Maze

by Thiago Souto

Nico isn’t like most children. At night, when he sleeps, Nico’s dreams come to life, and he enters into a fantastic world of adventure, along with his friend, Góreck.

But one night, Nico doesn’t fall asleep, and Góreck is left alone, in the darkness. To find his friend, Góreck must leave the familiar land of dreams, and enter a labyrinth of memories. Traversing a land between dreams and reality, Góreck must find Nico and rescue him, or be lost forever within the Maze.

Winner of the Angelo Agostini Award for Best New Release and nominated for four HQ Mix Awards, Dark Horse Books is proud to present, Thiago Souto’s Maze!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

Published December 27, 2022

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt very much like European artists doing European art, but I think the artist is Brazilian, so what do I know. It has a European feel.

This is your basic trying-to-fight-a-coma-in-your-subconscious stuff, although here it's told from the vantage point of one of the kid's toys/imaginary friends. That's nice, but it doesn't really add that much to this kind of narrative.

The art is fine, it's very busy to look at.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maze was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I want to start by saying I enjoyed it! There's a lot of heart in it, with an emotional plotline and a hazy fantasy world that really captures a certain dreamlike feeling. The art was a little busy for my own tastes, but it was still really good, and I love the colour palette and the paneling.

I did have some issues with it, and they were issues that I initially didn't think were a big deal but I realised they did definitely impact my enjoyment of the book. First, I honestly feel like it was too short. It really needed more time to build the characters up. Like I could feel there was a lot of heart but I had a hard time getting fully emotionally invested in these characters that I spent two hundred pages with but didn't get to know. And I feel like me really loving this story was contingent upon me caring enough about the characters to feel emotional about what happened to them, and I didn't experience that as much as I feel like the events called for it. Additionally, while I would consider a comparison to The Neverending Story to typically be a complimentary thing, I feel like this wasn't just Neverending Story inspired but was a little bit derivative. The fantasy worlds have similar vibes, the search quests of the protagonists in both feel similar, the view point character and the protagonist being different is true of both, and this graphic novel literally has a flying creature named Falcor. I also felt like most of the emotional punch moments (or what should have been) were almost all revealed in the description.

Overall, I did genuinely enjoy this. I would recommend checking it out, especially for fans of Neverending Story who want something with a similar feeling, or anyone looking for a quick dreamy fantasy read with a dark back story and heart. It's one where I definitely feel like there are people this will really resonate for, I just couldn't bring myself to feel that strongly enough for it personally.


CW ableist and homophobic slurs

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a few mediocre comics on the bounce and then I came across completely by accident and went on a surreal, confusing, exhilarating, emotional and heartbreaking ride that left me crying my eyes out.

I always have so much to say about things I had issues with, but when something is so strange and beautiful it's like it hollows me out to fill me up with its artistry and wonder, leaving me with barely anything left to say.

This is one of those works of art I am simply unable to review. Just know it truly touched my soul and I am truly grateful I stumbled upon this. I believe the world to be a more magical place now that I know this is out there.

Look up CWs if you have concerns as it is kinda heavy.

[Kiana :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

would've been a life-changing read for my middle school self-- good perspective shift between a kid and his toy, and a commentary on escapism for bullied kids. the art was very cool, but i did feel like the story was a bit more drawn out than it needed to be.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. The story is pretty thin but the gorgeous art makes up for it.

[Eric Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens to our dreams when we are awake? We remember our dreams, but do our dreams remember us? There is one dream that remembers. At night, Góreck comes to life in Nico’s dreams. A life full of color, fantasy, and adventure. In this dream, Góreck and Nico are best friends. When Nico is awake, Góreck’s world fades to gray. Something terrible happens that Góreck does not understand. Nico no longer dreams. Góreck breaks out of the land of dreams to save his friend and enters the maze of memories to find Nico.

Maze by artist Thiago Souto was first published in Brazil and now Dark Horse has released a version in English. The touching story of Nico and Góreck is creative and imaginative. It is a unique tale told from the dream’s point of view. As fun as the story is, the artwork makes this graphic novel stunning. Souto puts a lot of detail and intensity into his illustrations. The coloring is vibrant. With a balance of an intriguing story and awe-inspiring imagery, this graphic novel is the complete package. Join Góreck in his journey through the maze.

This review was originally published at https://seattlebookreview.com/product...

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A touching tale of a boy and his imaginary friend as they wander some psychedelic looking dimensions. As the boy stops visiting his imaginary friend, the worlds begin to crumble. Maze is mostly from the perspective of the imaginary guy trying to make sense of everything. The idea of the story is pretty good, but the characters aren't really all that well realized. Thiago Souto's artwork is pleasant to look at - particularly with the gritty lines creating a nice contrast with the warm coloring. But the panel composition is quite erratic at times, making it difficult to gauge how sequences are meant to go. There are some innovative pages for sure, but they seemed a little too few and far between.

[Niche · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dream world after the boy leaves

A twist on the "boy gets in an accident and wakes up in a fantasy world where he learns courage, is it real or a dream" setting. In this case, it's the fantasy world falling apart after the boy goes missing and his companion wandering for answers.

I wasn't really a fan of the plotting. Nico's story felt pointlessly miserable, but I thought the ending was kind of sweet. I'll give it at least two stars, since the wandering amnesiac and wooby bullying weren't my cuppa.

[Fiore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the idea of it, of a story from the perspective of an imaginary friend trying to understand why the world of imagination he lives in is crumbling. I also loved how the decay of his world was depicted. Unfortunately, I found both Góreck and Nico frustrating and maybe it has something to do with Góreck being a product of Nico's mind but I can't say I found myself caring about either of them.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a hero and his boy trans-versing insane worlds. But when the boy stops coming, the world begins to fall apart leaving Goreck alone. Now no matter the cost, Goreck must get to the root of what has happened. Packed with emotion. Good stuff.

[Black Flamed Candle Books 🕯️📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this 3.5 stars ⭐️
Good representation and exploration of chronically ill children navigating dealing with life struggles as well as their illness through thu use of one big but understandable metaphor.

TW: homophobic slurs, ableism.

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it was okay? I was a bit bored—I think I didn’t like the art very much?

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt story about a boy and his favorite toy. Recommended for fans of Jeff Lemire's work such as Mazebook.

[Јордан Kocevski) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story with some awesome art.

[Ulla Saar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite nice art but story was a bit inconsistent and bordering on boring at times.

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved seeing the references to some of my favorite fantasies, Castle in the Sky and The Never Ending Story. Crazy mix of a kid’s interior monologue as he struggles to cope with severe asthma.

[Savannah Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Handles some heavy things in a great way. Loved the art throughout. Grabbed my attention and kept it all the way through.

[Adam Sequoyah · Rating 2 out of 5]

MPA ratings:
R for bloody fantasy violence
PG-13 for language