I have had this book on my wishlist for some time and was excited when I saw my local library had finally received it. This ended up being a very well done, if somewhat depressing graphic novel.
David was a successful young sculptor until one of his sponsors ruined his life. Now he has hit rock bottom. Then Death shows up to ask him a question "what would he give to be a successful sculptor?" When David responds that he would give his very life to be able to sculpt anything his wish is granted. David is given 200 days with the power to sculpt anything with his hands, at the end of that time he will die. Only he isn't planning on meeting a quirky angelic girl and fall desperately in love with her.
This book was well done but a bit depressing. It's an interesting look at a lot of different topics. Among those topics are New York City, the artistic community, young love, and mental disorders.
I found the story to be incredibly engaging and read the whole book in one sitting. The whole time you are wondering what David is going to do with his newfound talent and then you are wondering if he will find a way out of the whole deal with Death.
The story is best described as a tragedy, it's pretty emotional and depressing at times. This isn't one of those books you read to feel better about life that's for sure.
The illustration style is more cartoony than I normally like and it is done in just a few colors. It's okay but not the best illustration ever. The story ends up overpowering the illustration so that you don't notice the style as much as the book continues.
Overall this was a very engaging and well done graphic novel. It's a very emotional graphic novel and in the end the story definitely overpowers the art here. I enjoyed it and am glad I read it. However I wouldn't recommend reading it when you are feeling down; it's pretty depressing and definitely not a happy feel good type of read.
David was a successful young sculptor until one of his sponsors ruined his life. Now he has hit rock bottom. Then Death shows up to ask him a question "what would he give to be a successful sculptor?" When David responds that he would give his very life to be able to sculpt anything his wish is granted. David is given 200 days with the power to sculpt anything with his hands, at the end of that time he will die. Only he isn't planning on meeting a quirky angelic girl and fall desperately in love with her.
This book was well done but a bit depressing. It's an interesting look at a lot of different topics. Among those topics are New York City, the artistic community, young love, and mental disorders.
I found the story to be incredibly engaging and read the whole book in one sitting. The whole time you are wondering what David is going to do with his newfound talent and then you are wondering if he will find a way out of the whole deal with Death.
The story is best described as a tragedy, it's pretty emotional and depressing at times. This isn't one of those books you read to feel better about life that's for sure.
The illustration style is more cartoony than I normally like and it is done in just a few colors. It's okay but not the best illustration ever. The story ends up overpowering the illustration so that you don't notice the style as much as the book continues.
Overall this was a very engaging and well done graphic novel. It's a very emotional graphic novel and in the end the story definitely overpowers the art here. I enjoyed it and am glad I read it. However I wouldn't recommend reading it when you are feeling down; it's pretty depressing and definitely not a happy feel good type of read.
I was disappointed by this book. In length and in subject matter it promises greater things than it achieves.
If the author had stuck to a more mundane story-line, the book might have succeeded, but he introduced some mystical, fantastical, and philosophical elements which he was then unable to fully deliver on. The book deals with themes of the meaning of art and life and death, yet we never receive any remarkable insights into these themes. To the characters, life is basically meaningless, with no depth beyond what we can see and touch, and no real reason for anything that happens. The characters meander through life more-or-less blithely, unthinking. The author's problem seems to be that he truly is unable to think outside the box.
Art, similarly, is presented as a shallow wade into the tepid waters of celebrity and money and fast-fading fame, with no higher purpose apparent. The soul-deep connection with the creative well that all great artists draw from is absent.
The ending of this book, especially, is a let-down. The protagonist goes King Kong on us and performs a credulity-stretching superhero feat, which nevertheless is lacking in deeper meaning, despite the enormous physical size of the project.
The main character essentially comes off as a very stereotypical Marty Stu - a mediocre white man's fantasy of greatness that doesn't have any actual depth or admirable qualities. He is bland, but we are supposed to admire him.
That said, the book was well-crafted enough to draw me swiftly all the way to the end, so it wasn't a total failure. Just a bit of briefly satisfactory junk food on my quest for a real graphic novel feast.
If the author had stuck to a more mundane story-line, the book might have succeeded, but he introduced some mystical, fantastical, and philosophical elements which he was then unable to fully deliver on. The book deals with themes of the meaning of art and life and death, yet we never receive any remarkable insights into these themes. To the characters, life is basically meaningless, with no depth beyond what we can see and touch, and no real reason for anything that happens. The characters meander through life more-or-less blithely, unthinking. The author's problem seems to be that he truly is unable to think outside the box.
Art, similarly, is presented as a shallow wade into the tepid waters of celebrity and money and fast-fading fame, with no higher purpose apparent. The soul-deep connection with the creative well that all great artists draw from is absent.
The ending of this book, especially, is a let-down. The protagonist goes King Kong on us and performs a credulity-stretching superhero feat, which nevertheless is lacking in deeper meaning, despite the enormous physical size of the project.
The main character essentially comes off as a very stereotypical Marty Stu - a mediocre white man's fantasy of greatness that doesn't have any actual depth or admirable qualities. He is bland, but we are supposed to admire him.
That said, the book was well-crafted enough to draw me swiftly all the way to the end, so it wasn't a total failure. Just a bit of briefly satisfactory junk food on my quest for a real graphic novel feast.
