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Glory by Keatinge & Campbell #1-2
Glory: The Complete Saga
Collects GLORY #23-34 THE ACCLAIMED APOCALYPTIC WAR SAGA COLLECTED IN ITS ENTIRETY! ROSS CAMPBELL (Wet Moon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and JOE KEATINGE (Marvel Knights: Hulk) finally collect their critically-acclaimed and brutally told saga of one warrior and her family torn apart by a millennia-old intergalactic war. This is the complete story, collected in its entirety for the very first time in a deluxe oversized hardcover edition. Includes never-before-seen sketchbook material, scripts, commentary, and interviews.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 24, 2015
Heh, Pink Tacos…..Ok, now that’s out of the way.
Glory: The Complete Saga was a seriously fun book for me. It took me back to a time when I would pick up a copy of Heavy Metal Magazine hoping to find some ridiculously violent, fantasy tale or sexy, sci-fi epic drawn by some kickass artist I’d never heard of. And get a little nipple action. Glory delivers on all that and then some. I have to admit that it was the eye catching cover that got my attention. Then I realized that it was a character created by Rob Liefeld and I almost put it back on the self. But, this is a re-imagining of the character he created in Image Comic’s original heyday. So I gave it a try with no prior knowledge of the character other than that and I wasn’t disappointed.
Glory herself is a badass. She’s been compared to Wonder Woman in the past, but I wouldn’t call that accurate regarding this version of the character. She’s more like what would happen if Wonder Woman and Doomsday had a baby that grew up on daily regimen of crossfit, steroids, and mixed martial arts. Joe Keatinge gives a brief enough origin to give you an idea what’s her deal and moves on with the story.
The author jumps around in regards to the story’s timeline right up to the end. Moving back and forth was a little confusing for me at times, but I’m not going to be curing cancer or building rockets anytime soon, so that might just be me. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I did go back a couple of times just to make sure I was getting it. Keatinge definitely doesn’t just tell a straightforward story here. And while this method of storytelling has backfired for me in the past, it worked here. The story seemed to strike a good balance of enough familiar elements from other stories that I’ve enjoyed and some new twists to keep it fresh. And Joe doesn’t feel the need to spell things out with detail overkill. He’s content to leave some things unexplained or let the artist tell parts of the story and I’m just fine with that.
Joe introduces a variety of cool characters as the story moves forward. My favorites would probably be Riley (a young girl with a predestined connection to Glory), Nanaja (Glory’s foul-mouth and blood thirsty sister), and Henry (Glory’s brave alien(?) pal). A bunch of other old-school Image heroes make cameos, but this wasn’t a huge draw for me personally. Glory could really have happened in any “comic universe” had it not been for those guest appearances. I like that it almost feels like it’s independent of the other Image stuff.
Ross Campbell’s artwork is what really sold the book to me. He allows Glory to evolve through the book, starting with the more traditional female superhero appearance and moving toward something closer to the Hulk. I loved it. The art’s flow is consistent throughout the story (even with a couple of assists from a bunch of other artists) and the coloring was GREAT. The book has a bright color palette really pops.
Campbell also manages to scratch my itch for violence with some sufficiently bloody scenes. Great stuff. And I’m certainly not going to complain about his throwing in the occasional nipple or two.
Overall, Glory: The Complete Saga won me over with its quirky story-telling and non-traditional look. While it may not appeal to some of the more conventional super-hero comic readers, those that appreciate something a little different might want to give Glory and her humongous biceps a shot.
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March 15, 2022
I've never really read anything regarding the Glory character. I know she is part of the early Image days, and I seem to recall her being a part of the Supreme book (I think) but really, I had no idea what to expect from reading this.
I was very pleasantly surprised. Well, I don't think "pleasant" is a word that should be used when describing this. And that's because the story itself contains a lot of violence, gore, and anger but not used in a way just for shock value. It actually makes the story a bit more "realistic" (as realistic as a comic about a woman born from alien demons and alien angels fighting their gods can be), and gives the book an air of consequence that ups the ante. Because from what I can tell, Glory regenerate and heals from any wound pretty much. So when you have this type of character, how do you make the story dangerous. Joe Keatinge found a way, and the results are this action packed story about possible futures molded by the decisions of the present.
Sophie Campbell (formerly Ross Campbell) handles most of the art, and man she really elevated the story to another level with her art. It's energetic and frenetic, but also kind of serene in it's rawness. I really haven't seen much work from Campbell, but man I would love to see more. Even in the more outlandish parts, the art kind of holds the whole thing together by maintaining a style that furthers the emotion that is being conveyed.
This was great, and something that I think someone can pick up without knowing much about the character, like me. If you like violent stories with a strong female lead but with a lot of interesting backstory and characterization, check this out.
