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The Empty

The Empty Vol. 1

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Tanoor is a hunter struggling to feed her village in an apocalyptic world of poison and decay, but Tanoor finds hope when she discovers a stranger named Lila who has the ability to grow life from death—a power that could change the world of The Empty.

Collects THE EMPTY #1-6.

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2015

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Jimmie Robinson

166 books6 followers

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5 stars
15 (10%)
4 stars
47 (31%)
3 stars
62 (41%)
2 stars
23 (15%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Chad.
10.6k reviews1,076 followers
October 30, 2020
This book was a nice surprise. Good art, apocalyptic tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Shadowdenizen.
829 reviews45 followers
October 9, 2015
Confession time; I'll read anything Jimmie Robinson does. I was totally enamored with Five Weapons: Vol. 1: Making the Grade and Bomb Queen Volume 1: Woman Of Mass Destruction, and heard about "The Empty" well in advance.

And this series from Image Comics' Shadowline imprint doesn't disappoint. It's a fun, enoyable mix of action-adventure, sci-fi, and dystopian future, peopled with intriguing and likable characters of different races, all with recognizable and defined mertis and flaws. And it's all in the service of an important ecological message, done without being preachy.

Though this arc is a complete story in and of itself, I'm hoping there's lot more to come set in this fascinating world!

Highly recommended



Profile Image for Taylor.
767 reviews417 followers
October 14, 2015
2.5 stars
I really don't know how I feel about this graphic novel. I didn't really understand the world building. It was post apocalyptic but didn't quite fit in that genre for me. It felt a little bit sci-fi. Everything moved at such a fast pace and I just couldn't get a good grasp of the characters.
Profile Image for Steve.
962 reviews116 followers
November 25, 2015
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Empty is a interesting graphic novel with beautiful art and a unique, intriguing world with many strange creatures. The characters were well developed and despite being rather short, I got a sense of who the main characters were and their motivations. The plot wasn't anything really new, but it was done in a unique way; the story was pretty compelling. The artwork was very simplistic/minimalistic, which captured the world and its creatures well.

I'm not sure if I'd read any more of this series, but I enjoyed this first volume.
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,335 reviews32 followers
January 10, 2016
'The Empty Volume 1' by Jimmie Robinson had me a little skeptical at first, but won me over and I ended up liking the ideas of the story.

Tanoor is a hunter in her tribe of long-armed hunters. She lives in the empty, a land being poisoned by giant roots that kill anything that gets too near them. Her people are struggling to find healthy food and water. A stranger, Lila of the long-necked people, shows up injured and at first, no one can communicate with her. But Lila has the power to heal and communicate. Before long Lila and Tanoor set out to see if they can fix the danger that is hurting their world. Along the way, they meet enemies and seek to create communication between species so they can save the world they live on. Suspicion and long-held enmity are hard to overcome. Or are they?

It's an interesting story, but I had to give it quite a few pages. There were odd and unbelievable things happening, but they were part of the story, and they made sense as things went along (Lila's immediate ability to assimilate a language was one of them). I liked the story, and the way the characters have to interact to solve things. I enjoyed it because it became more a story about solving problems instead of just applying violence.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Profile Image for Alex Sarll.
7,189 reviews370 followers
Did Not Finish
November 4, 2015
Stilted art, a story whose every turn I saw coming, environmental and social themes so sledgehammered that even Pat Mills would wince...there are some cute animals, and impressive landscapes when we're not in a very dull desert, but this one just isn't for me.
Profile Image for Ashkin Ayub.
465 reviews231 followers
June 13, 2021



i was a bit underwhelmed by this.

i felt the story has been done from an overall perspective all in all too much. furthermore, there just wasn't sufficient to lift it over its companions in such a manner. likewise while specifically there was presumably significant exertion and aim in the various styles utilized in similar boards to pass on the distinctions in the characters and social orders, i discovered them excessively extremely extraordinary. the bleak abrasive female hero and the huge looked-at tenants in the Utopian land just didn't appear to try and fit together.

other visual components of the fine art additionally appeared to be somewhat strange. just as the certain plot focuses that appeared to have neither rhyme nor reason or give the perfect measure of legitimate or charming plotting (the imperial angle, especially including dakon appeared to be so engaged but then additionally kind of an over-the-top digression that goes no place in numerous respects).

one in number component of a realistic novel is whether it interests me enough to chase out the ensuing works and the makers' different universes/works. For this situation that was absent, dismal to say.
Profile Image for MysteriousPanda.
120 reviews20 followers
September 23, 2015
I have mixed feelings about The Empty. Its a post apocalyptic tale set in a mostly barren world where humans were seemingly wiped out thousands of years ago. I wasn't sure I actually liked the first couple of issues. Tanoor, the main character finds a strange person washed up on the shore near her village. It is Lila who is a farmer from a region far away where the world is lush and beautiful in comparison to Tanoor's barren poisoned home land. The two set off to find the source of the poison and along the way meet a few interesting characters.

The story definitely got better as it went on. But at the same time, I don't know. It felt like we only learned a little about each character. Just enough to push the story along. It was very light hearted compared to some post apocalyptic tales, but I did still enjoy the story as it progressed. The art in this series was hard to get used to at first too, its kind of unique! Tanoor had long gangly arms, and Lila and her people had large oversized eyes and elongated necks. But I actually really liked the art by the end. That said, I'm not sure I liked the ending of The Empty #6 which seemed to wrap everything up in a neat little bow - like one might if there is not going to be any more story.

As an introduction to this world, I guess this story arc worked. I hope that there is more story coming. I would really be interested to learn more about Tanoor, and how Lila and the group "fix" the world now that well, spoilers. Unfortunately none of my googling has turned up information about a second arc, so... in the meantime I recommend it, just to see if you like it for yourself.

(Note: I read this as individual issues.)
9,457 reviews135 followers
November 22, 2015
Four stars and then some for this title, which looks gorgeous and marries so many different plot ideas so well you really have to pay attention. For one female character, with ungainly long arms supporting her weaponised armor blades the full length of them, the world is a nightmare – nothing grows, her village is starving and the elders hate her revolutionary ideas. For another, life was perfect – hardly a death, a true Utopia of a civilisation – until for some reason she got expelled and, it was thought, killed off. When they meet – well, things get weirder and weirder, the collaborative structure of their group gets more and more unusual, and the plot, regarding their search for answers and/or a return home, is fulfilling throughout. The artwork is excellent – a lovely colour palette that would look cloying were it not for the grit and energy of the world setting. If the whole language thing could be done a little quicker at times, I might have thought about giving the piece five stars, but when it comes to concerning the Grand Human Message at the end, it's done with such a lightness of touch you really have to applaud. I can't see how a Book 2 of this could proceed – a shame in a way, as this is very high quality.
Profile Image for anaeliteratura.
600 reviews21 followers
January 12, 2021
3.5/5*
solid plot although not very surprising. one aspect i particularly enjoyed was the communication and how it allowed them to understand each other which in turn allowed them to create bonds and work together, very, very wholesome!! even though this graphic novel only has six issues, the newfound friendships between the main characters didn't feel rushed or forced at all, quite on the contrary, it felt natural. i guess that's how it goes when you're in survival mode trying to save your dried, poisonous land and the only shot at solving the iminent problem is if you stick with new found creatures you meet in your quest for they offer qualities you do not possess and/or have the same goal as you! in other words, i love team work AND communication!! lmao all in all, a good short story about surviving and how we should treat mother nature!
12 reviews
March 4, 2023
I was not expecting this art style when I opened to page 1. It’s honestly horrific, lmfao. BUT, the story and social & environmental commentary it conveys is truly moving and impactful. It’s themes of foreignness/differentness, harm, and understanding are very real. I also like how this comics doesn’t ruminate so long on any one character and setting—constantly moving forward to advance the plot and deliver its message. I can definitely say this was well-written and thought-out and says great things. I just would’ve loved a different character style that’s less… disturbing and jarring… so it could have a proud place on my bookshelf for future reference.
Profile Image for Lisa.
242 reviews6 followers
December 7, 2021
I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this. It seemed to move rather quickly and the dialogue was generic, but overall still an interesting enough story that I wanted to see how it’d end. I didn’t hate it but I’m not compelled to ever read it again.
Profile Image for Liam Robertson.
8 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2026
Cute little comic from the green room lol.
Can’t say I’m a huge fan of comics, the concept was cute and the art was great but descriptive details obvi get lost in a comic style. The dialogue was a bit ‘huh’ at points but ya know what it was entertaining
29 reviews1 follower
November 7, 2015
A bit of a running theme with the ARCs I’ve gotten so far is that they’re all basically decent, and this one’s not breaking the pattern.

I don’t really have any major complaints; a lot of the things that bothered me are honestly just kind of pet peeves. The art was decent, and the character design was honestly pretty clever. Not exactly clever, I guess, but for example, in the beginning there were a few small things I noticed and kind of bothered me like Tanoor’s arms being a bit too long. However, it was actually on purpose and I respect that kind of consistency. Purposefully messing with anatomy especially in a character that’s otherwise entirely human seems like something that requires some skill, considering that it wasn’t even a very obvious change.

Some of the facial features weren’t proportional or in the right places which bothered me a bit, but I got used to it. I also don’t really like art in comics that’s heavy on the lineart; I appreciate colour a lot more. Considering the fact that this takes place in a desert wasteland for pretty much the entire book, the colours were kind of…not there. It’s also a bit flat. Even when we shift to greener scenery, there’s no real messing with shadows or perspective. For the most part, it was functional, just not extraordinary.

The best part (of the entire book, for me) was the chapter title pages, though. Even the book cover is really nice; it’s simple and poignant, which is something the book kind of lacks.

From a story standpoint it was pretty good as well. Some of the foreshadowing was incredibly obvious, but other times it worked really well.

The dialogue was a bit iffy. Sometimes the voices sound too similar, and there are bits and pieces where it just sounds like the writer just wanted to say something deep. Those moments could make sense and be in character if you squint, but I still just don’t like it. People don’t talk like that, and every single character in the book does.

The character development is also kind of cheesy; it’s like a sledgehammer beating in the message, but it’s kind of sweet, I guess. I don’t much care for it, but it’s a good message. Happy endings and plot resolutions and all. They could have been a lot more interesting if the story went a bit more in depth with the backstories and conflicts. The conflicts are kind of brought up just as they’re resolved, and it’s over too quickly. It’s admirable what they’ve managed to with its length, but just changing the point of the story where the conflicts are introduced would’ve at least felt like some kind of buildup. But that would kind of kill the pacing and the entire story would have to be changed.

The evil folks are a bit too cliche. It’s kind of formulaic, and it seems a bit uninspired, I guess. Not exactly uninspired, but there’s just not much as far as complex or nuanced scenarios, characters, and character development goes. Most of the characters are likable; they’re just not new.

For the most part, the story doesn’t challenge any stereotypes or trademarks of fiction nor does it test any boundaries. It’s still a more than decent story, with a few interesting ideas, well-made characters, and quite a bit of thought put into it so I’d say it’s worth a shot.

–charien

For more reviews like this one (and some not like this one), check out our blog at: almostelysian.wordpress.com
Profile Image for Ramón Fernández Ayarzagoitia.
179 reviews30 followers
March 2, 2017
Had a section in the middle that I thought was too complacent, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Can't get why people hated so much on this. As original a comic as I've found.
Profile Image for Siina.
Author 35 books24 followers
October 20, 2015
The imagery of the dystopian world in the Empty was astonishing! We have a planet that is dying because of these poisonous roots. A warrior woman named Tanoor finds an alien looking girl Lila and they gather other creatures for their journey to destroy the source of the poison only to find that the world is a test gone wrong. They need to save the planet and try to understand what happened and it all comes back to dark matter. The plot is well constructed and very fresh! It's even possible, which is kind of scary and it makes you wonder about nature and how we must preserve it without being moralistic. The characters are interesting and the core group functions well. I still kind of missed more info about the world though. Not just that, but it would've great to see better what Lila's people thought of all this and how it would go in Tanoor's village. Now it felt like the masses were just sheep running around in panic.

The art is kind of crooked. Everything looks a bit distorted, but it's hard to say how and why. The line work is very thing and it would've needed more strength to it - now it looks a little too sketchy. The colors are great and vibrant, but the lack of tones in most cases makes this look too jolly compared to the gravity of the subject. Darker and ethereal colors would've made more justice. The idea is so compelling that the art has hard time catching up to it. The story in itself is more like four stars, but now due to the art it stays at three.
Profile Image for Fiorella.
307 reviews40 followers
July 13, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first graphic novel I have ever read and I liked it so much. I am definitely going to start reading more graphic novels thanks to this one :).
What I really liked about this graphic novel, apart from the beautiful graphics, were the characters and the level of english.
As spanish is my first language, it is always a little bit difficult to understand some words, but I was able to understand every single word that I read. So, I will totally recommend this book in my guide about books to read if you start reading in english.
On the Other hand, I liked Lila and Tanoor as main characters, they were so funny. I have to admit that I loved Tanoor more than Lila because I almost always love strong female characters who know how to lead with a situation and are not waiting for someone to rescue them. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book, I think it is perfect if you love sci-fi, dystopians and action. The art is excellent because it really showed the world as I imagined and helped me to visualise the creatures and the characters.
Profile Image for Jim.
1,790 reviews66 followers
December 1, 2015
The opening pages and chapter titles give the impression of desolation. Of emptiness.

I like the art. It’s very clean, very stark, bright. Perfect for both the lush world of Lila and the dead world of Tanoor.

Sometimes it’s lovely to read a self-contained story. One you don’t have to feel like you have to get the next volume and the next. I think this continues on – and that’s fine. But the end of this volume at least gives you some resolution.

The Empty is a solid dystopian action story – and it’s definitely different than any of them you’ve read before. A story of attempting to understand people not like yourself.

It’s creative. I would have loved to have seen all the different creatures Jimmie Robinson thought up for the book – but as he noted, they wouldn’t have had room for the story arc.

If you’re sick of the same old story, this just might be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond, and Image Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Erika Winterlia.
142 reviews
October 10, 2015
The Empty was a really interesting graphic novel with beautiful art and a unique and very intriguing world with many strange creatures.
The characters felt well developed and despite this being a rather short novel, I got a sense of who the main characters were and what their motivation was. The plot was in a sense to save the world, but it was done in a very unique way and the way the story developed made me unable to stop reading. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t stop until I had finished it.

The art was also great and I think it really showed the world and the creatures in a great way. I want to learn more about this place and these people and I hope there will be more volumes in this series where we get to see more.

I can definitely recommend this too everyone who is interested in graphic novels because I truly enjoyed reading this.
Profile Image for Justine.
2,217 reviews79 followers
October 26, 2015
I grabbed this book free from Netgalley because it was in the "Read Now" section and I thought the synopsis sounded great. I was not disappointed with this story. I will admit it's a crazy ride but I loved every minute of it. The art is hard to explain because it feels like it was done by different people. The different races seem like they were done by different artists. I preferred the long arm race because they looked more gritty. The long necks reminded me of manga characters. I would recommend this comic. I did recommend it to my friend and she grab it up right away as well.
Profile Image for Melek.
458 reviews32 followers
October 28, 2015
If I know one thing, this one wasn't for me at all.

The problems have started right from the first page, with the art, which didn't get much better after that. The story was a bit weird, At first, I felt like no one knew what the book was actually going to be about and they just tried their luck at different things. Then it got better, but not all that much. I didn't like the characters either, which didn't help.

Overall, it was below average for me. 2/5
Profile Image for TJ Shelby.
922 reviews29 followers
February 7, 2016
The temptation is to analyze this as an environmental storyline that unveils the fate of humanity.

But this story is so much more than that. Two strong female leads in a sci-fi adventure encountering twists and turns with the witty dialogue, introspective themes and hard-hitting raw violence that only the creator of Bomb Queen could deliver.
Profile Image for Marcel Weiss.
19 reviews37 followers
April 12, 2016
Most impressive about this is that it was written, drawn and coloured by one single person.
The story is inventive, but at times wooden and all in all the conclusion is not very interesting. Still a good, fun read.
Profile Image for Lizzie.
105 reviews1 follower
October 26, 2015
An interesting post-apocalyptic story. Rough around the edges in spots, but the visuals are fantastic.
2,644 reviews52 followers
December 13, 2015
6 stars

this is the reason i read comic books.
some of the most beautiful artwork not done by p. craig russell, and the story and writing is it's match.
Profile Image for Paul.
401 reviews2 followers
January 8, 2016
This is a beautiful graphic novel by Jimmie Robinson. It is an allegory that reads well and piques the imagination.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews