Review: Ody-c, #1

[King's_Gambit]

I thought this was solid. Not mind-blowing, but solid. It's certainly very ambitious and Fraction and Ward are clearly trying to do something very different. For that, I give them respect and kudos. Overall, I found there to be more good than bad here and am going to stick it out.

Totally understand the strong, negative reactions that some are having to the book though. That being said, I do hope that some folks who are just saying how much the book sucks come to realize that it may just be more the case that the book just isn't for them.

[FriendRoss]

I did enjoy the rhymes

And the art, my lord. Wish this book could come in the oversized format. The art and color are blowing off the page.


The more that book settles the more I liked it and think I'll read it again tomorrow. Maybe make heads or tails of the time Line or map


I have a real love hate with how cutsie and heady fractions work can be at times. Mostly I hate myself for how much I love it.

[InformationGeek]

Totally understand the strong, negative reactions that some are having to the book though. That being said, I do hope that some folks who are just saying how much the book sucks come to realize that it may just be more the case that the book just isn't for them.

I'm half half with the book. It's obvious it's not totally for me (definitely more for fans of the Odyessy and people who like the artwork), but there are still things about it that I would have problems with even if I felt the book was for me or that I liked the book.

[Trilipush]

I'm half half with the book. It's obvious it's not totally for me (definitely more for fans of the Odyessy and people who like the artwork), but there are still things about it that I would have problems with even if I felt the book was for me or that I liked the book.

It's just not for you and that's it. It's difficult to come up with a sound value judgment on a piece of art or literature if its sensibilities and aesthetic commitments don't jive with your preferences.

[El Sombrero]

I gave this a re-read today, going at a much more measured pace and taking time reading each line, and on second read I didn't think it was hard to follow at all. I didn't think it was THAT hard of a read the first time around, but this time I had a better grasp of exactly what was happening and all the little details. I'd strongly disagree with anyone who says the comic is a mess or doesn't make sense...pretty much everything is right there, it's just written in a way where you can't rush through it. Some comics you can read more or less at the speed you would talk to someone or read non-fiction articles...this is not one of them.

Didn't really affect my likelihood of buying this in the future either way. On the one hand I love the art and all the symbolism, but as I said earlier, I find the way Greek mythology is written and presented to be a bit off-putting, and none of the characters really appealed to me. While I wouldn't say ODY-C and Saga are that similar in execution or style, they are both ultimately colorful, wild, and sexual books about war, culture, and space voyages. I overwhelmingly love Saga and have such a strong attachment to so many characters, that on a personal level I can't see myself sticking with a book that deals with similar stuff in a way that I find noticeably less enjoyable and satisfying.

[ishikabe]

I gave this a re-read today, going at a much more measured pace and taking time reading each line, and on second read I didn't think it was hard to follow at all. I didn't think it was THAT hard of a read the first time around, but this time I had a better grasp of exactly what was happening and all the little details. I'd strongly disagree with anyone who says the comic is a mess or doesn't make sense...pretty much everything is right there, it's just written in a way where you can't rush through it. Some comics you can read more or less at the speed you would talk to someone or read non-fiction articles...this is not one of them.

Yeah this writing doesn't have WHAM POW BOOF! much.

[harpier]

Oh dear god... I couldn't stand this book for the life of me. It was so... bad and horrendous that it frustrates me. The dialogue, the narrative, the characters, the writing, the artwork, and everything in between... just wow. (2 out of 10).

The only good thing I say is that I now have another book for my worst of the year list. Just incredible.

I very much liked it. Fraction did a remarkably deft job capturing the tone and cadence of the Homeric epic, which ultimately, I think, serves as a very useful litmus test for whether or not readers will like the series. His construction of characters is refreshingly un-modern, though it will doubtlessly alienate many readers. There's a distant brutality in Ody-C, like The Odyssey itself, which gives the comic the distinct flavor of an ancient epic.

It's also a truly intricate and teasing puzzle for those familiar with the mythology, full of what could perhaps best be described as mythological "easter eggs". [Speaking of which, to the CBR reviewer: The Cicones are not a replacement for Circe. They're a race of mercenary allies whom Odysseus plundered immediately upon leaving Troy, before getting waylaid by the Lotus-Eaters and the cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus recounts the tale to the Phaeacians near the beginning of Book IX.]

[ishikabe]

I did enjoy the rhymes

And the art, my lord. Wish this book could come in the oversized format. The art and color are blowing off the page.


The more that book settles the more I liked it and think I'll read it again tomorrow. Maybe make heads or tails of the time Line or map


I have a real love hate with how cutsie and heady fractions work can be at times. Mostly I hate myself for how much I love it.

I like this comic.

[lordtiberius]

I cannot think of a more tasteless rendering of a brilliant masterpiece. Homer's tale serves as the cultural foundation of our civilization. There is so much wrong with this, its not even worth the effort

[harpier]

I cannot think of a more tasteless rendering of a brilliant masterpiece. Homer's tale serves as the cultural foundation of our civilization. There is so much wrong with this, its not even worth the effort

Whether or not (and it's clearly not) you liked Fraction and Ward's adaptation, this is fundamentally unfair to both the epic and the comic. The epic is undoubtedly a marvelous—and ultimately highly influential (thanks to the efforts of later, fifth- and fourth-century-BC Attic scholars and educators, the revival and imitation of the Homeric epic form by Latin poet Virgil, and the place afforded him by 19th- and 20th-century scholars and university administrators in the standard liberal arts curriculum)—but it's no more a foundation for civilization, cultural or otherwise, than any other single work of literary (and only later "literary", since it was most likely a transcription of an oral form) work of art. It's a product of its place and time, an artifact—admittedly a very beautiful one—of an ancient and distant culture. It's not scripture. It's been adapted more times than most other ancient works over the centuries, served as inspiration for a bevy of original stories, and Fraction and Ward's sci-fi, gender-inverted effort is hardly likely to be the worst.

Like anyone who's bothered to read the epic, in both the original Greek and a number of translations, I have a lot of love for The Odyssey. It's less impressive than The Iliad (which I'm far more inclined than not to believe was not written by the same poet), but still a phenomenal poem of great scope and humanity. While I quite liked the opening installment of the new series, I'm not yet entirely sold. But whatever I ultimately decide, I'm delighted Fraction and Ward are giving it a go. It's clear to me they have the utmost respect and admiration for their source and a distinct vision for their own adaptation.

[pynchon1]

Whoa. Righteous reply, harpier. I studied mathematics and stayed away from the classics except for those in my Hum conference, but I can appreciate the rigor of your response. I loved this comic book so much. The information dump, as it's been called, in the beginning was alone worth the $3.99, in my opinion. So much goodness for the imagination. I'm in for the long haul.

[Braun Rodman]

Adding, it seems like some of you who didn't like it might have read the out of order/pages missing digital version. Hopefully you'll give the fixed copy a chance. Be a shame to dismiss a work when there was a problem with what you read.

https://twitter.com/mattfraction/sta...27705532768257 he literally says it's rendered incomprehensible.

oh wow! thanks man. I will definitely go back and read it...

[WelcomeBackFrank]

I'm half half with the book.

Yeah, sounds like it....

"Oh dear god... I couldn't stand this book for the life of me. It was so... bad and horrendous that it frustrates me. The dialogue, the narrative, the characters, the writing, the artwork, and everything in between... just wow. (2 out of 10).

The only good thing I say is that I now have another book for my worst of the year list. Just incredible."



You are apparently a 'reviewer'. The above was your review. You were not even close to half and half.

People, like I did, come on here for some helpful comments or reviews on books to see whether or not they should pick the book up or for a bit more insight on what it's about.
Given that you are a 'reviewer', if you are 'reviewing' as a step to improving your writing and perhaps writing for a living, I hope karma does not see someone take something you have put a lot of energy and passion into and shit all over it like you have done above.

I have since gone on to read ODY-C and I did not like it, but I have no affinity for or connection to The Odyssey, so it did not engage me. That's down to my lack of interest in the subject matter.


However, it's plain to see the amount painstaking research and passion that has gone into producing this comic.

For you to write that off as 'bad and horrendous' is just lazy and nasty.

I thought CBR were clamping down on this trolling crap?

[eye of all]

Reading the corrected digital version made a world of difference. I think I'm on board for this now.

[Anjohl]

I have to be honest, this fell pretty flat. I *wanted* to love it SO much, the vibrant colors, the promise of an epic space opera to rival Saga, and that foldout! It took me three times as long to read the foldout as it did the comic!

What I ended up reading felt like the self-indulgent result of two guys sitting around joking after smoking too much pot. I will give this in a chance via the first trade if Image continues their trend of pricing the first volume at $10, but I have a feeling Mr. Fraction has grown far too big for his britches. He is the comic equivalent of Zakk Wylde, he needs a good anchor, and to be placed strongly on task to do his best work. His track record since leaving Marvel, from the meandering of his otherwise great Hawkeye, leading to the promising but impotent "Sex Criminals", then a foray into writing ironic coffee table books, and now this. I don't know, it all feels rather self-indulgent. I read the creator owned works of a Hickman or a Remender, and it's all 24 karat solid gold. Fraction comes off as too ironically hip for his own good.