REVIEW: The Dying and the Dead, #1

[CBR News]

Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Bodenheim and Michael Garland reunite for another tale of epic scope in the accessible, intriguing and detailed "The Dying and the Dead" #1, which features two ancient and opposing groups with man caught in the middle


Full review here.

[Jackmando7]

I thought it was very well done, and I'm really looking forward to Issue 2.

[Dyljitsu]

Huge fan of Hickman's, specifically his work on East of West. Loved this first issue but it could've been so much stronger if they didn't lose all momentum they built in the first half when James Canning made it to the City. The comic opened so cinematically and the mystery was there to keep you locked in but man, if that second half was just a tad bit stronger this comic would have been perfect. Ryan Bodenheim just shot way up my list of favourite artists with this one though, my god does that guy draw some beautiful scenery and characters. Nonetheless, very excited to see where this story goes.

[InformationGeek]

I... was less than impressed. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Hickman, but I have been enjoying East of West so I thought I would try this series to see how it went... It... wasn't that good.

It's just surprisingly dull. Interesting opening, but really decompressed, the dialogue and monologues got intolerable at points, and the coloring was just frickin' dull. The linework is perfectly fine, but the coloring did nothing for it. It was hard to read honestly and the comic repeatedly got on my nerves with how drawn out and padded it felt in the City part of the story with how long winded that guy talked.

This was easily the worst thing I read this week and the worst book I read in general for this month. *sigh*

[UltimateTy]

I loved this. Did anyone else get a hydra vibe from Andrea and co?

[InformationGeek]

I loved this. Did anyone else get a hydra vibe from Andrea and co?

Well I got a weird Nazi vibe looking at that certain guy amongst them...

[Ragdoll]

That was awesome. Hickman's writing style is totally engrossing, and despite its length, never felt long. Even if I would rather have new Manhattan Projects, this will surely keep me happy until that day comes.

[Teste]

It felt a bit too much like East of West. The characters sounded exactly the same from there; this world would fit that of EoW perfectly.

[El Sombrero]

I... was less than impressed. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Hickman, but I have been enjoying East of West so I thought I would try this series to see how it went... It... wasn't that good.

It's just surprisingly dull. Interesting opening, but really decompressed, the dialogue and monologues got intolerable at points, and the coloring was just frickin' dull. The linework is perfectly fine, but the coloring did nothing for it. It was hard to read honestly and the comic repeatedly got on my nerves with how drawn out and padded it felt in the City part of the story with how long winded that guy talked.

This was easily the worst thing I read this week and the worst book I read in general for this month. *sigh*

Sadly I have to agree with this. I read Comic Book Roundup before reading the issue and saw yours was the only review lower than an 8/10 (significantly lower, at that) and I thought you were probably hating, but now after reading the issue I'm surprised that yours was the only negative review. This was a really boring book.

To start on a positive note I will say that I really liked the opening 15 or so pages with the wedding scene and fallout from that. Hickman's "what is love / marriage" narration was a little painful, but it was paced really well and I always dig the weird cult terrorist groups in comics. The lineup of clones was pretty scary and I liked the introduction of their leader a little later on too. This was by FAR the best part of the comic.

I thought things took a sharp turn downward with the introduction of the Colonel. I thought the scenes in the hospital were kind of boring and then once he goes for the drive and then enters the City the whole comic just slowed to a muddled crawl. The pacing fell off a cliff; pretty much every conversation dragged on way too long with annoyingly vague and obtuse dialogue that tried too hard to make grand statements.

It felt a bit too much like East of West. The characters sounded exactly the same from there; this world would fit that of EoW perfectly.

I agree with this. That's a big part of the reason why I dropped East of West; the book looks gorgeous but the dialogue tries way too hard to sound important ALL THE TIME and it gets grating and feels very pompous. I think this is a major drawback with Hickman's writing. It would be fine if he did it sparingly, or with one character or something, but it's multiple characters all the time. It's his pompous version of "Bendis speak."

Anyway, back to this book, yeah, the scenes in the City were a monumental bore. The main conversation the Colonel had with the creepy white colored guy seemed like it would never end and I had to struggle to maintain focus. By the time the Colonel accepted the "deal" I did not care at all. In general there was too much of this book that reminded me of the bad things about East of West. In addition to the dialogue, the mythology is overly complex with too many references to random grand mysterious crap.

Another problem with both of these books is the complete lack of humor. Take something like Deadly Class or Southern Bastards, those are certainly not "happy fun time" reads but they at least balance the violence and pathos with some lighter scenes or dialogue every now and then. Hickman writes in this SUPER IMPORTANT SERIOUS BUSINESS voice 24/7 and it totally burns me out.

The art was nice for what it was but I thought it was a little bland and dull. The coloring is very flat and the linework is so precise that it comes off as cold and lacking emotion. "Cold and lacking emotion" is another way I would describe most of Hickman's work.

I'd give this like a 2.5 / 5. It's not a flat-out BAD book but on a personal level there were many things I didn't like about it that highlighted the drawbacks of Hickman's writing for me.

[JJ Fiegel]

This rocked my socks off. Sorry you guys don't like this. You all have valid complaints, but that stuff doesn't bother me. this rocked

[Bruce Pezzini]

I really dug the first issue. I also felt the East of West vibe. Great art. Looking forward to issue #2

[HellsRider]

Gave this a read and I'm somewhere in the middle on this one. Like others I felt that the beginning with the wedding was very well done and excellently framed. Their was mystery and intrigue and when it shifted to the Colonel it did slow things down a good deal, but not enough for me to outright hate the book. I understand that it needed to explain who the Colonel is, his plight, and his relationship with these Albino beings though felt that those explanations particularly his connection with the Albinos could have been more direct and not as vague as it was here. The scenes with the Bishop and the Colonel I very much agree should have been toned down significantly. Still I see the potential here and would rate it about a 6/10 for a strong opening that is dragged down by a more exposition heavy second half that could have been more direct. Bodenheim's art has always been something that is simply okay with Red Mass and Secret compared to Hickman's other artist collaborations where it works being detailed as it is, but I don't know its very clean and direct and I do see the sentiment of it being cold and lacking emotion and would agree with that. However I very much enjoyed the wide framing of a number of scenes in the issue that provided a nice cinematic feel to it.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

It felt a bit too much like East of West. The characters sounded exactly the same from there; this world would fit that of EoW perfectly.

Well, Hickman's indie stuff tends to be full of psychopaths and narcissists, so it doesn't surprise if the same character tone is in this book!

Anyway, will pick this up in trade.

[DIVINITY]

I agree with most here, this started off great, but kind of dragged on, during the second half of the book...

The art was great though...

[Anjohl]

Loved it. Epic, cinematic, provocative, and esoteric.