Reviews and Comments

This is astonishingly good. The mish-mash of medieval and mad science really tickled me, and the multiple threads of mystery throughout really kept me on my toes until the end. It took me a while to finally finish it, but only because I wanted the experience to last longer!

Absolutely one of my favorite books. I have read Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics multiple times each. Together, they have given me so much understanding regarding storytelling, perception of art, and comics as a medium.

For this book specifically: this is a wonderful followup to the first book. It stands alone as its own exploration, however. It is equal parts "wow the Internet and computers are really changing the comics form" and "wow for all that the Internet and computers do, comics are still the same at their base level." I really appreciate that nod to both sides of the conversation.

Read all three. Then again, I'm a massive glutton for this kind of passionate knowledge dispensing and find it endlessly enjoyable.

Absolutely one of my favorite books. I have read Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics multiple times each. Together, they have given me so much understanding regarding storytelling, perception of art, and comics as a medium.

For this book specifically: this is both a "conclusion" to the "trilogy" and a standalone companion of sorts. It's more interactive than the other two while still providing a framework for why these things are important (or at least important to think about). It's come in handy for me multiple times, and not just while making comics. The malleability of this book to other art forms is impressive, to say the least.

Read all three. Then again, I'm a massive glutton for this kind of passionate knowledge dispensing and find it endlessly enjoyable.

Absolutely one of my favorite books. I have read Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics multiple times each. Together, they have given me so much understanding regarding storytelling, perception of art, and comics as a medium.

For this book specifically: this is an essential read. The other two stand on their own as standalone explorations, but this first book provides a framework that link all three together in a sort-of-trilogy. It's only slightly a product of its time; some facts and figures are a bit outdated, but nothing is truly DATED in this...it really feels timeless.

Read all three. Then again, I'm a massive glutton for this kind of passionate knowledge dispensing and find it endlessly enjoyable.

When I was young, I first read this book knowing that I'd appreciate and understand it more when I got older. Now, not only does it make complete sense, but it's even more gripping to me than ever before.

While I'm not in love with it, I do enjoy the very streamlined way of reading it.

Two major things stick out for me: the relationship drama and the gender stereotypes. The former I can live with (in small doses), as it can be a very memorable and/or inspiring time in one's life. The latter, however, bugs me to no end. While I don't expect every person to treat every other person with respect, I do expect at least one person to not be a talking stereotype.

Without going off on a rampage, I'll just say this: females aren't all feminine and males aren't all masculine. Even though Annie sticks out as the least "feminine," she still fits way too nicely into the "girl" box with Tamra and Bliss. The same can be said for Johnson, Beau, and Mitch fitting way too nicely into the "boy" box. Not helping matters is the "trying to be hip/no cooties allowed" tone of the two groups' chat rooms.

To sum it up, the characters are romanticized versions of people, the plot is predictable sitcom drama, and the gender binary is emphasized WAY too much. However, it's not agonizing to read, and the dialogue-only style created by the chat logs makes things go by pretty quickly.

Check it out if you're bored, but don't worry about passing it by. There is much better high school fiction, much better chat room writing, and much better combinations of the two.

Definitely a recommended read! I didn't realize when it was written until I checked the copyright date. Even then, it still shocks me. It's not "50s writing" by any means, and it holds up interestingly well today. It's still a "past future," but one that is charmingly realistic instead of anachronisticly twee. Plus, it follows all of its own rules. I found myself stopping now and then to either laugh at the humor or think about an implication. Check this one out; it's a short yet fantastic read that won't bore you for a second.