The controversial classic work of one individual's will versus the subjugation of society-now available as a compelling graphic novel.
In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He, Equality 7-2521, would place his life in jeopardy. For his knowledge was regarded as a treacherous blasphemy. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word..."I".
2020-10-09 - Pretty neat adaptation of the short novel into graphic novel form. I liked the illustrator's work. And the shortening of the book was admirable. But I still preferred the original, since there were parts dropped that I really liked. So I refer you to my review of the original short novel (that has no graphics).
When I saw this book at my favorite bargain bookstore, I said wow, Ayn Rand in graphics. This is my third Ayn Rand but first in graphics. When I was in college, my World Literature professor's favorite novelist was Ayn Rand (1905-1982) and so she required us to read a book by Rand as part of the midterm requirements. I checked all the books and settled for Rand's first novel We the Living. However, to impress her (I was a grade-conscious student), I bought all her books and thought of finishing all those during the trimester. However, I only managed to read another one, The Fountainhead. Atlas Shrugged and the real version of this book, Anthem are now both brittle and yellowed since it has been 30 years ago since I bought them brand new.
Anyway, reading Anthem reminded me of course about Rand's philosophy called Objectivism whose central tenets are that reality exists independent of consciousness, that human beings have direct contact with reality through sense perception, that one can attain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation and inductive logic, that the proper moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness (or rational self-interest), that the only social system consistent with this morality is full respect for individual rights embodied in laissez faire capitalism, and that the role of art in human life is to transform humans' metaphysical ideas by selective reproduction of reality into a physical form—a work of art—that one can comprehend and to which one can respond emotionally. (Source: Wiki).
Whew! Too long, isn't it? In my own words and based on these three novels of her that I've so far read, what she espoused was that an individual works best alone. Think architect Howard Roark designing ahead-of-its-time building, Kira Argounova successfully crossing the borders of Russia to her freedom and in this book, Anthem comes Equality 7-2521 who invents an rectangular electric bulb. They all did these almost alone. So, for me objectivism is more of relying to one's power and thinking to bring up one's purpose in life or one's desires. This is otherwise known, for me, as individualism rather than collectivism. The latter is what the society (presumably, the communist Russia) was ruled with and that is the milieu of Anthem. The government forbids the use of "I" and "me" so people speak using "we" and "us" only that reminded me of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: "We were fooled, the hobbitses stole my preciousss!"
Drawing-wise, the graphics are okay. I just find them a bit too bright and the characters always look like they are startled and there is food inside their mouths: wide-eyes and full-cheeked. I thought that the artist of the last graphic novel I read, Ray Bradbury (may his soul rest in peace) did a better job. The first part of this book should have been darker since the people light up their nights with candles so the frames should have been darker too. Well, just my opinion.
Plot-wise, I think this kind of story is better be left in narrative full-text form instead of graphics. The beautiful passages of Rand "got lost" in the frames. I think this was the reason why I did not appreciate weighing in the evil and good sides of communism compared to capitalism. I mean, the story seems to be lopsidedly presented (I know that Ayn Rand was a Russian who flew to America as a refugee during the Bolsheviks' Revolution) but still while reading We the Living, I felt that she was still able to show that she had a good life in Russian and not everything was sadness and despair.
So, overall, this is an okay book. I just rather prefer Ayn Rand in full prose rather than illustrations.
Rand's Anthem is one of her shorter screeds on how great it is to be selfish above anything else. If one has to read Anthem, this graphic novel is the better way to go. It sums up everything she had to say and reading it in this form will waste less of one's life reading it.
It's got some lovely pencils. But honestly, the entire premise is ridiculous. The idea that you can just pick and choose the bits of society you like- keep electricity, chuck out electricians- is actually pretty offensive. Should we have choice? sure. Should the choice to say "screw you" to a society you don't like, effectively steal a shit-ton of cultural resources without any idea of their basis or referents, then "liberate" others to come live under your leadership- nay, dictates? It's baffling. Utopian, perhaps- in the 'I want my cake for free, want to eat it, have no consequences whatsoever thereof, and then tell other people how they should be eating cake' self-centered sense of the word.
(I mean, seriously? SERIOUSLY?)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Not being a comic book/graphic novel devotee, I cannot comment on how the art is paying homage to some other illustrator’s style or reminiscent of some bygone golden era of comics. I have, however, read the actual novella. While this adaption does a good job of capturing the essence of the original, I have to question its reason for existence. The novel to graphic conversion is a way for someone to showcase their artwork while simultaneously creating a Reader’s Digest version of the book and hopefully make some money. I have no solid data but I am reasonably sure that copies of this book are not flying off the shelves at your local comic shop. That being said, the original Anthem is such a short book that there is no need for a condensed version thus negating the need for a graphical adaption. I must conclude that this book only exists because of the illustrator’s ego.
Ayn rands anthem takes on the role of a perfect, fantasy, and thriller, with the basic aspects of a good story, love, war, and conflict. Any age take not he role of reading this, because you are in for a treat, with this awesome book. I loved every part of it, from the beginning, even until its end.
Why did I even read this? It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a comic and I guess it only took me half an hour or so. But still…
The sparse black-and-white artwork is not bad by any means but it can only do so much to prop up what I’ve always felt to be a pretty shallow story. In a way, the quality of the artwork is somewhat detrimental as it contrasts with/draws attention to just how inelegant and heavy-handed the writing is (and has always been).
Also, isn’t there some really obvious irony in depicting Rand’s arguments for raw individualism within a collaborative medium like comics?!
Equality 7-2521 is a man among many men, and yet, he is alone. He alone chooses to think for himself, to explore the questions of his mind and dare to defy the communal "Us." Living in a society that values conformity and unity above every other virtue, his explorations into a lost past and his discoveries that could change their future set him apart in such a way that he knows that "us" will never be enough.
So, I have never read the original but when I saw this I thought it would be a good chance to get the gist of the idea. Since I cannot compare this adaptation with Rand's text, I can't say if it has the same feel but I thought it was full of very interesting ideas. There is a powerful creation-story element to it, as Equality 7-2521 decides to start a new way of living, that was intriguing to me. I read it super fast, the text is sparse and the illustrations flowed. It really made me think about society, as in, all of us collectively - what it can be good for and what it can really mess up. It is true that one individual, only thinking about himself, can cause great destruction, but I think the opposite is just as true - one person, doing good, being creative, searching for answers, can also change the world for the better. Now that I've read this I'm actually more interested in the book itself, it's a little much to wrap your brain around sometimes, but in a good way.
I was very excited when I received this book as I had always been a fan of Ayn Rand, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and the like...A brief synopsis. It is set in a post apocalyptic dystopia, Where the "brothers" and "sisters" are given numbers instead of names, there is no individual thought, and little development. The state controls education, occupation, and procreation. Singular possessive pronouns are forbidden. The purpose is to toil for our brethren. It is very bleak and dramatic. It begins with an act of rebellion from a street sweeper. The position given to him by the council. To steal away from the crowd, for words written on paper to oneself. A discovery, of a private place to call ones own, for a little while. To love one woman above all others. To be cast out as a pariah, and to become reliant on the land for survival. The anthem, then, what he discovers through experience. The artwork looks like a KMFDM album (a German industrial band), so it is very bold and intense. It was gripping and an easy read. Published by the Atlas Society an organization advocating political liberty. I have nothing negative to say about this publication, except for the poor binding. I had a good time reading it, thoroughly entertaining and an impactful interpretation of a classic.
* Thank you to the creators and publishers for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. z ** An additional thank you to my friend for contributing to this review. **
I liked it! I have not read the full book version but the graphic novel did enough to tell the story (in a very abridged fashion, you can read it in one sitting). I did not know this story at all so I was interested and wanted to keep reading to see where it was going. I'm not sure if I would have been as into it if I knew what was going to happen. But I liked the concept and all the controversy surrounding it. I just might venture to read some more of Ayn Rand.
This is a bad graphic novel in every sense. The storyline is rubbish. Has Ms. Rand heard of queens who go by “we”? They are not selfless in anyway. The drawing does not redeem this book. It was not terrible, but could really use a colorist. Read anything else.
“No meal had ever tasted better. We wish to be hungry again, and soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating.” -Pg. 76
This is an okay adaption of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, with the artwork is all rendered in black & white. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I was left feeling a little underwhelmed with the presentation.
While I understand Rand's objection to collectivism, particularly with her experience of revolutionary Russia, this is a pretty one dimensional take. This read overall was made more palatable by being in graphic novel form, which earns it an extra star or two. I doubt I would have found much interest of pleasure in reading the novel.
It's entire concept reminds me of our social just ice system in a way or it's like a bunch a peasants or slaves create something amazing and the higher ups don't think it's good and disagree with them and hate them for thinking of something like this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Nice read. They looked a lot like Barbie and Ken. Like all explorers, they took their discovery to the people and found that the people weren't happy. This is one book I might look for in the regular format though.
Great story for our times! Where we’re headed if we continue to embrace socialism/ statism/ political correctness and the seductive trap of “equality!”
The version I read wasn't colored. But it didn't matter. The story and the message is excellent! This was my intro to Ayn Rand. I enjoyed it and connected with it well.
First off, I guess I should probably admit that I knew (before even picking it up) that I would probably not enjoy Ayn Rand's novella anthem - even if it is in my favorite medium. I read Atles Shrugged a couple of years ago and found it incredibly badly reasoned and written. My purpose in picking this book up was so that not all my purposeful negative reviews would be about comics by men - who still write a majority of comics, both good and bad.
That said, this book still managed to surprise me by just how bad it really was! Not only because I think that Rand herself was much more privileged then she was actually talented, but because this adaption makes her appear even more stupid. While Charles Santine clearly has a lot of love for Rand, I'm not sure his idol would think very highly of him if she was still alive to see what had become of this piece of early work.
To start with the artwork, while the classic feel of the figures is certainly a legitimate style, the fact remains that none of it actually looks finished. The panels are all bordering on sketchy, and while there is a successful amount of contrast it doesn't appeared to have been inked at all. All the page layouts are pretty much identical and they look like a story board then anything else.
But that is certainly not the worst aspect of the book, because what really got to me was the way the text itself was adapted. While I certainly fall far outside the "I didn't like her philosophy but at least the book was well written" crowd when it came to Atles Shrugged almost every sentence was stilted enough to make my teeth ache. Some of this (ex. names of places and characters) are obviously Ayn's fault, but Santino obviously did some condensing and focusing in this adaption and it does not do the text any favors. The whole thing felt like I was watching Rand and Santino masturbate.
"We come to a pool of water so still that we see no water. We see but only a cut in the earth in which the trees grow down, upturned and the sky rests at the bottom. We bend down to drink. And we stop... For upon the sky below us, we see our own face for the first time. Our Face and our body are beautiful. Our face is not like the faces of our brothers, for we feel no pity when looking upon it. Our limbs are straight and strong. We can trust this being who looks up from us from the pool. We have nothing to fear with this being."
Self obsessed enough? After pages and pages of this kind of nonsense the ending was really no surprise.
While Rand's early life probably had a huge impact on her entire philosophy of life, she still comes across as one of the shallowest and short-sited people I have ever read. Her main characters are always flawless and everyone who disagrees with her turns out to be a complete imbecile. Her plotlines are highly contrived and the only good thing she has probably ever accomplished is warning people off from libertarianism with this pseudo philosophical bull.
Prometheus, by way of 'The Unconquered,' officially known as Equality 7-2521, guilty of the transgression of preference under mandate of 'toil is good,' furthers the concept of one individual's will versus the subjugation of society under earth by unearthing strange metals and mixed acids while discovering dignity and cleanliness; harnessing a new power of nature, light from the heart of metal, finds himself being whipped and beaten at the palace of corrective detention all-the-while murmuring 'the light, the light,' only to defy the council by breaking out of his containment to then crash the council of the home of scholar learning 'what is not done collectively cannot be good' to then find himself blindly running from the 'damn fools' into the uncharted forest killing, eating, and thinking 'there is great satisfaction to be found in the food that we need and obtain by our own hand' to then completely admire the face staring back at him after bending down to drink, sharing in him damnation with Gaea, by way of 'The Golden One,' also known as Liberty 5-3000, herself too young, yet, for the palace of mating, only to listen to Gaea have a hard time expressing her true emotion in the phrase 'we love you,' finds himself stumbling upon a house probably built by Howard Roark, then falling into the fully stocked library, a transcending transgressor ever searching for the unmentionable word, whereby he then stumbles upon the word 'I,' declaring 'I am not a tool for other men's use, and 'I am not a sacrifice at your alter,' after then hearing 'I love you' proceeds to then conceive a child while deciding that he has a mind and shall live his own truth; teaching to say 'I' and bear the pride of it with the idea that there is but one word, the word that will not die, should all perish in battle, the word that is the heart of the earth, the very meaning of glory, the sacred word: Ego.
This graphic novel version of Anthem is a quick way to get some clearly stated ideas. I have been reading Rand out of an awe and respect for the strength of spirit and character that brought her out of the USSR and to the US where she was able to accomplish what she claims she set out to do when she was a child. Her writing expands the imagination and understanding of what it may have been like living under Soviet rule and the resulting lack personal identity. Her ideas can express an inspirational human spirit.
However, her apparent lack of recognition of how any human accomplishment is built on other previous ones undermines her ideas in Anthem. For example, the protagonist Equality 7-2521 finds an underground bunker and begins stealing from supplies and manuscripts from society and hiding them in the bunker. He finds items in the bunker that he can work with, items left behind by a previous "unmentionable times." After spending 2 years using those items to study and experiment, he discovers electricity and says, "We (I is not used in this society, so each individual refers to the self as "we".) make it. We create it. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only." Besides Rand's disregard of nature as a player in the whole story, there is absolutely NO recognition by the character or Rand that these "discoveries" were based on causes and conditions beyond the protagonist's control. He was in a place and time and with the spirit and intellect to expand, but seriously, get over yourself! It is that absolute lack of acknowledgment of being part of something bigger than yourself while STILL maintaining an individual spirit and identity that discredits Rand's ideas with me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Though the overall layout of this graphic novel seems to convey the message Ayn Rand was attempting to convey I still was only able to maintain mild interest in the book. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that Rand's philosophies do not appear to fit within real world context. The author felt differently.
This book more than casually suggests than unbridled selfishness is "the light" and what every person should attain to. To me that is a comic book represented into literature; I should read the novel to draw comparisons.
Rand is praised as a novelist, yet her arguments convey mostly one sided interests and a "working" philosophy that is more science fiction than reality. I do enjoy the expressive nature and science fiction combination the work represents; it just seems preposterous to claim this vision as a cure-all for the ills of society.
The track record of history has proven that people who selfishly pursue their goals trample upon the basic rights of others. Only by those who stood up against repression did we come to any starting point toward equality. Though I was transported into a science fiction world of fantasy I could not come away with the message Rand sought to convey despite some strong arguments claimed by the author.
The artwork is different from what I expected it to be, but it wasn't unpleasant. Not exaclty wht I would have imagined when reading the novella for the first time.
Side note: the kindle version of the this book, borrowed through the library, is crappy.