- I've been known to get sucked in to online stuff a bit too much, and I had a friend who had a serious problem remembering her "l...more
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After reading "The New York Four," I could really take it or leave it. Lots of potential and good story work, but it gets bogged down until ultimately the comic's not all that great. The main idea of a traditional coming of age story that takes place in NYC really isn't all that bad. Riley, our heroine, is struggling to enter the adult world, figure out how to actually interact with people, and find her own place in the world.
It's the little things that drag this story from a four to a three sta...more
It's the little things that drag this story from a four to a three sta...more
Meh:
The secondary characters and plot were weak sauce, not very memorable.
The references to indie culture without any real connection to the plot or environment. It just seemed like add ons. Cat Power title songs? What's the point? Was the main character just into Cat Power?
The author's occasional injections. Again, wasn't really sure of the point. I kind felt like I was being walked around NYC with an annoying tour guide who was trying to give me the "real deal"
Sadly, it doesn't make sense as a...more
The secondary characters and plot were weak sauce, not very memorable.
The references to indie culture without any real connection to the plot or environment. It just seemed like add ons. Cat Power title songs? What's the point? Was the main character just into Cat Power?
The author's occasional injections. Again, wasn't really sure of the point. I kind felt like I was being walked around NYC with an annoying tour guide who was trying to give me the "real deal"
Sadly, it doesn't make sense as a...more
Probably the worst comic I've read in a while. And I do read a lot of bad ones.
This comic tries to be hip so hard that it becomes laughable. Keeps on piling references to things that are not important to the story and are all over the place. Add to that highly sketchy and unlikable characters, and a supposedly strong friendship between the titled 4 that it's nowhere to be found and we are left with the worst kind or work of art...the one designed to be "cooooooooooooooool" and that will fool peo...more
This comic tries to be hip so hard that it becomes laughable. Keeps on piling references to things that are not important to the story and are all over the place. Add to that highly sketchy and unlikable characters, and a supposedly strong friendship between the titled 4 that it's nowhere to be found and we are left with the worst kind or work of art...the one designed to be "cooooooooooooooool" and that will fool peo...more
Writer Brian Wood and artist Ryan Kelly introduce us to Will Riley, a young woman just beginning her Freshman year at NYU in New York. Already suffering a strained relationship with her parents, who had turned their back on Will's older sister, Angie, years before.
We get to see the NYU community and the area around it as it was in 2007-2008. Having lived and worked in Brooklyn & Queens from '86 thru '06, I was familiar with that area. It's obvious that Wood and Kelly also know it well, since...more
We get to see the NYU community and the area around it as it was in 2007-2008. Having lived and worked in Brooklyn & Queens from '86 thru '06, I was familiar with that area. It's obvious that Wood and Kelly also know it well, since...more
so this comic is supposed to let the reader "experience" new york city through the eyes of this kind of (ok, very!) annoying girl who's a freshman at NYU.
this was interesting in an "oh look every place in my old neighborhood" sort of way but i'm not sure how cool it is if you've never lived in NYC. maybe, maybe useful, i dont know.
the story is interesting in theory but totally fails in practice mainly for the fact that it's two dudes trying to tell a story through the eyes/voice of this teenage...more
this was interesting in an "oh look every place in my old neighborhood" sort of way but i'm not sure how cool it is if you've never lived in NYC. maybe, maybe useful, i dont know.
the story is interesting in theory but totally fails in practice mainly for the fact that it's two dudes trying to tell a story through the eyes/voice of this teenage...more
Nice little coming-of-age story of Riley, a girl from Brooklyn who travels to Manhattan to attend NYU. Along the way she meets some friends, reconnects with her estranged sister, and meets a guy - someone who drops an email address in her pocket at a club. They start texting each other and quickly fall in love, forcing Riley to make some interesting choices about who she is as a person.
Overall this was a really fun read, despite not being my usual sort of flair. I had been expecting something a...more
Overall this was a really fun read, despite not being my usual sort of flair. I had been expecting something a...more
I was a big fan of Brian Wood & Ryan Kelly's Demo series. I've wanted to read NY4 for years. I finally picked it up when the first issue of NY5 came out.
What sold me on this series, aside from the fact that it's about a bunch of cute college girls (although it's not a detraction), but how real they are. Real like Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane or Demo. These characters are real. We know people like them, they don't feel forced.
The main character is also eerily and unbelievably similar to me (asi...more
What sold me on this series, aside from the fact that it's about a bunch of cute college girls (although it's not a detraction), but how real they are. Real like Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane or Demo. These characters are real. We know people like them, they don't feel forced.
The main character is also eerily and unbelievably similar to me (asi...more
This little OGN from Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly almost got a fifth star, but little things kept yanking me out of the story, namely the little guidebook/status updates. At first I thought they were cute ("New York 101: Broadway & Houston Streets... If you pronounced it like Houston, Texas, you are most likely a tourist. Say "house-tin" instead") but by the time they were explaining what a spider roll is, I was rolling my eyes and feeling condescended to, and annoyed to have my eye and thought...more
For the sake of a second star, I'm going to assume that New York Four was intended to be a multi-volume series, and that the characters were left hanging because DC Comics' Minx line closed, and not because the author and artist intended them to be stuck in plotline limbo forever. This was a short graphic novel that introduced four storylines (some introduced more halfheartedly than others) and only came close to resolving a few of their plot points. Main character Riley suffers from what we sha...more
A really good start, and the best Minx book I've read so far.
Brian Wood doesn't set the world on fire with his plotting or storytelling tricks (the titular four girls conveniently have to explain themselves in therapy sessions), but it's a sturdy introduction to his more awesome contemporary love and conflict comics. The dialogue and scenes are great. It reads so quick, but at the end of the book I was disappointed that there's really only growth and explanation for Riley, the main character. Th...more
Brian Wood doesn't set the world on fire with his plotting or storytelling tricks (the titular four girls conveniently have to explain themselves in therapy sessions), but it's a sturdy introduction to his more awesome contemporary love and conflict comics. The dialogue and scenes are great. It reads so quick, but at the end of the book I was disappointed that there's really only growth and explanation for Riley, the main character. Th...more
Brian Wood's story telling is spot on with this first part of "The New York Four". The story focuses on four girls that are starting their first semester at NYU and all the problems that can have. Initially, I was worried this would get into cliche chick-lit territory, but Wood never drops into those. He spends a fair amount of time creating real people who inhabit a real New York. His love of the city is on display almost every page, and Ryan Kelly's art goes a long way to helping that. It is r...more
Aug 23, 2011
Very
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
picture-pages,
2011,
borrowed,
city-girls,
hipsteria,
nyc,
screwy-teenagers,
xx,
ya,
clique-clack
The main character is Shy. Then all of a sudden she makes friends with three girls who each have one-dimensional personalities. There’s the Slutty one, the Tomboy, and the Freaky one. They’re all freshmen at NYU, living in the greatest city in the world, and nothing fucking happens. It reads like a long episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation. (Yes, I still watch it, and can’t help myself.) But if it were a Degrassi episode, something would have actually happened. Someone would have died or got...more
I recently read an article about Minx comics, which were aimed at girls and women, and then I stumbled across this comic from that line while pulling books for ILL. It looked interesting so I took it home to read it.
I liked it more while I was reading it than I did after I finished and gave it some thought.
The characters are all rather flat. (Ha! Comic book characters are flat! Ha!) Even the main character is broadly drawn. Her friends are more types than people, although the writer did try to f...more
I liked it more while I was reading it than I did after I finished and gave it some thought.
The characters are all rather flat. (Ha! Comic book characters are flat! Ha!) Even the main character is broadly drawn. Her friends are more types than people, although the writer did try to f...more
Surprised myself. This book is awesome. I do like Brian Wood (DMZ) a lot, and this book doesn't disappoint. It's the story of painfully shy Riley leaving the nest for the first time. Her adventures (and misadventures) in New York City were thrilling to watch. Thought this one might be a little too girlie for me, but it wasn't. The New York Four reminded me of a manga novel. I've tried to read Japanese manga before, but had a difficult time with the plot. Character motivation seemed really baffli...more
As a huge fan of Brian Wood’s writing in the comic book medium, I didn’t hesitate to pick up the first issue of his The New York Five when it hits the newsstands back in January. Of course, I quickly discovered that a.) it is the follow-up to The New York Four, which b.) I completely missed, even though I was devouring anything written by him as I began following his ongoing titles Northlanders and DMZ. So in no short order, I checked out a copy of this, his first outing about NYU students Riley...more
Genre: Concept/Graphic Novel
Copyright: 2008
This isn't typically the type of book I would normally read, however, I figured "why not?". The book follows a college freshman at NYU who is socially inept except for her virtual life through text messaging. She meets 3 other girls (all with very different personalities) and reconnects with her long lost sister. The artwork is great, however, the story's twist is too predictable. I found this book on a young adult shelf in the library, and I can see so...more
Copyright: 2008
This isn't typically the type of book I would normally read, however, I figured "why not?". The book follows a college freshman at NYU who is socially inept except for her virtual life through text messaging. She meets 3 other girls (all with very different personalities) and reconnects with her long lost sister. The artwork is great, however, the story's twist is too predictable. I found this book on a young adult shelf in the library, and I can see so...more
I think Brian Wood might be the Alice Munroe of comics. He's prolific and tackles a variety of different subjects, but I think his writing really shines in his short vignettes. The New York Four centers around Riley, a college freshman in NYC and her relationships with three friends, her family, and a mysterious online boyfriend.
The New York Four gives Wood more time to tell his story (which helps alleviate some of the frustrations I had with his most recent Demo volume) while still keeping it...more
The New York Four gives Wood more time to tell his story (which helps alleviate some of the frustrations I had with his most recent Demo volume) while still keeping it...more
Jul 28, 2011
Rahadyan
added it
Brian Wood's tale of a semester in the life of a New York University (my alma mater) freshman brings back some painful memories of social awkwardness and painful lessons endured 27 years ago. Witty and real dialogue, accurate dynamics among the protagonist and her three friends, and with her parents. The New York Four stands out as a well-written and -drawn (by Ryan Kelly) roman a clef of the text-messaging age. While I am not the target audience of DC's Minx imprint (I checked this out because...more
Riley, a freshman at NYU, struggles to connect with classmates in person and break out of her online text-messaging shell. Her new friendships are threatened when she becomes obsessed with texting a guy she knows only as sneakerfreak. Riley's family drama--controlling parents, meeting her estranged older sister--further complicates her freshman year. This graphic novel will please teens who aspire to be hip New York college students some day. The New York Four is very much a relationship drama,...more
I throughly enjoyed this book. Sometimes it is nice to just read a "slice of life" kind of story. There is no over the top events here, just down to earth storytelling.
Brian Wood does a phenomenal job of creating characters that you feel invested in and actually care about. His love for New York also shines thru with the excellent descriptions of ironic places. It's fun to also follow the music selections he drops hints too periodically.
Lastly, the art style is refreshingly simple with its beau...more
Brian Wood does a phenomenal job of creating characters that you feel invested in and actually care about. His love for New York also shines thru with the excellent descriptions of ironic places. It's fun to also follow the music selections he drops hints too periodically.
Lastly, the art style is refreshingly simple with its beau...more
I loved Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly's Local, so I'm not sure how I managed to take so long to read The New York Four. But I finally did, and I was stunned by just how much I loved it. I love the use of the NYC location, I love the characters (especially the protagonist, Riley, with whom I relate a bit too much), and I love how clear and beautiful the art is. My only complaint was that it left me hanging -- I want to know more about the other girls' stories, and I really want more resolution to Ril...more
Short comic about a girl's first year in college, and her dealing with roommates/parents/crushes/estranged older sister. Unfortunately, the protagonist's constant text messaging pissed me off, and the ending was completely abrupt and awful. The older sister's reaction to the conflict was unbelievable. As well, the plot wasn't that compelling.
Ryan Kelly's art was nice and fluid, however. That gives it another star.
Now that I've read a few of Brian Wood's books, I find it a bit interesting that he...more
Ryan Kelly's art was nice and fluid, however. That gives it another star.
Now that I've read a few of Brian Wood's books, I find it a bit interesting that he...more
This is book 1 for week "four", it is another cute and girlie graphic novel from the Minx publishers.
About a reclusive girl going to NYU, who is encouraged by her older sister to get out and actually meet real people (as opposed to the people on-line). She becomes friends with three girls who are in some of her classes and they decide to move in together (causing some drama with the over protective parents). Then one day a boy puts his email address in her pocket at a show, but she doesn't know...more
About a reclusive girl going to NYU, who is encouraged by her older sister to get out and actually meet real people (as opposed to the people on-line). She becomes friends with three girls who are in some of her classes and they decide to move in together (causing some drama with the over protective parents). Then one day a boy puts his email address in her pocket at a show, but she doesn't know...more
After much pleading, Riley's parents allow her to go to NYU for college. They are unaware that she has an ulterior motive: to reconnect with the black sheep of the family, her older sister, Angie. Luckily, she's able to overcome her shyness and meet some great friends, but things start going awry when she starts talking to a guy online. A story about a teenager just trying to find herself, this novel is one that most kids can relate to in some fashion. What I love most about the book is that it...more
Minx.
Pretty standard coming of age title about a girl's first semester of college at NYU. Coolish illustration style - especially liked author's "NY 101" notes interspersed throughout with tidbits about NYC. The plot didn't really do it for me, but the characters were likable and/or interesting, and I appreciated the rich focus on setting. High school, but primarily for time-of-life issues, since the characters are in college or older. And if I were booktalking a Minx at a high school, I'd go fo...more
Pretty standard coming of age title about a girl's first semester of college at NYU. Coolish illustration style - especially liked author's "NY 101" notes interspersed throughout with tidbits about NYC. The plot didn't really do it for me, but the characters were likable and/or interesting, and I appreciated the rich focus on setting. High school, but primarily for time-of-life issues, since the characters are in college or older. And if I were booktalking a Minx at a high school, I'd go fo...more
Riley is shy and sheltered. She is also pretty obsessed with her smartphone. Online people are easy to talk to. When she starts going to college in Manhattan though, things start to change a little. For instance, she starts hanging out with her older sister. Riley hasn't seen her sister in ten years, not since she ran away from home. She also gets a crush on an online guy known as sneakerfreak. She's trying to keep up her grades, job and social life, and it's taking it's toll on her. She can't l...more
The premise of this book was much more interesting than the execution. Four NYU freshman girls, trying to make their way in the city with pathologically shy Riley as the main character. Riley reconnects with her estranged older sister who coaxes her out of her shell. Just as she's starting to connect with her new friends, she becomes obsessed with a romance with a secret admirer she only communicates with via text. Complications ensue. The ending is set up for a sequel that I'm not sure will eve...more
Oct 10, 2008
Amber
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
teen girls 15+
Recommended to Amber by:
Alex
I don't have a lot of experience with graphic novels, and since my fiance is very much into this genre - I asked him to make a couple of recommendations for me.
One of the first books he recommended was The New York Four. One of the beautiful things about graphic novels is that they are very quick reads. I read this book in about an hour.
It is an enjoyable, if intriguing, story about a girl named Riley from Brooklyn who is a freshman at NYU. The reader follows her through rekindling her relatio...more
One of the first books he recommended was The New York Four. One of the beautiful things about graphic novels is that they are very quick reads. I read this book in about an hour.
It is an enjoyable, if intriguing, story about a girl named Riley from Brooklyn who is a freshman at NYU. The reader follows her through rekindling her relatio...more
This is an original graphic novel by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly, the team that brought you Local. I loved Local, and was glad to get this new tale from them, especially when I saw almost immediately that it had a very similar feel. It's the story of four girls who've moved into Manhattan to be freshmen at NYU. It especially focuses on Riley, a girl with overprotective parents who has learned to live on the internet rather than in real life. I hate to say it, because I could tell how pathetic it w...more
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