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Fingerprints
In a town where movie-star beauty is only a surgery away, it’s hard to tell what’s real...
A cosmetic surgeon takes pride in his best work: an ingénue of the silver screen, literally built for success. While he plans one last procedure to perfect her looks, his aging wife struggles to keep his interest, and his ambitious assistant threatens his practice with a disturbing new technique.
In his debut graphic novel, acclaimed mini-comic creator Will Dinski presents a haunting pastel vision of beauty, surgery, and jealousy, served with a sci-fi twist.
A cosmetic surgeon takes pride in his best work: an ingénue of the silver screen, literally built for success. While he plans one last procedure to perfect her looks, his aging wife struggles to keep his interest, and his ambitious assistant threatens his practice with a disturbing new technique.
In his debut graphic novel, acclaimed mini-comic creator Will Dinski presents a haunting pastel vision of beauty, surgery, and jealousy, served with a sci-fi twist.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2010
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 28, 2017
Well this was a waste of time. I got absolutely nothing out of it. I kept hoping they'd be something but nope. If this was trying to make some social commentary on plastic surgery and celebrity culture - it failed.
March 14, 2026
Interesting concept, a bit limited by the brevity of the book.
July 11, 2014
Most one star books get that rating from me because they incite some sort of anger, offence, or disappointment. However, Finger Prints gets one star because it incited absolutely nothing.
This has all the familiar elements of a social commentary, with Dinski's focus on the questions of "beauty, celebrity, sexuality, art, and superficiality." referring directly to our plastic surgery culture. Unfortunately, this graphic novel is rather substanceless. Sure, it has a plot, it has relationship dynamics but I didn't care about either of those things. The story is so bare-boned that there is nothing to grab onto.
A basic of good storytelling is that you need more then just something to say. The next step in that process is to take that message and surround it with equally interesting elements. Examples of these things might be, worthwhile characters and compelling dialog. By doing this an author is adding to their foundation, adding entertainment value to their ideas. This graphic novel lacked that for me, it was a start to something, but even that something didn't interest me.
There are a lot of graphic novels and books that tackle the exact same questions. So perhaps I've been spoiled with the subtlety and complexity of the material that I have encountered in the past, having already seen this done better. This was lack luster, it was dull, and the characters embodied all of these things without redemption.
In the end, I could have done to not be drawn in by the cover and passed on this entirely. Also, I have to say, cover price at $14.95 US for less then 100 pages that can be read in less then an hour is higher then I've seen some 200 page paperbacks. Which didn't seem proportionate.
This has all the familiar elements of a social commentary, with Dinski's focus on the questions of "beauty, celebrity, sexuality, art, and superficiality." referring directly to our plastic surgery culture. Unfortunately, this graphic novel is rather substanceless. Sure, it has a plot, it has relationship dynamics but I didn't care about either of those things. The story is so bare-boned that there is nothing to grab onto.
A basic of good storytelling is that you need more then just something to say. The next step in that process is to take that message and surround it with equally interesting elements. Examples of these things might be, worthwhile characters and compelling dialog. By doing this an author is adding to their foundation, adding entertainment value to their ideas. This graphic novel lacked that for me, it was a start to something, but even that something didn't interest me.
There are a lot of graphic novels and books that tackle the exact same questions. So perhaps I've been spoiled with the subtlety and complexity of the material that I have encountered in the past, having already seen this done better. This was lack luster, it was dull, and the characters embodied all of these things without redemption.
In the end, I could have done to not be drawn in by the cover and passed on this entirely. Also, I have to say, cover price at $14.95 US for less then 100 pages that can be read in less then an hour is higher then I've seen some 200 page paperbacks. Which didn't seem proportionate.
March 5, 2021
One of the reviews on the back likens this to a mini comic and I can absolutely see that, but I think it should have stayed a self published comic (where I feel I would probably be more generous towards it) rather than this weird compromise of a thing which takes a story that’s wafer thin and presents it in a luxurious form that somehow undermines the story beats. What I’m trying to articulate is this kind of story in something self published feels appropriate because it’s scrappy and exploratory and strange. In a deluxe book it feels like a huge mismatch which throws the issues both in art and writing into stark relief. It looks messier because of the pristine production if you follow me. A weird book
August 7, 2012
I recently shifted our adult GN section at my library, and unearthed a few interesting books.
This was one of that lot, but it wasn't very interesting.
I get it, it's a take on the whole beauty obsessed world we live in...but it just sat there like a lump when I was done reading.
It needed a little more pizazz or something.
This was one of that lot, but it wasn't very interesting.
I get it, it's a take on the whole beauty obsessed world we live in...but it just sat there like a lump when I was done reading.
It needed a little more pizazz or something.
July 17, 2011
I'm not really sure what the point of this story was. Was it supposed to be speaking out again plastic surgery? Or was it just a funny story? Either way, a quick read but I obviously didn't love it.
September 9, 2011
Decent but there's not much to it really. Wish it had been longer and given the wacked out ideas of plastic surgery gone wild more space to breathe. As it is, the ideas are touched upon, and then the book is over.
October 14, 2012
Kinda creepy, kinda predictable critique of Hollywood craving for plastic surgery perfection... There's some indication of where he was going with this technically good gn... He gives a nod to sic fi guy Robert Heinlein (and others)... a kind of nightmare of the... present.
September 12, 2018
Very, very strange. Very. Strange.
April 8, 2020
We get it, vanity is bad, celebrity culture is bad, plastic surgery is bad. What a surprisingly dull book.
October 30, 2023
Achei um pouco disparatado... Talvez não tenha percebido bem o intuito da história... talvez criticar o culto da beleza, da eterna juventude e da fama... Mas senti que é demasiado superficial e non sense...
October 14, 2024
Snarky and suspenseful, just like me!
October 20, 2014
It's hard to put my finger on this one (no pun intended). Fingerprints starts out as a seemingly-straightforward commentary on Hollywood and the cosmetic surgery culture, and then takes a dramatic sci-fi turn midway through. On my first reading, I was completely confused with this decision. Subsequent readings put the story in greater context for me, and the plot twist seems like a logical - and absurd - outcome of our culture's obsession with physical beauty. Dinski also mixes in humor, the paparazzi and tabloids, marital relationships, and the superficiality of Hollowood film making.
This graphic novel is in the mini-comic format, a format with which I am entirely unfamiliar with. Dinksi also uses a unique storytelling method, in which the image and the dialogue reside on completely different panels. At first this approach was jarring, but I found myself appreciating it as I locked into the flow. It's nice to have full panels of art without any text bubbles obscuring it. I'm guessing Dinski made this choice because of the mini-comic format.
There is a really great moment where the main character has a moment of revelation and reconciliation. You feel him changing and coming to new realizations. Yet, in that same moment, you see the part of him that can't change. I didn't catch the complexity of the scene on the first read, but once I did it was so much fun to pull out additional layers from the story.
This is a quick story that you can read multiple times, and find new meaning in it each time.
This graphic novel is in the mini-comic format, a format with which I am entirely unfamiliar with. Dinksi also uses a unique storytelling method, in which the image and the dialogue reside on completely different panels. At first this approach was jarring, but I found myself appreciating it as I locked into the flow. It's nice to have full panels of art without any text bubbles obscuring it. I'm guessing Dinski made this choice because of the mini-comic format.
There is a really great moment where the main character has a moment of revelation and reconciliation. You feel him changing and coming to new realizations. Yet, in that same moment, you see the part of him that can't change. I didn't catch the complexity of the scene on the first read, but once I did it was so much fun to pull out additional layers from the story.
This is a quick story that you can read multiple times, and find new meaning in it each time.
December 4, 2010
I really like Will Dinski's mini comics, and for the few years I've read him in that format, thought that he was maybe too talented to be working exclusively at that level. This graphic novel, which I stumbled across at the library and had never heard of when it was published, might not be Dinski's strongest work: it's got some wonky bits, including a clunky epilogue and some social satire that seems broad and too easy. But it also has some really appealing elements. I want to sit and think about it some, I guess-- it's not the book I wanted or would have imagined, but I might be not giving enough credit to the book it is.
November 12, 2010
In this graphic novel, Doctor Fingers is a plastic surgeon who uses his scalpel to beautify people. He creates a masterpiece in famous movie star Vanessa's lovely face and all America wants to be like her. Future patients sign up to get a nose like Vanessa or eyes like Vanessa. Dr. Fingers assistant decides to begin her own practice and finds a way to meet the demand for Vanessa wanna-bees. She creates a product that will change everyone. To see the full book review please visit my blog post at http://www.booksnob-booksnob.blogspot...
February 8, 2011
Weird. Short. Not super well-drawn. Not super original, though I think it wanted to be.
March 2, 2011
2.5 stars. The ending sucked and overall it was strange and pointless. Then it ended with zombies. o_O
June 23, 2011
Nothing ever really gets resolved, and even though the art and format was pretty good, it was confusing as heck. :/
July 9, 2011
Picked this short comic book up at random last week. I liked the style/ appearance and odd wee story, but its peters out a bit.
November 27, 2012
Hmmm. Definitely original. Kind of disturbing.
April 13, 2014
Short and strange from an author who obviously is against plastic surgery. Offers nothing really insightful on the topic though.
June 18, 2015
It was pretty good- critical of cosmetic surgery.
February 1, 2016
okay this was an odd gn -cloning by plastic surgery
September 8, 2016
A story that, in some ways, I have to let sink in and reread, and then let sink in more, to more fully appreciate.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews