BRIGADA tells the story of Ivro, the captain of a legendary brigade of cold-hearted, cut-throat Dwarven convicts who answer only to him. On the eve of a great battle, Ivro and his brigade are overtaken by the mist, which separates them into small groups, and throws them all into different, strange and alien lands. Now, Ivro and the remaining members of his brigade must wage a new and different war, for their own survival. But where did this mist come from, and what terrible secret lies at its heart? Will Ivro be able to reunite his brigade and lead them to safety while this strange land grows ever stranger…
Щоб ви зрозуміли, я загубив відгук, який ще був написаний весною минулого року, і не опублікований тут чи інших соцмережах. І тільки через випадковість натрапив на нього, тому ще раз про мальопис, сторінки якого були вже на каналі.
Досить довго чекав на мальопис «Ватага» Енріке Фернандеса, який я закраунфандив ще десь у кінці 2019, початку 2020 року (вже точно не пригадаю). Це мій перший європейський краундфанд, тому певне переживання було чи доїде цей комікс до мене. Та ще й через ряд причин друк його відтермінувався, але, нарешті, він прийшов і я його вже встиг ще й прочитати.
За форматом видання досить велике, що пасує малюнку Енріке Фернандеса, адже він тут розгулявся на повну. У цей омнібус (як написано у виданні) увійшли три альбоми та додаткові матеріали у вигляді скетчів персонажів та кілька сторінок процесу малювання від нарисів до фінального малюнку, показуючи всі етапи, які проходив художник. Щодо бонусів, які завжди дають при таких ініціативах, то тут були надруковані тематичні малюнки художника розміром десь стандартного тпб і чорно-білий сторібоард до третього альбому із нарисами та розкадровкою до нього. Приємно діставати ось такі смаколики.
«Ватага» не є першим мальописом Енріке Фернандеса, але є першим самостійним проектом, де він є, й автором, й художником, з яким він вийшов на краунфанд. Інші роботи, де він, у більшості, займався художньою частиною, є «Визволителі» («Libertadores»), «Оз чарівник» («Le Magicien Oz»), «Мати перемог» («La Mère des Victoires»), «Острів без посмішок» («L'ile Sans Sourire»), «Казки епохи Кобра» («Les Contes de L'ère du Cobra») й «Аврора» («Aurore»).
Мальопис описує нам країну, яка живе в постійному страху перед зловісним Воарандером, який, зі слів населення, зумисне напустив туман на всю територію країни. Деякі вважають, що це велетенський звір чи навіть божество, що своїм подихом покриває землю. Але насправді ніхто цього не знає, бо страх сковує будь-які спроби докопатися до істини. Єдина впевненість, яка є у мешканців цієї країни, що той, хто зайде в середину туману, загубиться назавжди в лісі повному хаосу. І якраз на початку історії автор знайомить нас з одним із головних героїв, батько якого намагався розібратися в природі туману, що і призвело до його трагічної загибелі.
Акцент у мальописі падає на зграйку, чи краще сказати ватагу, жорстоких гномів. Капітан і ветеран Івро був завербований командувати під час тривалої війни проти чорних ельфів якраз цими суворо засудженими гномами. Під час однієї битви таємничий туман затримує їх на цій дивній непросвітній землі, де їм тепер потрібно боротися з іншими звірами та істотами. А ще і знайти один одного після того, як вони через долю випадку були розділені. Відьми, незвичні істоти, гноми, чорні ельфи, таємнича криниця із джерелом сили та страхітливий непрохідний туман із загадковим Воарандером — це всі аспекти, які загалом формують цей фентезійний світ.
Тут якраз підійшли до того, що в деяких моментах хотілося вийти за рамки кількох локацій та побачити цей вигаданий світ більш ширше. Але, розширюючи рамки, потрібно було б тримати цілісно ще більше пов’язаних речей, що могло б призвести до втрати цієї ниточки, яка й так досить важко тягнула кілька одночасних подій. Важливим елементом історії та й малюнку також є бойові сцени, які надали мальопису дуже динамічного й незвичного забарвлення. Адже тільки уявіть, як ці маленькі гноми, ведуть швидкий та жорстокий бій із велетенськими істотами чи чорними ельфами. Постійно відчувається напруженість бою, яка ще більше підсилюється ономатопеєю, у якій Енріке Фернандес поєднує деталі кадрів зі звучанням у сценах. Виглядає вражаюче!
Якщо в сюжеті, у розгортанні оповіді та навіть частково в героях, можна довго вишуковувати проблеми чи білі плями, то малюнок, без заперечень, є сильнішою стороною мальопису. Він є досить яскравим, навіть на темних панелях, але ця яскравість не є настільки насиченою, щоби псувати його сприйняття. Це, мабуть, було одне з найбільших переживань, а, як же будуть виглядати кольори на папері, бо в електронному вигляді було все досить насичене та яскраве. Та переживання виявилися марними, виглядає все чудово. Ще хочу зупинитися на вигляді героїв, які мають виразні кутові риси обличчя, що трішки можуть нагадати про статуї моаїв, що розташовані на острові Пасхи та зроблені із вулканічного попелу вулкану Рано-Рараку. Тому, як результат, персонажі формують досить таки екстравагантний образ.
На останок скажу, «Ватага» — це те, що спробує захопити вас художньою частиною, але може відлякати досить сумбурною розповіддю. Але особисто я залишився задоволений від усього, видання, бонусів, малюнку та новим світом, у який мені вдалося зануритися.
Brigada looked interesting and I really liked the fantasy setting it had. The cover isn't the best possible though, since it's hard to grasp what's in it. The whole brigade thing was interesting and how Ivro and his group end up separated into smaller groups and left on their own trying to find back together. I liked the witches too and the whole mystery behind perhaps everything, which is still uncharted. The problem is that the comic is a mess and trying to gather the pieces of the plot is extremely consuming. The viewpoints change without logic and the transitions don't work either. Many times I found myself asking what is happening, since really, I'm still not sure. I had to read the plot description again to try to understand this all. Structure-wise I'd say Fernández should really try to polish this and make it more coherent, since it's interesting, but badly constructed.
The art is topnotch. The panels are extremely beautiful and the autumn-like color theme is awesome. The characters are very lively and look very different, almost wooden like, which makes this wonky in a sense. The artistic value is amazing and the look is pure candy for the eyes. Every panel could be a painting on its own. The sketches at the back are great too and give extra depth to the comic. Because the art is so awesome, it's a shame that the structure doesn't live up to that. Otherwise Brigada could've been almost perfect. Now it's just OK.
A rather enjoyable story that gets better and better with every page. I admit I needed a moment to get used to this graphic, but I really like it. It's original and feels fresh among all those other look-alike graphics out there.
And the story? Well, I admit it was a bit chaotic at times, but in the end, I think it worked out fine. Basically, we're following Ivro and his brigade of misfits on a sort of quest. There are several jumps between characters showing different parts of events and different points of view and even though this makes the story and out view of it more complete, I think this was the reason for the chaos. Maybe if the authors concentrated on the dwarves it would be a bit easier to follow.
Once again I have to say that the graphic made up for the bits of chaos. I liked the color pattern, the character design and the uniqueness of it all. Quite pleasurable to look at, even if it might require some getting used to.
I received both of these novels from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for honest reviews.
While Brigada is a beautiful graphic novel, it was challenging to follow and did not appeal to me beyond the illustrations. The premise is interesting: A group of dwarves off to battle get separated in a magical mist and adventures ensue trying to get back together so they can win the day. I appreciate that Fernandez challenges his readers by including many graphical panels. That said, I struggled to follow the story. When we jumped from one group to another, I often found I had to go back and review to keep the story straight. I appreciate the character-driven nature, but I found the plot to be equally as challenging as the visuals. Unfortunately, this just isn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me a review copy in exchange for my honest review.
I feel, Brigada is brilliant! It is difficult at first, and demands attention, to both the written and the visual language. Like attending a Shakespearean play or appreciating art it demands attention. Give it time, study the stylization that Enrique uses to describe his characters and environments, and it all starts to flow. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was just the first book. Looking forward to reading part 2!
'Brigada' by Enrique Fernandez was a graphic novel that I found confusing. Both the art and the story made this a story that was hard to follow.
The story is about a bunch of violent dwarves. When they are preparing for a battle, they end up in a weird mist and all get separated. There are large fierce beasts in the forest, and witches and other creatures. There is a strange well. There is the chaos that happens during battles, and at the heart of the story is Ivro, who is just trying to get his party back together safely.
I alternated between liking and disliking the graphic style. The characters were very angular in nature, and I had a hard time sometimes distinguishing the dwarves. There is one human (?) character with a long distended chin. It kind of kept pulling me out of the story because it seemed a bit grotesque. I think the art is good, but it doesn't serve the story so well. The story was convoluted and confusing as well. There were a lot of times I could understand how Ivro felt, because I felt completely lost in a mist as well. Maybe I should try to read this again, and it might make more sense.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Beautiful artwork, the story can get pretty confusing at times. Felt rushed towards the end. The person responsible for the translation made several typos.
Having grown up on the classic European comics (Tintin/Asterix), I'm always keen to try something new, such as this fantasy story from Spain. Right from the start, the beautiful production of the book drew me in -- from the striking cover with rounded corners and spot varnish, to the lush color interiors, clearly a lot of attention went into the making of the book.
However... it is confusing at times -- both in storyline and artwork. As best I could tell by the end, there is a kingdom that exists in a magical mist, and the geography of that kingdom shifts with the mists and at times, people and creatures from other dimensions enter and are absorbed. The kingdom seems to be largely ruled by three witch queens, who have some kind of alliance with the titular brigade of dwarves, as well as with some dark elves. There are also a brother and sister human mixed in who seem to be important in some magical way, but I couldn't ever quite work out what everyone's objectives are. As a story, it's a bit frustrating -- although maybe the next installment will clear things up.
The artwork is strikingly original, but at times so stylized that I struggled to really decipher whom or what I was looking at in a panel. Part of it is the character creation, which is quite angular, and can make for some real problems figuring who is who. However, that's balanced against a really different looking world, and some really amazing layouts. The book uses a lot of panels that are only 1-2 inches tall, but full page-width, giving them the feel of widescreen cinema. Definitely worth checking out if you are interested in seeing something different -- just be warned that you might not be satisfied at the end.
I am never the best person to review a graphic novel or comic, even though I love the format. I am borderline graphically illiterate, which means I sometimes do not read pictures very well. Perhaps that explains all of my difficulties understanding just what was going on, although I do reserve the right to place at least some of the blame on the artist. The pictures are great, but I think I may not be the only one who has trouble figuring out what is going on in each panel. But having said all that, toward the end when it all became intelligible to me, I was glad to have read it. The story is good so far, and I look forward to the next volume.
A great start to a fantasy graphic novel series, following a group separated by magical mist and their attempts to explore a new land and be reunited with each other.
This is a very character-driven graphic novel, with well fleshed out characters and good pacing. The artwork was extraordinary. I haven't seen anything like that before and it took time to get used to but, once I did, it added very much to my enjoyment of the reading experience. Will certainly looking out for the next volume!
Thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for making this available in exchange for an honest review.
My Netgalley review: Beautiful, complex, and stunning graphic novel. I admit to finding it confusing and hard to follow, and the palette made it hard for me to follow who was who. The storyline was intriguing and I loved that it asks a lot of the reader - faith and patience will serve you well. I look forward to more installments, and our library will be more likely to collect once the story comes together more.
I liked the character designs. I had a really hard time following the story though. There were a ton of little tiny panels with no dialogue. At times I had no idea what was going on. The story kept flipping back and forth between multiple story lines with a ton of characters.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Definitely a DNF. The colouring is delectable, but the artwork at times is plain awful with the reader having no idea what happened, and that can be said many times over for the plot, if there is one.
Fantastische Zeichnungen und eine interessante und düstere Fantasy-Welt, deren Atmosphäre überzeugend transportiert wird. Leider sind es für knapp 100 Seiten zu viele Figuren, hier muss Band 2 noch etwas nachhelfen.