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Maestros #1-7
Maestros
The Maestro and his entire royal family have been murdered. Now, his banished son from Earth will inherit the Wizard King's throne along with a spell that turns its user into GOD. With enemies everywhere, will this Orlando-born millennial be able to keep his new magic kingdom? From STEVE SKROCE, the storyboard artist of The Matrix trilogy, the artist and co-creator of WE STAND ON GUARD and Doc Frankenstein, the writer / artist of Wolverine, and the artist of Amazing Spider-Man and ALAN MOORE's YOUNGBLOOD.
Collects issues 1-6.
Collects issues 1-6.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2018
15 people are currently reading
2309 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
November 19, 2019
5 stars for artwork and 3 stars for storyline.
Pros: AMAZING and imaginative artwork. Incredible. I did have some problems with the storyline (see cons) but overall the characters were entertaining and the dialog made me laugh.
Cons: WHYYYYY where all the female characters SO powerful if they needed to be saved by this mediocre dude character so many times? UGH, they were all so hypersexualized. I'm over it. Also, why so many penises everywhere?
Skroce crafted a story spanning an infinite amount of universes and questioning the meaning of life and yet there are too many damsels in distress, average dude heroes, and dick jokes for this story to actually feel new and different.
Pros: AMAZING and imaginative artwork. Incredible. I did have some problems with the storyline (see cons) but overall the characters were entertaining and the dialog made me laugh.
Cons: WHYYYYY where all the female characters SO powerful if they needed to be saved by this mediocre dude character so many times? UGH, they were all so hypersexualized. I'm over it. Also, why so many penises everywhere?
Skroce crafted a story spanning an infinite amount of universes and questioning the meaning of life and yet there are too many damsels in distress, average dude heroes, and dick jokes for this story to actually feel new and different.
February 26, 2019
The product itself is pretty great, with gorgeous art and a very solid plot. I took off one star because it's 2019 and I'm beyond over comics in which every single female character is hypersexualized. It's especially annoying here because the tone of the story and the value system of the protagonist are actually really progressive and inclusive, so how about we just stop doing that.
October 3, 2018
Read this because: everything about it is so good???? And Image Comics hasn't let me down...YET. (*thinks of the next installment to Saga, Vol. 9*)
February 6, 2019
Another one of those generic Image titles that follows the Mark Millar formula and slaps a regular everyman schmuck in a wild fantasy setting with heaps of shocking gore and nudity. (So many erect penises....)
March 31, 2022
Lieliska viena vakara izklaide. Skaisti zīmējumi. Interesants sižets, kas varbūt nav nekas pilnīgi novatorisks, bet pietiekami labi nostrādā ar ilustrācijām, lai saglabātu interesi. Un, protams, daudzās popkultūras, reliģijas un mitoloģijas atsauces.
March 9, 2022
Vīrieši. Sievietes. Maģija. Vara. Un runājošs zobens.
Lieliska izklaide.
Lieliska izklaide.
September 9, 2018
Really entertaining story and jaw-dropping art. Fully recommended.
October 2, 2019
The Maestro and the entire royal family have been murdered. Now, the only hope for all of creation rests on the shoulders of an estranged son who was banished to the mundane dimension of Earth. No pressure.
This is tongue in cheek dark fantasy that works surprisingly well. Fortunately, Skroce has a finely tuned sense of just how far to push everything. Too much darkness, and it all becomes a tiresome exercise in grand guignol. Too much ha ha, and it becomes potty-mouthed fluff. It helps that the characters all have some depth to them, even the talking sword. I found myself really caring about Will, and hoping he would be able to succeed without being corrupted by power.
The artwork is gorgeous! I know I’ve read one or two things Skroce has done in the past, but none made an impression quite like this book. I love the little touches, like Mardok’s loincloth of faces. At times--particularly the cover--the artwork reminds me of Mike Kaluta, and I found myself wondering if Steve Skroce is a fan.
Anyway, this was a fun graphic novel. Although it's labeled Vol. 1, it comes to such a definite and satisfying conclusion that I'm not sure I want it to continue. Definitely recommended!
This is tongue in cheek dark fantasy that works surprisingly well. Fortunately, Skroce has a finely tuned sense of just how far to push everything. Too much darkness, and it all becomes a tiresome exercise in grand guignol. Too much ha ha, and it becomes potty-mouthed fluff. It helps that the characters all have some depth to them, even the talking sword. I found myself really caring about Will, and hoping he would be able to succeed without being corrupted by power.
The artwork is gorgeous! I know I’ve read one or two things Skroce has done in the past, but none made an impression quite like this book. I love the little touches, like Mardok’s loincloth of faces. At times--particularly the cover--the artwork reminds me of Mike Kaluta, and I found myself wondering if Steve Skroce is a fan.
Anyway, this was a fun graphic novel. Although it's labeled Vol. 1, it comes to such a definite and satisfying conclusion that I'm not sure I want it to continue. Definitely recommended!
September 1, 2018
Another great from Image comics!
I picked up this series for the art and man was I not disappointed! This comic had tons of fun strips. Some detailed and disturbing, others made me chuckle out loud. Really, if there were no words to this book at all, I would still read it just for the art. Now don't get me wrong, the story is pretty great as well. It kept me on my toes, it kept me wanting more, it kept grossing me out when I lease excepted it! Its pretty much "Neil Gaiman as a wizard.". This Wizard from the human world finds out his father has passed and is now the new ruler of everything. He wants to do good, others want to get rid of him for good.
My only complaint is that it is so short! I really hope we get more from the Maestro soon.
I picked up this series for the art and man was I not disappointed! This comic had tons of fun strips. Some detailed and disturbing, others made me chuckle out loud. Really, if there were no words to this book at all, I would still read it just for the art. Now don't get me wrong, the story is pretty great as well. It kept me on my toes, it kept me wanting more, it kept grossing me out when I lease excepted it! Its pretty much "Neil Gaiman as a wizard.". This Wizard from the human world finds out his father has passed and is now the new ruler of everything. He wants to do good, others want to get rid of him for good.
My only complaint is that it is so short! I really hope we get more from the Maestro soon.
January 7, 2019
Amazing art, fun story and satisfying conclusion
April 19, 2022
3,5/5*
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September 27, 2018Artists turning writer-artist doesn't always work, not least because they can settle into a pretty limited comfort zone, but not Steve Skroce: he wants to draw some weird shit, and he does it wonderfully. Planets exploding, demon hordes, slightly chubby Earth guys wearing ridiculous, impractical fetish armour - all here, all rendered impeccably. The plot is basically the same as The Goblin Emperor, and hence King Ralph - fantasy monarch and family murdered, exiled ill-favoured scion gets the throne, reform efforts taken poorly by vested interests. But where Addison studies the subtle nuances of court etiquette, Skroce goes more for swearing and explosions, with the OTT scale justified by the fact the Maestros are not just wizards but pretty much gods. Not sure how much mileage this has in the long term, but for now it's pretty and fun.
(Edelweiss ARC)
(Edelweiss ARC)
October 5, 2021
What if Garth Ennis wrote a fantasy comic? That's pretty much Maestros, the story of a boy who never expected to be king coming into power amid crisis. It's offensive, it's sexualized, and it's much more fun than I expected. There's also interesting stories here of reform and change.
I'm kinda sorry there's not more, but it's nonetheless got a good beginning, middle, and end.
I'm kinda sorry there's not more, but it's nonetheless got a good beginning, middle, and end.
October 29, 2017
It is very rare in comics to find a new series that immediately appears with its own tone, world and characters that just seem so unique and different right out of the gate. Maestros does that. Number 1 issues are always hard, but this has some of the most potential Ive seen from a series.
August 28, 2021
I was recommended to read this after reading saga, it was amazingly bizarre and the illustrations were vibrant but it lacked the emotional depth I was looking for.
December 12, 2020
This goes into my all-time favorites list. Fantastic storytelling that makes me envious as a writer. Gorgeous illustrations. World-building that manages to be both dark and irreverent. This is aggressively re-readable. I need my own copy.
Also, "lembas-bread-gobbling mutha-fucker" is my new favorite insult.
Also, "lembas-bread-gobbling mutha-fucker" is my new favorite insult.
June 23, 2019
I enjoyed this more than I expected.
Funny, interesting, great narration, beautiful gore.
Funny, interesting, great narration, beautiful gore.
December 3, 2024
I fell asleep while I was reading that. All night, Mardok and his friends chased me and my friends, trying to kill us. I saw my dead body. It was terrifying.
January 4, 2019
WOW MAESTROS is psychotic - its mad. It is one of the most beautifulest graphic novel art I've seen and its real gorgeous every page and frame looks like a masterpiece its self. All the scenes are intense and filled to the edged with colour and the beauty and gore of the creatures are drawn incredibly -if you're looking for some breath taking works. Also if you're looking for some creative and wacky stuff look no further than this book, it's sort of a mixture of Hellboy, Saga, Guardians of the Galaxy, Men in Black, Hayao Miyazaki and anything intense and colourful.
However, (and there is a big "however") the story line, characters, pacing lacks in all areas. You could say the artwork makes up for it but is it worth it?? Many characters die and then get resurrected almost immediately on the same page. Characters are rather unappealing and are in a great need of some attention of development.
However, (again here it is) this graphic novel (and it is GRAPHIC) did not disappoint it was a great first novel at grounding the foundations of a magical mythical world. Great job Steven Skroce can't wait to read Vol.2
SIANN OUT
However, (and there is a big "however") the story line, characters, pacing lacks in all areas. You could say the artwork makes up for it but is it worth it?? Many characters die and then get resurrected almost immediately on the same page. Characters are rather unappealing and are in a great need of some attention of development.
However, (again here it is) this graphic novel (and it is GRAPHIC) did not disappoint it was a great first novel at grounding the foundations of a magical mythical world. Great job Steven Skroce can't wait to read Vol.2
SIANN OUT
February 14, 2019
Featuring brilliant artwork and an engaging narrative, Maestros is the rare graphic novel that rewards a slow reader. Each page of Steve Skroce's art deserves a second or third look to find the clever details that make this book an adult Where's Waldo. Skroce's writing is similarly excellent, quickly drawing the reader into an amusing fantasy world populated with articulate wizards.
Maestros stars Will, the banished son of an all-powerful wizard, who gets to claim his father's throne after an unlikely series of murderous events. Not exactly the most original setup, but Skroce makes it work through deep world-building and a dedication to narrative momentum. Before you know it, Will is battling an Elvish usurper and his undead wizard slave. They fight and lose and win and argue so frequently and explosively that Maestros ends up having surprisingly low stakes. If there's one downside to all the characters having god-like powers, it's that there's little cause for concern when someone "dies."
Fortunately, a handful of flashbacks expand the lives of our featured characters, making it worthwhile to follow them through page after blood-churning page even though the surprises aren't exactly jaw-dropping and revelations are rushed. Keep in mind, if you find yourself bored with the endless violence and recurring vocal duels over the story's Macguffin, there's always Skroce's art to focus on, with its myriad thrilling details. Maestros might not be the blockbuster comic book of the year as some of the back cover praise suggests, but it's more than worth your time for the illustrations alone.
Maestros stars Will, the banished son of an all-powerful wizard, who gets to claim his father's throne after an unlikely series of murderous events. Not exactly the most original setup, but Skroce makes it work through deep world-building and a dedication to narrative momentum. Before you know it, Will is battling an Elvish usurper and his undead wizard slave. They fight and lose and win and argue so frequently and explosively that Maestros ends up having surprisingly low stakes. If there's one downside to all the characters having god-like powers, it's that there's little cause for concern when someone "dies."
Fortunately, a handful of flashbacks expand the lives of our featured characters, making it worthwhile to follow them through page after blood-churning page even though the surprises aren't exactly jaw-dropping and revelations are rushed. Keep in mind, if you find yourself bored with the endless violence and recurring vocal duels over the story's Macguffin, there's always Skroce's art to focus on, with its myriad thrilling details. Maestros might not be the blockbuster comic book of the year as some of the back cover praise suggests, but it's more than worth your time for the illustrations alone.
September 23, 2018
I received an ARC copy of this book from Edelweiss
I really liked this! I think it's easy when you are trying to do a story that pokes fun of a lot of common fantasy tropes to actually fall into those tropes instead of inverting them, but this title was actually really funny and did a really great job of bringing something new to the genre [especially for a book where the main characters are All-Powerful-White-Dude and his mom and girlfriend, seriously that could have gone SO wrong]. A fun, quick read and I liked how they gave us a good ending but also left room for a sequel if they wanted to do one in the future. I would definitely read if they wanted to write more!
I really liked this! I think it's easy when you are trying to do a story that pokes fun of a lot of common fantasy tropes to actually fall into those tropes instead of inverting them, but this title was actually really funny and did a really great job of bringing something new to the genre [especially for a book where the main characters are All-Powerful-White-Dude and his mom and girlfriend, seriously that could have gone SO wrong]. A fun, quick read and I liked how they gave us a good ending but also left room for a sequel if they wanted to do one in the future. I would definitely read if they wanted to write more!
September 30, 2020
I haven't quite decided if it's my Aphantasia (inability to intentionally force mental images) that makes me so sensitive to graphic visuals (i.e. when a book says his eyeballs exploded, I don't see that in my mind, so when I see it in a graphic novel, it is doubly disturbing), or if I'm just easily grossed out. But this is definitely why I didn't enjoy this graphic novel. It was very gory, and there were too many demon penises. (for the record, 1 is too many demon penises)
I didn't like it, but I'm giving it 2 stars because it wasn't a terrible story, just not for me.
2020 Read it or Delete it Challenge: Read it (but wish I had deleted it)
I didn't like it, but I'm giving it 2 stars because it wasn't a terrible story, just not for me.
2020 Read it or Delete it Challenge: Read it (but wish I had deleted it)
May 30, 2018
Maestros está para magia como The Manhattan Projects está para ciência.
Um pouco "sujo" e muito divertido!
Um pouco "sujo" e muito divertido!
December 31, 2018
A case of style over substance. A weak plot but great execution by way of the art saved the day.
November 6, 2021
It's pretty then everyone dies and come back to life the next page.
April 9, 2025
My graphic novel book club chose Masteros. It's different than many of the graphic novels that I typically read. It's an adult dark fantasy and I found it to be good overall.
First, I like the worldbuilding and art overall. It's very well done and the different worlds are intriguing. I like the various types of beings and the magic that is employed. It's a fascinating world. The designs of the world are awesome and Skorce, Stewart, and Fonografinks do a good job in showing the world through their art. With that said, the art also brings out some things that I disliked about the book too.
The characterization is good too. I like Will's arc. We see the journey he makes. At first, he seems rather shallow. But, he has a good heart within and his actions do make sense given his backstory. He is flawed and well-written character. I can understand the actions of his mother, Margaret, also, and I like how she's not afraid to call things out as they are. She's tough as nails. So is Wren, who is a friend (and later girlfriend) of Will. She's brave and also not afraid to call Will and others out.
The antagonists were decently written. I can see the reasons for Rygol's actions and he is cunning. He also is tough to stop. Nonetheless, I found Mardok to be the more compelling antagonist. I can't go into too many details without spoiling, but I also like how closely tied Mardok is with Will. He also poses quite a challenge for Will and the conflict resulted in a great storyline, albeit one that wrapped up a bit quickly.
There were pacing issues. I felt that the ending was a bit too quick. Moreover, there were lots of flashbacks, and sometimes, it took me a bit of time to adjust because the transition to flashbacks were a bit sudden. Mardok's backstory was also told at one time instead of weaved in, though I can see the case for this given the way the story unfolded.
The plot kept me interested, but I had issues with it. It was a straightforward story and it was good overall. The conflicts and battles made for some good storytelling. However, the humor was a mixed bag. In a way, it reminds me of Deadpool films in that some types of jokes and quirks are overused. The art played into that.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Maestros. While I had issues with it, I did enjoy the worldbuilding and characterization and the story altogether.
First, I like the worldbuilding and art overall. It's very well done and the different worlds are intriguing. I like the various types of beings and the magic that is employed. It's a fascinating world. The designs of the world are awesome and Skorce, Stewart, and Fonografinks do a good job in showing the world through their art. With that said, the art also brings out some things that I disliked about the book too.
The characterization is good too. I like Will's arc. We see the journey he makes. At first, he seems rather shallow. But, he has a good heart within and his actions do make sense given his backstory. He is flawed and well-written character. I can understand the actions of his mother, Margaret, also, and I like how she's not afraid to call things out as they are. She's tough as nails. So is Wren, who is a friend (and later girlfriend) of Will. She's brave and also not afraid to call Will and others out.
The antagonists were decently written. I can see the reasons for Rygol's actions and he is cunning. He also is tough to stop. Nonetheless, I found Mardok to be the more compelling antagonist. I can't go into too many details without spoiling, but I also like how closely tied Mardok is with Will. He also poses quite a challenge for Will and the conflict resulted in a great storyline, albeit one that wrapped up a bit quickly.
There were pacing issues. I felt that the ending was a bit too quick. Moreover, there were lots of flashbacks, and sometimes, it took me a bit of time to adjust because the transition to flashbacks were a bit sudden. Mardok's backstory was also told at one time instead of weaved in, though I can see the case for this given the way the story unfolded.
The plot kept me interested, but I had issues with it. It was a straightforward story and it was good overall. The conflicts and battles made for some good storytelling. However, the humor was a mixed bag. In a way, it reminds me of Deadpool films in that some types of jokes and quirks are overused. The art played into that.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Maestros. While I had issues with it, I did enjoy the worldbuilding and characterization and the story altogether.
February 26, 2019
I really enjoyed these fantasy illustrations and ideas, That being said I wished for a little more to do storywise with our main character. What it was like to have magic in a non-human world, college time, being without his mother. That was the shock of him having to re-adjust to human world only be thrown back into a fantastical one would impact me more. I'm snorting with laughter that he ripped of the constitution to make it reflect this fantasy setting, being educated and changing the entire political system they have had me on the FLOOR! Since it says volume 1, I really hope to see more! I'd love to see whole series get more fleshed out and see where he can go from here. ~Ashley
If you liked reading this you may enjoySaga, Vol. 1.
If you liked reading this you may enjoySaga, Vol. 1.
September 2, 2019
Si te gusta Neil Gaiman... No leas Maestros. Este cómic se mea en la fantasía ñoña del inglés mediante una historia no especialmente original, pero si contada con muchísima personalidad. Y qué decir del arte... Magistral (Badum tsss)
December 4, 2018
Uhh it was descent. 3 Star story but 4 stars overall cause the art was outstanding! 4 stars.
January 30, 2019
Ono je to vlastně jednoduché. V okamžiku, kdy máte dobrého scénaristu a hlavně sakra, sakra dobrého kreslíře, tak je úplně jedno, že vršíte jedno klišé za druhým a že lidem dáváte jenom to, co už viděli předtím, pořád je to hodně dobrá jízda. Imho zasloužená Eisner nominace na nejlepší novou sérii.
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- vám nevadí fantasy, které není čistokrevné (hrdina ze Země, kde není magie si s sebou přinese své technologické hračky)
- máte rádi humor a dobře napsané (byť hodně často sarkastické) dialogy
- chcete vidět detailně kreslené scény z fantasy světa, které jakoby vypadly z drogových snů
- chápete, že dobře napsané klišé rozhodně ničemu nevadí, když se s ním dobře pracuje
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- jste fantasy purista a žádné úlety vám nesmí doma přes práh
- vám vadí přehnané násilí
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- vám nevadí fantasy, které není čistokrevné (hrdina ze Země, kde není magie si s sebou přinese své technologické hračky)
- máte rádi humor a dobře napsané (byť hodně často sarkastické) dialogy
- chcete vidět detailně kreslené scény z fantasy světa, které jakoby vypadly z drogových snů
- chápete, že dobře napsané klišé rozhodně ničemu nevadí, když se s ním dobře pracuje
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- jste fantasy purista a žádné úlety vám nesmí doma přes práh
- vám vadí přehnané násilí
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews