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Descender, Vol. 1
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Descender Discussion Thread - Best Graphic Work (2016)
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Just got this in the mail today, so excited to start it, it looks stunning!
I'm planning on reading Descender this evening. I will report back tomorrow with my thoughts :)
I read this last night, and I loved it! The art is fabulous. Watercolors can be difficult to pull off in comics, but I think the style goes well with the story.The first volume was a great introduction to the world and our characters, and I'm looking forward to see where the series is headed. I read the Sweet Tooth, Vol. 1: Out of the Deep Woods series by Jeff Lemire last year and at the beginning of this year. I wasn't in love with the characters or writing style in that series, so I was a bit worried going into Descender, but Lemire has really improved his writing over the past couple of years.
My only complaint is that I thought a few of the cuts between scenes were a little abrupt. There were a few times when I thought I missed a panel or a page because the transition did not feel natural, but that's a relatively minor complaint.
Descender vol 1 was fantastic. I spent extra time looking at the art in this comic because of how amazing it is. There were some panels that I felt weren't just drawn/painted well, but had artistic merit, that showed something beyond what the story was actually saying. The fine details in the faces blew me away and made the expressions feel life like. The story set up is fantastic. I love any narrative that has an aspect of an unanswered question. This is important to me as I read to learn more about the world and story. I think my favorite part of the story was the "rebooting memory" panels that were interspersed while Tim was running away from the scavengers. Often, pages like that, that jump back in time with a flashback don't work for me, but this was done impeccable.
I think the world has some great political conflict scenarios that come be utilized really well in the following volumes. I hope that this great start and potential is not wasted in future volumes.
I didn't love this like so many seem to do, for me it was a solid 3 or 3.5 stars. I didn't really find a connection or get hooked to the story, characters, or the world, although there were some good ideas & visuals.The second chapter, the "rebooting memory" chapter that Paul mentioned, was my favourite part, the best in this volume. It was structured so well, and the story there had an emotional resonance. The rest just wasn't on that level for me.
My complaint is, like Nicole said, that sometimes the panels weren't easily readable; either the transitions weren't smooth or a panel was unclear. I also wasn't a fan of the lettering, it was a bit "messy" for my taste.
The watercolour art was at times beautiful, but sometimes looked a bit unfinished, especially in chapter 4 (like the artist was perhaps in a rush). I've seen the watercolour medium & other traditional mediums done to a higher standard elsewhere: it's especially prominent in many French (or other European) comics. To give one European example, Blacksad is done with watercolours, although it has more of a lineart focus so can not be directly compared to Descender. I just couldn't come up with a more fitting example quickly. :)
The ending of this volume was promising and I think I'll check the second volume out when it's published. It's not a priority though.
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Maija wrote: "The second chapter, the "rebooting memory" chapter that Paul mentioned, was my favourite part, the best in this volume."
I definitely agree that the memory scenes were by far my favourite section for how they worked alongside the story and the difference in colour tone and style that made it clear this was the past.
I'm halfway through at this point and also really liked that flashback sequence. Aside from being beautiful, it's also where I first felt a true connection to Tim 21 and Dr. Quon as well. Like Paul I've also been trying to read this slow enough to enjoy each pannel though some definitely do have a more unfinished look to them. It's tough to savor this one since the story has me so gripped that I could very easily just blow through it.
Having finished this myself now, I can honestly say that I'm officially obsessed with this series. I needed volume 2 to be out like a week ago! Everything was so good and so intense for me and I can't wait till there is more of it to enjoy.
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I read this a month ago and I have to say it was a wonderful read for me filled with a quirky story, characters I fell in love with, and stunning artwork. I think that the artwork being done in watercolour tones is something you don't often see in graphic novels and comics, but for me it was a huge part of making this story feel a little more removed from Earth and making the solar system it is set in feel like it's a whole new place.
I also loved seeing the variety of planets, people and fashions within this. One of the characters has a hairstyle I only wish I could recreate in reality, and some of the designs for spreads are eye-catching and well worth pouring over.
To compliment this art we also have a great little story about a young robot boy who is out on his own in a galaxy of unknowns. Tim-21 is a character with a story to tell, and the way that the team get his story across both through the choice of words and the choice of art, was gripping and fun for me. I hope many of you will also have great experiences with this, and honestly I think I can say that this is one of my favourite SF comics I have picked up so far. I think this category is going to be a super hard one to judge so lets keep the discussions coming so we can all see what we like/don't like about this one!
Please remember to use spoiler tags if you're talking about a specific section of the story or plot!
Happy reading!