Hieroglyph

by Ricardo Delgado

A lone human explorer, sent to a remote alien world, stumbles upon an ancient secret that could unite the many alien cultures inhabiting the planet in a lasting peace--or plunge them into war. From the acclaimed creator of Age of Reptiles comes a work of breathtaking scope and stunning vision . . . an exploration of alien minds and the human heart.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comic Book

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a showcase of some fantastic alien vistas than anything else. The story feels almost literally just an excuse for that - with the main character sent to explore it all - and even the cliffhanger is a set-up for more of the same. It's a shame we were left hanging on that front.

[Eddie Arafat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a lot of narration or dialogue. Mostly just some amazing images of aliens and landscapes pieced together, but it is pretty fantastic.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

;I enjoy this art style , the story lacks but is made up for it by the scenery
Jade-- alien creature, was most interesting
but we've seen this kinda story before

[C.E.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
In only four issues and with minimal dialogue, exposition or even action, Delgado created a vivid, comprehensible alien world like I've seldom seen in any short media. That, and the beautiful art and colors, make it easy to forgive and forget about the somewhat lackluster narrative, character (and development) and themes.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, wonderfully illustrated little miniseries, with impressive, haunting alien ruins abounding on most every page. Tis a shame the story sort of just ends without resolving anything and that it was never picked up again in any form, apparently.

[Logan Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredible artwork of an alien world combined with a derivative story and basic dialogue that seemed to only serve to justify the art. I honestly think it would have been better to just have no story, but especially no dialogue, because both were so bland that it distracted from the amazing artwork of the aliens. Delgado also isn't great at drawing humans and facial expressions, so that could have been cut out as well for the purpose of focusing on the thing Delgado is clearly passionate about. He later improved his storytelling with his Age of the Reptils series where stories are told exclusively through pictures, which was masterfully done.

[Ricky Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delgado could draw the phonebook and I'd still read it. His stuff is so detailed and gorgeous. Story wise it's a bit lacking, sure, but you're not reading this for the story. It's a great exploration of the visual tropes of ancient civilizations. I almost would have liked this better if there wasn't a conflict at all. Just a dude exploring whacky scenery and reporting on his findings.

[Paul Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to the Age of Reptile series in that Delgado makes the pictures do the work with hardly any dialogue (he could've left it out completely without really sacrificing the content). The whole story put me in the right mood of adventure and new world exploration. I just wished that there would have been more issues telling about world and its inhabitants.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool story of a lone astronaut's adventures on a very strange and alien world. Delgado's artwork - and especially his ingenious designs - are a real highlight here that is not to be missed.

[Newton Nitro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hieroglyph é uma série de quatro volumes desenhada e roteirizada por Ricardo Delgado, famoso pelo seu trabalho de storyboarder em filmes com os Incríveis, e pela série Age of Reptiles.Em 1999 ele lançou a série Hieroglyph (Dark Horse Comics) uma exploração de um mundo alienígena, onde toda sua experiência com concept art em filmes aparece em cada página.

A lone human explorer, sent to a remote alien world, stumbles upon an ancient secret that could unite the many alien cultures inhabiting the planet in a lasting peace--or plunge them into war. From the acclaimed creator of Age of Reptiles comes a work of breathtaking scope and stunning vision . . . an exploration of alien minds and the human heart.

Os quadrinhos contam a história de um explorador humano solitário, enviado para um mundo alienígena, que entra em contato com uma série de culturas estranhas e ruínas mais antigas do que a civilização humana. A arte é muito inspiradora e detalhada, com uma clara influência de Moebius (e de toda a escola européia de desenho limpo e detalhado na obra, quase uma homenagem, mas com um toque pessoal. Outra inspiração clara é de Lovecraft (mas todos nós que trabalhamos com o fantástico somos meio que filhos de lovecraft). As cores e o design dos alienígenas é outro show a parte, mostrando muita criatividade.

O texto é pontual mas bem escrito, integrando a situação de solidão em um planeta com a vida emocional do protagonista. A narrativa mantém o mistério até o final, o uso do silêncio e de falas de difícil entendimento para criar o clima de exploração do desconhecido.

Recomendo! :)

[Halina Hetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Все було б прекрасно (бо малюнок в Дельгадо просто неймовірний), якби не просраний (інакшого слова не можу підібрати, вимбачте) кінець, де автор просто скинув вагон непотрібної і дурної інформації про світ в абсолютно недолугій довжелезній злодійській промові (яка звісно ж промовлялася перед скоєнням злочину). Все одно поставила високу оцінку, бо художня частина вражає. Традиційні для автора есеї наприкінці кожної глави з рефлексіями щодо того чим він надихався, мені як завжди припали до душі.

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delgado nos ofrece una opera espacial sin obertura o desenlace reales. Todo transcurre en un largo mediante que deja queriendo más, pero a la vez, deseando saber menos. El colectivo siempre aprecia a todo mártir.

[Komuniststar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jos jedan od “istraživača” ki gre okolo sa razornim oružjem i tamani sve na sto naiđe. Konkviskador u svemiru.
Do dvojke nosi impresivan crtež.

[Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and liked Delgado's Age of Reptiles books, the bereftness of dialogue till the last couple of pages makes sense. Storytelling through comics without resorting to word bubbles to move the story forward is an art and like the Age of Reptiles series, Delgado proves to be a an excellent master of wordless visual teller of tales.