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The Great Divide
Great Divide
In the near future, humanity awakens to the horrifying reality that the faintest touch from another's skin results in agonizing death. The survivors isolate themselves, many driven mad by fragments of memories absorbed from those they've killed. Two years after the "Divide," a pair of thieves stumble upon the means to save their species... but not everyone is eager to see the old world order restored!
178 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2017
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51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 23, 2017
The Great Divide is a post-apocalyptic story. I know what you are thinking! We already have so many of them. End of the world is the most popular Sci-fi sub-genre and a personal favorite. I love the innovative methods the writers invent to destroy the world! We have seen the world ending in hands of machines, zombies, nuclear holocaust, virus, over-sized monsters, dragons, apes, asteroids, aliens! We got them all.
But this.... this is one of the weirdest End of World stories I've read till now! And thankfully, It's good weird.
In this story, the world as we know has come to an end. And it's because we are killing each other... by touching.
Seriously.
The moment a person's bare skin touches another person's skin, one of them will die instantly. Weird, right? Ha, then you are going to love the next bit. The survivor of the "touch" absorbs the memory and a bit of soul of the dead person, making the dead person a rider inside the survivor's body. Some go mad because of the voices inside the head, some tries to stay "clean" and others learn to live with their riders.
Anyways, we find ourselves hanging out with Paul, a survivor of the great divide. He runs into Maria in his Journey and they unwillingly decide to band together because.... well, Paul accidentally absorbed Maria's brother and he is a rider in Paul's head now.
It really did. I am not kidding!
One of the best parts about this book is its tone. Believe it or not, it's humor! I was smiling at many panels. The story took some time to make sense for me, but the quirky writing and Paul's excellent narration made it fun to read even though the story didn't make sense in the initial pages.
Chapter two introduced a unique Villain. I found Chapter three involving death arena match the weakest part of the story. But that chapter introduces another great supporting character: Eli, an Air Force man.
As I read through chapter four to the final chapter six, the story developed further and started making more sense. I loved Ben Fisher's writing and the story's humor. The dialogues were excellent. In the art section, Adam Mankiewicz's had done a good enough job. I especially enjoyed the character designs created by him. The plot is good too. I seriously don't have any other story to compare this to!
So if you are looking for a weird apocalyptic tale filled with likable characters and mature art, The Great Divide is for you.
Note: I would like to thank the publisher for making this title available on NetGalley. And whatever you do, don't cancel this series!
But this.... this is one of the weirdest End of World stories I've read till now! And thankfully, It's good weird.
In this story, the world as we know has come to an end. And it's because we are killing each other... by touching.
Seriously.
The moment a person's bare skin touches another person's skin, one of them will die instantly. Weird, right? Ha, then you are going to love the next bit. The survivor of the "touch" absorbs the memory and a bit of soul of the dead person, making the dead person a rider inside the survivor's body. Some go mad because of the voices inside the head, some tries to stay "clean" and others learn to live with their riders.
Anyways, we find ourselves hanging out with Paul, a survivor of the great divide. He runs into Maria in his Journey and they unwillingly decide to band together because.... well, Paul accidentally absorbed Maria's brother and he is a rider in Paul's head now.
And just when we thought the worst was really over, things got really weird.
It really did. I am not kidding!
One of the best parts about this book is its tone. Believe it or not, it's humor! I was smiling at many panels. The story took some time to make sense for me, but the quirky writing and Paul's excellent narration made it fun to read even though the story didn't make sense in the initial pages.
Chapter two introduced a unique Villain. I found Chapter three involving death arena match the weakest part of the story. But that chapter introduces another great supporting character: Eli, an Air Force man.
As I read through chapter four to the final chapter six, the story developed further and started making more sense. I loved Ben Fisher's writing and the story's humor. The dialogues were excellent. In the art section, Adam Mankiewicz's had done a good enough job. I especially enjoyed the character designs created by him. The plot is good too. I seriously don't have any other story to compare this to!
So if you are looking for a weird apocalyptic tale filled with likable characters and mature art, The Great Divide is for you.
Note: I would like to thank the publisher for making this title available on NetGalley. And whatever you do, don't cancel this series!
