Spaceman by Brian Azzarello

[smomo8]

What are your thoughts on this book ? I'm thinking about picking it up because I find it interesting but I hope it's not mediocre. (Please no spoilers)

[Deep_Sleeper]

I read the first issue, but it didn't really click with me as much as the Wonder Woman and 100 Bullets did. I'm waiting for the softcover to buy it. I have loved pretty much every book that Azzarello and Risso have collaborated on.

[Ilash]

I know quite a few people loved it but while I loved the art, I was not a fan of the story itself.

I admire the ambition but I thought the underlying world building story was too obtuse for its own good and the basic plot on which the comic hangs isn't very interesting. The made-up slang didn't work for me either - Azarello was presumably going for a Clockwork Orange type thing, but it didn't come close. Oh and I didn't care about the characters either. Pity.

[Mr. Holmes]

The execution isn't as good as the premise, but in all I say it was pretty good. Azzarello's narration is strong, and the art alone is worth the purchase.

[NCatron]

Overall mediocre. The trappings are interesting (setting, language, etc.) but the basic plot is pretty "meh".

[Johnny P. Sartre]

Got bored with it after issue three or four, maybe earlier.

It's premise but it's execution left cold but the art is bloody marvelous!

[Billy Batson]

La la la can't hear you. Getting the deluxe hardcover myself.

[B. Kuwanger]

Thanks for reminding me. I really enjoyed the first two issues and decided to wait for the trade. Yes the art was great but Risso was given a lot of interesting things to render. I thought the "Spaceman" was a very well done character, and the story was pretty classic Azzarello. With the exception of Wonder Woman, better than his superhero stuff.

[Paladin King]

I read it in singles, but I expect that it'll read much, much better in trade.

I found the characters just okay and the story pretty uninspired. Also, while the new dialect Azzarello invented was impressive, it got annoying after a while.


That said, the art, and the WORLD that Azzarello and Risso created was absolutely incredible. That was the sole reason I enjoyed Spaceman and kept coming back. The characters and the story were one thing, but I was really just paying $2.99 a month for a ticket to the incredible urban dystopia that Azzarello and Risso delivered. That's the real prize here.

As a word of warning, I found the ending extremely confusing and am still not entirely certain that I fully understood it. There was actually a thread about it when Spaceman #9 with people tossing theories about all over the place.

Overall, it's not Azzarello's best work, but there are lots of great ideas and craftsmanship. I see that you can grab the deluxe hardcover for $18 on Amazon; for that price, it's definitely worth the trip.