CAPTAIN STONE VOLUME 1

by Liam Sharp (Illustrator), Christina McCormack, Bill Sienkiewicz (Introduction)

In a world where the Media can make or break careers, no one is safe – not even the World’s one and only superhero. And when he falls from grace, the results could threaten the very survival of humanity!

Genres: Graphic Novels

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 2, 2014

About the author

Liam Sharp is a British artist, writer and publisher. His debut work started in the late 1980s drawing Judge Dredd for 2000AD. Since then he has worked for numerous comic publishers including Marvel UK, Marvel Comics, DC comics, Image, Dynamite Comics, Verotick as well as many others. He has published his first novel. He has worked with advertising campaigns as well as design work and produced art for various magazines. He has worked on designs for various movies including Lost in Space, Small Soldiers and the animated series Batman Beyond.

In 2004 Liam established MamTor™ Publishing with his wife Christina. In October 2011, Liam Sharp co-founded Madefire with Ben Wolstenholme and Eugene Walden, in Berkeley, CA, and is the company's CCO.

He is currently at work on a comic series with his wife called Cap Stone. He also has a deviant art page located at http://liamsharp.deviantart.com

Reviews

[Jedel · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's just bad. It entirely exists to lead up to some further work that never seemingly manifested, it is tied vaguely to some multimedia project that only makes itself more incoherent and makes the art look awful. There really is just sort of nothing here really at all.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is much to love in Cap Stone Volume 1. Liam Sharp and Christina McCormack deliver a book with a super hero that has seemingly fallen in more ways than in battle. The book is richly illustrated with a variation of style that is compelling, but it is the story that carries the day. One could perhaps, if being dismissive, consider this book as a sort of "light" version of Watchmen in that it, through scenes and the occasional trope skewering critiques our reality as much as it does the comic books many of us grew up reading. But Sharp and McCormack's work can only be considered as Watchmen light if one only briefly reads the work. It is true that it does not pack the reality skewering power of Alan Moore, but it is not meant to do so. Sharp and McCormack gives us back a richly developed world that considers things from the surface level corruption of wealth to the complications of corporations, the problems of veganism in a world of supply and demand to the dysfunctional family dynamic. The fact that our titular protagonist does not become fully rendered, so to speak, in the story until its conclusion and even then we are left with a shaky sense of what awakes makes this even more compelling. Has the fallen truly fallen, or is it, in some ways, the first time he has made a stand.

This is a tale of the supporting cast for much of the work, but they are richly compelling, involving, and establish the world of the fallen superhero.

If given the opportunity in some future time, I would return to this world and these characters. They are compelling in their flawed humanity, perhaps moreso than in their heroism, thus it is compelling to read and I would say, as with many things, pursuing Sharp's artwork is reason enough to read this work for all its varied styles and timing.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apesar de Liam Sharp ter se tornado mais notório para o público brasileiro atualmente quando desenhou as histórias da Mulher-Maravilha, ele possui um longa carreira que vem desde os anos 1990 quando desenhava para a Marvel UK e para a 2000 a.D. na Inglaterra. Capitão Stone é a obra da sua vida e nela Sharp utiliza toda sua verve enquanto asrtista plástico emulando estilos que vão desde Bill Sienkiewcz passando por Simon Bisley, Dave McKean, Frank Frazetta, Sam Kieth, Frank Miller, Kyle Barker, chegando até os desenhos superheroicos de Mike Bagley. Capitão Stone é uma homenagem ao gênero do "super-herói realista", com vários "twists and turns" que deixam o leitor desconcertado. Muitas vezes na narrativa Christina McCormac, a esposa de Liam Sharp fala no texto sobre o uso de clichês, mas tudo o que ela e o marido fazem com Capitão Stone é subverter os clichês. Contudo, apesar da linguagem pictórica extremamente complexa e detalhada, eu senti falta do uso da linguagem narrativa dos quadrinhos, já que Capitão Stone usa de várias sequencias de splash pages. Quando um recurso do quadrinho é usado à revelia, isso significa que alguma coisa não está com o ritma certo na narrativa. E foi isso que me fez retirar uma estrelinha da minha avaliação.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goddam Liam Sharp is incredible. I’m not quite sure this all works. And to be fair it has to navigate a lot of difficult topics. For example, dealing with a female character who is a model and exploring the pitfalls of her life style whilst not blaming her or over sexusalising her despite the fact it has to tackle her dealing with the male gaze. And for the most part with these issues it does a very good job but there are some moments which do feel sexualising with no greater purpose. That being said there is so much good here that it overwhelms the eyes. Its an absolute feast for the eyes with so many different art styles each with their own hyperbolic aspects that highlight aspects of each character. And despite each different art style being so distinct there is still a visual clarify that pervades the book so you can always understand whats happening. Its brutally wonderfully ugly in the best way. Its a really interesting examination of the addictions that a lifestyle has and how morality can both act as an enabler for it and cause such extreme self loathing over it at the same time. It offers interesting insights into the post 9/11 superhero genre and its flaws. Just all around a great book. 8/10 Need to catch up on the rest of Liam Sharp’s work.