Limbo

Limbo #1-6

by Dan Watters, Caspar Wijngaard (Illustrator)

A detective with no memory, no identity, and no manners. A femme fatale seeking escape from a powerful crime lord. A voodoo queen with a penchant for mixtapes and hi-tops. A goat-eating TV... A surreal neon-noir fusing hardboiled pulp with an 80s VHS visual aesthetic, dripping with neon and static. Collecting issues 1 through 6. Writer Dan Watters and artist Caspar Wijngaard are an up-and-coming creative team living and working in the UK. They are currently making their Image Comics debut with the surreal Neon Noir Limbo.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Mystery

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2016

About the author

Dan Watters is a UK based comic book writer. His first book, LIMBO, was released through Image Comics in 2016. He has since written THE SHADOW at Dynamite Comics, and ASSASSIN’S CREED and WOLFENSTEIN for Titan Comics.

Currently he is writing the relaunch of LUCIFER for Vertigo’s Sandman Universe, as well as DEEP ROOTS for Vault Comics. Deeply rooted in London Town, and firmly of the Devil's party.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detective with amnesia takes on a case in a New Orleans-like setting. Full of voodoo and crazy bad guys, it was a lot of fun. I thought the art was pretty great, but didn't care for the coloring that much.

Received an advance copy from Image and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ronyell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Introduction:

Since I am on the roll when it comes to reading books from NetGalley, I have picked up another graphic novel that sounds pretty interesting called “Limbo Volume One” which is written by Dan Watters along with artwork by Caspar Wijngaard.

What is this story about?

Welcome to the world of Dedande City, where reality and technology becomes blended into one universe and mysterious god like beings called Deities lay dormant in video cassettes. Living in this world is a detective named Clay who does not have any memories of who he really is and is often described as being a very rude man. One night however, he ends up getting a mysterious client named Bridgette who asks him to take down a powerful crime boss named The Thumb and once Clay goes on this mission, he soon realizes that The Thumb is involved in some supernatural shenanigans where reality suddenly begins to unravel. Clay will soon discover that searching for his true identity in this surreal world would mean that he would have to search in the darkest corners of the supernatural and technical world to find the answers he is searching for.

What I loved about this story:

The premise: Dan Watters has written an extremely interesting premise for this series where people can enter other worlds through television sets and get messages from another universe through VHS cassettes. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story since it is extremely unique and it made the story somewhat interesting to me and I enjoyed exploring this strange new world that our main character Clay lives in. I also loved the character of Sandy, the woman who took Clay in and also has the ability to contact the spirit world through her mix tapes, as she is an extremely unique and fun character to read about and I enjoyed seeing her try to help out Clay when he got in trouble with the crime boss and how she used her abilities to learn more about the situation that Clay got himself into.

Caspar Wijngaard’s artwork: Caspar Wijngaard’s artwork is highly creative to look at as the characters are shown in different colors such as Clay having blue skin and is mostly shown in blue clothing while Sandy has green skin and is constantly wearing green clothing. These colorings really set the characters apart from each other and also describe their personalities somewhat as Clay’s blue coloring depicts his sad past and his determination to find out who he is while Sandy’s green coloring shows how alien she is in this world. I also loved the way that Caspar Wijngaard presented the images of TV static throughout the story as it gives the story an unearthly and unique feel.



What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language and violence, this volume has a bit of strong language such as using the “f” word a few times and it also has some violence such as some scenes of people being graphically cut with knives. Also, the reason why I gave this volume a three star rating was because I felt that the plot was a bit too confusing as there were many supernatural and technical elements going on at the same time and it made the story a bit hard to understand. Also, I felt that most of the characters in this volume were too flat as we do not know much about these characters and I felt that their personalities were a bit boring also. The only character I felt that was interesting was Sandy as she does have a bubbly personality and the fact that she can contact the spirit world through her mix tapes made her the most interesting character in this volume.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, even though “Limbo Volume One” had an interesting premise about alternative realities and technology coming together in one world, the plot was a bit too confusing for me to understand and I felt that the characters should have been developed a little better. However, I will pick up the second volume to see if the story improves.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Limbo by Dan Watters & Caspar Wijngaard

Complete Limbo series

4 stars

This is a very interesting graphic novel. It’s hard for me to describe what this is about because I don’t want to give away the ending and since this is only six issues I feel like it is very easy to spoil the story. Just know that this is one of the best graphic novel endings I’ve come across. Everything is tied together in the end and while you feel jarred and confused throughout the majority of the story, the ending is worth it. The ending blew me away and really cemented how awesome this graphic novel is. I loved the bright color pattern and I was a huge fan of the incorporation of Dia de Los Muertos skeletons. It really enhanced the art and was stunning to look at. Limbo is dark, twisted, and incredibly imaginative. I highly recommend it. Plus this series is only one graphic novel, so if you hate it, you get to know the ending and don't feel obligated to read anymore.

Art Scale: 5

Character Scale: 3

Plotastic Scale: 4.25

Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. It’s what drew me in and made me interested in picking this one up.

Thank you, Netgalley and Image Comics, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

There have been many comics that have asked the question of what happens to us when we die, whether it is Neil Gaiman's The Sandman or something as recent like Mark Millar and Greg Capullo's Reborn. In the case of this peculiar Image title by writer Dan Watters and Caspar Wijngaard, it adds a new spin on the theological concept of Limbo, also known as Purgatory.

In the unique world of Dedande City, where the line between biology and analogue technology becomes blurred and minor deities lie coiled in the reels of cassettes, an amnesiac detective takes a case involving a singer, a powerful crime boss and a strange ritual about the static of a television.

You kids today may not remember the days of VHS, which used to be our use of home video during the eighties and beyond... until video practically got smaller with DVD. There have been recent sci-fi/fantasy works that relies on 80s nostalgia, such as the entire bibliography of Ernest Cline. However, Limbo leans more towards the surreal nature of David Cronenberg's Videodrome, in which dream and reality blur while man and machine become one.

Throughout these six issues, there is a lot to interpret as the story never gives clear answers as what initially begins as a neon-noir detective tale in a supernatural setting, but once our hero is sucked into a television screen and is plunged into a labyrinth of channel-flicking, it just gets weirder from there on, and so once you reach the end of this mini-series, you are left scratching your head, wondering if you've enjoyed it or not.

However, if there is one thing to enjoy, is the art of Caspar Wijngaard, whose colourful illustrations is constantly introducing new layers with every page as Dan Watters's narrative can go through scary, funny, surreal, Wijngaard at least makes it a consistent read. Issue #2 is a highlight with the aforementioned odyssey through the many television channels where our heroic detective steps into one different genre to another as displayed a brilliantly experimental double page of twenty-four panels.

Whatever you have to say about Limbo, it provides something very original, given its taste of 80s nostalgia, and even if Dan Watters' narrative can be hard to follow, there is enjoyment to be had with its weirdness, along with Caspar Wijngaard's psychedelic art.

[Cynthia Corral · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult one to review, for me. This book compiles issues #1-#6, none of which I had read before.

Issue #1 had me interested. There were mysteries galore, a scary alternate universe, a few really intriguing characters, and a teleshaman (you'll have to read it). We're into the action quite quickly as Clay tries to remember who he is and also bring down some powerful, magical drug lords, all as Dia de los Muertos is going on in the streets.

What follows is some weird combination of Jason Bourne, the Matrix, and Pan's Labyrinth, maybe with some From Dusk Till Dawn thrown in.

Issues #2-#5 were a lot of twists and turns with bad guys maybe being good guys, good guys being bad guys, both masquerading as each other, and no answer as to who Clay really is. I found it slightly difficult to follow along with all the questions and misdirections and false answers.

But Issue #6 brings it all together. Many of the mysteries are explained, along with some of Clay's identity. I thought it was incredibly well thought out and imagined, and loved the whole feel of it. However the mass confusion I experienced in the center of this compilation prevents me from giving it 5 stars. What was enjoyable was really really enjoyable, but more than half of it was more than a little confusing. At the same time, I enjoyed the end too much to give this 3.

If you enjoy graphic novels, and dark stories with lots of black magic and monsters, I would definitely give this a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey, I can take graphic graphic-novels, so to speak. But, if I am going to have violence, I need there to be some meaning behind them.

This is the story of a detective who has lost his memory, in a setting not unlike New Orleans, but with weird creatures and videos that make reality, and...honestly, I had no idea what was going on half the time, and after a while I didn't really care.

So, sure, have fun with this one. Interesting art work. Confusing as hell, and I still don't know what happened in the end, even though I read this, begrudgingly, twice.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this from Netgalley for a fair and honest review.
This was so weird and good. The art was fantastic and the mystery of what's going on. Perfect mix of 80s pop culture and voodoo mysticism. When it was revealed what was really happening I was shocked and loved it. Great read. Another good Image comic.

[Kaleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was crazy good! Considering the premise, a grizzly PI with a dark past, I was expecting the plot to be pretty by the numbers. I'm glad to say I was proven wrong. The plot itself is pretty engaging with some sharp twists, not to mention a jaw dropping ending. Add the gorgeous artwork into the mix and you've got yourself a dope comic.

[Iz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got a copy from Netgalley for review.

I honestly wanted to like this so much, the description sounded so awesome. But no matter how hard I try, I couldn't get into it–it was confusing, and all over the place. By the time I reached halfway, I felt really bored and I just wanted it to end.

I rated this 2 stars for the art and colors used.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Story started out pretty wild with the whole detective trapped in surreal dimensions thing, but then got more and more ambiguous to where I lost interest. Artwork was great, maybe that's what kept me turning pages to finish it.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art and the colors in this graphic novel are spectacular. Somewhat disjointed story about the beginning of the era of digitalization, audiotapes and VHS. A man with no memory of his history falls into a VHS tape, things are frequently lost in the static, a green woman with a shaved head who is a voodoun adept tries to retrieve him. Like the battle between the forces of the real and the forces of digitalization. Perhaps it would have been less disjointed if I had read it all at once but I read it over the course of a week, in between other reading, and I would forget the trail of the narrative.

[mkhare · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Gorgeous art and colours, and fun and innovative panelling. The idea for the story was intriguing, but ultimately didn't have a lot of impact on me. That being said, as soon as I had finished reading Limbo, I felt compelled to read it over again to let the nuanced nature of the story and art soak a little deeper into my mind. 'Be kind, rewind' definitely applies here, in more ways than one.

[Clint · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars
Really didn’t care for this tired melange of 80s genre tropes. None of them are necessarily bad on their own, but jamming in so much of this obvious stuff for no reason beyond “don’t you also think this was cool?” feels like Ready Player One with slightly edgier references. The cartoony drawing is mostly fun and the neon coloring makes it look better than it should. The tone is pretending at being a hard-boiled techno noir with voodoo flair, but then the dialogue is way too juvenile and inauthentically cutesy, and its New Orleans-type setting is an unconvincing jumble of tourist pop culture conceptions of the area. Bourbon Street at midnight doesn’t smell like “unwashed bodies and plastic bedsheets” as this laughably declares but instead famously like piss and smoke and stale beer and seafood.

If you’re looking for an actually well-written techno noir set authentically in and around New Orleans, I’d recommend the recent game Norco instead. Either way, I wouldn’t read this.

[Alex Sarll]

A private eye story filtered through analogue existentialism in the strange town of Dedande, a sort of eighties New Orleans turned up to 11. Clay has no memory of who he is or how he got there when he's hired to investigate a crime lord in a luchador mask. His landlady knows that the best thing to offer a loa is a really good mixtape. The preferred local fast food is lizard on a stick. I don't know any of the creators, and read this principally because I'll look at any recent Image debut that turns up on Netgalley (or in the library, for that matter), but they're good - what could have read like a series of random weirdnesses is tied together by a unified aesthetic and answers which feel worthwhile.

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this. There was a lot of mystery and discoveries to be made. The story definitely kept my attention at the beginning, but petered off a bit towards the end. The artwork is gorgeous. I adore the coloring. I really liked the concept of this story. It is very interesting. I didn't personally care for the ending. It didn't have the bang that I was anticipating. Still good, but I think that it could have ended better. The plot gets a little confusing towards the end. I liked the voodoo focus of the story. The story is really creepy, but in a good way. This is a good read, and definitely worth reading.

[Kirsty]

I was reading this as a NetGalley proof, and unfortunately it expired before I could finish it, which is a shame as I was really enjoying it! From what I read, it features incredibly beautiful artwork and a batshit-brilliant world. Yes, the story is slightly confusing, and based on this first trade paperback, not all the elements of the world are tied together yet. But honestly? I'd rather read something wild and imaginative and fascinating, and be a little confused, than know exactly what's going on but be bored.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dude with no memory become ps detective through the offices of a green woman who dances to contact the gods, and a shaman of television tries to kill the detective by inserting him into deadly tv shows. Lots more weird stuff happens. It’s very strange, but for me not very engaging.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting graphic novel...

[Devon Munn · Rating 3 out of 5]

What and odd and unique little book. Liked the way older technology was integrated in the story. The way colors was used was also really interesting. Though for me it got a little hard to understand, but this book was very original and interesting so yeah check this one out

[Spence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great art style, confusing story, uneven (bad) writing. Add it to the ever-growing list of graphic novels that have disappointed me.

[Virna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Diamond Book Distributors for giving me a digital copy via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review!

I honestly wasn't quite understand the story first time reading it. But as I get far into it, it get's interesting. I really love the dynamic between Mr. Clay and Sandy. Eventhough, I wasn't too keen with the drawings, the story really made up for once you get into it.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Limbo was surely something else, an odd mixture of the day of the dead, music and dystopian circle of life. I enjoyed the gamble between the husband and wife, how it rolled into this giant yarn ball of plot that went like predicted. Not predicted by the reader, but by the story, which sounds insane, but is very logical. Clay is the guy in the middle of everything having lost his memories and past that he now tries to recollect and fight bad guys that aren't the bad guys, since he is also a bad guy. It's hard to try to depict the plot, since it's multifaceted and complex. You need to read till the end to understand it and even then it leaves you feeling like something is off. I was slightly let down with the ending, since perhaps I wanted more because the story is so much more. The beginning is slow compared to the rest of the story, so there's a balance problem and suddenly we don't see Clay all that much anymore, which kind of feels weird.

The art is interesting and the colors are great with pink and blue hues. Limbo is very disco and dark alleys, which is great and fits with the story line. The panels are at times hard to follow, but otherwise the structure is OK. I like the 1980s and 1990s feeling in the comic, but the cover could be more interesting considering the wonky world of the comic. This one is electric and odd and the cover doesn't reveal that. I'm glad I tried this!

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book – Limbo
Author – Dan Watters
Star rating - ★★★★★


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **


There is some incredible artwork here. Not only realistic, but setting the right atmosphere and mood for each scene, while allowing us to see crystal clearly everything that matters in that moment. I really loved the way the phone call at the start was written, so that we could only read the words we were supposed to, like a broken connection would allow.

The whole channel hopping idea was inspired and that line about Yorick and Horatio was brilliant! I loved the way the story delved into Voodoo, without being disrespectful or over-exaggerated, as some stories have a tendency of doing. Even the cannibalism aspect was really well done.

I really loved Clay as a character and Sandy was awesome, very kick ass. The way they interacted with each other and maintained the steady flow of the story was great. From Voodoo to cannibalistic Fishmen, to crazy game-playing Voodoo Gods, there wasn't anything I didn't like.

The extras at the back were crazy fun and well worth scrolling for.

In a word: genius!

[Laci Carrera | Book Pairings · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a private eye tale is a strange town called Dedande. The story begins on Dia de Muertos (Day of The Dead) and takes place in a town that feels a lot like New Orleans on LSD. This “neon-noir” tale explores existentialism in a new way and with an interesting mix of Mexican and New Orleans culture. The art is dripping with bold colors and the geometric aesthetic of the 80s.

The story follows Clay, a private eye who is rescued from the gutter by a young woman and has no memory of his past. Clay takes on a new client, a beautiful woman named Bridgette, to protect her from a drug lord who runs Dedande and finds himself pulled into another realm within televisions where voodoo gods accept mixed tapes as sacrifice. All of the major characters needed for a noir are present in this tale.

Overall, I really enjoyed this comic, but I do have one complaint. It seems like this is going to be a single issue run, which is fine, but I felt that the story could’ve been a little more cohesive. Image comics can do no wrong in my book.

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 2 out of 5]

June 2016

1.5/5
Meh.

I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was… interesting.

A detective with no memory and a town with a secret.

Sounds good right?

The cover is awesome and honestly it’s the main reason why I requested the comic and I didn’t hate the artwork throughout the volume. But while the plot was really interesting, in theory, it was a let down in the long haul. This comic had great potential but just didn’t reach the bar for me. The comic starts out pretty strong but gets weaker through the issues.

One of the main things I didn’t like in this volume was the senseless violence. I understand why we need action scenes but it felt like every second page people killing people or being murdered themselves.

I think this certainly has the potential to be a strange but unique new series but this volume was just way too everywhere.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminds me of an old pulpy mystery with some retro-science fiction elements thrown in. I like all the old analogue technology.

I like the idea of taking old folktales with magic and Shaman and bringing them into the 20th century. Makes sense they'd use the technology that's available to them or it.

I enjoyed the snake mannequin monster, that was something I haven't seen before and it's a really cool idea.

But I never really felt a connection with any of the characters. I don't really know what it was, the book just never gelled for me.

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A copy of this book was generously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have to start by saying that the cover is really pretty. The art in this book is weird but in a good way, it is really good. The story on other hand let me down a bit. I liked half of the book. The other half was confusing, expecially the motivations of the characters. Also the plot gets weeker throughout the book in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I liked it but I wanted something more.

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first of this series, but I stopped after that because that inaugural issue didn't completely capture my attention. But now, having gone back to read the entire miniseries, I'm more impressed with the narrative as a whole. This is worth checking out, and we discussed this title on a recent episode of The Comics Alternative: http://comicsalternative.com/episode-....

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. There's something... off about this book. I can't put my finger on it, but it just kept rubbing me the wrong way. I realize that's not a helpful review for anyone else, but it's where I'm at, even after spending the two days since I finished it trying to figure out why it bugged me so much. Sometimes I can clearly articulate my objections. Sometimes I just have to say "Nope!" So... nope!

[Erica Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic is highly strange but I enjoyed it. The first 2 issues really had me scratching my head and wondering why I was even still reading it. It got better for me once the voodoo became more of a focus. The end was really good. It didn't really end in the way I wanted it to but it was very appropriate given the rest of the story. No happy endings for anyone.