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Tricked
Alex's new graphic novel follows the lives of six people — a reclusive rock legend, a heartbroken waitress, a counterfeiter, an obsessive crank, a lost daughter, and a backstabbing lover — whose lives are unconnected until an act of violence affects them all in different ways.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2002
16 people are currently reading
965 people want to read
About the author
Alex Robinson
32 books213 followersAlex Robinson was born in the Bronx on 8 August. He grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York where he graduated high school in 1987. His first job upon graduation was washing dishes in a gourmet deli and it was while working there he decided that maybe college was a pretty good idea afterall.
He spent one year at SUNY Brockport and then transferred to an art school in New York City, where he majored in cartooning. Among his teachers were Will Eisner, Andre LeBlanc, Sal Amendola and Gahan Wilson. In his sophomore year he got a job at a bookstore, where he continued to work for seven long years.
After graduating from art school, Alex began doing mini comics (small print run comics xeroxed and stapled by himself). He soon started working on the story that would become his first graphic novel, Box Office Poison.
In 1996, Antarctic Press started publishing the serialized version of Box Office Poison. The series ran for twenty-one issues, and once the story was complete, Top Shelf Productions published the entire thing in one 608 page book. Shortly after the book was published, Alex won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Although Box Office Poison was nominated for several awards (a Harvey, an Eisner, an Ignatz and the Firecracker book award) it failed to take home a single prize. Pathetic. Alex bitterly got to work on a second book.
2005 got off to a great start when the French translation of Box Office Poison won the prestigious Prix du Premier Album award in Angouleme, France. August finally saw the release of Tricked, which Top Shelf announced was going to a second printing in November.
In 2006, Tricked lost the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, but managed to win a Harvey and Ignatz Award. This year also so Astiberri in Spain release both of his graphic novels in handsome, one volume editions.
Alex has expanded his storytelling to include fantasy, with the release of Alex Robinson's LOWER REGIONS (2007) and time travel/high school in TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN (2008).
He currently lives in New York City with his wife Kristen and their pets, Krimpet and Wrigley.
He spent one year at SUNY Brockport and then transferred to an art school in New York City, where he majored in cartooning. Among his teachers were Will Eisner, Andre LeBlanc, Sal Amendola and Gahan Wilson. In his sophomore year he got a job at a bookstore, where he continued to work for seven long years.
After graduating from art school, Alex began doing mini comics (small print run comics xeroxed and stapled by himself). He soon started working on the story that would become his first graphic novel, Box Office Poison.
In 1996, Antarctic Press started publishing the serialized version of Box Office Poison. The series ran for twenty-one issues, and once the story was complete, Top Shelf Productions published the entire thing in one 608 page book. Shortly after the book was published, Alex won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Although Box Office Poison was nominated for several awards (a Harvey, an Eisner, an Ignatz and the Firecracker book award) it failed to take home a single prize. Pathetic. Alex bitterly got to work on a second book.
2005 got off to a great start when the French translation of Box Office Poison won the prestigious Prix du Premier Album award in Angouleme, France. August finally saw the release of Tricked, which Top Shelf announced was going to a second printing in November.
In 2006, Tricked lost the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, but managed to win a Harvey and Ignatz Award. This year also so Astiberri in Spain release both of his graphic novels in handsome, one volume editions.
Alex has expanded his storytelling to include fantasy, with the release of Alex Robinson's LOWER REGIONS (2007) and time travel/high school in TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN (2008).
He currently lives in New York City with his wife Kristen and their pets, Krimpet and Wrigley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
January 11, 2014
4 stars, but so close to five stars.
This is a graphic novel in the truest sense of the world. Most graphic novels feel slight; when you finish, it feels more like you read a short story. But Tricked feels uncannily like a novel, which is one of the highest praises I can sing for this genre.
It tells the story of a washed up rock star (because in fiction, is there any other kind of rock star?), unhappy with his life; a young woman who stumbles into a job working as his "personal assistant", a position with rather unclear expectations; another young woman unlucky in love and unable to choose the right guys; a man whose day job includes forging autographs for a sports memorabilia store; a music snob; a girl in search of her estranged father.
The fun of the book is figuring out how the threads of each of these stories becomes woven together. Everything seems to revolve around the rock star Ray Beam; his music and persona pops up in each of the characters' lives. The chapters count down to zero rather than up from one; what is it counting down to?
Overall, a very well conceived book. If it lacks anything, it's polished execution. Some of the art feels rushed, rather than meticulously created. I'd have appreciated seeing some more development in a couple of the characters. But it is a very ambitious book and well done.
This is a graphic novel in the truest sense of the world. Most graphic novels feel slight; when you finish, it feels more like you read a short story. But Tricked feels uncannily like a novel, which is one of the highest praises I can sing for this genre.
It tells the story of a washed up rock star (because in fiction, is there any other kind of rock star?), unhappy with his life; a young woman who stumbles into a job working as his "personal assistant", a position with rather unclear expectations; another young woman unlucky in love and unable to choose the right guys; a man whose day job includes forging autographs for a sports memorabilia store; a music snob; a girl in search of her estranged father.
