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The Griff: A Graphic Novel
The mayhem begins when an ancient alien beacon is unwittingly activated, summoning behemoth spaceships from the far reaches of the galaxy. Hovering in Earth's atmosphere, they release a biblical stream of pods that transform into minivan-size, people-eating, flying lizardy things that look like mythological griffins. Destroying communications, emergency, and military infrastructure, they systematically kill everyone on the planet. Well, almost everyone.
A pesky trio of New Yorkers isn't about to roll out the red carpet—or roll over and die—for these unwelcome intergalactic marauders. Unlikely heroes Mo, a snarky, Gothy game-goddess; Steve, a skateboard-punk schwag whore; and Curt, the obligatory buff commando expert in weaponry (and a genius with cosmetics), are going to take it to the aliens—and Florida is where the fight is. Armed with M-16s, a BFG (big f**king gun), and a surplus of guts, they'll battle their way from the Big Apple to Orlando, where a downed spacecraft is the most awesome new attraction.
And in the Sunshine State another pair of courageous (and pretty damn lucky) humans who have outwitted the toothy überlizards await: Liz, a babelicious killer whale trainer at Ocean World, and Oscar, a chain-smoking middle-aged professional squirrel (seriously—he's paid to wear that squirrel costume).
Once united, the intrepid warriors will attempt to infiltrate the alien spacecraft, defeat the spacer invaders, and save (what's left) of the world—and, if Steve plays his cards right, begin the fun of repopulating Earth all over again.
A pesky trio of New Yorkers isn't about to roll out the red carpet—or roll over and die—for these unwelcome intergalactic marauders. Unlikely heroes Mo, a snarky, Gothy game-goddess; Steve, a skateboard-punk schwag whore; and Curt, the obligatory buff commando expert in weaponry (and a genius with cosmetics), are going to take it to the aliens—and Florida is where the fight is. Armed with M-16s, a BFG (big f**king gun), and a surplus of guts, they'll battle their way from the Big Apple to Orlando, where a downed spacecraft is the most awesome new attraction.
And in the Sunshine State another pair of courageous (and pretty damn lucky) humans who have outwitted the toothy überlizards await: Liz, a babelicious killer whale trainer at Ocean World, and Oscar, a chain-smoking middle-aged professional squirrel (seriously—he's paid to wear that squirrel costume).
Once united, the intrepid warriors will attempt to infiltrate the alien spacecraft, defeat the spacer invaders, and save (what's left) of the world—and, if Steve plays his cards right, begin the fun of repopulating Earth all over again.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2011
79 people are currently reading
2160 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Moore
107 books91.6k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters suddenly struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. Inheriting a humanism from his love of John Steinbeck and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut, Moore is a best-selling author with major cult status.
Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters suddenly struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. Inheriting a humanism from his love of John Steinbeck and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut, Moore is a best-selling author with major cult status.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
July 2, 2019
If you want a fun, light summer read, this book is certainly worth a look. As soon as I read dragons from outer space, I had to roll my eyes. That's typically not my cup of tea, but it was a graphic novel my library had in stock, and it was co-written by an author known for his humor so, I figured, why not. It ended up being funny and intriguing, the characters were interesting, and the art was surprisingly well done. It didn't really tug on the heartstrings, or do anything unexpected, but it did what a graphic novel is meant to do - it entertained me. I smiled, I laughed, I groaned in places, and I'm glad I gave it a chance.
July 7, 2014
Hey, Michael Bay, I found your next movie concept! And you can't screw this one up because it comes pre-fucked. Inexplicable, ridiculous threat to humanity? Check. Shallow characters? Check. Nonsensical plot with holes big enough to drive Optimus Prime through? Check. Cliche action dialogue? Check. Females who offer little more than T & A? Check and check.
Now, where do I go to pick up my finder's fee?
I love Christopher Moore's novels. His zany sense of humor, hilarious dialogue, and obvious compassion for his fellow man is a combination that I find irresistible. But, hole-e fucksocks, The Griff is no Christopher Moore novel and, to be fair, that's established up front in Moore's preface (which also happens to be the best part of the book). Essentially, Moore came up with this idea that he thought would work well as a movie, he and a buddy (Ian Corson) wrote the script as a way of avoiding real work, and then tossed it in a drawer because they knew it would never be picked up as a film. Then the comics came calling and Moore remembered The Griff screenplay and brought it back into the light as a graphic novel.
And he should have left it in the dark. While I have no doubt that Moore and Corson had a hoot writing it, it's a hot mess. There's no sense of time (entire weeks pass with no clear signal to the reader, making it seem as though everything happens in the course of a day); the artwork is pretty, but inconsistent and the panels are often confusing (one gets the sense that there were lots of blanks in the plot that they decided to quickly "flesh out" with artwork that has no real sense of narrative direction); and it follows the standard summer action flick formula so faithfully that it offers nothing new. It reads like a screenplay with pictures and has a rushed "Wham, Bam, No-Thank You, M'am" feel to it."
A plot this ridiculous (giant alien dragons show up out of nowhere and wipe out most of mankind) could have been fun if it had been more of a spoof or featured more of Moore's signature humor. There are a few bits of dialogue that are pure Moore and, while hilarious, still not worth the price of admission.
My advice? Read Moore's Fool, A Dirty Job, or Fluke and give The Griff a pass.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Now, where do I go to pick up my finder's fee?
I love Christopher Moore's novels. His zany sense of humor, hilarious dialogue, and obvious compassion for his fellow man is a combination that I find irresistible. But, hole-e fucksocks, The Griff is no Christopher Moore novel and, to be fair, that's established up front in Moore's preface (which also happens to be the best part of the book). Essentially, Moore came up with this idea that he thought would work well as a movie, he and a buddy (Ian Corson) wrote the script as a way of avoiding real work, and then tossed it in a drawer because they knew it would never be picked up as a film. Then the comics came calling and Moore remembered The Griff screenplay and brought it back into the light as a graphic novel.
And he should have left it in the dark. While I have no doubt that Moore and Corson had a hoot writing it, it's a hot mess. There's no sense of time (entire weeks pass with no clear signal to the reader, making it seem as though everything happens in the course of a day); the artwork is pretty, but inconsistent and the panels are often confusing (one gets the sense that there were lots of blanks in the plot that they decided to quickly "flesh out" with artwork that has no real sense of narrative direction); and it follows the standard summer action flick formula so faithfully that it offers nothing new. It reads like a screenplay with pictures and has a rushed "Wham, Bam, No-Thank You, M'am" feel to it."
A plot this ridiculous (giant alien dragons show up out of nowhere and wipe out most of mankind) could have been fun if it had been more of a spoof or featured more of Moore's signature humor. There are a few bits of dialogue that are pure Moore and, while hilarious, still not worth the price of admission.
My advice? Read Moore's Fool, A Dirty Job, or Fluke and give The Griff a pass.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
July 24, 2011
Aliens resembling griffons attack the earth and decimate much of the population. Two groups of people struggle to survive. But why have the Griff come to earth anyway?
The Griff is a graphic novel based on a movie script Christopher Moore worked on with Ian Corson in order to get out of working on one of his other novels. True story. Says so in the introduction. The story is your standard Hollywood apocalyptic disaster movie, only with griffons flying around attacking people.
The two groups of survivors are a mixed bag. You've got Curt, the wannabe soldier, Steve, the skateboard riding slacker, and Mo, video game designer and hot punk chick in one group and Liz, the animal trainer from Ocean World and Oscar, fur-suited theme park worker in the other. Just by the male-female composition of the groups and the fact that this was written to be a movie in mind, you know there's going to be some sexual tension and/or two people hooking up. Crap, I'm getting venomous before I mean to.
Before I vent a bit on reasons why I couldn't rate this higher than I did, I'd like to mention that the art was good and I liked the revelation behind the origins of the Griffs and I also liked a certain bit with Liz at the end that I won't mention because I don't want to spoil it.
And now, here's what I didn't like about it. I love Christopher Moore's novels. Since this was based on a movie script, the only thing that's obviously Moore-written is the dialogue. The problem is that everyone talks almost exactly the same way. 90% of the dialogue is completely interchangeable between characters. It feels like a cliche summer blockbuster in almost every way possible, including the ending.
While it's not a bad graphic novel, don't expect the usual Christopher Moore awesomeness. Picture Independence Day or a similar summer blockbuster, substitute griffins for aliens, throw in Christopher Moore dialogue until it annoys the crap out of you, and you'll have The Griff.
The Griff is a graphic novel based on a movie script Christopher Moore worked on with Ian Corson in order to get out of working on one of his other novels. True story. Says so in the introduction. The story is your standard Hollywood apocalyptic disaster movie, only with griffons flying around attacking people.
The two groups of survivors are a mixed bag. You've got Curt, the wannabe soldier, Steve, the skateboard riding slacker, and Mo, video game designer and hot punk chick in one group and Liz, the animal trainer from Ocean World and Oscar, fur-suited theme park worker in the other. Just by the male-female composition of the groups and the fact that this was written to be a movie in mind, you know there's going to be some sexual tension and/or two people hooking up. Crap, I'm getting venomous before I mean to.
Before I vent a bit on reasons why I couldn't rate this higher than I did, I'd like to mention that the art was good and I liked the revelation behind the origins of the Griffs and I also liked a certain bit with Liz at the end that I won't mention because I don't want to spoil it.
And now, here's what I didn't like about it. I love Christopher Moore's novels. Since this was based on a movie script, the only thing that's obviously Moore-written is the dialogue. The problem is that everyone talks almost exactly the same way. 90% of the dialogue is completely interchangeable between characters. It feels like a cliche summer blockbuster in almost every way possible, including the ending.
While it's not a bad graphic novel, don't expect the usual Christopher Moore awesomeness. Picture Independence Day or a similar summer blockbuster, substitute griffins for aliens, throw in Christopher Moore dialogue until it annoys the crap out of you, and you'll have The Griff.
May 18, 2019
I love Christopher Moore and I only found out that this existed a few months ago. I had to give this a read. The art and graphics were well done and some of the panels didn't give enough information so that some transitions took some time to figure out what happened. There wasn't enough for the transitions to make sense some of the time.
The story is rather funny. Dragons basically come from space and take over the world. They come in huge hoards and kill everyone around. It's scary, but of course a few people have made it and live on. Our characters are in NYC and decide to head south to Florida where a huge space ship has recently blown up down there. Who did it, they are curious?
I love the twist at the end. It works out very well. It's not the same dialogue and humor as a Christopher Moore novel, but you can still feel the humor to a degree. I think he just needs to do another graphic novel and it will be better now that he has done it.
It was an interesting concept. We are not prepared for living animals coming from space to attack us. I did wonder how they made it through space. Being an animal they would have to breath something. I thought this was a nice twist on alien invasions. It's certainly unique.
