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39th out of 60 books
—
88 voters
Cowboys and Aliens
1873. Arizona.
An era when all a man could count on was his horse and his six-gun, and Indians fought a losing battle with European settlers.
Until somebody else entered the fight--an invader who saw all humans as slaves, and was determined to conquer our world.
Hardcover, Graphic Novel, 103 pages
Published
February 22nd 2011
by It Books
(first published December 6th 2006)
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i thought this comic was decent. it wasn't Watchmen or anything but it wasn't the worst thing i've ever read. my ratings tend to be significantly higher than most people's, so maybe it should be closer to a 3, but the point is, it wasn't this horrible, cheesy, stupid book. the reason i make a big deal out of this is because i know there were a lot of people who hated the movie long before it even came out, just because of the title. people blend genres and time periods of all different kinds all...more
I read this because the movie was fun, and I wanted to see how it differed from the comic. (Answer: the movie was better, and had little in common with this book.)
2/5 stars: This comic book was okay. Its comparison of the aliens invading Earth and the Americans invading Native American lands was entirely lacking in subtlety. This parallel was pushed to the reader's attention repeatedly through imagery and layout; the phrase "filthy savages"; the claiming of land already occupied; a rant by a cow...more
2/5 stars: This comic book was okay. Its comparison of the aliens invading Earth and the Americans invading Native American lands was entirely lacking in subtlety. This parallel was pushed to the reader's attention repeatedly through imagery and layout; the phrase "filthy savages"; the claiming of land already occupied; a rant by a cow...more
I don't say this often, but besides it's premise (title), this book literally has nothing to offer. It has mediocre art and completely nonsensical plotting as if it were written by a five-year-old. I can overlook the usual sci-fi silliness like translators and such, but things just get so stupid that you can't overlook them:
1. The first alien device the protagonist comes across looks exactly like a gun, and he immediately figures out how to use it. Amazing!
2. The 1870s blacksmith takes one look...more
1. The first alien device the protagonist comes across looks exactly like a gun, and he immediately figures out how to use it. Amazing!
2. The 1870s blacksmith takes one look...more
When I first saw this book in the store I thought it was one of those companion books that gets released for movies or tv shows. I had heard about the movie and was curious to flip through it to find out a little more about what it was about. When I saw that it was actually a graphic novel I was surprised for two reasons, first because my local book store rarely stocks any graphic novels and second because I hadn't known that the upcoming movie was based on a book. Since it's a movie I've been l...more
Wow, I'm amazed you have to pay for this book, I've read free comics that had better art and writing than this wreck.
The concept is minimal - cowboys from the frontier days, late 19th century, encounter aggressive aliens who decide to bring death and destruction to the world. Cowboys fight back.
Done right, this could've been a fantastic book. Unfortunately it's "created" by Scott Rosenberg, the man whose only idea in life is humans vs aliens, like his previous work "Men in Black". The only dif...more
The concept is minimal - cowboys from the frontier days, late 19th century, encounter aggressive aliens who decide to bring death and destruction to the world. Cowboys fight back.
Done right, this could've been a fantastic book. Unfortunately it's "created" by Scott Rosenberg, the man whose only idea in life is humans vs aliens, like his previous work "Men in Black". The only dif...more
Reason for Reading: I'd heard about the upcoming summer movie starring {sigh} Harrison Ford so thought I'd read the original comic book the movie is based on first.
This is a rather unusual tale as one could guess from the title. We join a group of settlers led by a priest who are traveling west to claim some land they have bought to start a new life. They are attacked by Indians and one of their two guides goes off to get help from the nearby Fort. Indian attacks end up being the least of his wo...more
This is a rather unusual tale as one could guess from the title. We join a group of settlers led by a priest who are traveling west to claim some land they have bought to start a new life. They are attacked by Indians and one of their two guides goes off to get help from the nearby Fort. Indian attacks end up being the least of his wo...more
Okay, I was browsing in the bookstore and saw this on the table. I know that there is a movie coming, based on this story, so I thought I'd check it out.
At first blush, I like the concept. If aliens have been coming to Earth for a long time, they should have come during the 1800's. There have been plenty of films of us fighting aliens with our relatively primitive weapons. Imagine trying to fight aliens with 19th century weapons!
Well, that's all well and good, but the actual execution of the con...more
At first blush, I like the concept. If aliens have been coming to Earth for a long time, they should have come during the 1800's. There have been plenty of films of us fighting aliens with our relatively primitive weapons. Imagine trying to fight aliens with 19th century weapons!
Well, that's all well and good, but the actual execution of the con...more
This thing was so goddamn ludicrous. There's not much to the story or the characters. It was written for 10-year-olds to read in backyard tents with their friends. It's so old school pulpy in its ridiculousness that it feels like the writers were doing it for their inner-children. It almost reads like a little kid explaining the very premise to you: "So there's, like, cowboys and Indians, and they're living in the Old West, but then these aliens come and they're all like, 'Poosch!' And everybody...more
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So I was challenged by my friend to explain my 4 star rating for this graphic novel. I thought about it and no, I'll stick to my 4 stars. Aside from the prologue which draws the inevitable parallel between the colonization of Americas by Europeans powers with the colonization of an alien world by a hostile alien force, this book doesn't pretend to be a running political or social commentary. Rather, this is a quick read that just pure fun and entertainment. I love the fact that the natives did n...more
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I never had any interest in the movie that was inspired by this "graphic novel." The movie itself, which I'm sure has little to nothing in common with the "graphic novel" based on the trailers and clips I viewed on the Internet, was poorly reviewed. When I got this, I was kind of hoping it would be better than the film in terms of artistic and storytelling quality. When I actually read it, I mostly disappointed because it read like a comic book, obviously because it is a comic book series that w...more
While this was not bad, I think that it works a lot better in concept than in execution. This actually seemed like a series of concepts ties with a loose story. I think that the only way to do this justice would be through a longer, more elaborate narrative. The end is set up for something like that, but maybe because the initial run was not so successful, they have not pursued anything further. Maybe with the upcoming film adaptation interest will renew.
That being said, I think that, just from...more
That being said, I think that, just from...more
Jul 26, 2011
Slayermel
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
library,
graphic-novels,
american,
21st-century,
fiction,
male-authors,
2011,
science-fiction
This was an interesting enough read and I enjoyed the concept, however I feel that the story could have used a little more work. I decided to read this before seeing the movie and I'm glad I did as the clips of the movie already look 10 times better then the book. I think had I seen the movie first I may not have gotten through the whole graphic novel.
I think considering this was written in 2006 the technology the aliens possessed could have been stepped up a few notches, what was shown in this...more
I think considering this was written in 2006 the technology the aliens possessed could have been stepped up a few notches, what was shown in this...more
The movie, while flawed is still a fun popcorn movie. The comic is way, WAY worse. The basic plot is a good idea and can work, and the movie prove it. But the comic fail at almost every level. Bad art, stilted dialogue, the plotting is all over the place, paper thin characters, and the story is filled with insanely stupid moments.
And when you read more of SMR's business model you understand why. This was a cash-in to promote the movie. But that's no reason to half-arse it like this. Even Mark Mi...more
And when you read more of SMR's business model you understand why. This was a cash-in to promote the movie. But that's no reason to half-arse it like this. Even Mark Mi...more
The movie was better. And I say that thinking that the movie was not too hot. Not that either of these things were really terrible, it's more that neither lived up to the potential of the title. The title is so awesome, had so much promise... then it just sorta flopped.
About all this graphic novel had in common with the movie was the title. Even though there was the cowboy with the pretty bracelet on the cover, no pretty bracelet inside! I enjoyed the beginning, about conquering peoples, and th...more
About all this graphic novel had in common with the movie was the title. Even though there was the cowboy with the pretty bracelet on the cover, no pretty bracelet inside! I enjoyed the beginning, about conquering peoples, and th...more
May 07, 2011
Kristin Fletcher-spear
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2011,
adult,
adventure,
graphic-novel,
historical-fiction,
science-fiction,
teen-young-adult
I wanted to read the graphic novel before I saw the movie this summer. Since the library had just bought the book, I put it on hold. I was skeptical about the book's premise. For some reason, I can buy aliens in the future; aliens in the present, but aliens in the past??? But the first pages brought me quickly into the story. I liked the juxtaposing of what we were doing to the Native Americans to what the aliens would be doing to us. After that though, the story went downhill for me. It was a f...more
WorldCat says this is for senior high, but i think fifth grade would be fine w/it.
1873, the Old West, evil Apaches are attacking an innocent wagon train. One white man rides to get help from Fort Laramie w/Indians in pursuit. Then a flying saucer crashes and BEMs kill the Indians and the cowboy gets away w/an alien gun. He goes back, warns the others cowboys and Indians fight the monsters together.
There are a couple panels when the two are discussing if they can work w/each other, a cowboy says...more
1873, the Old West, evil Apaches are attacking an innocent wagon train. One white man rides to get help from Fort Laramie w/Indians in pursuit. Then a flying saucer crashes and BEMs kill the Indians and the cowboy gets away w/an alien gun. He goes back, warns the others cowboys and Indians fight the monsters together.
There are a couple panels when the two are discussing if they can work w/each other, a cowboy says...more
A surprisingly good read. I have only seen the previews for the film that came out a year ago and I can tell you both stories are completely different. I guess it is true what some critics said only the name of the film and graphic novel are the same. I love the characters in the story and the teamwork that develops between the Apache tribe and the American settlers. The aliens being used as a metaphor for white settlers coming to the Americas was a little obvious, but made the comic that much m...more
I really wanted to like this graphic novel more. The concept is great, especially as a moral lesson against imperialistic expansion & the wiping out of native populations, etc. And this book has several clever story line developments and alien-tech-turned-against-them ideas.
However, one too many times the plot moved ahead or jumped around from one frame to the next that I literally didn't know what was happening, often for several art frames. And it didn't help that the art is typically aver...more
However, one too many times the plot moved ahead or jumped around from one frame to the next that I literally didn't know what was happening, often for several art frames. And it didn't help that the art is typically aver...more
Oct 04, 2011
Sofia
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
science-fiction
Posted on my book blog.
I hate to say this about any book, but this wasn't good. Actually, it was much worse than I had expected. I saw the movie first, and while I didn't love it, it was better than the book. What's more, the stories are completely different, the only real connection is that, in both, there are cowboys and - wait for it - aliens.
This wasn't terrible, but the story is way too basic and nothing, not the characters, the setting or the events, gets explored in the slightest, which w...more
I hate to say this about any book, but this wasn't good. Actually, it was much worse than I had expected. I saw the movie first, and while I didn't love it, it was better than the book. What's more, the stories are completely different, the only real connection is that, in both, there are cowboys and - wait for it - aliens.
This wasn't terrible, but the story is way too basic and nothing, not the characters, the setting or the events, gets explored in the slightest, which w...more
I read this in anticipation of the movie coming out this summer and found it really disappointing. It seems more like a frame rather than a full story. An alien ship crash-lands in the frontier West as settlers fight with the local Indian population. The aliens then try to take over. The obvious likenesses between the alien takeover and the encroaching of the white man is exploited in a heavy-handed manner. The characters - except the aliens, who nothing but menace - are forgettable cardboard cu...more
Fun and entertaining are the words I'd use to describe this graphic novel, although it still includes some moralising and other deepish thoughts, so that it feels worthwhile reading it. The tone remains light, however, and the pace is exceedingly quick. I often find I get bogged down in graphic novels, but I read this in two sittings and only stopped the first time as I needed some sleep. It won't change the world, but I enjoyed it a lot! The art is colourful and vibrant, the writing is crisp. I...more
A good idea that really went nowhere. Fresh thinking here but all there was only an idea, not a good story to go with the idea. I made an effort to read the GN before seeing the movie, just so that I could compare the two. Words cannot convey how disappointed I was with the GN. TV ads for the movie were running at that time and the ads made it look sooooo good. The GN just did not live up to the hype of the movie.
I will but it this way...... the movie was only OK (6 out of 10 stars sort of thing...more
I will but it this way...... the movie was only OK (6 out of 10 stars sort of thing...more
Honestly, two stars is being generous here. One point five would have been better. The book wasn't completely bad, but it didn't have very many redeeming qualities. The story is pretty straight forward. Aliens show up in the Old West and cowboys (and Indians) have to fight them. There is some forced romance between a good alien and a cowboy and also a cowgirl and an Indian, but that's about the extent of the attempted character growth. The rest is just fight after fight, really.
Also, despite the...more
Also, despite the...more
I knew the movie was supposed to be a little thin, but I assumed that was the simply the standard 'well, there's this cool comic book, but the studios just don't understand...'
Nope. The comic is also annoyingly lightweight, and without the draw of Daniel Craig to rescue it. After finishing the comic, I read the bio of the 'creator' in the back of the book, and it's clear his life's ambition is to create Least Publishable Units for the comics world and license them into as many platforms as possi...more
Nope. The comic is also annoyingly lightweight, and without the draw of Daniel Craig to rescue it. After finishing the comic, I read the bio of the 'creator' in the back of the book, and it's clear his life's ambition is to create Least Publishable Units for the comics world and license them into as many platforms as possi...more
Ok, so I did this one 'backwards'...saw the movie, THEN read the book.(Graphic Novel)
I did enjoy both. The Graphic Novel is a quick read. The story is different in some ways than then the film, but each work in their own way.
It was a little tough following the novel, in the last big fight scene. But that's a minor thing.
Also, it's a little hard to swallow the fact that the 'cowboys' stand a chance in hell against the aliens...The writers try their best, bt it's a hard sell.
Overall though, it...more
I did enjoy both. The Graphic Novel is a quick read. The story is different in some ways than then the film, but each work in their own way.
It was a little tough following the novel, in the last big fight scene. But that's a minor thing.
Also, it's a little hard to swallow the fact that the 'cowboys' stand a chance in hell against the aliens...The writers try their best, bt it's a hard sell.
Overall though, it...more
I have to admit that I actually went out of my way to go see the movie by John Favreau, I figures, hey, it's by the guy that did Iron Man, so it's gotta be good, right? right?
Well, Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. The main plot revolves around an amnesiac outlaw (Craig), a wealthy...more
Well, Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. The main plot revolves around an amnesiac outlaw (Craig), a wealthy...more
whatever, 1 and 2 reviews. granted it is short and the character development is also short. i would say that happens alot. but the graphic novel is fun and quick and entertaining and original. unless you put it down and quit, i just don't see how you can give this book a 1 or 2.
i am now sold on graphic novels. in case you are interested, this graphic novel's rights were bought and optioned into a movie. in prep for that, a hugo (scifi award) winning author was coopted into turning the very very...more
i am now sold on graphic novels. in case you are interested, this graphic novel's rights were bought and optioned into a movie. in prep for that, a hugo (scifi award) winning author was coopted into turning the very very...more
Written by: Fred Van Lente& Andrew Foley
Penciled by: Dennis Calero (Prologue) & Luciano Lima (Main story)
Cowboys & Aliens is an interesting idea to create. Should have been proved to be a fun read, but alas- that was not to be. From a quick prologue we're quickly thrown into action without much warning. And from there, the ride doesn't stop until the end. This is what hurts the story mostly. There's no exploration into characters, their motives, the setting.... anything.
The story's...more
Penciled by: Dennis Calero (Prologue) & Luciano Lima (Main story)
Cowboys & Aliens is an interesting idea to create. Should have been proved to be a fun read, but alas- that was not to be. From a quick prologue we're quickly thrown into action without much warning. And from there, the ride doesn't stop until the end. This is what hurts the story mostly. There's no exploration into characters, their motives, the setting.... anything.
The story's...more
Loved the concept of this book -- aliens invade the Old West, and cowboys and Indians must team up to fight them off -- but I would have loved the actual book more if the plot and characters were better developed. Still, it was fun to read, not a bad way to spend 45 minutes of my life. Now I'm interested to see the film, because I feel like there's a lot of room for the material to be fleshed out here, and also a lot of visual concepts that could translate very well to film.
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