Ismyre

Ismyre #1

by B. Mure

In the city of Ismyre, Ed the sculptor works as his widower neighbour sings strange melodies late into the night. He places the finished figuring and notices there is an empty space on the shelf where another one should be. Perplexed, he sleeps, whilst his neighbour continues to croon. Meanwhile, across the city, a government building explodes into a mess of plants and flowers. Exploring themes of loneliness in cities, ecology, craftsmanship and the self-doubt that goes with making things; Ismyre is a quiet and fantastical mystery tale, set in an old world of ordinary magic.

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Paranormal

72 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2018

Reviews

[Wendle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is almost–almost–incidental. The real focus is on the quiet, lonely nature of the world and the easy, light friendship that builds between Ed and Faustine.

And the art. Oh, the art. Blues, reds, greens, and yellows… melding and overlapping or in stark contrast, light and sparse or bold and filling the frame. How four colours in varying shades and strengths can evoke such varied moods and atmospheres is incredibly done. And the line work, walking that fine and beautiful line between neat and tidy, and rough and ready. It feels casual, but is so detailed without being overwhelming. It’s just bloody gorgeous, honestly.

A slightly longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel at Words.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I read from Avery Hill makes me want to collapse. Beautiful and special and weird. I could live in Ismyre forever.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love love love the use of watercolor in this piece and the general artsy vibe present cover to cover, a little too brief perhaps but i feel that way often. i wanted a bonus sketch book in thr back or inteview with the ikkustrator detsiling method.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the world Mure's created and I especially like when the book focuses on the sculptor Edward and his relationships. He's been commissioned to create an important sculpture for a government event, but he's distracted by his own insecurities as well as a particularly annoying neighbor. And then he meets an odd woman determined to encourage Edward whether he likes it or not. There's a lovely, emotional story there.

Mixed into all of that though is another plot about the Prime Minister and his battle against an anarchist group. There are fun elements to that, too, since the anarchists use magic flower bombs as their primary tool in disrupting the government. But that part probably should have been its own book. In this story, it ends up distracting me from the parts of Ismyre that I most cared about.

[Richard Howlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the loose art style in this, but sometimes it did leave it a bit unclear as to what was happening in a specific panel.

I enjoyed certain parts of the story, but other parts felt like they went nowhere. I understand there's more books in the series though, so hopefully they are followed up on in later volumes!

Overall I did enjoy what was a quick read, but I think it would benefit from spending a bit more time in the world of Ismyre.

[Альона Брайловська · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s beautifully made, it’s so vibrant and loose with the lines, I love it. But the story itself kinda slips away from the reader, partly because of the pictures being almost too beautiful and expressive to understand what is really going on there, partly because it’s too short and we know too little of the characters and their motivations. So I’d treat it more like as a piece of visual art than as a literature

[Elena Varg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of this comic is very dream-like: we go from scene to scene in almost an instant, some things connect and some don’t, almost nothing is explained and much is left for interpretation. And I loved every page! Mure’s art style is perfect for this type of story and I can’t wait to get myaelf the rest of the series.

[Fanni Sütő · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought it because I like to support independent comics, but it was really not for me. I found the graphics difficult to discern so sometmes I was at a loss about who was who. I didnt find the plot very strong either.

[Esmé J · Rating 4 out of 5]

20% plot and 80% aesthetic and honestly, I'm not mad about it. A gorgeous kaleidoscope of colors accompanies a thoughtful and melencholy story of a blossoming friendship. I'm interested to learn more about these mysterious "eco anarchists" and I look forward to the rest of the series!

[David Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful autumnal tones and a fantasy setting that feels endlessly unstable. The story ends but this only feels like one movement of the seasons.

[Aivija · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art style is sooooo beautiful and it really makes the story and the setting come to life, which left me wanting for a continuation!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is weird and wonderful and so, so touching. The amount of character in so few pages is staggering.

[Dean Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd and all over the place and gorgeous. Enjoyed this.

[Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, atmospheric tale. B Mure has created a delicate little world, every panel glows.

[Kathryn Kania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I read these out of order but I still liked this a lot. The magic is so cool.

[Kevin Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the artwork!

[Donnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

luv the colours
so cute

[PJ McFalls · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sculpture carves because he must🩶🩶🤲🤲 I wanna keep this comic inside my heart for all of time yes

[Carolina]

Don’t know what to think of this one (so short & didn’t understand the missing persons?), but I’m intrigued by this world… I might read one or two more to see what I think.

[C.M. Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations & an intriguing. It feels Harry Potteresq but with animals

[J Poolner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole series was wonderful.

[Akiva ꙮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sat in the library to rest my feet and read this in a sitting. Love the art; intentionally pretty confusing as to what's going on.

[mkhare · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars.