Cover Image: The Man Who Invented The World

The Man Who Invented The World

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I really liked this graphic novel. The artwork was amazing but felt like there was a tad to much text so it did take away from the art.

Was this review helpful?

Brimming with potential, this graphic novel fails to deliver on any of it. The story hints at a fascinating world which remains on the periphery. It’s an exciting universe of space navigators. An unstoppable foe is on the edge of the solar system and quickly closing in. An unimaginable power lurks right under everyone's noses. The novel is just far too quick and neglects to do anything of real consequence or interest. Revelations later on come from nowhere and aren't really explored in any depth. Let's not go into multiple scenes of female nudity which serve no purpose whatsoever. It's a quick read which won't stick with you very long.

Was this review helpful?

This story feels like a thriller. At its heart is a mystery, Capt. John Bowman is the sole survivor of an exploratory space mission and has returned having to endure terrible nightmares. As the story progresses we learn that he has acquired powers, which have far reaching consequences for himself and the world he inhabits.

This story is disturbing in a subtle, controlled way. The artwork is restrained and the text sparse. I felt emotionally connected to the story, yet removed from it simultaneously. The characters are lost/confused/troubled and set against a backdrop of war, there is an overriding air of pessimism throughout. It's an interesting read, not what I expected but satisfying nevertheless.

Was this review helpful?

Big thanks to NetGalley and Europe comics for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

I liked this graphic novel, but I didn't love it. Illustrations and art was truly beautiful, but there were a bit too much text in most of the pages, I personally prefer a bit less text, but then longer book in pages. The story itself didn't impress me as much, it was too easy. Easy I mean talking about the powers and the "war" ending.

There is one thing triggering me is that, why can we show naked women's upper body, but never show any private parts of men. It. may not look like a big deal, but it's something to think about. The nudity parts were really not necessary.

I don't want to sound rude or anything, but just giving my honest review. It felt like it was written by a men, the characters were bit boring and really basic, in my opinion.

Was this review helpful?

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

Returning from his near death mission as the only survivor, Navigator Captain John Bowman is sent on vacation where he meets Lieutenant Charlie.

The pair take the risk of escaping from the vacation island despite being watched by the army and government

They explore the town and John and Charlie experience feelings for each other
But John is having nightmares and his doing things a regular Navigator shouldn't be doing

He's given the choice of ending the war by destroying the enemy's ship. Captain John Bowman with his new power finds himself inventing a new world

This comic has beautiful panels with captivating colours and graphics

Was this review helpful?

The illustrations were good but I feel there was too much going on in the story to actually enjoy. It seems like there was some need of editing at points.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley & Europe Comics for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Navigator Captain John Bowman suffers terrible nightmares after his most recent mission, of which only he returned. He is on a much deserved vacation on Dak 3, when one day a neighbor arrives in the form of Lieutenant Charlene Barrymore, and the story really begins. Androids, aliens, psychological themes, it had great basics to draw on.

I really liked the illustrations, the characters were very lifelike and the space scenes were superb. The main story was interesting, but I think it would work better as a short movie, with a more diverse cast, less unnecessary nudity and a bit of editing here and there. I liked that we got to hear Barrymore's thoughts, but it would have been nice to hear Bowman's too in some scenes.

Overall, 'The Man Who Invented the World' has an interesting backstory, unfortunately doesn't live up to its potential, might still worth a read for hardcore sci-fi fans.

#EuropeComics #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Wooh this book was BAD - I have never in my life read a book before that was so OBVIOUSLY written by a man. The bad (not even lack of just BAD) representation had me rolling my eyes but then pair it with the unrealistic writing and plot. Clearly I was not the target audience, I struggled to get to the 50% mark and the graphic novel only has 80 pages.

Maybe the idea was a good one, but I was so wrapped up in how much the author projected himself into the main character to notice.

And then the only nudity being our main female - multiple times?! Like our main dude has to undergo testing too but oh no he gets to wear PANTS. No to mention all of the POC being android slaves. NICE touch.

I wasn't even a fan of the art style. I wouldn't say it was bad, it just felt stiff to me. I think it could have worked if they story has been better - but for my personal taste it wasn't a hit.

No I cannot recommend this - just stay clear.

Thanks to Netgalley and Europe Comics for giving me a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This sci- fi graphic comics was very interesting to read and kept me hooked from the start. Some of the scenes were unnecessary and the characters could have been more diverse. The concept is neat, the illustrations perfect.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house to grant me the request, it's much appreciated.

Was this review helpful?

I didn't finish The Man Who Invented the World as I found the story difficult to get into. I don't think it was a good introduction to the characters or the story. I really struggled through it, and so I ended up putting it down and I don't think I'll be picking it up again. The art style was good, but not good enough to really stand out or to keep me invested.

Was this review helpful?

I am a big fan of the works of Philip K. Dick – his mind-bending takes on science fiction have influenced countless stories and reshaped how many look at what the future could be like. More often than not Dick wrote about worlds within worlds, real life vs a forced fantasy to placate and control, even to subjugate. No, The Man Who Invented The World is not a story by PKD, but I am speaking about him because this graphic novel is astonishingly close to his style, and is one of the few works that pulls those sort of themes off pretty well. It’s all self-contained and damn near a perfect science fiction story, at least in my opinion. Heavy praise, I’m aware, but I wasn’t expecting to like this so much.

“What do we really know about the nature of the universe, and about what is hidden in the dark depths of space? Navigator Captain John Bowman is the sole survivor of an exploratory mission to the far reaches of the cosmos. Upon his return, he is plagued by terrible nightmares… but also endowed with an extraordinary power. A power capable of destroying our world… or perhaps reshaping it?”

When everyone faces almost certain destruction at the hands of a brutal war-mongering enemy, it seems the only thing to stop the carnage would be if a literal miracle were to happen. It seems that may be more likely to happen than not when the government realizes that a survivor from a expedition that ran into a pocket of black matter now has the ability to warp reality at will. Imagine what sort of monstrous power somebody like that would have? A man that could literally become the emperor of the world and kill everyone with a snap of his fingers. Astonishingly, he doesn’t want that – he largely just wants to be left alone-to live his life as a normal person. John Bowman wants to live like he did in his youth, not have to play soldier-boy in an endless space war.

When this story started, I honestly thought it was going to have a trick ending or something M. Night Shyamalan would have dreamed up. It had the same kind of vibe as the classic British Science Fiction show, The Prisoner, and I was worried it would be silly. Color me surprised when it took a turn into some real heady stuff about the nature of existence, and happiness when you could literally have anything you want. It ends in such a way that I guess there could be more, but it’s honestly perfect where it left off. The art is awesome, the worldbuilding is solid, and would honestly make an amazing film.

Europe Comics really picked an exquisite story here to bring over. If this is any indication, I really need to look up more works by Rodolphe assuming this is their wheelhouse in other works. If you are a fan of things like Blade Runner, Total Recall or even the Hollywood film Interstellar, you would likely enjoy this. It’s less action and more storytelling, but what is here is VERY well done. For what is ostensibly a space opera, it didn’t dump itself into tons of clichés or tread the paths of anything else I’ve seen. Don’t miss out on the book, definitely recommended.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The art was great and fitted perfectly a more serious sci-fi story. The idea was interesting as well. Unfortunately the execution wasn’t overly great. I usually I don’t notice social problems in books but this was so obviously crooked that even I can’t unsee it. 😅
We have 2 white main characters, okay…nothing bad in that, right…but almost all the PoC characters are android and used as servants…Adding the butch male soldier character and perfectly curved blonde woman who is unnecessarily buck naked for a few scenes where one would prefer not to be…While the man is never fully exposed…😂😂
It is written by a man for a man and I am not the intended target group (and I’m glad).😉

Was this review helpful?

I would like to start with what I liked.
The illustrations are impressive. Every detail on the human body is present, and the scenes from space were awesomely drawn.
The main characters are interesting. I liked them both, but I did not expect that much interaction between them.
That is pretty much all. I am very sorry, but I did not enjoy the story.
In my humble opinion, this was not a great graphic novel, even though I was really intrigued by the description and the title, but the storytelling left me numb.

Was this review helpful?

This story begins by satisfying the expectations of the title through illustrations of the universe and thoughts of wonder. The setting is a futuristic society that is at war with alien enemies in space. The plot moves at a quick pace and drops almost subtle hints at the direction of the story. Overall, it was intriguing and kept me until the very end wanting more of this universe. However, the relationship between John and Charlene felt off throughout the whole story. It was not my favorite element and the plot could have benefited without it. There should have been more focus on what happened to John that endowed him with such great powers.

Was this review helpful?

A story set in the distant future, where our world is incredibly technologically advanced and has made contact with alien species. In fact, Earth is at war with an alien species. In this world, there is a man, John, an astronaut who came into contact with some dark alien sustenance during an exploratory mission that gave him incredible, fearful powers and horrible nightmares.

Warning: Contains nudity and sexual images.

I was not impressed...

In fact, I expected better. A lot better. A piece of work titled 'The Man Who Invented the World' gives off the impression of something that could blow one's mind. Well...it didn't.

I will say that the plot of the story was pretty solid. It was a good idea. It piqued my interest. Sci-fi, advanced technology, strange/alien phenomena. It checked a lot of my boxes and caught my attention. I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding John. I also found the art fitting very well with the tone of the comic...Unfortunately, that's about as much as I liked about this.

It could not be made any more painfully obvious that this was written by a man. Seriously... There is such a poor representation of the female gender it's almost laughable. Not to mention the completely unnecessary FEMALE AND ONLY FEMALE nudity, and objectification casually present in the majority of the scenes. It honestly made me uncomfortable. There were several other questionable moments that made me wonder whether it should consider them offensive or not. And that's never a good thing. A little offensive is still offensive. Also, I found the pace to be too rushed. There was hardly any time for further context or a little more detail. I can barely remember the names of most of the characters, much less any important information to the plot.

'The Man Who Invented the World' could have been a great comic. The premises were very good and could have turned into a solid and very interesting story. But alas, it fell short of what could have been.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

What do we really know about the nature of the universe, and about what is hidden in the dark depths of space? Navigator Captain John Bowman is the sole survivor of an exploratory mission to the far reaches of the cosmos. Upon his return, he is plagued by terrible nightmares... but also endowed with an extraordinary power. A power capable of destroying our world... or perhaps reshaping it?

The comic is not incredibly long and it left me so satisfied with the story and the ending, but also wanting to know what could potentially happen next with this world. In just a couple of pages, it made me so interested in Captain John Bowman and what exactly is this incredible power of his. It keeps you curious until the final reveal and I loved it. The existential questions it asks with this power are just great. I keep thinking what I would do with such a power... Incredible!

Was this review helpful?

Page 15, was the first point where I went oh, this was written by men. Because you you'd have to pay me a large amount of cold hard cash to sit stark naked in an exam room. Let alone undressing with the doctor in the room.
Pg 35: Lets add some Not How Cameras Work to our Men Writing Women.

This was honestly one of the most boring power fantasies that I have ever read, A more boring, more violent, more sexualized, version of Haruhi Suzimiya.
What I would have given for even the slightest bit of humor.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the art. It was gritty and real and a bit raw and I liked that. I disliked almost everything else. The story seems to lag, even in parts where it's supposed to be action-heavy. There is a bunch of absolutely pointless nudity that seems to only be there to say "hey, there's a woman in this and we can show you her naked" in fact, the woman (who, is technically telling the story for most of it, so seems to be important) does little to the plot as a whole. I'm pretty sure this is a continuing story but this first part did nothing to keep me invested or intrigued. The concept is creative, sure, but what is the purpose of that concept? The only answer I can come up with, well... I don't like it. Overall, I think this is for old Sci-fi junkies (those who don't mind their sci-fi sprinkled with a bit of misogyny) only.

Was this review helpful?

3.5*

The art/illustrations were mesmerizing, ever since the start I loved how realistic and enchanting the artwork was.

I liked the idea, and the plot was good, even if predictable, pace was decent too, the predictability was slightly off but main factor was it was too short to form an attachment to the MCs. John could've been more sympathetic, even though the artwork that depicted his nightmares were terrifically done. It ended too quickly, I guess. The crab's disappearance was too easy. The ending was good, imo.

Overall, it is a good read, even if I'd have liked it to be longer.

Was this review helpful?

Another perfectly written graphic novel and I loved it. My favourite thing about graphic novels is of course the art. This was amazingly well done and I loved it. I devoured it in one sitting which is honestly pretty rare for me these days since I do struggle with tackling what I read these days but this was perfect so credit to the author for bringing me back to my love for reading and having that feeling of enjoying a book so much you read it in one sitting. 5 out of 5 stars of course!

Was this review helpful?