I had to abandon this half way because the lettering and the font were literally impossible to read. The graphics were kind of distinctive and the story fairly interesting so far. Shame that the font gave me a headache and I had to stop,

This was a pretty random choice on my part to pick up. I found the location and time interesting, and I decided to give it a shot. Like several other graphic novels, this also seems to be a book that has some sort of follow-up.
The main duo who are introduced to us in the beginning, are both people who are trying to live within a new world order, and they have varying degrees of conscience. On their way around the abandoned countryside, they meet a group of miners who need help to survive.
This leads us further into the world that exists at the time. My copy was a little blurry, which could have contributed to my experience, but on the whole, it felt a little abrupt.
I appreciated the setting and the fact that I did not know anything about the country or its people at the time that is described. I would recommend it in passing, but I do not think I will be reading more of this.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

It was a disappointing but not unexpected end. The art style was interesting, as was the story. But it explored overdone tropes and not in the most interesting ways. With that being said, I would read any follow-ups to the story.

Russia in the 1990s, after the fall of communism. Slava is a former artist, and now he is a seller. He and his business partner Lavrin search for goods worth selling on the black market.

Slava is a good graphic novel that includes interesting characters. The illustrations are very good, distinctive, and colored. 3.5★

Thanks to Europe Comics for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Not a fan. I didn’t like the artwork and I didn’t like the story. I think this one was simply not for me.

Slava is the story of an artist and his partner, an opportunist, as they try to survive in a new era of existence for Russia. I don't know much about Russia's history and politics, so there are pry several nuances about this story that I didn't catch onto. I did enjoy seeing how the artist has been forced to adapt as well as how his personality impacts his ability to find success in different ways. This is an interesting graphic novel, but it isn't my favorite offering from Europe Comics.

Drama of the ex-Soviet times, when all of Russia's industry and utility companies were being parcelled up by oligarchs and sold between them, thus taking pretty much everything the poor worker had and making it a capitalist concern. A wide boy (literally, given his girth) and a poor ex-painter are trying to pilfer some decorations from an abandoned Soviet building, then they are forced to abandon that plan, only to stumble upon the possibility of selling up a minehead and its equipment. It's done with some sense of levity, to counter the grim reality of it all, but I didn't exactly find much to enjoy or admire about anything. I'm probably neither economically nor politically minded enough to get that much out of things here, and even with my taste for all things Eastern European and ex-Soviet I can't get beyond the average three stars for this.

This was an interesting graphic novel regarding Russia after the fall of communism. A thought provoking piece of literature in which the protagonist questions his beliefs and morals. I suggest it to anyone who is interested in diving into Russia post the fall of communism.

Slava gives a snapshot of life in the aftermath of the break up the Soviet Union. The eponymous Slava finds he no longer believes in the system, and so has turned to raiding and gutting abandoned houses with his old friend, the con artist Lavrin. When they bite off more than they can chew, they are rescued by the denizens of a mining town, desperate to save their way of life.

Part adventure story, part bittersweet examination of the impact of power struggles on daily life, Slava is also peppered with wry humour. Gomont balances the dire situations of the Russian people with Lavrin's shady dealings.

Slava himself is difficult to like. He is cynical, gullible, and absolutely convinced that he deserves to get the girl. Nina, the only woman appearing on page at all, is quickly reduced to her sexual interest in Slava and gets very little personality beside her initial sarcastic banter. I doubt very much that either of them, or their roles in this story, will stick with me.

That isn't to say I felt no connection to the story, however. Volodya, part comic relief and part passionate campaigner, was a wonderful antidote to some of the more serious discussions about moral dignity. Lavrin, too, I will remember; his character arc was surprisingly strong.

As many other reviewers, I did initially have a problem with the font for this graphic novel, though I did get used to it.

This graphic novel's colour, sketching, layout, and other artistic elements were totally up my alley. Despite the writer's exceptional talent, I found it impossible to understand the book because of the lettering even when zoomed in. Three stars for the outstanding artwork, but I'm not a fan of the font.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for offering reviewers an advanced reading copy of this graphic novel.