July 23, 2018
A quirky, unique take on apocalyptian end of the world type books. We've seen it all before, zombies, crazies, death of all men, virus, bombs, kaiju but this was a first for me. All of a sudden touching another human causes one of you to instantly explode. Not only that but their personality rides along with you. Suddenly most of the people left on Earth are schizophrenic and dyslexic (another side-effect). Oh, and every month or so everyone starts go Walkabout (sleepwalk) for days at a time. Society is obviously breaking down because the best possible way to protect yourself is to live alone on some nice flat land. As the book progresses, we begin to learn why this is happening. Looking forward to book 2!
The Good: Fisher has a wry, twisted writ. He delves into what happens to people when they can no longer have sex or contact of any kind. I found the Baredevils pretty hilarious along with the farm scene allusions.
The Bad: Early on in the book Paul acquires a Spanish speaking rider and all his dialogue is in Spanish. Paul understands the Spanish but most readers won't so it's a continual annoyance.
The Ugly: The book is definitely for adults and those who aren't easily offended. Fisher does take on adults sexual nature in the book.
Received an advanced copy from Dynamite and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Good: Fisher has a wry, twisted writ. He delves into what happens to people when they can no longer have sex or contact of any kind. I found the Baredevils pretty hilarious along with the farm scene allusions.
The Bad: Early on in the book Paul acquires a Spanish speaking rider and all his dialogue is in Spanish. Paul understands the Spanish but most readers won't so it's a continual annoyance.
The Ugly: The book is definitely for adults and those who aren't easily offended. Fisher does take on adults sexual nature in the book.
Received an advanced copy from Dynamite and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 7, 2019
Post apocalypse with a refreshingly non-zombie twist.
March 29, 2018
Bullet Review:
I feel like I've read this before...and yet this has some interesting twists to the standard "the world has gone to shit" formula. For instance: people can't touch or they will die. This leads to some EXTREMELY horny people in this world who don't mind stooping to using sheep in the biblical sense.
Maybe not original - but I liked it well enough. I wouldn't mind reading any further volumes, as long as they attempted to answer questions.
I feel like I've read this before...and yet this has some interesting twists to the standard "the world has gone to shit" formula. For instance: people can't touch or they will die. This leads to some EXTREMELY horny people in this world who don't mind stooping to using sheep in the biblical sense.
Maybe not original - but I liked it well enough. I wouldn't mind reading any further volumes, as long as they attempted to answer questions.
June 25, 2018
This was quite interesting. The story was an original take on the "virus breaks out and ends the world" formula. The art was also quite interesting, overall a pretty solid post apocalyptic comic (which its good to see Dynamite publish comics that aren't based on already established properties
July 26, 2017
Full review to come!
June 16, 2017
Fisher (Grumpy Cat) imagines a dystopian world where touching another human leads to not only their sudden bloody end but also the absorption of their personality. This postapocalyptic reality, brought to life in engaging background details by artists Markiewicz (Trench Coat Samurai) and Guzowski (Nailbiter), is filled with scavengers trading adult magazines for ammunition, nearly nude daredevil gangs, and other assorted denizens. This initial arc in the first volume of a new series follows Paul, a thief, who runs afoul of Rosa, a better thief. The two are forced together after a failed heist and while on the run are joined by a scientist hiding from the government and a former soldier seeking redemption. Stalked by a sadistic personality collector, the unlikely crew are driven toward a cult whose compound may hold the answer to the Divide.
Verdict: While Fisher keeps the pressure building, this volume is less coherent than other popular end-of-the world comic series. However, the diversity of the characters and the intermingling of absorbed personalities are well done. Fans of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man may see this as a read-alike.
[Graphic Novels from Fisher & Co., King & Others, and the EC Archives | Xpress Reviews By LJ Reviews on June 15, 2017 ]
Verdict: While Fisher keeps the pressure building, this volume is less coherent than other popular end-of-the world comic series. However, the diversity of the characters and the intermingling of absorbed personalities are well done. Fans of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man may see this as a read-alike.
[Graphic Novels from Fisher & Co., King & Others, and the EC Archives | Xpress Reviews By LJ Reviews on June 15, 2017 ]
June 14, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This was honestly much better than I was expecting it to be. Usually I avoid post-apocalyptic stuff like the plague but every so often I will try something like this out. The reason I enjoyed this series is because it's a new concept. At least 90% of post-apocalyptic stuff is zombies and I am absolutely sick to death of zombies, but this one had something different. It's set in a world where if people make skin to skin contact one of them will die and the surviving person gets the dead person's consciousness inside their own head. I thought this was used in a lot of really interesting ways - people can talk to the other people they've absorbed and even draw on skills and knowledge they had in life, some people can handle having absorbed multiple people and some people kind of lose themselves, and also everyone who has absorbed someone else becomes dyslexic so there is a whole new system of symbols to convey ideas since a lot of people can't read. Also there's a lot of commentary on how people deal with not being able to touch each other and specifically how they cope with not being able to have sex.
I thought all of this was fascinating but it kind of just sputters out at the end, and I'm assuming this IS the entire series because there's no volume 1 on it and there's even an epilogue. But even though they found out what caused the apocalypse there was no real resolution to it. They didn't try to find out how to fix it or anything like that. Still it was a cool concept with a great cast of characters [features and awesome lady scientist and two queer POC in the main group!]. I'd love it if there was a sequel.
This was honestly much better than I was expecting it to be. Usually I avoid post-apocalyptic stuff like the plague but every so often I will try something like this out. The reason I enjoyed this series is because it's a new concept. At least 90% of post-apocalyptic stuff is zombies and I am absolutely sick to death of zombies, but this one had something different. It's set in a world where if people make skin to skin contact one of them will die and the surviving person gets the dead person's consciousness inside their own head. I thought this was used in a lot of really interesting ways - people can talk to the other people they've absorbed and even draw on skills and knowledge they had in life, some people can handle having absorbed multiple people and some people kind of lose themselves, and also everyone who has absorbed someone else becomes dyslexic so there is a whole new system of symbols to convey ideas since a lot of people can't read. Also there's a lot of commentary on how people deal with not being able to touch each other and specifically how they cope with not being able to have sex.
I thought all of this was fascinating but it kind of just sputters out at the end, and I'm assuming this IS the entire series because there's no volume 1 on it and there's even an epilogue. But even though they found out what caused the apocalypse there was no real resolution to it. They didn't try to find out how to fix it or anything like that. Still it was a cool concept with a great cast of characters [features and awesome lady scientist and two queer POC in the main group!]. I'd love it if there was a sequel.
July 4, 2017
Death is touching another human being. Skin to Skin contact to be precise. Any touch. A kiss, a hug, a casual touch to the back of the neck.. All of these will kill.
In Ben Fisher's The Great Divide, 'Seperation is Survival', and the Human desire for Community actively works to kill. Paul and Maria are an odd couple, stuck trying to determine if community is worth it, or if the company of a Rider means more that that of the living.
After the barest of touches.. When hemmoraging from the eyes and ears, a life ends painfully but quick in torrents of blood. Within minutes, when death is complete, it is unclear what other trauma occurs during death. The bloody deceased, however, are not gone.
They become a Riders.
Riders are personality, memories, skills, all rolled up and forcefully stuffed into the brain of the person who survived the touch. A Rider can see through the windows, can hear the sounds, but is locked in forever.
You become dyslexic when you have a Rider. On top of the guilt of manslaughter (or outright murder), beyond the insanity of having others in your head, you also lose the ability to read.
The Great Divide, an expanse of human solitude. The Soulbox is the key to crossing the Divide.
Collaboratively, the writing of Ben Fisher and art of Adam Markiewicz are a fine marriage. The pace of the graphic novel and the textures present in the work drive the media home. The amount of world building needed to carry the story was minimal in the end work. I can see where I would have been a bit nutzo had I been reading monthlies though, as the story lends itself well to the overall Graphic format, but would feel patchy if presented in parts.
Some questions popped into my brain as I read this which were loosely answered, but ultimately not well. For example, two people touch, and one dies.. so who touched who? Does it matter? It is much different than the apocalypse happening at midnight, but in what time zone?.. The final answer was simple character hypothesis that it was not a roll of the dice or a matter of timing. Instead, will power alone was described as the probable key to living.
Meh, I suppose that works. Later the story builds a bit to support it, but it felt more than a bit contrived.
The end of the Graphic Novel seems to lead toward a possible continuation and a recent interview with TFAW shows promise for another Arc. Unfortunately, this means more unanswered questions are left on the table than preferred for the time being.
Overall, this work was solid and my wimpy nitpicking is exactly that.
----
If you have a few minutes to spare, here is the interview with the creators via the Things From Another World blog.
https://blog.tfaw.com/2016/08/01/inte...
--
Disclosure: This Graphic Novel was provided for me for review purposes by the publisher. It was kind if them to allow me access and in return I have cancelled the deliveries of PooPourri samples to their individual grand parent's homes. Instead, they will begin to open mailboxes stuffed with requests for me to be added to the inheritance.. I am, after all, a cuddly fat bear of a man.
In Ben Fisher's The Great Divide, 'Seperation is Survival', and the Human desire for Community actively works to kill. Paul and Maria are an odd couple, stuck trying to determine if community is worth it, or if the company of a Rider means more that that of the living.
After the barest of touches.. When hemmoraging from the eyes and ears, a life ends painfully but quick in torrents of blood. Within minutes, when death is complete, it is unclear what other trauma occurs during death. The bloody deceased, however, are not gone.
They become a Riders.
Riders are personality, memories, skills, all rolled up and forcefully stuffed into the brain of the person who survived the touch. A Rider can see through the windows, can hear the sounds, but is locked in forever.
You become dyslexic when you have a Rider. On top of the guilt of manslaughter (or outright murder), beyond the insanity of having others in your head, you also lose the ability to read.
The Great Divide, an expanse of human solitude. The Soulbox is the key to crossing the Divide.
Collaboratively, the writing of Ben Fisher and art of Adam Markiewicz are a fine marriage. The pace of the graphic novel and the textures present in the work drive the media home. The amount of world building needed to carry the story was minimal in the end work. I can see where I would have been a bit nutzo had I been reading monthlies though, as the story lends itself well to the overall Graphic format, but would feel patchy if presented in parts.
Some questions popped into my brain as I read this which were loosely answered, but ultimately not well. For example, two people touch, and one dies.. so who touched who? Does it matter? It is much different than the apocalypse happening at midnight, but in what time zone?.. The final answer was simple character hypothesis that it was not a roll of the dice or a matter of timing. Instead, will power alone was described as the probable key to living.
Meh, I suppose that works. Later the story builds a bit to support it, but it felt more than a bit contrived.
The end of the Graphic Novel seems to lead toward a possible continuation and a recent interview with TFAW shows promise for another Arc. Unfortunately, this means more unanswered questions are left on the table than preferred for the time being.
Overall, this work was solid and my wimpy nitpicking is exactly that.
----
If you have a few minutes to spare, here is the interview with the creators via the Things From Another World blog.
https://blog.tfaw.com/2016/08/01/inte...
--
Disclosure: This Graphic Novel was provided for me for review purposes by the publisher. It was kind if them to allow me access and in return I have cancelled the deliveries of PooPourri samples to their individual grand parent's homes. Instead, they will begin to open mailboxes stuffed with requests for me to be added to the inheritance.. I am, after all, a cuddly fat bear of a man.
June 12, 2017
This is a bind-up of issues 1-6 of The Great Divide, set in a post-apocalyptic world where the slightest touch can remove someone's soul from their body and give it a new home in the mind of the person who touched them...following a gruesome and agonisingly-painful death. We follow the expanding cast of characters on their journey, as they attempt to find a cure for the world's affliction - something that not everyone wants to see happen.
It's an interesting concept, being responsible for someone's death and carrying them with you in a way that they can voice their opinions and share their memories, no matter whether or not you speak the same language! The philosophical undertones are quickly overshadowed by the viseral nature of the art the depiction of the level of violence that occurs within the narrative. I find this a shame, as this ethical and moral debate would, I believe, be a stronger topic to explore; rather than the well-trodden ground of increasing mental health issues that result from housing so many souls in one brain.
The colour palette is strong, bold and suprisingly varied and the art style is dramatic and inkeeping with the tone; despite it losing some detail in zoomed out scenes. Frequent close-up panels really do a great job of conveying characters' emotions to the reader and only sparce amounts of text is used, meaning that the resulting work is extremely readable and that it is a pleasant experience to do so. I must warn prospective readers, though: if you find graphic scenes of violence and copious amounts of nudity offputting, this may not be for you. However, if you like character-driven stories that challenge some tropes within the genre and are unconcerned by the former, give this a shot. It's unlikely you'll be disappointed.
Thank you to Black Diamond Distributors for providing me with a copy of this via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
It's an interesting concept, being responsible for someone's death and carrying them with you in a way that they can voice their opinions and share their memories, no matter whether or not you speak the same language! The philosophical undertones are quickly overshadowed by the viseral nature of the art the depiction of the level of violence that occurs within the narrative. I find this a shame, as this ethical and moral debate would, I believe, be a stronger topic to explore; rather than the well-trodden ground of increasing mental health issues that result from housing so many souls in one brain.
The colour palette is strong, bold and suprisingly varied and the art style is dramatic and inkeeping with the tone; despite it losing some detail in zoomed out scenes. Frequent close-up panels really do a great job of conveying characters' emotions to the reader and only sparce amounts of text is used, meaning that the resulting work is extremely readable and that it is a pleasant experience to do so. I must warn prospective readers, though: if you find graphic scenes of violence and copious amounts of nudity offputting, this may not be for you. However, if you like character-driven stories that challenge some tropes within the genre and are unconcerned by the former, give this a shot. It's unlikely you'll be disappointed.
Thank you to Black Diamond Distributors for providing me with a copy of this via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2017
Beautiful Illustrations with an Unusual Plot
The world has gone crazy in this well plotted beautifully illustrated graphic novel. Suddenly after the Great Divide, one human touching another kills one of them. The killed live on in the brain of the killer as "riders". Once a rider is in residence, the killer can no longer read (so you should probably pick this book up soon). Reminiscent of The Walking Dead (but thankfully without the zombies), the hero goes on a trip across the US and meets a thief, a serial killer, a MMA fighter, a military man and a scientist and others all before the first half is over.
There are some nerdy pop culture moments referencing Star Wars, Lost and other movies. The best description ever of sexual orientation:
I'm a little less into Octopussy and a little more into Shaft.
Overall, I adored this graphic novel! It is completely different than the usual post-apocalyptic plot. So if you are as bored with zombies as I am but you like to imagine how mankind would react after a worldwide disaster, you should read this book.
Just a head's up that some of the dialogue is in untranslated Spanish. While the Spanish dialogue does add to the reader's perception of the character's mood, it is not necessary to understand the main plot of the book.
There is also some light profanity in Spanish. Since humanity can no longer have sex, some graphic graffiti is portrayed in some sections of the book. This novel is definitely just for 17+.
Thanks to the authors, publisher and netgalley for giving me an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
The world has gone crazy in this well plotted beautifully illustrated graphic novel. Suddenly after the Great Divide, one human touching another kills one of them. The killed live on in the brain of the killer as "riders". Once a rider is in residence, the killer can no longer read (so you should probably pick this book up soon). Reminiscent of The Walking Dead (but thankfully without the zombies), the hero goes on a trip across the US and meets a thief, a serial killer, a MMA fighter, a military man and a scientist and others all before the first half is over.
There are some nerdy pop culture moments referencing Star Wars, Lost and other movies. The best description ever of sexual orientation:
I'm a little less into Octopussy and a little more into Shaft.
Overall, I adored this graphic novel! It is completely different than the usual post-apocalyptic plot. So if you are as bored with zombies as I am but you like to imagine how mankind would react after a worldwide disaster, you should read this book.
Just a head's up that some of the dialogue is in untranslated Spanish. While the Spanish dialogue does add to the reader's perception of the character's mood, it is not necessary to understand the main plot of the book.
There is also some light profanity in Spanish. Since humanity can no longer have sex, some graphic graffiti is portrayed in some sections of the book. This novel is definitely just for 17+.
Thanks to the authors, publisher and netgalley for giving me an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2017
The Great Divide is an apocalyptic scenario in which civilization crumbles when people start dropping dead from human contact. This new affliction affects in such a way that one of the persons involved dies and their consciousness gets absorbed into the other as a 'rider'. People are, naturally, scattered from each other, and avoid touching another human being, which creates a market for a contact-less porn industry, where our two protagonists first meet in a robbery. Paul accidentally absorbs Maria's brother and they band together because she has to get to Seattle and he, well, is sharing mind-space with her brother and has become dyslexic as a result, and feels protective towards her.
While on their end-of-world road trip, they encounter a fighting ring, a weird cult, a researcher and some answers. The Great Divide, as the affliction is known, brings out strange monsters in people, like the author who likes to collect riders, and a new world order where the strong-willed survive. It is an adventure from start to finish, but it leaves on an open ending (I'm assuming, from the two epilogues, that this is a standalone). The story really gets into gear somewhere in the last third, when things start to finally make some sense - the earlier parts then start feeling extraneous. It still, however, lends some development to the characters, who are a diverse set.
The artwork is well, generic and nothing too impressive. Storyboard was interesting, but as I said, events came too late to retain an interest in the plot early on. I had sort of put it down after the first chapter and then came back to it days later. Overall, an interesting piece of dystopia but I feel it should have been resolved better.
Content warning for violence, and nudity.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Dynamite Entertainment, via Edelweiss.
While on their end-of-world road trip, they encounter a fighting ring, a weird cult, a researcher and some answers. The Great Divide, as the affliction is known, brings out strange monsters in people, like the author who likes to collect riders, and a new world order where the strong-willed survive. It is an adventure from start to finish, but it leaves on an open ending (I'm assuming, from the two epilogues, that this is a standalone). The story really gets into gear somewhere in the last third, when things start to finally make some sense - the earlier parts then start feeling extraneous. It still, however, lends some development to the characters, who are a diverse set.
The artwork is well, generic and nothing too impressive. Storyboard was interesting, but as I said, events came too late to retain an interest in the plot early on. I had sort of put it down after the first chapter and then came back to it days later. Overall, an interesting piece of dystopia but I feel it should have been resolved better.
Content warning for violence, and nudity.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Dynamite Entertainment, via Edelweiss.
May 27, 2019
'The Great Divide' by Ben Fisher with art by Adam Markiewicz is a story of a weird apocalyptic disease that is affecting humans.
In the not too distant future, a weird thing happens. When people make skin contact with another person, one of them dies violently and the other lives with their memories inside. Kill too many people off and this makes a person a bit crazy.
A couple years after this happens, people are very distant and clothe themselves in gloves and masks. Porn has become a hot commodity since no one can touch. A young thief finds himself gathering a group of people, one of whom may be able to solve what happened.
This was a quirky enough idea that I ended up liking it. I wasn't sure at first, but it won me over. The art isn't bad. The characters are interesting. It pays to observe the things happening in the book with dialogue boxes and weird transcripts at the end of each issue. I liked this one.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
In the not too distant future, a weird thing happens. When people make skin contact with another person, one of them dies violently and the other lives with their memories inside. Kill too many people off and this makes a person a bit crazy.
A couple years after this happens, people are very distant and clothe themselves in gloves and masks. Porn has become a hot commodity since no one can touch. A young thief finds himself gathering a group of people, one of whom may be able to solve what happened.
This was a quirky enough idea that I ended up liking it. I wasn't sure at first, but it won me over. The art isn't bad. The characters are interesting. It pays to observe the things happening in the book with dialogue boxes and weird transcripts at the end of each issue. I liked this one.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
June 20, 2017
An apocalypse leaves the human race unable to touch each other and hearing the voices of those they killed, however accidentally. One survivor goes into a bar—it’s both a joke and it isn’t—and gets taken for a literal and figurative ride. From there it’s one survival test after another.
When I was halfway through I noted that I hadn’t found any point to this yet, as though the journey is the actual plot. I think the dog is the hero of this story, because the otherwise main character is best described here: “It’s hard to go more than a few hours without punching him in the face.”
The best line is “A big box of post-apocalypse puppies.” There’s a Star Wars reference that took me a moment to get. And I love that the biggest piece of currency is a Vampirella comic.
There’s also a dozen pages of exclusive digital content, starting with weblinks to music, coloring pages, an excerpt from a book written by one of the bad guys, and a collection of short stories. Then there’s variant covers and ads, especially for Army of Darkness, which was worth a good chuckle.
When I was halfway through I noted that I hadn’t found any point to this yet, as though the journey is the actual plot. I think the dog is the hero of this story, because the otherwise main character is best described here: “It’s hard to go more than a few hours without punching him in the face.”
The best line is “A big box of post-apocalypse puppies.” There’s a Star Wars reference that took me a moment to get. And I love that the biggest piece of currency is a Vampirella comic.
There’s also a dozen pages of exclusive digital content, starting with weblinks to music, coloring pages, an excerpt from a book written by one of the bad guys, and a collection of short stories. Then there’s variant covers and ads, especially for Army of Darkness, which was worth a good chuckle.
July 15, 2017
Four stars on goodreads might be me being generous, but it's as near as dammit. Someone has damned the whole human race, whereby someone touching someone else leads to death and infection with the deceased's soul, so generally we're looking at loners here, even if they do so readily band together. The look is very similar to any other token end-of-the-world graphic, but the feel throughout is competent enough. Yes,you do have to bear with a hero with more bad wisecracks than Ash, and yes a lot of it has been seen before, from the hokey church cult thing to the token extra-powered aging MiB. And yes, it could have been presented in a better way (especially with the horrifically poor resolution on netgalley, so I could hardly read the souls' contributions at all, let alone some of the Spanglish in the larger speech bubbles), but there is enough novelty and conviction to be found in the narrative to make this one to consider.
August 8, 2017
I didn't come into this with any pre-conceived ideas; I only knew the story was apocalyptic. I ended up enjoying this very much! It's actually post-apocalyptic and we're set down in the world that has been suffering the effects for an undetermined amount of time. The tragedy that killed such large numbers of world populations was an unknown substance (virus, chemical, alien, etc) which made the human touch deadly. Skin to skin contact caused the one who was being touched to basically explode with eyeballs flying. The ragtag group that comes together are wanderers who are coping without touch but following some greater cause such as what caused this eotwawki in the first place. There are several characters to keep track of and the writing is well done to give us plenty of background and a look into their psyches. The art is good in that I found it widely pleasing. This doesn't say it's a volume 1 but the ending leaves us with the notion that a sequel is obvious.
November 16, 2017
The Great Divide quickly gripped me! It was a thrilling read from the very beginning as you are thrust into this post-apocalyptic world where no one can touch each other. I thought it was incredibly brilliant and eagerly devoured page after page. Maria was strong and mysterious. Paul was a goof who provided some excellent humor that made that dark world seem rather bright under the circumstances.
The art was excellent. Character designs were wonderful and it makes it an even more enjoyable read.
The only complaint I have is the ending. I want more!
The art was excellent. Character designs were wonderful and it makes it an even more enjoyable read.
The only complaint I have is the ending. I want more!
January 8, 2021
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
in ben fisher's post-apocalyptic graphic novel, humans are able to kill only with their touch, however, they get sort of "possessed" by the soul of the person they just killed. i enjoyed little parts of it thanks to the author's humor, but overall this book didn't really work for me since i'm not very fond of the sci-fi genre. i'm sure it's something other fans of this type of stories would appreciate.
in ben fisher's post-apocalyptic graphic novel, humans are able to kill only with their touch, however, they get sort of "possessed" by the soul of the person they just killed. i enjoyed little parts of it thanks to the author's humor, but overall this book didn't really work for me since i'm not very fond of the sci-fi genre. i'm sure it's something other fans of this type of stories would appreciate.
July 5, 2017
A dark and gritty near future dystopia where a mysterious plague has fallen on mankind, where the slightest contact of bare flesh will cause immediate death for one of those being touched, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to who lives or dies. On top of that, the survivor also then carries around in their head the persona of the person they killed. This can sometimes cause madness in the survivor, but some can coexist with their new passenger. Of course, with no physical skin-to-skin contact possible, sex is off-limits but brothels survive, with watching, no touching, rules in place. Isolation becomes the means of survival, but with that isolation also comes the end of the human race. That is, until two unlikely allies possibly discover the cause of the plague, and possibly a means to undo it.
The Great Divide is definitely not for the lighthearted. This is a very grim look at humanity and what happens when all means of physical contact is stripped away. It is a violent, sexualized dystopia that Ben Fisher and Adam Markiewicz give us, but it is still a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
I received an eARC of this title thru NetGalley for a fair and honest review.
The Great Divide is definitely not for the lighthearted. This is a very grim look at humanity and what happens when all means of physical contact is stripped away. It is a violent, sexualized dystopia that Ben Fisher and Adam Markiewicz give us, but it is still a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
I received an eARC of this title thru NetGalley for a fair and honest review.
June 24, 2017
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was pretty good! This collects the six issues of 'The Great Divide' a post-apocalyptic comic series. It's really innovative and presents a ton of unusual ideas. I wish there were going to be more issues! If the plot sounds like something you would enjoy, I'd definitely recommend this.
This was pretty good! This collects the six issues of 'The Great Divide' a post-apocalyptic comic series. It's really innovative and presents a ton of unusual ideas. I wish there were going to be more issues! If the plot sounds like something you would enjoy, I'd definitely recommend this.
July 2, 2017
Interesting idea but crap execution. For people who can't touch each other, walking around naked and sitting side by side in an arena seem like really bad ideas. Why is everyone so desperate? When our heroes need clothes (see above) they just walk into an abandoned mall. Just doesn't make sense.
I received an ARC pdf copy from NetGalley.
I received an ARC pdf copy from NetGalley.
July 4, 2017
This one surprised me. It was dark, brutal, set in a post-apocalyptic world unlike many I've seen. I thought I might not enjoy it, but the story sucked me in. The characters were strong, interesting, and the de-evolution of humanity in the circumstances was appropriate.
Copy received free via netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Copy received free via netgalley. All opinions are my own.
July 6, 2017
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. A plague has infected planet earth. But this one is different..... no zombies (yeah). If 2 people make skin contact, one of them will die and the one that survives gets the others consciousness. An interesting take on the post apocalyptic story.
October 14, 2017
A better-than-average post-apocalyptic tale with an interesting twist on the particular nature of the apocalypse: instead of zombies, etc. the touching of another human suddenly begins causing death, and those who die end up as psychic "riders" in the heads of their accidental killers.
June 27, 2017
By far one of the best dystopian comic series I've read in a long while. A great concept, perfectly executed with a lot more questions than answers so far! I can't wait to read more.
July 14, 2017
Terrifying and creepy.
I loved this graphic novel
I loved this graphic novel
April 6, 2018
Read for TLP
September 4, 2023
Great build up just to fizzle hard at the end
February 5, 2025
Started out interesting then became a muddled slog.
July 2, 2017
A strong post apocalyptic tale, set in a world where any skin to skin contact results in death in one of the people involved, this is an original take on a very popular genre. No one knows why or how it happened but one day the world changed, and now isolation and separation are the norm. As a reader we are dropped straight into this world with little explanation, but thanks to the strong storytelling technique and the clever use of art to show not tell, all soon becomes (relatively) clear. As if the physical contact resulting in death was not bad enough, it turns out that the surviving person absorbs some of the mind and personality of anyone he kills , so that they become a "rider" in the survivors brain, often resulting in madness as multiple personalities and minds fight for control of one brain and body.
While searching for a trade, opportunistic thief Paul meets brother and sister Maria and Carlos, and when Paul absorbs Carlos' mind he feels obligated to help Maria reach Seattle. Along the way they meet ex soldier Eli and scientist Victoria, but in a world so divided will coming together be safer, or just lead to more danger. More importantly is Victoria hiding something, does she know more about what really happened than she is letting on?
I loved this book, it not only has a clever concept, it executes it really well, with interesting and diverse characters, dynamic pacing with a well balanced mix of action and character development , and artwork and a colour palette that enhances the story being told.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.
While searching for a trade, opportunistic thief Paul meets brother and sister Maria and Carlos, and when Paul absorbs Carlos' mind he feels obligated to help Maria reach Seattle. Along the way they meet ex soldier Eli and scientist Victoria, but in a world so divided will coming together be safer, or just lead to more danger. More importantly is Victoria hiding something, does she know more about what really happened than she is letting on?
I loved this book, it not only has a clever concept, it executes it really well, with interesting and diverse characters, dynamic pacing with a well balanced mix of action and character development , and artwork and a colour palette that enhances the story being told.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.
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