Graphic Novel Book Club Aug 2016:

I'm torn between a 3.5 and 4. I really liked this book more than I expected to, even though I was in the smaller minority of the grand group discussion this time. I am curious about the olden times to present times shift, and very much about our only 3 panel hint at that world. I love the different animals and the inside jokes therein, also the differences between the magic and science, the animals and the man.

This will stay on my list as something to maybe read more of in the coming days. ( )

That was pretty good. There was a flood of weird names and lingo at the beginning that was a little off putting, but once I started to get a sense of the characters and the relationships, I settled into the story and enjoyed it.
I'm not happy it ended on a cliffhanger, but I'm in for the next installment. It was an interesting twist that the animals viewed the human's behavior as uncivilized. I liked that the author called attention to the brutality of the Champion's strategic move, something that might have been more of a fist-pumping moment with a different storyteller. ( )

A very promising start. Nothing earth-shatteringly original happens here, but the combination of tropes feels fresh, the story is engaging, and I was quickly invested in wanting the likable characters to do well and the unlikable ones not to. The artwork is very nice, and the storytelling feels efficient -- I was relieved the Champion, once he arrived, didn't waste ages on wringing his hands about where he is and what he should be doing, but instead just barrels (intelligently) head first into events. ( )

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2938362.html

The world of the Autumnlands is one where various character who are anthropomorphic animals are in conflict with each other; the wizards of the steampunkish flying city summon an ancient hero who turns out to be a human, like you and me, and outwits the groundling enemy due to his superior human intellect. The one major female character is a sneaky turncoat. I'm never terribly comfortable with the resonances of stories like this, and although it's nicely illustrated, it didn't draw me in. ( )

I quite enjoyed that. Not sure whether it was the art, or the snarky Champion dude... or the little blurbs at the beginning of each issue... am rather interested to see where this goes... if only comics weren't so expensive. Lel.

And I have to say... I remember Kurt Busiek's name from my comic buying days though I've never actually read Astro City. Reading Autumnlands did have a somewhat epic-ish feel to it though! ( )