I was very pleasantly surprised. Well, I don't think "pleasant" is a word that should be used when describing this. And that's because the story itself contains a lot of violence, gore, and anger but not used in a way just for shock value. It actually makes the story a bit more "realistic" (as realistic as a comic about a woman born from alien demons and alien angels fighting their gods can be), and gives the book an air of consequence that ups the ante. Because from what I can tell, Glory regenerate and heals from any wound pretty much. So when you have this type of character, how do you make the story dangerous. Joe Keatinge found a way, and the results are this action packed story about possible futures molded by the decisions of the present.
Sophie Campbell (formerly Ross Campbell) handles most of the art, and man she really elevated the story to another level with her art. It's energetic and frenetic, but also kind of serene in it's rawness. I really haven't seen much work from Campbell, but man I would love to see more. Even in the more outlandish parts, the art kind of holds the whole thing together by maintaining a style that furthers the emotion that is being conveyed.
This was great, and something that I think someone can pick up without knowing much about the character, like me. If you like violent stories with a strong female lead but with a lot of interesting backstory and characterization, check this out.
July 1, 2014
(2.5 stars) A lot of not-so-wonderful things can be said about Rob Liefield and/or his art, but the characters he's created, such as Deadpool, have definitely been memorable, including ones he created for Image Comics.
Recently, Image has been rebooting some of the titles that made them famous in the shiny '90s. Among the reboots have been a few of Liefield's characters, including Gloriana Demeter, who's gone from Image's buxom '90s bad girl answer to Wonder Woman, to this:
I didn't really read Glory back in my Image days since I cared nothing for Liefeld's work, but now that others have taken over the helm on his characters, I'm intrigued. Unfortunately, despite a lot of interesting ideas, this story didn't really work for me.
Glory is the child of a woman from a race we consider gods, and father we would consider to be a demon. Her birth was meant to be a symbol of either peace or destruction for one side or the other, but after 500 years of training for her destiny, Glory has grown impatient. Moreover, she's become obsessed with earth and heads over to our little planet to be a hero. While she certainly helps out here and there with wars and such, the book focuses more on her interpersonal relationships, particularly with a young girl named Riley Barnes, who shares some sort of psychic connection with Glory and is able to see her in her dreams.
Beyond this, the story is somewhat muddled. Glory is not entirely loved by the other superheroes of earth due to her unpredictability. She also has rage issues that put everyone, including her friends at risk, especially when the intergalactic war makes its way to earth and Glory's little posse has to battle her father's minions.
The highlight of the book were the Riley/Glory moments, and a very unusual family reunion. I also like that Glory, through both art, plot and character development, has become far more than the sum of her breasts. But otherwise, the story was poorly paced, unfocused, and not particularly memorable.
See more reviews at www.BiblioSanctum.com.
Recently, Image has been rebooting some of the titles that made them famous in the shiny '90s. Among the reboots have been a few of Liefield's characters, including Gloriana Demeter, who's gone from Image's buxom '90s bad girl answer to Wonder Woman, to this:
I didn't really read Glory back in my Image days since I cared nothing for Liefeld's work, but now that others have taken over the helm on his characters, I'm intrigued. Unfortunately, despite a lot of interesting ideas, this story didn't really work for me.
Glory is the child of a woman from a race we consider gods, and father we would consider to be a demon. Her birth was meant to be a symbol of either peace or destruction for one side or the other, but after 500 years of training for her destiny, Glory has grown impatient. Moreover, she's become obsessed with earth and heads over to our little planet to be a hero. While she certainly helps out here and there with wars and such, the book focuses more on her interpersonal relationships, particularly with a young girl named Riley Barnes, who shares some sort of psychic connection with Glory and is able to see her in her dreams.
Beyond this, the story is somewhat muddled. Glory is not entirely loved by the other superheroes of earth due to her unpredictability. She also has rage issues that put everyone, including her friends at risk, especially when the intergalactic war makes its way to earth and Glory's little posse has to battle her father's minions.
The highlight of the book were the Riley/Glory moments, and a very unusual family reunion. I also like that Glory, through both art, plot and character development, has become far more than the sum of her breasts. But otherwise, the story was poorly paced, unfocused, and not particularly memorable.
See more reviews at www.BiblioSanctum.com.
August 12, 2023
This is one of those books that could have been great... but aren't.
It has a promising start and good characters. The choice for Glory's physical appearance to represent this 'amazon warrior' type was great. This idea of a hero that wants to solve everything by violence and could end up being the very destroyer of those she wants to save, was what I most liked.
But then...
Things start decaying quickly. The characters' motivations are confuse, their actions incoherent. Everybody is fighting just because, until their not, just because. At some point it seems that they just want to show people blowing each others arms for no reason.
It has a promising start and good characters. The choice for Glory's physical appearance to represent this 'amazon warrior' type was great. This idea of a hero that wants to solve everything by violence and could end up being the very destroyer of those she wants to save, was what I most liked.
But then...
Things start decaying quickly. The characters' motivations are confuse, their actions incoherent. Everybody is fighting just because, until their not, just because. At some point it seems that they just want to show people blowing each others arms for no reason.
June 7, 2017
I wasn't familiar with Glory prior to this comic but even many years later I can still clearly remember this comic. Judging by the original designs of Glory, this muscular futuristic badass is a thousand times cooler. I got to take my hat off to the illustrator of the comic because this saga had some seriously ferocious illustrations. Definitely the highlight of the comic and I was genuinely saddened to see that the saga was so short. They were aiming for more a shorter start to finish instead of dragging the series out for endless volumes. I guess that Keatinge was really going for a unique and different angle on the reboot of this old school super hero. There were a couple of other really weird things that I won't be seeing in pretty much ANY other super hero comic. Not just was Glory bisexual in this comic but she was also in love with this old lady. Extremely weird! got nothing against it. But nonetheless...unusual and weird. Keantinge also had no mercy for any of the characters either. A lot of them died in terribly painful ways and I think this turned me down to this comic. Instead of being funny, it was rather tragic. For us to get attached to these characters quickly and then shortly after see the, perish miserably with no hopes for redemption in a sequel was really annoying. Having said that, I wish all super heroes if they ever got a reboot would even be half as bizarre and badass as this one. They took it to a whole new level.
The story was set in multiple timelines with quite a bit of backstory for each character suprisingly for such a short series. I would read again!
The story was set in multiple timelines with quite a bit of backstory for each character suprisingly for such a short series. I would read again!
May 25, 2015
Spoiler Free****
Glory: The Complete Sage is a reboot of a character created by Image Comics founder Joe Liefild, now continued by Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell. This Hardcover book contains issues 23-34. They continued onwards from the original numbering.
I gave this book a 3.5 overall rating (rounded down to 3 for goodreads purposes). I really enjoyed the art and the different types of characters and personalities that are central to this story. From the adorable and quippy sidekick Riley to the extraterrestrial man/animal Henry. I loved Glory's nemesis/sister ---she was insane and reminded me of an 80's cartoon called Spectra that I watched when I was kid. I appreciated that all the characters had distinct personalities and as a group they had great dialogue.
Now, the reason I gave this an overall 3.5 is because the story was confusing and it was not executed in a way that lead to smooth reading. They jumped around in time quite a bit and never really explained why. By the end of the book, I had the general jist of what they were trying to say with the story but it could have been done so much better. However, having read a lot online about the 1990's original Glory, who was more tits and ass than brains and bravery, I'm glad I read this version. Glory is definitely a BadAss with a heart of gold (when she is in control of herself). Overall, if they chose to continue this series I would definitely read the next installment.
P.S.- This is the most awesome looking Hardcover Book, looks wise ...that I own!
Glory: The Complete Sage is a reboot of a character created by Image Comics founder Joe Liefild, now continued by Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell. This Hardcover book contains issues 23-34. They continued onwards from the original numbering.
I gave this book a 3.5 overall rating (rounded down to 3 for goodreads purposes). I really enjoyed the art and the different types of characters and personalities that are central to this story. From the adorable and quippy sidekick Riley to the extraterrestrial man/animal Henry. I loved Glory's nemesis/sister ---she was insane and reminded me of an 80's cartoon called Spectra that I watched when I was kid. I appreciated that all the characters had distinct personalities and as a group they had great dialogue.
Now, the reason I gave this an overall 3.5 is because the story was confusing and it was not executed in a way that lead to smooth reading. They jumped around in time quite a bit and never really explained why. By the end of the book, I had the general jist of what they were trying to say with the story but it could have been done so much better. However, having read a lot online about the 1990's original Glory, who was more tits and ass than brains and bravery, I'm glad I read this version. Glory is definitely a BadAss with a heart of gold (when she is in control of herself). Overall, if they chose to continue this series I would definitely read the next installment.
P.S.- This is the most awesome looking Hardcover Book, looks wise ...that I own!
September 29, 2017
Glory is kind of a scary mother f'er. She's not your typical svelte heroine. She's a big tough badass who don't take no s*t from nobody. This one is dark and gory.. I had a hard time liking her through most of it. Though I really enjoyed the end. You got to see her humanized and a bit more of why she is the way she is. Though I loved the supporting cast, especially Henry. Some of the story line was a bit confusing, in particular the history of the warring. I liked some of the different styles like the French section. Having read all of this in one collection, I almost think I can see how it would be more compelling as separate issues with the anticipation for the next one added in.
August 12, 2017
Not overly familiar with the original Liefield stuff, but don't care cos this is faaaaaaaab! Gloriana Demeter has issues. Family. Demons. War. Friends. Will she save the world? Or destroy everything?
