Look

by Jon Nielsen

Artie is a droid programmed to endlessly perform a single task left in a world abandoned by humans. He is starting to wonder what meaning his task has. But when he and his only friend, Owen, a robotic bird, cast aside the only lives they've ever known in search of a brighter future, they encounter others that want nothing but to hold tight to the past. Join Artie the Robot and Owen the Vulture for a light-hearted, sci-fi adventure as they journey far and wide for the answer to one of life's greatest questions: "Why are we here?"

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comics, Robots, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

144 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2017

About the author

Jon Nielsen is a writer, illustrator, and cartoonist and has been drawing silly pictures and putting them on the internet for about a decade now. When he's not drawing comics or animating short cartoons for YouTube, he works at his local library, putting books away, and occasionally getting lost in the graphic novel section. He lives in Portland, OR with his small but formidable family.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story about perseverance and finding your purpose, and realizing that you don't have to know what you're looking for when you start your journey.
The simple black line drawings contained plenty of details to fill out the story.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is not enough, these days, to stick a robot into a story, even a cute robot like Artie, and think that will be enough to carry the story. Even adding a vulture, Owen, can't save this story.

The story is that Artie is supposed to be doing "something" but he doesn't know what, and so he goes out to seek the answer of life, the universe and everything. Along the way he meets other robots who are cutting down trees and destroying the forest, which is, of course, bad.

He goes to the city, and meets other robots. Oh, and he loses Owen, at some point, and finds him again.

Perhaps kids will love the robots. It was a little heavy handed for me, that friendship is most important thing in life.



Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light sci-fi tale of a robot who quits doing his job after they've been abandoned by humans and decides to tread his own path. Along with his buzzard friend Owen, Artie meets many animals and robots on their journey.

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

[Mehsi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Well. This sounded better than it actually was. Maybe I am just not awake enough for this one, or maybe my mind just isn't in the right setting for this, but I can tell you I was utterly bored for almost all of the 146 pages. There were a few parts that had me laughing, and 1 part that had me surprised (Owen). But that was all.

The first 3 pages were pretty nice, and I was looking forward to the rest. Now I wish I just had stopped at those 3 pages.

I also still have no clue what I read. So our robot is now searching for a purpose? Wandering around? Making friends on the way? Something like that I guess? Then we also have a bad guy or 2 popping up at random intervals.

I am guessing this world is without humans, given all we have seen I guess one day there were humans. I am curious as to what happened to them. Did the robots take over? Or did the humans just meet their end in a less than drastic way? Eh?

Artie and Owen were pretty good characters, and I quite liked their friendship. They really went through fire for each other. They were also what kept me reading. I wanted to see if they both survived this journey.

The art was pretty OK, it did fit the story perfectly.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up thinking it was going to be reminiscent of Pixar's Wall-e and instead found a robot who interacts with many characters. However, like Wall-e, this story is about questioning the status quo. Our fearless hero travels outside his world to meet other robots and ends up making a difference.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

DPL hoopla

[Bernadett · Rating 2 out of 5]

my thoughts: the artform is really basic and even though the cover was really inviting the content is just lacks attracting attention. I think it was targeted towards a young audience and the lack of colors kind of makes it dull. the story is really basic and there are lot of cliché morals which are good for kids to learn without anything too harsh to it. the animals talk (turn out to be robots themselves) and robots are having feelings . helplessness , hopeless desperation to find purpose, anger, and such emotions are displayed by robots which were programmed by other robots to perform single tasks such as lumbering and surveillance. Artie goes into the abandoned city and continues his search for someone it can talk to about why do they exist? but there's no humans left behind and the buildings are inhabited by robots. the ending is never my favorite if it turns out "and all was well" so I'm really conflicted about it. there's nothing new nothing exciting nothing exceptionally gripping about it. its the same old morals repolished and pushed into a little robots tale the cover and the description was really misleading in its content that wasn't really worth the marketing of a pretty outside.
I gave it 2/5 stars on goodreads.

[Lindsey Lawntea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look is a short black-and-white graphic novel about a robot named Arty, his bird robot friend Owen, and his urge to discover his purpose in "life." He spends his days wandering the desert, following the same routine, and not really knowing why. Arty decides to go past the desert to discover what else is out in the world. This was a sweet story that would be good for middle-grade children and has elements of The Lorax when talking about deforestation, as well as a message about finding meaning and joy in your life. However, the last section of the novel felt very sudden and abrupt, as there was no transition from where Arty was to where he ended up. I would have liked there to be a more clear transition that followed the pacing of the rest of the story.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Look' by Jon Nielsen is a graphic novel about a couple unusual travelers in a desert at some indeterminate point in the future.

Artie is a robot on a mission. He travels the desert with his vulture friend Owen. Occasionally, they check in with other animals living in the desert. Artie questions what he is doing. This leads him to get checked out, and his fellow robots try to have him wiped and reprogrammed. He and Owen escape and head for the mountains. Along the way, there are other surprises that I dare not share.

I liked this story of a bleak future, but one with friends. There is no indication what happened to most, if not all, of the people, and what Artie is looking for. The art is in black and white, and I liked it's simplicity.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from NBM Publishing, Papercutz, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Ramón Fernández Ayarzagoitia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very well-meaning comic and it might even be a great read for beginning kids, but I felt I've read this a thousand times already.
It's Wall-E + The Wizard of Oz. It's witty and simple but really not relevant enough. It also could have been told in way fewer pages.
But there are some good things about it. I love the theme: you are not what you do. If you are only that, well you might just be a senseless robot in a senseless existence. You can CHOOSE your existence and you can also trip and fall on something more fulfilling. But I could’ve also gotten the message in a short comic. The author can clearly write and I hope he keeps doing it, but this just doesn’t feel like a polished product.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute but strange tale about a world seemingly populated only by robotic creatures of various sizes and types. Arties attempts to discover the true reason behind his endless task of traversing the desert. There seems to be a vast conspiracy hinted at for the cause of it. However, no clear answer or reason ever seems to be arrived at.

Despite this obvious flaw in the narrative, it was a cute book, fairly entertaining, with clean and concise graphics. The best part of the entire work is the exploration of the friendship between Artie and Owen and how it came to be. The end sees nothing much resolved, but the two friends once again happy in each other's company.

I received an eGalley copy of this title from NetGalley and have willingly provided an honest review.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is the robot Artie (RT) always going around the desert? He finally decides to do something he has never done before, and ask what he is supposed to be looking for. What is his purpose? His forgetful best friend Owen (O.W.N.), the robot bird, joins him on his quest in this dystopian robot world where humans have disappeared. The search for purpose theme will also appeal to teens, even though this is catalogued in our system for adults, and the adventure of the quest will even appeal to children.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea who the audience for this book is supposed to be. It's a bit too simplistic for adults, but the themes are perhaps too philosophical for younger readers. The book tells the tale about a pair of robots looking for meaning in their life. Things happen. Nothing really resolved. While cute, the art would have benefited greatly from the depth of colour. All in all, pretty meh.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would do much better with a Juvenile target audience. Not kids or adults.

I loved this little book. It's a cute story about a little robot with a glitch, and his pet. Reading it felt like finding a book I had loved as a kid. It was familiar, and made me smile, and was a gentle reminder of an idea I often forget.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artie, a droid in an endless search for something in the vast desert, he can't remember what. With his best friend Owen, a vulture, Artie tries to find the purpose to his existence. The two have an adventure as they look towards the future. Other robots try to wipe Artie's memory and keep him stuck in the past but Artie wants to remember and look ahead.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're expecting Wall-e, you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting a cute story about a little robot who steps out of his box and expands his world, I guess that's Wall-e too, but it's also this, which is not Wall-e.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Artie, the cute robot from the cover, Wall-Es his way through life when he starts wondering why he does what he does. What follows is a strange mix of boring and just not so good, that left me wondering 'why did I read this?'.

Let's start with the good things. The art was not special but it was nice. Artie's really cute, and has a nice interaction with his friend Owen, the Vulture. That's about it.

The story was filled with a lot of interchangeable/forgettable characters and scenes with clunky expositions. I was not a fan. Which is a shame, because I had good expectations for this one!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Ben Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, very bland. Plot was boring and full of unanswered questions. Drawing was fine but uninspiring.

[David Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple little tale of a robot in search of meaning. Okay, I guess

[Unreliable NarraTBR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel was cute. I enjoyed it and it's simplicity. Solid 3/5, I could see myself buying a copy and picking it up again sometime.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

:’)

[Logan Spader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it with my young kid and we both thought it was meh.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute quick read. Has a minimal, indie feel to it. The story reminds me of Wall-E (robot goes on an adventure). I’m happy I picked it up.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great messages. Hit close to home with ideas about work, identity, and purpose.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/b_sOopobvq4

Enjoy!

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black and white drawings. Didn't quite proceed the way I expected but a good story about helping others.

[Ann Emelie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Message is overdone. But I thought the art style was so cute and funny, it made me laugh a few times.

[Jacob Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this graphic novel, Artie is a robot on a journey, accompanied by his friend, Owen, the bird. Together they get into all sorts of mishaps including, hunting for dragons, robots designed to wipe memories, and lumberjack robots gone wild! But through thick and thin, they remain together.

The book itself is entertaining but asks bigger questions than it answers. The goal for the "theme" of the book is the age old questions, "Why are we here?" Unfortunately, this graphic novel suffers from delusions of grandeur because the plot itself never really goes anywhere. The illustrations are on point and the characters themselves are likable but in the end, I was left wanting something deeper.

For a graphic novel to really have a lasting impact, the reader has to put the book down and ponder what he/she just read. This could be true for any book really, but graphic novels are given the luxury of having illustrations to help convey their point. On the flip side, they suffer from essentially only having dialogue. I believe this is where Look could have been made a bit better. Had Nielsen taken a page or two and written some backstory and made the whole book a bit deeper, I feel like I would have been a bit more satisfied at the end.

Don't get me wrong, the book itself is a pretty quick and fun read but I just wish it were a bit more.

[Alexia Polasky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Papercutz for the ARC!

This was not what I expected. I thought this would be similar to Wall-E or somenthing like that, but the story was not well constructed and it was dragging at times. The beginning was great and I wanted more like that, but the rest kept going downhill. It was a good idea and the message is nice but it just wasn't enough for me.