The fun of the book is figuring out how the threads of each of these stories becomes woven together. Everything seems to revolve around the rock star Ray Beam; his music and persona pops up in each of the characters' lives. The chapters count down to zero rather than up from one; what is it counting down to?
Overall, a very well conceived book. If it lacks anything, it's polished execution. Some of the art feels rushed, rather than meticulously created. I'd have appreciated seeing some more development in a couple of the characters. But it is a very ambitious book and well done.
August 3, 2022
Alex Robinson siempre ha sido un poco el Cameron Crowe del tebeo independiente, y aquí afronta la interpretación que el director de Solteros y Casi famosos haría de seis historias cruzadas de Raymond Carver. Tiene su estrella de rock adicto al sexo y los estupefacientes, vacío por dentro hasta que conoce a la mujer de su vida; la camarera de restaurante deseosa de una relación estable pero con pánico al amor; un marido que engaña a su mujer con un trabajo en una tienda de coleccionables donde falsifica todo tipo de firmas... Si los topiquillos bien intencionados no te molestan, se disfruta. Aunque es difícil quitarse de la cabeza lo artificial que termina sonando el conjunto.
August 12, 2017
I usually don't end up liking comics that have people describing it as "like a novel! Really!". I don't think comics need to be anything like a novel. Alex Robinson does a good job of balancing multiple story lines and introducing us to a cast of characters that, by the end of the book, I actually did care about all of them. Unfortunately almost all the characters start off seeming very cliche. A depressed, rich rock star. A fat guy with a mental disorder and a big ego. Etc. But Robinson does his best to develop them into fully formed people.
It's weird that the back of the book says all the characters come together in a single moment of violence, yet this doesn't happen until the last dozen pages or so. It's almost a spoiler.
It's weird that the back of the book says all the characters come together in a single moment of violence, yet this doesn't happen until the last dozen pages or so. It's almost a spoiler.
November 5, 2012
When I was putting together the 10-10-12 list, Alex Robinson’s Tricked, came up on a number of “best of” lists in the graphic novel categories. This being the case, I’m worried about the rest of the recommended texts, because I didn’t like Tricked, at all.
I didn’t like the plot (six seemingly independent narratives predictably collide in a climax that is neither surprising (though it ought to be), nor compelling as a woeful musician who can’t write a new song until he’s inspired by a sexy young ‘muse’! is subject of an attempted shooting by a crazy! man! only to be saved by the fraud who is redeemed! all in the restaurant of the kind gay couple reunited with their daughter! and served by the ill-used, tender hearted, fat-but-still-beautiful! waitress).
I didn’t like the characters (each more predictable than the last, with the faint exception of the sports fraudster who is only interesting because the reader has zero sense of his motivation for being a fraudster, except maybe that he likes to spend money on whores).
The graphic parts are okay. I don’t know whether having read Jimmy Corrigan means that every graphic novel after is going to feel like a tremendous disappointment, but after Jimmy Corrigan the graphics in Tricked are a tremendous disappointment (see post on JC for caveat about my assessment of graphic novels). I’m not capitavated by word bubbles that have icicles to convey anger, nor wowed by pages of spirlaling word bubbles to convey lunacy. I’m coming to understand that the really engaging and interesting graphic novels are not those that use the simple pairing of emotion/place with graphic as a way to add to the meaning of the text (e.g. a crowded place has overlapping word bubbles; or, embarrassment has characters with flushed cheeks), but who use the graphics to create a meaning all its own, where the text is the addition, the superfluous detail, perhaps even unnecessary because the graphics impart their own significance. Anyway, Tricked doesn’t have these singularly significant graphics, just the ‘oh gosh, he’s upset, and I can tell he’s really upset because there are angry lines radiating from his body.’ (I continue to be wholly self-conscious about my reading of graphic novels, so if I’m way off base here, I do apologize, I’m new to graphic analysis and open to correction.)
So: bleh plot, no characterization worthy of note, and ineffectual graphics. I was told this was a “great” graphic novel by reputable sources. I was… tricked.
I didn’t like the plot (six seemingly independent narratives predictably collide in a climax that is neither surprising (though it ought to be), nor compelling as a woeful musician who can’t write a new song until he’s inspired by a sexy young ‘muse’! is subject of an attempted shooting by a crazy! man! only to be saved by the fraud who is redeemed! all in the restaurant of the kind gay couple reunited with their daughter! and served by the ill-used, tender hearted, fat-but-still-beautiful! waitress).
I didn’t like the characters (each more predictable than the last, with the faint exception of the sports fraudster who is only interesting because the reader has zero sense of his motivation for being a fraudster, except maybe that he likes to spend money on whores).
The graphic parts are okay. I don’t know whether having read Jimmy Corrigan means that every graphic novel after is going to feel like a tremendous disappointment, but after Jimmy Corrigan the graphics in Tricked are a tremendous disappointment (see post on JC for caveat about my assessment of graphic novels). I’m not capitavated by word bubbles that have icicles to convey anger, nor wowed by pages of spirlaling word bubbles to convey lunacy. I’m coming to understand that the really engaging and interesting graphic novels are not those that use the simple pairing of emotion/place with graphic as a way to add to the meaning of the text (e.g. a crowded place has overlapping word bubbles; or, embarrassment has characters with flushed cheeks), but who use the graphics to create a meaning all its own, where the text is the addition, the superfluous detail, perhaps even unnecessary because the graphics impart their own significance. Anyway, Tricked doesn’t have these singularly significant graphics, just the ‘oh gosh, he’s upset, and I can tell he’s really upset because there are angry lines radiating from his body.’ (I continue to be wholly self-conscious about my reading of graphic novels, so if I’m way off base here, I do apologize, I’m new to graphic analysis and open to correction.)
So: bleh plot, no characterization worthy of note, and ineffectual graphics. I was told this was a “great” graphic novel by reputable sources. I was… tricked.
October 12, 2008
Alex Robinson has, hands down, won my personal "best new author" award for this year. No, he's not a new author and no, there's no prize, but hey, he deserves it!
With Box Office Poison, Robinson created characters that were full and believable. I wanted to be friends with those characters, but was happy to have eavesdropped on their lives for a little bit. In Tricked, Robinson shows that he can master plot as well as character. This whole book is so tight, each panel leading up to a climax that feels both predestined and yet is still shocking. There isn't a throw away line or image in the entire book. The last few pages of the book (don't want to give it away) were absolutely beautiful in their layout. I ended up staring at them for about half an hour, thinking back on all the characters and their connections. It's not many books that drive me to reflect on them that long BEFORE I'm finished reading the book.
With Box Office Poison, Robinson created characters that were full and believable. I wanted to be friends with those characters, but was happy to have eavesdropped on their lives for a little bit. In Tricked, Robinson shows that he can master plot as well as character. This whole book is so tight, each panel leading up to a climax that feels both predestined and yet is still shocking. There isn't a throw away line or image in the entire book. The last few pages of the book (don't want to give it away) were absolutely beautiful in their layout. I ended up staring at them for about half an hour, thinking back on all the characters and their connections. It's not many books that drive me to reflect on them that long BEFORE I'm finished reading the book.
October 23, 2012
I've been reading mainly "literary" and arty, spare graphic novels about losers (Jason, Seth, Chet Brown, Chris Ware), so this feels very different to me.... my general first impression of this guy's work is that he makes graphic novels like Hollywood movies, entertainments, hipster-thriller entertainments... and I thought: this guy is a favorite of the new ComicCons where Hollywood comes looking for ready-made scripts... and this is one, for sure... six characters living separate lives who all meet in a dramatic, violent ending... but why should I be so cynical, why should I think he is angling for film money (or why not?). Why shouldn't there be fun entertaining gns like Tarrantino movies?! The key thing here is not the art so much (though we see his talents more clearly and dramatically as all things come together in the conclusion...) as the dialogue... and characters... from a quiet girl and her estranged quiet gay dad reuniting.... to a manic due off his meds.... and more and more. Wildly different characters, wildly different talk. Fun stuff. I liked this better than his award-winning Too Cool to Be Forgotten, but taken together, we see his talents for ambitious, entertaining storytelling, and dialogue....
March 1, 2018
Uninteresting characters. The lot of them, actually. Boring story. The length made it all even worse. What a chore! I can’t even push myself to reach half way.
October 25, 2013
Alex Robinson writes charming stuff. Wins me over. I loved 'Box Office Poison' and this graphic novel is maybe even better.
His characters are always engaging despite their flaws. You don't have to love them but you sure respect them for what they are.
As comics go and as graphic narrative and writing-the-talk-balloons go you'd be hard pressed to find a better master of the medium.
(Except Daniel Clowes....)
The nuances that Robinson captures in his story telling...the angst...the emotional vitality ... makes for a riveting read.
This guy is top notch and reading his work is gonna make you a better person.
His characters are always engaging despite their flaws. You don't have to love them but you sure respect them for what they are.
As comics go and as graphic narrative and writing-the-talk-balloons go you'd be hard pressed to find a better master of the medium.
(Except Daniel Clowes....)
The nuances that Robinson captures in his story telling...the angst...the emotional vitality ... makes for a riveting read.
This guy is top notch and reading his work is gonna make you a better person.
July 19, 2014
I love this because it actually feels like a novel, a soap opera of engaging, flawed characters whose lives criss-cross in interesting ways. Featuring six different main characters including a waitress, a rock star dealing with his fading fame, and a man who works counterfeiting sports stars' signatures, this graphic novel is over a decade old but doesn't feel dated. The illustrations are drawn really confidently and the characters all look distinct - a change in lettering style is used to note a deteriorating mental state, and there are some stunning full-page panels near the end.
May 25, 2015
No. Just no. This story was such a mess by the time I got 200 pages in I wasn't even reading it I was just looking at the pictures and guessing what was happening. A waste of my time unfortunately.
January 4, 2018
There are few cartoonists who can weave such complex tales featuring such large casts of characters with as much dexterity and subtlety as Alex Robinson. Known primarily for his sprawling “Box Office Poison” series, “Tricked” is a shorter but no less intricate comic. At first glance, a stymied rocker, a forger of collectibles, an unlucky-in-love waitress, an office temp, a teenage girl, and a disgruntled IT guy should have nothing in common but, over the course of dozens of short, tense chapters, Robinson is able to unite them in one violent and shocking act. The amount of forethought and planning that must have gone into “Tricked” is absolutely mind-boggling.
What I like most about this book are the ways in which Robinson makes the characters and their world feel complete. Every character has their own look, their own individual personalities and motivations, and their own satisfying story arc; I read a lot of comics so I know this isn’t always - in fact, it’s rarely - the case. Also, Robinson drops names and events into his story that he doesn’t bother to explain which should be kind of frustrating but actually does the exact opposite; his world feels fully fleshed-out when he name-checks a band or their hit song or an athlete, like the reader doesn’t need to be told who or what they are because they already know. If that makes any sense. The way he uses his chapter titles to count down to the climax is also a really smart decision. I’ve always liked Robinson’s cartoon-y drawing style and how it contrasts with his very mature language and subject matter, and “Tricked” has loads of that kind of stuff. His use of mental illness as a plot device is a little problematic but, for the time when this was published, he handled it with enough grace and sensitivity that it comes off as more opportunistic than mean-spirited.
“Tricked” is one of those books that really showcases what the comics medium can do; lots of people say that Chris Ware’s “Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Boy On Earth” is the best example of a novelistic approach to comics but I think “Tricked” is just as successful, if not more so because - at least in my mind - it’s dense but still accessible (I’ve honestly never been able to get into “Jimmy Corrigan” because it’s written in such an opaque manner). Full of the best and worst of humanity, Alex Robinson’s book will keep the reader guessing right up to the final satisfying page.
What I like most about this book are the ways in which Robinson makes the characters and their world feel complete. Every character has their own look, their own individual personalities and motivations, and their own satisfying story arc; I read a lot of comics so I know this isn’t always - in fact, it’s rarely - the case. Also, Robinson drops names and events into his story that he doesn’t bother to explain which should be kind of frustrating but actually does the exact opposite; his world feels fully fleshed-out when he name-checks a band or their hit song or an athlete, like the reader doesn’t need to be told who or what they are because they already know. If that makes any sense. The way he uses his chapter titles to count down to the climax is also a really smart decision. I’ve always liked Robinson’s cartoon-y drawing style and how it contrasts with his very mature language and subject matter, and “Tricked” has loads of that kind of stuff. His use of mental illness as a plot device is a little problematic but, for the time when this was published, he handled it with enough grace and sensitivity that it comes off as more opportunistic than mean-spirited.
“Tricked” is one of those books that really showcases what the comics medium can do; lots of people say that Chris Ware’s “Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Boy On Earth” is the best example of a novelistic approach to comics but I think “Tricked” is just as successful, if not more so because - at least in my mind - it’s dense but still accessible (I’ve honestly never been able to get into “Jimmy Corrigan” because it’s written in such an opaque manner). Full of the best and worst of humanity, Alex Robinson’s book will keep the reader guessing right up to the final satisfying page.
September 14, 2021
Przede wszystkim ta historia nie potrzebuje formy komiksu, by zostać opowiedzianą. To w gruncie rzeczy materiał na dobrą i przystępną książkę czy hollywoodzką produkcję. Nie ma tu eksperymentów, ani charakterystycznych cech, które sprawiałyby, że właśnie komiks niesie tę opowieść bardziej niż jakaś inna dziedzina sztuki. To obyczajówka bez artystycznych ambicji, ale też daleka od banału. Nawet działania żywcem wyniesionego z dzieł Clowesa szalonego gościa są tu umotywowane do tego stopnia, że stają się prawdopodobne. Z drugiej strony ile czytałem obyczajówek, które z pełnym przekonaniem mógłbym polecić każdemu? Clowes bywa dla wielu zbyt przekręcony, Ware jest ekstremalnie dołujący, Seth hermetyczny, a Drnaso wielu odrzuca stroną graficzną. "Wykiwani" to idealny komiks, by kogoś przekonać do kadrów i dymków. Czyta się samo i jest po prostu bardzo sprawnie napisaną fabułą z końcowym twistem. Trudno nie rekomendować
June 12, 2025
Can I just start out with how much is told through graphic novels, it's crazy how so much can be said with not a single thing written. I guess the idiom "a picture is worth a thousand words" is correct!
Okay, getting into this greatly done graphic novel. It follows the lives of six characters whose worlds end up coming together in this completely foreseeable event that ends up changing all of their lives. WOW! I mean, did I not do the dishes because I was too into the story...maybe...but it was totally worth it.
Warnings Violence, Sexual content, drug use, mental illness
Okay, getting into this greatly done graphic novel. It follows the lives of six characters whose worlds end up coming together in this completely foreseeable event that ends up changing all of their lives. WOW! I mean, did I not do the dishes because I was too into the story...maybe...but it was totally worth it.
Warnings Violence, Sexual content, drug use, mental illness
February 6, 2018
I loved this! Definitely going to track down the rest of Robinson's stuff. Some minor quibbles: some things were cliched, and I wish there had been more people of color in the main cast. That said, the construction of the plot was fairly original, and I found the story totally gripping. Loved the art as well.
August 21, 2024
The slice of life treatment, going deeply inside a characters life before diving into a shattering climax is Alex Robinsons specialty. Loved this
June 2, 2011
In this graphic novel we follow the lives of six unconnected characters who will eventually become connected by a horrible act of violence. Before the rockstar, temp, waitress, daughter, crank and autograph forger come together the reader gets to know them a bit and see how relationships begin and how events conspire to put them all in the same place on one fateful night.
I admit a huge part of why I read this book is that is has a fabulous cover. I love the fact that it looks like a tape, although I find myself wondering if some people would even recognize a tape at this point. I saw the book as part of a display at the library and immediately felt a need to check it out. The plot description didn't really go with the cover for me until after I read it. Then I kind of saw each character's chapters as different sections of a mix tape and then it kind of all came together for me.
I really enjoyed watching the relationships that developed especially Ray and Lily, Pheobe and her father and Caprice's two relationship debacles. (Also a huge shout out to Caprice's boss Frank I believe it was who told off Caprice's ex in such a phenomenal and kick butt way without ever being an overt dick.) There are definitely times when I wanted to strangle Caprice too. I think she was the character that I liked the most because she made me the most crazy, although both of her bosses neither of which was one of the characters being followed were close seconds.
The graphic novel counts down as a way of building suspense although you kind of know from the description that something big is going to happen. I thought it was a decent way to build suspense and I kind of kick myself b/c I assumed that the obvious was what was going to happen and that certainly wasn't the case. (Was also kind of excited that it was my least favorite character that was involved in the violent incident.)
I admit a huge part of why I read this book is that is has a fabulous cover. I love the fact that it looks like a tape, although I find myself wondering if some people would even recognize a tape at this point. I saw the book as part of a display at the library and immediately felt a need to check it out. The plot description didn't really go with the cover for me until after I read it. Then I kind of saw each character's chapters as different sections of a mix tape and then it kind of all came together for me.
I really enjoyed watching the relationships that developed especially Ray and Lily, Pheobe and her father and Caprice's two relationship debacles. (Also a huge shout out to Caprice's boss Frank I believe it was who told off Caprice's ex in such a phenomenal and kick butt way without ever being an overt dick.) There are definitely times when I wanted to strangle Caprice too. I think she was the character that I liked the most because she made me the most crazy, although both of her bosses neither of which was one of the characters being followed were close seconds.
The graphic novel counts down as a way of building suspense although you kind of know from the description that something big is going to happen. I thought it was a decent way to build suspense and I kind of kick myself b/c I assumed that the obvious was what was going to happen and that certainly wasn't the case. (Was also kind of excited that it was my least favorite character that was involved in the violent incident.)
March 2, 2017
Luomiskykynsä kadottanut rocktähti. Ihmissuhteissaan kipuileva tarjoilija. Kauan sitten kadonnutta isäänsä etsivä tytär. Mielenterveydellisistä ongelmista kärsivä popnörtti. Kuuluisien urheilijoiden nimikirjoituksilla elantonsa ansaitseva väärentäjä. Toimistotyttö, josta tulee sattumalta taiteilijan muusa.
Kuuden ihmisen elämänlangat leikkaavat toisiaan enemmän tai vähemmän sattumanvaraisella tavalla Alex Robinsonin mestarillisessa ihmissuhde-sarjakuvassa "Tricked" (Top Shelf, 2005), jolle vertailukohtaa voisi hakea vaikkapa Paul Haggisin "Crashin" kaltaisista elokuvista.
Robinsonin hahmot ovat kaikissa heikkouksissaan inhimillisiä, kiehtovia ja aitoja, vaikka eivät läheskään aina sympaattisia tai pidettäviä. Lukija kiinnostuu heidän kohtaloistaan, eikä väkivaltaista lopetusta kohti etenevä tarina anna lukijalleen mahdollisuutta laskea sarjakuvaromaania kädestään ihan vähällä.
Sarjakuvan piirrosjälki on persoonallista, aavistuksen verran karikatyyrimaista, mutta ennen kaikkia toimivaa ja sympaattista.
Kuuden ihmisen elämänlangat leikkaavat toisiaan enemmän tai vähemmän sattumanvaraisella tavalla Alex Robinsonin mestarillisessa ihmissuhde-sarjakuvassa "Tricked" (Top Shelf, 2005), jolle vertailukohtaa voisi hakea vaikkapa Paul Haggisin "Crashin" kaltaisista elokuvista.
Robinsonin hahmot ovat kaikissa heikkouksissaan inhimillisiä, kiehtovia ja aitoja, vaikka eivät läheskään aina sympaattisia tai pidettäviä. Lukija kiinnostuu heidän kohtaloistaan, eikä väkivaltaista lopetusta kohti etenevä tarina anna lukijalleen mahdollisuutta laskea sarjakuvaromaania kädestään ihan vähällä.
Sarjakuvan piirrosjälki on persoonallista, aavistuksen verran karikatyyrimaista, mutta ennen kaikkia toimivaa ja sympaattista.
December 6, 2011
I read this one as part of my "get to know and love graphic novels".
I liked the plot, I liked the characters, I even liked the illustrations but somehow, in this case the sum is not equal to the parts. I liked all of those parts but in the end I was left with the feeling that it would have made a really good novel instead of a comic book.
It tells the story of 6 characters who lives kind of dance around each other only to meet up in the violent ending of the book. There's a rock star suffering from a creative block, the young woman he employs to be his personal assistant, a teenager searching for her birth father, a waitress who consistently chooses the wrong men, a shop clerk who's whole life is a lie and a mentally unstable, off his meds guy. See? Interesting characters all of them.
I will admit that my aversion to graphic novels may have clouded my judgement here because it is a good book. I just think I would have liked it better if I didn't have to read panel by panel.
I liked the plot, I liked the characters, I even liked the illustrations but somehow, in this case the sum is not equal to the parts. I liked all of those parts but in the end I was left with the feeling that it would have made a really good novel instead of a comic book.
It tells the story of 6 characters who lives kind of dance around each other only to meet up in the violent ending of the book. There's a rock star suffering from a creative block, the young woman he employs to be his personal assistant, a teenager searching for her birth father, a waitress who consistently chooses the wrong men, a shop clerk who's whole life is a lie and a mentally unstable, off his meds guy. See? Interesting characters all of them.
I will admit that my aversion to graphic novels may have clouded my judgement here because it is a good book. I just think I would have liked it better if I didn't have to read panel by panel.
March 21, 2018
Six apparently unrelated people lead uniquely engaging lives.
Caprice struggles with feelings of commitment;
Phoebe and her father struggle with how much they should be able to tell the other;
Steve just flat-out lies about reality, although his lie is supported by a lack of medication (I think the story would've had an extra level of realism if Robinson had told us what affliction Steve had);
Nick lied on so many levels that I'm not sure where to start - to his boss, wife, and every acquaintance, about his profession, to his customers - he even lied about his other lies;
Ray was mostly creatively crippled by self-doubt and years of sexual and chemical excess;
and Lily searched for a place where she belonged.
As the chapters of the book countdown (numbered in reverse as they were), all of our characters are pulled together for a moment of truth and fate. Tricked, on that level, is a little bit like an independent film - showing each character in lots of detail before bringing them all together for one moment. It's the book for the reader/viewer who has ever questioned, what story brought each of those individual characters to that exact point at that exact time?
As such, Tricked doesn't have a strong plot. It's a collection of moments and storylines, all strung together to move the characters to their appointed meeting with destiny. Fortunately, Robinson does a wonderful job crafting each of his characters, fleshing out their motivations and behaviors, and explaining everything that they do. There were just handful of moments that didn't entirely work for me. At the end, Lily accepted Ray's explanation a little too easily for my tastes, and I think that as Steve's divorce from reality began to set it, Robinson maybe should've pulled back from the internal dialogue a little bit. It's easy to listen to the statements of a celebrity stalker and understand what they're saying, but it's much harder to push that reality across to a reader in a relatable manner.
But quiet, naive worrisome Phoebe's blossoming relationship with her father was a beautiful thing to behold, and Caprice finally coming to terms with one of the major reasons that all of her relationships failed was well done. Ray and Lily's fall into love worked perfectly, and Robinson really convinced me that Ray was a musician stuggling to find his creative voice again.
Like Robinson's Box Office Poison, plot is not the strength of Tricked, but the complexity of character more than compensates.
Caprice struggles with feelings of commitment;
Phoebe and her father struggle with how much they should be able to tell the other;
Steve just flat-out lies about reality, although his lie is supported by a lack of medication (I think the story would've had an extra level of realism if Robinson had told us what affliction Steve had);
Nick lied on so many levels that I'm not sure where to start - to his boss, wife, and every acquaintance, about his profession, to his customers - he even lied about his other lies;
Ray was mostly creatively crippled by self-doubt and years of sexual and chemical excess;
and Lily searched for a place where she belonged.
As the chapters of the book countdown (numbered in reverse as they were), all of our characters are pulled together for a moment of truth and fate. Tricked, on that level, is a little bit like an independent film - showing each character in lots of detail before bringing them all together for one moment. It's the book for the reader/viewer who has ever questioned, what story brought each of those individual characters to that exact point at that exact time?
As such, Tricked doesn't have a strong plot. It's a collection of moments and storylines, all strung together to move the characters to their appointed meeting with destiny. Fortunately, Robinson does a wonderful job crafting each of his characters, fleshing out their motivations and behaviors, and explaining everything that they do. There were just handful of moments that didn't entirely work for me. At the end, Lily accepted Ray's explanation a little too easily for my tastes, and I think that as Steve's divorce from reality began to set it, Robinson maybe should've pulled back from the internal dialogue a little bit. It's easy to listen to the statements of a celebrity stalker and understand what they're saying, but it's much harder to push that reality across to a reader in a relatable manner.
But quiet, naive worrisome Phoebe's blossoming relationship with her father was a beautiful thing to behold, and Caprice finally coming to terms with one of the major reasons that all of her relationships failed was well done. Ray and Lily's fall into love worked perfectly, and Robinson really convinced me that Ray was a musician stuggling to find his creative voice again.
Like Robinson's Box Office Poison, plot is not the strength of Tricked, but the complexity of character more than compensates.
August 27, 2020
Tricked follows six people through their daily lives and some milestone events until the big moment their lives all collide. Ray, the famous and rich rock star is struggling to write a single song since his solo album four years ago. Nick, the compulsive liar, works at a sport collectibles store as a forger (unbeknownst to his wife, of course). Phoebe embarks on a long journey via bus to meet someone she's never met before. Steve has mental health problems, especially since he went off his meds. Caprice works as a waitress in a diner owned by a gay couple and is looking for love. And Lily... She's just an office temp. Slowly, these lives connect in various ways as Steve slowly spirals out of control.
The art is fantastic. The inking, the panels, the dynamic scenes all work really well. The story carries character arcs well. Perhaps the least developed main character is Phoebe, who is young and shy, and it's hard to know what's going on in her head. The art really speaks volumes in Steve's story, where the internal dialog rants on and on about music and women and sex and so on, while the panels show what's happening to Steve and other people's reaction to him (to the point that, though Steve is not aware of it, he's talking out loud to himself, which causes him to disturb onlookers and get kicked out of the diner).
Overall, Tricked is a great story of art, love, and crime. Recommended for those who like penguins, tourist attractions, long bus rides, and baseball memorabilia.
The art is fantastic. The inking, the panels, the dynamic scenes all work really well. The story carries character arcs well. Perhaps the least developed main character is Phoebe, who is young and shy, and it's hard to know what's going on in her head. The art really speaks volumes in Steve's story, where the internal dialog rants on and on about music and women and sex and so on, while the panels show what's happening to Steve and other people's reaction to him (to the point that, though Steve is not aware of it, he's talking out loud to himself, which causes him to disturb onlookers and get kicked out of the diner).
Overall, Tricked is a great story of art, love, and crime. Recommended for those who like penguins, tourist attractions, long bus rides, and baseball memorabilia.
July 19, 2018
Me gustó mucho, mucho. No tanto como Malas ventas (del mismo autor y motivo por el que me regalaron este libro) pero me ha gustado mucho. Otra vez el autor vuelve a enredar en la vida de un buen número de gente diferente y muy diversa entre sí. En este caso se trata de personas que en muchos casos no se conocen pero que todo les lleva hasta ese momento en donde todos convergen. Como los capítulos son decrecientes sabes que estás yendo hasta una situación límite en el que todos se van a encontrar aunque yo a mitad de libro no sabía cómo podía cuadrar porque algunos de los personajes no encajan para nada en el mundo de los otros.
Tengo que decir que el autor, conmigo, lo ha vuelto a hacer porque lo leí hace ya meses (ya lo sé, culpa mía que he dejado olvidado el Goodreads y -últimamente- también lo de leer) pero todavía recuerdo las diferentes tramas, lo que caracterizaba a los personajes (creo que tiene un don, sabe crear muy bien a los personajes, no hay ni uno solo plano, ni los secundarios) y el momentazo final.
Algunos de los giros son muy sorprendentes, otros los vas viendo venir.
Creo que Malas ventas es posterior, se nota al autor en un mayor estado de gracia y "sabiendo más", pero creo que éste también está muy bien. Odio a la chica gordita. Fan fatal de la antigua asistenta del famoso.
Tengo que decir que el autor, conmigo, lo ha vuelto a hacer porque lo leí hace ya meses (ya lo sé, culpa mía que he dejado olvidado el Goodreads y -últimamente- también lo de leer) pero todavía recuerdo las diferentes tramas, lo que caracterizaba a los personajes (creo que tiene un don, sabe crear muy bien a los personajes, no hay ni uno solo plano, ni los secundarios) y el momentazo final.
Algunos de los giros son muy sorprendentes, otros los vas viendo venir.
Creo que Malas ventas es posterior, se nota al autor en un mayor estado de gracia y "sabiendo más", pero creo que éste también está muy bien. Odio a la chica gordita. Fan fatal de la antigua asistenta del famoso.
August 5, 2017
I think the main weakness relative to BOP is feeling slightly disconnected, dreamlike, even surreal. Caprice feels grounded (of course, she's been introduced before) and Lily seems pretty solid. It's no surprise Steve's a bit unhooked from reality. But Ray, despite providing all the narration, is almost hardest to connect to. Maybe it's that he's a little checked-out from the world himself; maybe it's that his world is really hard to identify with.
There's also, of course, some more playing with Caprice's story. She was sort of the innocent of BOP and it's a bit unsettling to disturb her cozy resolution.
Enough of the negative. This still has Alex's strong storytelling in the graphic form. There are a lot of awkward, broken, and disturbed characters; almost no evil ones. Narratively it's a touch more complex, less episodic and taking multiple distinct threads to the climax.
There's also, of course, some more playing with Caprice's story. She was sort of the innocent of BOP and it's a bit unsettling to disturb her cozy resolution.
Enough of the negative. This still has Alex's strong storytelling in the graphic form. There are a lot of awkward, broken, and disturbed characters; almost no evil ones. Narratively it's a touch more complex, less episodic and taking multiple distinct threads to the climax.
August 1, 2021
I was hesitating between 3 and 4 stars. 3.5 would be my choice. There are many things that deserve praise here, especially some interesting comics-as-a-medium-specific panels (which are increasingly rare in comics nowadays) and a fast-paced yet tight narrative that keeps you wanting to read more. There's a particularly interesting character - Steve, who unfortunately is not developed further before his psychotic episode. But most of the converging plots are borderline banal, almost soap-operish, especially the girl who meets the father who abandoned her, the rock star who lost his inspiration but finds it in a girl-next-door fling, and the girl who always falls for the wrong guy. That Tricked has won so many prestigious awards attests to the fact that comics are still an underdeveloped medium, especially as far as narrative is concerned.
March 19, 2022
~4.5/5 stars. The kind of book which, despite the presentation (uninformative title, incongruously jolly pastel cover, indistinguishably drawn characters), still manages to shine. I couldn't tell you the players' names, but I could tell you the people they are: e.g., I have never before been as disgusted by yet immersed in a character's degeneration. The conclusion was lacking — the story had no substantial backbone other than a tension that kept me turning the pages — but everything up to the finale was fine.
October 29, 2018
It lacks more development of some chararters. And a conflict worth to follow and eager to solve.
He leído novelas gráficas mejores que ésta para mi gusto. Quizá me he hecho una idea muy especial de éste género debido a mis lecturas de Jason, Daniel Clowes y/o Frank Miller. Talvez en una segunda lectura pueda apreciarlo mejor. De todos modos no le resto méritos: buenas caracterizaciones, sobretodo. Pero me pareció insuficiente el conflicto y el humor.
He leído novelas gráficas mejores que ésta para mi gusto. Quizá me he hecho una idea muy especial de éste género debido a mis lecturas de Jason, Daniel Clowes y/o Frank Miller. Talvez en una segunda lectura pueda apreciarlo mejor. De todos modos no le resto méritos: buenas caracterizaciones, sobretodo. Pero me pareció insuficiente el conflicto y el humor.
April 14, 2019
I feel like I missed something with this one. I really enjoyed reading it. And the characters and their inner struggles seemed believable except Lily (oddly enough).
But I feel like I’m not getting something with the last kaleidoscope pages. The ending happened just like I guessed it would. I suppose the Nick/Ray? found his way of being authentic.
And why is it called “Tricked”?? Has anybody figured that out?
But I feel like I’m not getting something with the last kaleidoscope pages. The ending happened just like I guessed it would. I suppose the Nick/Ray? found his way of being authentic.
And why is it called “Tricked”?? Has anybody figured that out?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2021
Alex Robinsonin taitavasti käsikirjoitettu sarjakuvaromaani Tricked seuraa menestyksen masentamaa rokkitähteä ja viittä muuta henkilöhahmoa, heidän elämien yhteen nivoutumista ja ajautumista törmäyskurssille. Kerronta etenee todella jouhevasti ja henkilöt ovat kiinnostavia, mutta lopun pieni lässähdys vie Trickediltä paikan ihan kärkikastissa. Joka tapauksessa erittäin sujuva sarjakuvaromaani, jonka lukemista voi suositella varauksetta.
September 13, 2017
A beautiful graphic novel that ties together many characters in a poignant way. Knew I was going to like it after the first 25%. Ruthlessly honest about the world and many people's viewpoints felt so real. Lots of great moments but it gets a little bit sloppy.. and the text shaves off to about half the size as the book reads.
September 10, 2019
This was a great little slice of life kind of story. My favorite thing about Tricked is that I really, truly like most of the characters. I really cared about them and I was honestly stressed out during the climactic scene at the diner. Plus I’m a sucker for happy endings. The characters I liked got them and the ones I didn’t... didn’t. This was a fun read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2022
Tricked is my kind of graphic novel. Alex Robinson does an amazing job with these characters and certainly gets you invested in their story, whether they are likable or not. The way Tricked weaves these lives is also fascinating and makes you want to turn the page even faster. I enjoyed the unique closing and wish I was still following these complicated lives.
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