The story is rather funny. Dragons basically come from space and take over the world. They come in huge hoards and kill everyone around. It's scary, but of course a few people have made it and live on. Our characters are in NYC and decide to head south to Florida where a huge space ship has recently blown up down there. Who did it, they are curious?
I love the twist at the end. It works out very well. It's not the same dialogue and humor as a Christopher Moore novel, but you can still feel the humor to a degree. I think he just needs to do another graphic novel and it will be better now that he has done it.
It was an interesting concept. We are not prepared for living animals coming from space to attack us. I did wonder how they made it through space. Being an animal they would have to breath something. I thought this was a nice twist on alien invasions. It's certainly unique.
March 21, 2014
Having just come off reading (okay, listening to - but it was unabridged) Moore's "Fool" - I was in the mood for more of his manic, madcap voice.
I'm also a graphic novel junkie, and will give most stories a good benefit of the doubt if they're accompanied by serial artwork - it's two creative minds for the price of one!
So, this was disappointing.
The story was flat. I appreciated the set up, though. The world is invaded and destroyed by the dragon-like "Griff", which is done well enough - if not a little rushed. In fact, the whole story felt rushed. It's like Moore figured if he was doing a graphic novel, it would just have to be the one and then done. So we get what, in the Marvel / DC world, a six month story arc crammed into one issue.
He does himself a service by relating the end of the world by limiting his characters to two sets of young people: (Loser guy + hot girl) x2, carry the wannabe.
The dialogue, as has been noted, is fairly generic and feels like all the catchphrases of Moore's novel protagonists crammed into four characters. If the bubbles weren't stuck to the right character's head, you'd have to guess who was saying what - there's nothing in the tone to tip you off. And what the hell is with Moore and the word "fucksocks?"
Also, I'm going to be in a minority here, but I found the artwork to be kind of insulting - especially Mo, who in her setup is a smart, witty video game designer, is drawn like a thirteen year-old's vision of a "bad girl", and some of the pin-up poses and panty shots (not to mention the nearly full-on orgasm she gets from touching a big gun) are just gratuitous. The male characters remind me of "Poochy" from the Simpsons - a focus-group "cool kid".
I'd recommend Moore fans stick to his books.
(But I REALLY wanted to like this. Boo.)
I'm also a graphic novel junkie, and will give most stories a good benefit of the doubt if they're accompanied by serial artwork - it's two creative minds for the price of one!
So, this was disappointing.
The story was flat. I appreciated the set up, though. The world is invaded and destroyed by the dragon-like "Griff", which is done well enough - if not a little rushed. In fact, the whole story felt rushed. It's like Moore figured if he was doing a graphic novel, it would just have to be the one and then done. So we get what, in the Marvel / DC world, a six month story arc crammed into one issue.
He does himself a service by relating the end of the world by limiting his characters to two sets of young people: (Loser guy + hot girl) x2, carry the wannabe.
The dialogue, as has been noted, is fairly generic and feels like all the catchphrases of Moore's novel protagonists crammed into four characters. If the bubbles weren't stuck to the right character's head, you'd have to guess who was saying what - there's nothing in the tone to tip you off. And what the hell is with Moore and the word "fucksocks?"
Also, I'm going to be in a minority here, but I found the artwork to be kind of insulting - especially Mo, who in her setup is a smart, witty video game designer, is drawn like a thirteen year-old's vision of a "bad girl", and some of the pin-up poses and panty shots (not to mention the nearly full-on orgasm she gets from touching a big gun) are just gratuitous. The male characters remind me of "Poochy" from the Simpsons - a focus-group "cool kid".
I'd recommend Moore fans stick to his books.
(But I REALLY wanted to like this. Boo.)
June 5, 2021
Space Dragons vs the People of Earth.
The only really disappointing part is that there haven't been sequels.
The only really disappointing part is that there haven't been sequels.
May 30, 2012
I'm a big fan of Christopher Moore's stuff, bordering on being a huge fan, really.....
So I was really looking forward to this graphic novel. But while I liked it well enough, it didn't really have the same sparkle and cleverness so many of his other books show. It didn't piss me off or anything, it was a perfectly adiquite story. But neither did it really thrill me.
So I was really looking forward to this graphic novel. But while I liked it well enough, it didn't really have the same sparkle and cleverness so many of his other books show. It didn't piss me off or anything, it was a perfectly adiquite story. But neither did it really thrill me.
February 13, 2014
Cool drawings, but it says a lot for my love of Christopher Moore that his introduction was kind of my favorite part. The story, for some reason, reminded me a lot of Deep Blue Sea (which is one of those movies that is always on TNT or USA or whatever at 2pm on Sunday afternoons).
July 26, 2011
I pre-ordered this book for two reasons: 1) Christopher Moore is awesome, and I want to see how his humor and style translate to the graphic novel medium, and 2) I love graphic novels, and I want to see how they translate to the digital medium of the Kindle. So, lots of medium changing coming in late July.
As for 1), all I can say is wow. It was funny without being too farcical, with great characters and dialogue (which is what I've come to expect from Christopher Moore), and it was beautifully illustrated. It was originally written as a movie script, and I hope someday it is made, as it could be a great movie.
My only complaint is with 2), as it was difficult to read on the Kindle format. It would have been impossible on the Kindle device, but I assumed as much, as it's a color comic. But even on the Kindle PC app, it was difficult to read some of the dialogue. My recommendation is to go with hard-copies of graphic novels until a better digital solution emerges.
As for 1), all I can say is wow. It was funny without being too farcical, with great characters and dialogue (which is what I've come to expect from Christopher Moore), and it was beautifully illustrated. It was originally written as a movie script, and I hope someday it is made, as it could be a great movie.
My only complaint is with 2), as it was difficult to read on the Kindle format. It would have been impossible on the Kindle device, but I assumed as much, as it's a color comic. But even on the Kindle PC app, it was difficult to read some of the dialogue. My recommendation is to go with hard-copies of graphic novels until a better digital solution emerges.
March 27, 2012
I disagree with Moore saying he thought this was better as a graphic novel. Heck if he thought something needed a picture, he could of put it in the novel.
The world getting taken over by Griffs is better sounding right now instead of a plague or zombies. Christopher Moore should of made this a novel.
Overall I say the artist did some good artwork. And still had the funny Moore character background but just to short. Mo was a sexy looking piece of artwork as well
The world getting taken over by Griffs is better sounding right now instead of a plague or zombies. Christopher Moore should of made this a novel.
Overall I say the artist did some good artwork. And still had the funny Moore character background but just to short. Mo was a sexy looking piece of artwork as well
October 24, 2011
Christopher Moore, the American answer to Terry Pratchett, takes the graphic novel out for a test drive and fails miserably. Moore has absolutely no idea how to script a comic book, and absolutely no idea how to transition from one page to another or one period of time to another. The book reads like a poorly made video game introduction rather than a memorable comic.
January 23, 2016
Hmmm... I was expecting more. I'm a huge fan of Christopher Moore's work but I guess because it's co-written by Ian Corson it doesn't have the same feel. Kind of disappointed because the foreword was great, I felt like Moore was talking to me, but that's where it seems to stop until someone says "fucksocks".
August 31, 2011
It was fun. I could certainly see it as a movie script, which is what the authors originally intended, and I think it was a fun attempt as a first graphic novel for Moore. (I'm glad he did his own thing and didn't get pulled into an established franchise, that would have been a mistake.) I don't think he quite got the technique of differentiating the different voices, they did all kind of sound alike to me, without the visual clues I would have been pretty lost except for Mo. Pretty much everyone will fall in love with funny, smart, vulnerable and gutsy Mo, except for feminists maybe; although she certainly is extremely intelligent and empowered, she's also very graphic-novel-heroine-sexy-frequently-almost-naked. But the women in the book are both extremely capable and strong, and the tough guy had some hidden depths, so it was nice that the story had some levels despite the shortness. It still seemed shorter somehow than some other graphic novels that I've read, but I'm not sure why. I think it may actually be because it actually it seems to be complete and not be just be an episode like many that I've read, so somehow that makes it feel smaller. It just seemed like it ended a lot sooner that I expected it to. Maybe he just didn't have the knack of writing this format yet, but it felt abrupt.
The art is great. It was nice reading something that wasn't an adaption for once, so I could just enjoy the characters and scenes for what they were and not compare them to something I'd already imagined. But if someone does make a movie of this, some actress is going to have a hard time living up to this sexy, charming, bright version of Mo, she's definitely the star of the book. The Griffs take a back seat to her.
Is it worth $23? I don't pay that for anything these days, but I'm lucky to have a terrific library system. I'd say that it's not your best bet, the story isn't that rich. If you're a super Moore fan you'll probably be disappointed because his trademark humor isn't really here that much. And if you're a big graphic novel fan, from reading other reviews this doesn't seem to the best example of the format. But read the reviews, see what you think.
The art is great. It was nice reading something that wasn't an adaption for once, so I could just enjoy the characters and scenes for what they were and not compare them to something I'd already imagined. But if someone does make a movie of this, some actress is going to have a hard time living up to this sexy, charming, bright version of Mo, she's definitely the star of the book. The Griffs take a back seat to her.
Is it worth $23? I don't pay that for anything these days, but I'm lucky to have a terrific library system. I'd say that it's not your best bet, the story isn't that rich. If you're a super Moore fan you'll probably be disappointed because his trademark humor isn't really here that much. And if you're a big graphic novel fan, from reading other reviews this doesn't seem to the best example of the format. But read the reviews, see what you think.
September 29, 2011
As Costner has his "Waterworld", so too does Moore have his "Griff". (To be fair, I've never made it all the way through "Waterworld"- maybe it turns out to be an awesome movie towards the end...). I adore Christopher Moore, but this book was a bore. (hee hee) I don't actually pick up many, er almost any, graphic novels so I don't have much of a base for comparison. I just couldn't get into the story and I felt confused about what was going on when the storyline kept switching back and forth between two different sets of main characters. It's not that I can't do the literary multi-tasking thing, but it just happened so darn quickly and often that I got a little annoyed. Granted, I did giggle a few times. But that's because Moore is an entertainment superstar of the Elton John variety- it's best not to listen to him on a continual basis, but there's very little else that can compare with the random occurrence of "Bennie and the Jets". It's smashingly good in small doses.
And as Moore wrote in the foreword, "I should probably say up front that this is a little different than one of my books, but if you are confused, here's a good guide to go by: If you like what you're reading, I probably wrote it, but if you don't, then Ian probably wrote it. If you like the art, then it's all Jennyson Rosero, but if you don't like it, that is not any of our faults because people are douche bags. Many people. Not all. But you know, most. Which is why we destroyed the world. Have fun."
And as Moore wrote in the foreword, "I should probably say up front that this is a little different than one of my books, but if you are confused, here's a good guide to go by: If you like what you're reading, I probably wrote it, but if you don't, then Ian probably wrote it. If you like the art, then it's all Jennyson Rosero, but if you don't like it, that is not any of our faults because people are douche bags. Many people. Not all. But you know, most. Which is why we destroyed the world. Have fun."
June 1, 2016
I love Christopher Moore as a novelist, so I was eager to check out his sole graphic novel, knowing that it would be drastically different from what he normally writes.
Which is completely true, as this graphic novel is terrible.
The characters have all the depth of cardboard cutouts; not-so witty dialogue abounds instead of anything that can possibly build the reader's relationship with our heroes. And somehow, despite not having any experience with such things, they can pilot a submarine and use military-grade explosives and weapons. Because of video games, I guess?
The story is disjointed and choppy - it almost feels like numerous panels were removed for the sake of brevity. Are we saving trees and sacrificing a clear understanding of what is happening here as a result? One can only guess.
Ignoring Moore's novels and taking this on it's own merit... well, it doesn't really have any, to be honest. Avoid.
Which is completely true, as this graphic novel is terrible.
The characters have all the depth of cardboard cutouts; not-so witty dialogue abounds instead of anything that can possibly build the reader's relationship with our heroes. And somehow, despite not having any experience with such things, they can pilot a submarine and use military-grade explosives and weapons. Because of video games, I guess?
The story is disjointed and choppy - it almost feels like numerous panels were removed for the sake of brevity. Are we saving trees and sacrificing a clear understanding of what is happening here as a result? One can only guess.
Ignoring Moore's novels and taking this on it's own merit... well, it doesn't really have any, to be honest. Avoid.
July 25, 2011
While the story was very entertaining (it's Christopher Moore... how can it not be?)... it was VERY choppy. From one page to the next five weeks had gone by and the reader didn't know about it until a character finally bothered to mention it. It was also very visual with not a lot of dialogue, which I kinda wasn't fond of (I LOVE Chris Moore, so I just wish there could've been more of HIM in there). I know this is a "graphic novel", but a lot of other graphic novels I read (ie: the "Fables" series by Bill Willingham) have plenty of dialogue to move the story along so that both avid readers and avid graphic novel enthusiasts can both enjoy it. This would make a TERRIFIC movie.
August 10, 2011
...and now for something completely different, try the new adult graphic novel by Christopher Moore. Author usually writes witty man against supernaturals, sometimes set on the west coast but this one is set on the east coast as a few hardy misfits try to take down the Griffin type monsters who are eating their way through the planet Earth. This one was so much fun that I read it twice. Artwork is outstanding and author's toss away one-liners will make you laugh outloud...but you need a warped sense of humor and love of bad language.
March 29, 2015
Alien invasion, 6 billion people dead from invading griffins - what's not to like?
And I did enjoy this graphic novel because of the plot idea but I didn't love it. It would have made a fantastic 600 page novel but that just wasn't enough room to fully explore the idea in one graphic novel so I was left wanting. Wanting more story, more answers, more depth.
So I'd say it was average - got it from the library so it didn't cost me anything and it was a fun way to spend an hour on a Saturday night.
And I did enjoy this graphic novel because of the plot idea but I didn't love it. It would have made a fantastic 600 page novel but that just wasn't enough room to fully explore the idea in one graphic novel so I was left wanting. Wanting more story, more answers, more depth.
So I'd say it was average - got it from the library so it didn't cost me anything and it was a fun way to spend an hour on a Saturday night.
March 19, 2012
Meh. This was okay, I guess. I'm not a big fan of either graphic novels or science fiction and only read this book because it was co-written by Christopher Moore, author of some excruciatingly funny books that I just love. But this book was neither funny enough nor scary enough to satisfy me. I probably would have appreciated it more if I were into graphic novels and books about alien invasions.
April 15, 2014
Stefon Uwaezuoke
The Griff Review
This Graphic novel, The Griff by Christopher Moore, would be enjoyed by a person that enjoys action and adventure books because this book appeals to a sense of fiction and has many aspects that normal action novels have like explosions, guns, monsters, attacks on the human race, etc. If you like to read mystery or love books, then this is will not be very appealing to you.
The story is humorous and action packed although the characters are generally light minded about the situation at hand, and there isn’t much to distinguish them from original graphic novel characters except for their unique personalities and back stories. Other than that the storyline is not very original or special considering that there are many other novels based on aliens and other creature invading Earth.
The art in this novel done by Ian Corson is very well depicted throughout the story. He uses stunning and bold colors which set each character apart from each other and also help assert the story that the author is trying to present. Corson’s artwork depicted the invaders extremely well and positively affected Moore’s book.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre because the plot is, although unoriginal, executed by the characters in a high quality and very enjoyable fashion. The Griff is an excellent graphic novel with a strong storyline, vivid artwork, and amazing development and execution.
The Griff Review
This Graphic novel, The Griff by Christopher Moore, would be enjoyed by a person that enjoys action and adventure books because this book appeals to a sense of fiction and has many aspects that normal action novels have like explosions, guns, monsters, attacks on the human race, etc. If you like to read mystery or love books, then this is will not be very appealing to you.
The story is humorous and action packed although the characters are generally light minded about the situation at hand, and there isn’t much to distinguish them from original graphic novel characters except for their unique personalities and back stories. Other than that the storyline is not very original or special considering that there are many other novels based on aliens and other creature invading Earth.
The art in this novel done by Ian Corson is very well depicted throughout the story. He uses stunning and bold colors which set each character apart from each other and also help assert the story that the author is trying to present. Corson’s artwork depicted the invaders extremely well and positively affected Moore’s book.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre because the plot is, although unoriginal, executed by the characters in a high quality and very enjoyable fashion. The Griff is an excellent graphic novel with a strong storyline, vivid artwork, and amazing development and execution.
December 12, 2014
This is a graphic novel based on a screenplay so it is a very quick read. Basically PG except one F word and no nudity (the hot babes are always strategically covered--although somewhat provocatively dressed.) Christopher Moore is best know for his humorous novels, but this one has only one or two funny lines of dialogue. The art work is well done and fans of graphic novels will not be disappointed in the quality.
The story would make a good movie, though the authors were convinced it'd never get made so they turned it into a graphic novel. Aliens that look exactly like giant dragons attack earth and wipe out all but a few survivors, a crew on a sub, a private in a tank, and our main heroes: a skateboard nerd, computer game designer, and an ex-military perfume salesman from Macy's, all from NY and an whale trainer and amusement park cast member in FL. When the alien mother ship crashes in FL the New Yorkers head south and teem up.
It's a short book and if I reveal anymore I'll give the story away. If Sci-Fi aliens, dragons and graphic novels are to you taste, you may enjoy this one.
The story would make a good movie, though the authors were convinced it'd never get made so they turned it into a graphic novel. Aliens that look exactly like giant dragons attack earth and wipe out all but a few survivors, a crew on a sub, a private in a tank, and our main heroes: a skateboard nerd, computer game designer, and an ex-military perfume salesman from Macy's, all from NY and an whale trainer and amusement park cast member in FL. When the alien mother ship crashes in FL the New Yorkers head south and teem up.
It's a short book and if I reveal anymore I'll give the story away. If Sci-Fi aliens, dragons and graphic novels are to you taste, you may enjoy this one.
August 24, 2011
It wasn't bad, but I was expecting much more laugh out humor given the Christoper Moore was listed as the main author. I could see this a summer blockbuster over the top Michael Bay sort of movie though.
May 10, 2021
DON'T BUY ON KINDLE! Not even formatted for kindle or digital reading?
Man I love me some Christopher Moore. Possibly a bit too unhealthily. I also love some graphic novels.. So I bought this to read on my kindle.. My ten inch Amazon fire tablet that lets you read comics at almost a full sized page print edition in beautiful color.
I know I bought the kindle version because I hit the button that says kindle version and it showed up on my kindle tablet. WHY IN GODS NAME WOULD YOU NOT FORMAT IT FOR KINDLE LIKE EVERY OTHER GRAPHIC NOVEL IN THE HISTORY OF DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVELS?!?? Its literally unreadable. I'm supposed to zoom in from frame to frame and read the ridiculously miniscule print then unzoom from the frame and try to get it to swipe to the next page only to realize I'm still zoomed in and still can't read the type on my massive kindle screen.. If you're not going to make a readable version then for gods sake don't sell it as readable kindle version. Guess I'll ooh and ahh at the pics and make up my own dialogue as I go....
Man I love me some Christopher Moore. Possibly a bit too unhealthily. I also love some graphic novels.. So I bought this to read on my kindle.. My ten inch Amazon fire tablet that lets you read comics at almost a full sized page print edition in beautiful color.
I know I bought the kindle version because I hit the button that says kindle version and it showed up on my kindle tablet. WHY IN GODS NAME WOULD YOU NOT FORMAT IT FOR KINDLE LIKE EVERY OTHER GRAPHIC NOVEL IN THE HISTORY OF DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVELS?!?? Its literally unreadable. I'm supposed to zoom in from frame to frame and read the ridiculously miniscule print then unzoom from the frame and try to get it to swipe to the next page only to realize I'm still zoomed in and still can't read the type on my massive kindle screen.. If you're not going to make a readable version then for gods sake don't sell it as readable kindle version. Guess I'll ooh and ahh at the pics and make up my own dialogue as I go....
October 1, 2024
Not what I would expect from Christopher Moore, but at least it only took 30 minutes to read.
September 3, 2018
This is a very strong 3.5, but I ain't rounding it up, and I'll tell you why.
Moore mentions in the foreword how this story was really more of a fun collaboration between him and Ian Corson. How the story itself was more visual when he thought of it so it wouldn't work as a novel [what with the writing style Moore has] and Corson admits that as a movie it probably wouldn't get made [and cost way too much to make] but it would be something fun to write, so they did.
Now I gotta admit, most of the time when I read a book by Moore I see the scenes as comic book pages in my head, because to me, he has that sort of writing style where stuff feels like it should be in a comic. You just gotta match the story to the proper art style and you'll have something great. This story definitely belongs in a comic medium, but it could have been better. I'm also sort of judging it on the fact that it was a movie script first which got turned into a comic, and I feel this greatly affected how it was made.
First of all, films can have any number of transitions between scenes, and they can be really quick, especially in action films [like this was supposed to be]. Unfortunately, a quick back and forth between 2 different settings with different characters can be done quickly and make sense. But in a comic you need proper transitions between scenes or that shift can be very confusing for a reader. I'm not saying I didn't understand that a scene was changing, I'm saying that when you're reading a comic you need a fluid transition to help keep you immersed in the story. If it's almost a full page of one scene and then suddenly a panel leads to a different scene and a different character it's gunna be a little jarring, and can easily push you out of being immersed in the book. Which is what happened several times during Griff. As a movie the quick scene changes with lack of obvious transitions you could have gotten away with, but not in the book.
Secondly, movies have to move quicker, they've got like 2 hours [maybe] to get a full story out to you, it's not ok but more understandable if the characterization in a film is a little more implied than shown. But with a comic that's roughly 200 pages I expect a little more in the character department. You can actually round the characters out, make them feel like real people; and there were some attempts made; moments of emotional bonding and coming together. But at the end they still felt like the same cookie cutter characters we met at the beginning of the story, goofy skateboard dude, hot video-game gun chick, animal lady, army guy, like yeah I know more about them, but they don't actually feel like people to me [and I know yer sitting there all "But they ain't people tho", well shut up, I know that, but I could at least feel like they're trying to be real people. I've read plenty of comics where my brain went this feels like a well rounded human, and it's a drawing on a page, so it is possible].
Thirdly, and this is my complaint with any movie based graphic novel adaptation [and I feel like it applies even if the film didn't get made], the story felt very rushed and it was more like a summary of what happened than actually being involved on the journey. Once again, you can get away with this if your movie characters are rushing form place to place, and the switching between scenes is more to hide how much time has passed as they make their way to the target zone. The audience knows time has passed, even if we don't know how much [though if we're heading to Florida from New York [even with submarine and tank] it's still gunna take a long while [something along the lines of 2 months if you can mostly move by night]. A movie can make this feel like no time at all. But a comic can really stretch it out, make you feel those 2 months, build the characters during that time, build the plot up [though Moore really admits to there not being a plot, which also affects how immersive the story can be] get people more invested in the story they're reading. Cause while I found it fun, I probably won't think too much about it, I might not even remember what it's about a week from now, and it's honestly cause it didn't give me much, even in the terms of action and thrilling scenes they were over really quick, and a few weren't really clear on how shit was going down.
It was good, but felt rushed and a little empty [due to no real solid plot going down], and I feel like we really could have done more with it and had it be awesome. But if you're looking for just a quick story about aliens and attacking giant monsters to save the world, this is probably up your alley. And Moore if you wanna do anymore comics, hit me up.
Moore mentions in the foreword how this story was really more of a fun collaboration between him and Ian Corson. How the story itself was more visual when he thought of it so it wouldn't work as a novel [what with the writing style Moore has] and Corson admits that as a movie it probably wouldn't get made [and cost way too much to make] but it would be something fun to write, so they did.
Now I gotta admit, most of the time when I read a book by Moore I see the scenes as comic book pages in my head, because to me, he has that sort of writing style where stuff feels like it should be in a comic. You just gotta match the story to the proper art style and you'll have something great. This story definitely belongs in a comic medium, but it could have been better. I'm also sort of judging it on the fact that it was a movie script first which got turned into a comic, and I feel this greatly affected how it was made.
First of all, films can have any number of transitions between scenes, and they can be really quick, especially in action films [like this was supposed to be]. Unfortunately, a quick back and forth between 2 different settings with different characters can be done quickly and make sense. But in a comic you need proper transitions between scenes or that shift can be very confusing for a reader. I'm not saying I didn't understand that a scene was changing, I'm saying that when you're reading a comic you need a fluid transition to help keep you immersed in the story. If it's almost a full page of one scene and then suddenly a panel leads to a different scene and a different character it's gunna be a little jarring, and can easily push you out of being immersed in the book. Which is what happened several times during Griff. As a movie the quick scene changes with lack of obvious transitions you could have gotten away with, but not in the book.
Secondly, movies have to move quicker, they've got like 2 hours [maybe] to get a full story out to you, it's not ok but more understandable if the characterization in a film is a little more implied than shown. But with a comic that's roughly 200 pages I expect a little more in the character department. You can actually round the characters out, make them feel like real people; and there were some attempts made; moments of emotional bonding and coming together. But at the end they still felt like the same cookie cutter characters we met at the beginning of the story, goofy skateboard dude, hot video-game gun chick, animal lady, army guy, like yeah I know more about them, but they don't actually feel like people to me [and I know yer sitting there all "But they ain't people tho", well shut up, I know that, but I could at least feel like they're trying to be real people. I've read plenty of comics where my brain went this feels like a well rounded human, and it's a drawing on a page, so it is possible].
Thirdly, and this is my complaint with any movie based graphic novel adaptation [and I feel like it applies even if the film didn't get made], the story felt very rushed and it was more like a summary of what happened than actually being involved on the journey. Once again, you can get away with this if your movie characters are rushing form place to place, and the switching between scenes is more to hide how much time has passed as they make their way to the target zone. The audience knows time has passed, even if we don't know how much [though if we're heading to Florida from New York [even with submarine and tank] it's still gunna take a long while [something along the lines of 2 months if you can mostly move by night]. A movie can make this feel like no time at all. But a comic can really stretch it out, make you feel those 2 months, build the characters during that time, build the plot up [though Moore really admits to there not being a plot, which also affects how immersive the story can be] get people more invested in the story they're reading. Cause while I found it fun, I probably won't think too much about it, I might not even remember what it's about a week from now, and it's honestly cause it didn't give me much, even in the terms of action and thrilling scenes they were over really quick, and a few weren't really clear on how shit was going down.
It was good, but felt rushed and a little empty [due to no real solid plot going down], and I feel like we really could have done more with it and had it be awesome. But if you're looking for just a quick story about aliens and attacking giant monsters to save the world, this is probably up your alley. And Moore if you wanna do anymore comics, hit me up.
February 13, 2016
Writer Christopher Moore and artist Ian Corson come together to blend their talents for a half-assed alien invasion tale in The Griff. A rushed introduction sets up the premise: Earth has been invaded by dragon-like creatures. With the majority of the planet's populace deceased, readers are introduced to a New York City survivor named Steve. A stereotypical skateboarding kid, his daylight food run leads him to encounter stereotypical fanboy-fantasy geek girl game designer Mo. They are both saved from becoming dinner by wanna-be solider Curt, and opt to head for Florida where one of the alien ships that brought the Griff has been downed. In the odd side plot, marine animal trainer Liz and costumed mascot Oscar team up to keep both themselves and the animals alive. Due to an unfortunate accident, Oscar is killed and Liz finds herself the imprinted mother for a nest of newborn Griff. Naturally our groups meet, enter the crashed spaceship, and determine that yes, little grey aliens are indeed behind the whole mess. The book concludes with the team blowing up the craft and enjoying life on a small island off the Florida coast - until a new signal beacon is activated. Christopher Moore's attempt to add artistic visuals to his inane plots sadly falls flat in every aspect. His characters are uninteresting shells of typical invasion movie leads, the convoluted plot is riddled with unanswered questions and random circumstance, and the unoriginal premise makes readers long for the next Independence Day film instead of a great book. Artist Ian Corson does provide some excellent visuals, but only when it comes to splash pages and character designs. The panels of action are often dark and muddled, muddying up linear story progressions. The Griff is just grimy.
January 18, 2015
There are some Christopher Moore books I've really enjoyed, and some that I've been "meh" about. I was intrigued by the idea of a graphic novel from the guy who created one of the more interesting vampire stories I'd read in a while. Unfortunately, this story did not live up to my expectations.
The foreword explains that this story came from a script that was supposed to be filmed. I can't even imagine how that would have gone - in theory, a graphic novel can be as long as you want it to be, and a movie is constrained by time limits; and yet this graphic novel feels like it's missing large chunks of story throughout.
I was also astonished that the artist seems to be a woman, because the women in this book are drawn like pinups, and they are dressed in the least-practical clothes I've seen outside of a male-drawn super hero comic book. As a male, I am not complaining - it was great eye candy - but it surprises me that a female artist would be just as sexist as a male artist.
In short, this is not the pinnacle of graphic novels. I wouldn't even call it a decent execution of the form. And the plot is loose, at best.
The foreword explains that this story came from a script that was supposed to be filmed. I can't even imagine how that would have gone - in theory, a graphic novel can be as long as you want it to be, and a movie is constrained by time limits; and yet this graphic novel feels like it's missing large chunks of story throughout.
I was also astonished that the artist seems to be a woman, because the women in this book are drawn like pinups, and they are dressed in the least-practical clothes I've seen outside of a male-drawn super hero comic book. As a male, I am not complaining - it was great eye candy - but it surprises me that a female artist would be just as sexist as a male artist.
In short, this is not the pinnacle of graphic novels. I wouldn't even call it a decent execution of the form. And the plot is loose, at best.
March 14, 2017
I read this story because I like most of Christopher Moore's work. Well, his early work. This story is just really confusing. Yes, I get the main point. Survivors of an alien attack are trying to get to Florida and find out why the alien spaceship has gone down, all the while avoiding monsters that are somewhat like Griffins. Thus, the name The Griff.
What messed me up was the way the story jumped around. One minute we're in New York doing one thing, then we're in Flordia with a second group doing something different, then back to New York but the story is missing parts.... confused.
All in all, it was worth reading once, and are artwork is great, but it's not Mr. Moore's best story.
What messed me up was the way the story jumped around. One minute we're in New York doing one thing, then we're in Flordia with a second group doing something different, then back to New York but the story is missing parts.... confused.
All in all, it was worth reading once, and are artwork is great, but it's not Mr. Moore's best story.
December 7, 2018
Dragons from space attack. Terror ensues. Survival ensues (barely).
This is an easy read, even for a comic book. The main author, Christopher Moore, wrote a book called Lamb, which I adored, so once I realized it was the same guy, I was highly interested. This story was developed around the same time he was writing Lamb, but I'm not sure why I'm relating that. Back to The Griff.
It's an entertaining read with several sympathetic characters. Utter horror is displayed in a two-panel section -- very effective. The art was acceptable, though several times I had to work really hard to figure out what I was looking at, only to give up when I could only figure hallucination. It was mostly good, but not always.
I give a solid 3.5, so round to 4.
This is an easy read, even for a comic book. The main author, Christopher Moore, wrote a book called Lamb, which I adored, so once I realized it was the same guy, I was highly interested. This story was developed around the same time he was writing Lamb, but I'm not sure why I'm relating that. Back to The Griff.
It's an entertaining read with several sympathetic characters. Utter horror is displayed in a two-panel section -- very effective. The art was acceptable, though several times I had to work really hard to figure out what I was looking at, only to give up when I could only figure hallucination. It was mostly good, but not always.
I give a solid 3.5, so round to 4.
November 3, 2013
I am not a fan of graphic novels and this one has not changed my status. I picked it up because of the author hoping for some of his magic with stories to be able to combine with some art work and make a better novel. I was disappointed. While the art work is well done, the story is so disjointed, I was often left wondering what just happened.
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