Epic confrontations, battles and betrayals all illustrated amazingly by Sophie Campbell. Also some familiar faces from the old Image-verse.
Lots of extras in this nicely presented hardback - pin ups, cover art, sketches, scripts and final thoughts. Also an epilogue that teases something else....that has also been on my to read radar for a while.
Epic confrontations, battles and betrayals all illustrated amazingly by Sophie Campbell. Also some familiar faces from the old Image-verse.
Lots of extras in this nicely presented hardback - pin ups, cover art, sketches, scripts and final thoughts. Also an epilogue that teases something else....that has also been on my to read radar for a while.
July 7, 2020
I enjoyed this more than I thought! Over-the-top gore, loved all the alien family stuff, both flashback and present. Wasn't as into the present day stuff in the first few issues. Story was messy at times, some things weren't explained, some things I didn't like.
Glory's sister Nanaja was my favourite. The fight between the two & their discussion afterwards was one of my fave things. XD
Glory's sister Nanaja was my favourite. The fight between the two & their discussion afterwards was one of my fave things. XD
October 20, 2019
Enjoyed it. Glory and her family are interesting characters!
April 12, 2020
Action packed and bloody gruesome, it still manages to slip in a few small character moments. fleshing out well rounded characters you would root and cry for.
July 23, 2021
Art was great... the story was a little much. And not in a good way. Still, Glory is a fun character, and it's always satisfying to see her hulk out.
March 14, 2016
This review and more can be found at The A P Book Club!
*I received an eARC of this book from Diamond Book Distributors/Image Comics on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Glory sounds like it would be a really epic story with lots of action and adventure and all of that jazz. And, while it was, something about it just fell short for me. I'm not sure if my expectations were too high, or if I just wanted something more, but Glory was not everything I hoped it would be.
The artwork fits very well with this story, and was probably the thing I enjoyed the most. It's dark and gritty and it shows much more emotion than most of the words. I enjoyed the colors and the harsh lines, and I really enjoyed seeing the different worlds and such. Ross Campbell does an excellent job, and I'm really interested in seeing more of his works.
I think the problem with this comic, for me, was that there wasn't enough explanation of anything. We know that Glory is meant to bring peace between the worlds. But that doesn't really work. And her parents try to do the EXACT same thing, thinking it will work the second time around. I really disliked Glory's parents, and most of the other characters. They're all selfish and they don't change very much at all. There's no growth or anything that I could see and that really bothered me.
It was also really hard to even care about what happened to Glory. She goes on these rampages and loses herself and then comes out of it and is all sad about what she did. Until the next time, of course. Then it just happens all over again. There was only so much of that I could take in one story before it became really tedious. I mean sure, Glory is a strong heroine capable of saving - or destroying - the world. But she has no motivation other than to make her father suffer for her mother's death, and she doesn't care who she hurts in the process of taking her revenge. I guess she's supposed to be morally ambiguous, but she just came off as annoying to me.
Overall, I think this was just not the kind of comic that I normally enjoy. I definitely think there's an audience out there for it, and I think that many people will thoroughly enjoy this reissue. Especially with all of the interesting letters and sketches included in the back. I did actually enjoy those! Since I wasn't really a fan, I'm not really sure who to recommend it to, other than fans of the original series. A 2/5 from me.
*I received an eARC of this book from Diamond Book Distributors/Image Comics on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Glory sounds like it would be a really epic story with lots of action and adventure and all of that jazz. And, while it was, something about it just fell short for me. I'm not sure if my expectations were too high, or if I just wanted something more, but Glory was not everything I hoped it would be.
The artwork fits very well with this story, and was probably the thing I enjoyed the most. It's dark and gritty and it shows much more emotion than most of the words. I enjoyed the colors and the harsh lines, and I really enjoyed seeing the different worlds and such. Ross Campbell does an excellent job, and I'm really interested in seeing more of his works.
I think the problem with this comic, for me, was that there wasn't enough explanation of anything. We know that Glory is meant to bring peace between the worlds. But that doesn't really work. And her parents try to do the EXACT same thing, thinking it will work the second time around. I really disliked Glory's parents, and most of the other characters. They're all selfish and they don't change very much at all. There's no growth or anything that I could see and that really bothered me.
It was also really hard to even care about what happened to Glory. She goes on these rampages and loses herself and then comes out of it and is all sad about what she did. Until the next time, of course. Then it just happens all over again. There was only so much of that I could take in one story before it became really tedious. I mean sure, Glory is a strong heroine capable of saving - or destroying - the world. But she has no motivation other than to make her father suffer for her mother's death, and she doesn't care who she hurts in the process of taking her revenge. I guess she's supposed to be morally ambiguous, but she just came off as annoying to me.
Overall, I think this was just not the kind of comic that I normally enjoy. I definitely think there's an audience out there for it, and I think that many people will thoroughly enjoy this reissue. Especially with all of the interesting letters and sketches included in the back. I did actually enjoy those! Since I wasn't really a fan, I'm not really sure who to recommend it to, other than fans of the original series. A 2/5 from me.
July 30, 2014
'Glory: The Complete Saga' feels like it starts in the middle somewhere, so the term 'complete' seems like an error. Also, while I liked some of it, most of it felt like kind of a hot mess.
Gloriana Demeter is a character created by Rob Liefeld in the 1990s that has gotten a reboot here. She's got similarities to a certain Amazonian princess from another publisher, but we'll let that go for now. In the 90s, she was more like a typical overdrawn female superhero. Here she is kind of puffy and bloated looking. Other characters include a young girl named Riley who is drawn to Glory, and her fate seems inexorably tied in with her in depressing dreams of a depressing, impending future. I liked her. Glory's sister is a foul-mouthed alien who seems to throw an f-bomb in just about every word panel. Eventually, that just wore on me, and I didn't like her. There are a couple weird alien sidekicks that are kind of interesting.
It all leads up to a big cosmic battle, but not before some weirdly gory battles where arms are wrenched off and people are torn to bits, then stitched back together. You wonder how interesting a battle can be amongst participants who appear to have died, but haven't really. It turns out it's not that interesting at all. The art is uneven, and while some of the story aspects were interesting, it was so over the top and weird looking that I just didn't care. It turns out that this is complete enough for me after all.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Gloriana Demeter is a character created by Rob Liefeld in the 1990s that has gotten a reboot here. She's got similarities to a certain Amazonian princess from another publisher, but we'll let that go for now. In the 90s, she was more like a typical overdrawn female superhero. Here she is kind of puffy and bloated looking. Other characters include a young girl named Riley who is drawn to Glory, and her fate seems inexorably tied in with her in depressing dreams of a depressing, impending future. I liked her. Glory's sister is a foul-mouthed alien who seems to throw an f-bomb in just about every word panel. Eventually, that just wore on me, and I didn't like her. There are a couple weird alien sidekicks that are kind of interesting.
It all leads up to a big cosmic battle, but not before some weirdly gory battles where arms are wrenched off and people are torn to bits, then stitched back together. You wonder how interesting a battle can be amongst participants who appear to have died, but haven't really. It turns out it's not that interesting at all. The art is uneven, and while some of the story aspects were interesting, it was so over the top and weird looking that I just didn't care. It turns out that this is complete enough for me after all.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
July 27, 2014
First things first, it certainly doesn't feel complete – starting at issue 23, and letting you get slow, less-than-fully-tangible grips on what has come before. To my mind the saga as presented here is still a little loose and woolly – there is too much talk from supporting characters as to the nature and end of Glory, however much the creators may use the bonus material to allude to aforethought, flashbacks, callbacks and so on. Who really knows how and when whatever element was written in – especially as the makers had the deadly 'cancel' notice put on the series midway through.
Still, the series does provide for some great touches. The way Riley Barnes turns from a cute semi-manga character (think Hit Girl if she'd stuck with girl guides) with some untold destiny into something quite different – and with a very different destiny – is great. It's a bit cheap to bring in an even more vicious character than Glory, with cheesy swearing to allegedly show how hip and cutting edge and anti-Bible Belt the book is, but on the balance the whole thing works. It's just that without knowledge of the original Image cycles of stories, the mythology of the piece still feels too distant – what real significance some of the reveals and events is supposed to have is not on the page. I'm all for a little ambiguity – it's when it spills over into the inconsequential that I have a problem. The fact I've made no attempt to mention the plot for this review is a pointer to how hard to summarise the book is – which might well be a bonus to many, but isn't always a good sign.
Still, the series does provide for some great touches. The way Riley Barnes turns from a cute semi-manga character (think Hit Girl if she'd stuck with girl guides) with some untold destiny into something quite different – and with a very different destiny – is great. It's a bit cheap to bring in an even more vicious character than Glory, with cheesy swearing to allegedly show how hip and cutting edge and anti-Bible Belt the book is, but on the balance the whole thing works. It's just that without knowledge of the original Image cycles of stories, the mythology of the piece still feels too distant – what real significance some of the reveals and events is supposed to have is not on the page. I'm all for a little ambiguity – it's when it spills over into the inconsequential that I have a problem. The fact I've made no attempt to mention the plot for this review is a pointer to how hard to summarise the book is – which might well be a bonus to many, but isn't always a good sign.
January 5, 2020
Received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lets start with the things I didn't like, since I'd like to end this review on a happy note. I wasn't a big fan of the artwork. There was a lot of crude and gory graphics, but not in the way I usually like. That was probably what affected me the most, as it should with graphic novels. I didn't like how the main characters were illustrated, to a point where I was hoping the novel would end soon. The dialogue wasn't very good either, it was unnatural and plain borng.
I couldn't really relate to any of the main characters. Sure, there is an intergalactic war going on, but none of the things they did made any sense to me. The whole back story eluded me completely and there were times I was clueless to what was happening.
The redeeming quality was maybe Riley, but mostly old Riley. I liked the idea that she'd grow up to be this wise, old, kick-ass lady, but that didn't happen. Oh, and also, "I want to go see Moulin Rogue, even if there's a war raging.", "Please, war is so boring. We never get to do anything fun". Yuck.
But, hey, girl power. The females kicked ass, while the men sttod on the sidelines. That, with the use of mythology was what I liked most about this book. If only the other components could have been as good, then maybe I would have liked this a lot more.
Lets start with the things I didn't like, since I'd like to end this review on a happy note. I wasn't a big fan of the artwork. There was a lot of crude and gory graphics, but not in the way I usually like. That was probably what affected me the most, as it should with graphic novels. I didn't like how the main characters were illustrated, to a point where I was hoping the novel would end soon. The dialogue wasn't very good either, it was unnatural and plain borng.
I couldn't really relate to any of the main characters. Sure, there is an intergalactic war going on, but none of the things they did made any sense to me. The whole back story eluded me completely and there were times I was clueless to what was happening.
The redeeming quality was maybe Riley, but mostly old Riley. I liked the idea that she'd grow up to be this wise, old, kick-ass lady, but that didn't happen. Oh, and also, "I want to go see Moulin Rogue, even if there's a war raging.", "Please, war is so boring. We never get to do anything fun". Yuck.
But, hey, girl power. The females kicked ass, while the men sttod on the sidelines. That, with the use of mythology was what I liked most about this book. If only the other components could have been as good, then maybe I would have liked this a lot more.
June 28, 2014
A lot is going on in this comic book, there is an intergalactic war going on, we have a student in search of the disappeared superhero. The super heroes turn out to more or less just be a more evolved species than the humans. The gore scenes were gory, but some how not really gory enough for my taste. The main characters were more or less always illustrated in awkward positions. The only time the dialogue seemed to flow well was in the scenes with only Riley and Glory, then the conversations seemed to be authentic. And I feel like Riley was what saved this comic book and actually made me want to finish it.
And of course this is a comic book with a lot of girl power. Even though I’m all for females and equal rights and stuff I do not believe that placing the men on the sideline will create a better world. The book could easily have showed more gender equality rather than “here the women shall kick ass and the men should be in the kitchen”-mentality that is what feminism seems to be about these days.
The mythology was well thought out and presented in an intriguing manner. I did like the presentation of how primitive humans had seen them as Gods and demons, I though that was very interesting.
I would recommend this book to people explicitly in superhero stories, because despite it's flaws it is a good story, it just did not sit well with me.
And of course this is a comic book with a lot of girl power. Even though I’m all for females and equal rights and stuff I do not believe that placing the men on the sideline will create a better world. The book could easily have showed more gender equality rather than “here the women shall kick ass and the men should be in the kitchen”-mentality that is what feminism seems to be about these days.
The mythology was well thought out and presented in an intriguing manner. I did like the presentation of how primitive humans had seen them as Gods and demons, I though that was very interesting.
I would recommend this book to people explicitly in superhero stories, because despite it's flaws it is a good story, it just did not sit well with me.
October 17, 2014
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I expected a lot more with this book, but it didn't really deliver to me. The art style was a little off and sometimes the poses just didn't look right to me. It was very strange. It also seemed inconsistent throughout the story, and the storyline didn't seem to make that much sense to me either. Honestly if the main character, Glory, was to bring about peace between two warring races then wouldn't they have been more concerned about getting her back? A fair bit of the dialogue was also rather stiff, and didn't seem to flow right. And there's problems with the French that appears, I even asked my French teacher because I don't speak French and they said that several parts were wrong and proceeded to tell me the correct way for it to be. It was like the person who wrote the dialogue either knew really basic French and looked up a bunch of words and didn't even have anyone check it for accuracy, or wrote English dialogue and put it in an online translator. Then there's Riley, who can see Glory in her dreams? That was really strange and I found it a rather boring way to do that because it's overused in my opinion. There really isn't much I liked other than the idea of what the story could be before I read it, it really ended up not being my taste in graphic novels.
I expected a lot more with this book, but it didn't really deliver to me. The art style was a little off and sometimes the poses just didn't look right to me. It was very strange. It also seemed inconsistent throughout the story, and the storyline didn't seem to make that much sense to me either. Honestly if the main character, Glory, was to bring about peace between two warring races then wouldn't they have been more concerned about getting her back? A fair bit of the dialogue was also rather stiff, and didn't seem to flow right. And there's problems with the French that appears, I even asked my French teacher because I don't speak French and they said that several parts were wrong and proceeded to tell me the correct way for it to be. It was like the person who wrote the dialogue either knew really basic French and looked up a bunch of words and didn't even have anyone check it for accuracy, or wrote English dialogue and put it in an online translator. Then there's Riley, who can see Glory in her dreams? That was really strange and I found it a rather boring way to do that because it's overused in my opinion. There really isn't much I liked other than the idea of what the story could be before I read it, it really ended up not being my taste in graphic novels.
August 4, 2014
*I received this book as an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors
and Image Comics on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This graphic novel is an interesting take on the female warrior superhero. There are definitely similarities to Wonder Woman in Glory. There are also some similarities to Thor. Glory is from a far away world where her birth ended a very long war between two ancient people. Her mother's people are known to Earth as gods, while her father's followers have been known as demons. I really enjoyed the mythology in this graphic novel. The art design for both previously warring factions are really well done. I did find some of the art in the battle scenes pretty gruesome though. There's a lot of gore.
This collection is a complete story within itself. It's always annoying when you pick up a comic book and it is just a small section of a story. Although, there's definitely more to Glory and this saga is only the most recent reboot of the Glory superhero, reading only this collection leaves a sense of closure.
I enjoyed the way dreams and visions were used. I liked seeing a potential future.
I give this graphic novel a 4/5. It is definitely a mature comic, though. There is quite a bit of gruesome violence. In this collection there is also a lot of bonus material at the end of the book.
and Image Comics on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This graphic novel is an interesting take on the female warrior superhero. There are definitely similarities to Wonder Woman in Glory. There are also some similarities to Thor. Glory is from a far away world where her birth ended a very long war between two ancient people. Her mother's people are known to Earth as gods, while her father's followers have been known as demons. I really enjoyed the mythology in this graphic novel. The art design for both previously warring factions are really well done. I did find some of the art in the battle scenes pretty gruesome though. There's a lot of gore.
This collection is a complete story within itself. It's always annoying when you pick up a comic book and it is just a small section of a story. Although, there's definitely more to Glory and this saga is only the most recent reboot of the Glory superhero, reading only this collection leaves a sense of closure.
I enjoyed the way dreams and visions were used. I liked seeing a potential future.
I give this graphic novel a 4/5. It is definitely a mature comic, though. There is quite a bit of gruesome violence. In this collection there is also a lot of bonus material at the end of the book.
August 5, 2014
A major intense epic saga of a female warrior. A gripping action-packed drama that kept me glued to the over 300 pages not being able to put it down. This has everything you could want in a superhero story: strong female characters, lots of gory violence, space adventures, demons, aliens, then add in sibling warrior rivalry and a lesbian love story to top off the plot. Gloriana (Glory) is unlike any female warrior/superhero character I know about. She is a female Hulk with the exotic background of Wonder Woman. Glory is a Beast of a woman, pure trained warrior, part Thulian, part Demon, she is massive, humungously tall and ginormously muscular. In certain scenes she appears like a bodybuilder, yet at other times she can appear obese, however she has a feminine face with eyes that show the feelings her body gestures cannot. Glory is not a completely likable character as she is a trained killer who, when she loses her temper, goes off into Berserker mode, but she has good intentions, however misguided and as a reader I felt for her. The ending was especially well-done giving redemption to the characters who most needed it. What a ride!
Read
November 27, 2014Much like the excellent new Prophet series, this takes one of Rob Liefeld's unloved old superheroes and retools her for an era less wowed by badly-drawn muscles and guns. Unlike the Big Two, who will currently renumber their comics at the drop of a hat (or artist), the old numbering remains, but the approach is entirely different. At first, the problem here seems to be that the approach taken to Wonder Woman analogue Glory is too similar to that employed with the time-lost Prophet: no longer recognisable as a superhero, now more a weapon, our heroine must fight in a war stranger and more deadly than any before. But as it progresses, ever more heart becomes apparent, and mixed with deft pacing this leaves the book much richer and quirkier at the end than the beginning.
(This is not the first attempt at doing something interesting with Glory; Alan Moore did a few issues, many years ago, which with hindsight are clearly a dry run for Promethea. Alas, I don't think they were ever collected)
(This is not the first attempt at doing something interesting with Glory; Alan Moore did a few issues, many years ago, which with hindsight are clearly a dry run for Promethea. Alas, I don't think they were ever collected)
July 30, 2014
The only thing glorious moment in this book is when you reach the agonizing end. There is absolutely no plot to the story.
Glory is the daughter of like the ruler of the underworld or something and the queen of Thule, they're an amazonian like group of warrior women [so, yeah, think Wonder Woman if she had been made the old fashion way and not clay].
This book tries to revive the 90's character Gloriana Demeter and all I can say is that it fails miserably. The only reason it got 2 stars from me is that the illustrations were decent enough; but story wise this is a bore. The only thing the story focuses on is that Gloriana has daddy issues and an anger management problem.
I feel so bad about expressing myself this way, especially when Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell are really talented guys, but they totally missed the mark on this one.
Rating 2 out of 5
Read@Book
Glory is the daughter of like the ruler of the underworld or something and the queen of Thule, they're an amazonian like group of warrior women [so, yeah, think Wonder Woman if she had been made the old fashion way and not clay].
This book tries to revive the 90's character Gloriana Demeter and all I can say is that it fails miserably. The only reason it got 2 stars from me is that the illustrations were decent enough; but story wise this is a bore. The only thing the story focuses on is that Gloriana has daddy issues and an anger management problem.
I feel so bad about expressing myself this way, especially when Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell are really talented guys, but they totally missed the mark on this one.
Rating 2 out of 5
Read@Book
July 18, 2014
Received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is definitely not the buxom 90's Glory. She's much more Hulk than Wonder Woman. I thought that was refreshing. I thought there were some interesting characters in the book and even some interesting plot twists.
Unfortunately many of the plot twists were just left out there, unresolved. Why was Riley the one everyone was waiting for? Why was it so important that she be saved? The Knights of Thule were captives?
Add in a horrible trip to the afterlife and you have an ultimately unsatisfying read. It had enough good for me to give it 2 stars, but I don't think I could recommend it to too many of my comic reading friends.
This is definitely not the buxom 90's Glory. She's much more Hulk than Wonder Woman. I thought that was refreshing. I thought there were some interesting characters in the book and even some interesting plot twists.
Unfortunately many of the plot twists were just left out there, unresolved. Why was Riley the one everyone was waiting for? Why was it so important that she be saved? The Knights of Thule were captives?
Add in a horrible trip to the afterlife and you have an ultimately unsatisfying read. It had enough good for me to give it 2 stars, but I don't think I could recommend it to too many of my comic reading friends.
November 30, 2014
Idk, like, I was sort of unfulfilled how nothing got answered and none of the bonding, etc., was shown. I guess it moved a little too fast to have as much meat as I'd prefer. Maybe it'd be different if I'd had to wait instead of reading it all in one sitting. But I enjoyed it well and nothing made me wince enough to run away from the series, which is a pretty good run for a comic IMO. The concept was great. I def enjoyed how they played with tropes. My brother, glancing over my shoulder, said "Wow" so I think that's a 'this is pretty' recommendation. ;P
July 11, 2014
Gloriana is the product of two warring races in a separate fantasy world. Her birth was to bring peace, but she had a desire to follow her own path which lead her to our world. Here she fought in WWII, but is now trying to regain her strength after several setbacks. This is a decent tale, but the clunky artwork lowered my rating. Overall, if you followed this character in the past, you will be happy, otherwise, read at your own risk.
August 21, 2014
I recieved this book on netgalley in exhange for an honest review.
Honestly, this graphic novel was all over the place. It didn't make a lot of sense and I really just wanted to be finished with it once it started. I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters and the storyline just wasn't consistent, half of the time I didn't even understand what was going on. It wasn't for me and maybe other people will enjoy it more but I just couldn't get into it.
Honestly, this graphic novel was all over the place. It didn't make a lot of sense and I really just wanted to be finished with it once it started. I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters and the storyline just wasn't consistent, half of the time I didn't even understand what was going on. It wasn't for me and maybe other people will enjoy it more but I just couldn't get into it.
June 29, 2016
I was suckered in by the cover and the first few pages. What I ended up with was some occasionally interesting artwork in service of a partially coherent narrative. There's an awful lot of violent dismemberment and not a whole lot of explanation for why it's happening or how some of the non-Glory characters are surviving it.
Turns out that Glory is a character from the heyday of Image Comics, which may well tell you everything you need to know about whether or not you should read it.
Turns out that Glory is a character from the heyday of Image Comics, which may well tell you everything you need to know about whether or not you should read it.
September 1, 2014
If it wasn't for Ross Campbell's art, I would have given this a lower rating. He drew these characters with varying body types, and seeing a woman in a comic who DOESN'T look like she stepped out of the Victoria's Secret catalog is a breath of fresh air. The story itself is both grand sci-fi and a personal story about a family. I loved it.
July 5, 2014
I loved the art work in this graphic novel . a dysfunctional family , intergalatic war , and superheroes. I enjoyed this . It was fast and exciting. I see some people did not like the art work but I reminded me of Japanese anime. Riley is the character I came to care about the most.
May 22, 2015
I'd seen a lot of reviews about how good this was, about how it was Wonder Woman done right. It read to me like a very average knockoff of Wonder Woman. It's also stuck too much in the grim and gritty era Glory came from.
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