Rural post-Soviet Russia right after the fall of USSR. When corruption and exploitation of state assets was a normality. A small miner's valley tries to resist the sell-out of their mine to a dubious billionaire with the help of Slava and his resourful and inventive but morally corrupt friend.

Interesting story, nice colouring and illustration of the era and landscape,
but i didnt like the font type.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me this ARC to read and give an honest review of Slava

Adventure graphic novel set in Russia, looking at how people survive when the ones with power are all wrapped up in their own schemes, never caring what the consequences for others are. A story about disillusion and hope, about harsh survival, values... and adventure of course.
It reminded me of some of the ex USSR movies I've seen, where life is cheap and people do what they must to come a little bit on top, where scams are everywhere, where there isn't enough food, but always enough vodka and parties and unbendable people...
If you like lighter mafia stories with James Bond touches you will enjoy this. It's a quick read, the illustrations are very vivid, full of energy and movement, they feel like snow is everywhere, taking the world in a blizzard, very atmospheric, a good match to the story, giving more character to it.
Truthfully, the only reason it doesn't have more stars is because this is not a genre I personally enjoy, the blurb made me think the story was going to be quite different (I was expecting a historical graphic novel offering insight into Russian culture).

It’s the 90s and the Soviet Union has fallen. Slava was an artist who is now caught up in the changing landscape. He is trying to figure out how he is he going to change with his changing world.

I was really interested in this at first. Slava navigating the changes and figuring out the changes he would or wouldn’t make. Somewhere along the way, I ended up losing interest.

I think part of it, was the choice of font. There were times that I was squinting to try and figure out what was being said. I’m hoping that isn’t a problem in the physical copy, but squinting and needing to reread pulled me out of the story more than once.

Even though I lost interest and struggled with the font, I really enjoyed seeing the different perspectives of people as everything was changing. It really provided a perspective on how differently everyone was processing the fall.

I think if the font hadn’t been so distracting for me, I could have enjoyed this more. It’s something I’d like to try and revisit with a physical copy to see if it would be easier for me to read as I did enjoy the different perspectives and everyone trying to figure out what to do after the fall.

3/5
I have previously studied Russian history so this comic instantly grabbed my attention. This comic is a quick read which I would recommend to any reader that has an interest in the aftermath and fall of the USSR.
pros:
- the use of colour is amazing- I particularly liked the use of red.
- I liked how it portrayed the issues of privatisation and the exploitation of the working class.
- short read.
- the illustrations of soviet architecture are amazing.
cons:
- Sexualisation of female character- I strongly disliked the fact that the female character was almost instant sexualised and only seemed to be there as a potential love interest.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Europe Comics for giving me the chance to read and give an honest review of Slava.

it was so interesting to read. i think the only problem is the font type because i was struggling with that. otherwise, the illustrations were so awesome.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book

Now I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm some sort of Russian history expert, so I'll focus more on the story than that, but I really loved this one.

Firstly, I LOVED the art style and colour scheme, gorgeous. My only issue artistically was with the font, it was pretty hard to read sometimes even on a tablet. Maybe in print form that wouldn't be as big an issue.

The story I really enjoyed too, enough occasional laughs to make it enjoyable without detracting from the tension, and the relationships between the main characters were strong. What really grabbed me was the end though, the betrayal. I wasn't expecting it at all. It'll stick with me.

A great read, highly recommend!

Slava is smart, sad, and deeply cutting. It addresses late 20th Century history in a way that is both sophisticated and accessible. The art is also quite stylish. Highly recommended. Full review here: http://www.jbspins.com/2023/02/slava-after-fallgraphic-novel.html

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a review copy of this graphic novel.

In Slava: After The Fall, Gomont presents life in Russia in the 1990s after the fall of communism and the USSR. We follow the main character Slava Segalov who was a political artist but left his work as no point in fighting the party that’s already lost. Instead, in the new capitalist, money-focused and dog-eat-dog world, he teams with a childhood friend Dmitri Larvin to steal from soviet buildings and sell off. After almost being caught by rival peddles, a young woman Nina saves them and introduces them to her father Volodya and other members of a valley mining town on the brink of closure. Larvin grows more greedy whilst Slava begins to question his morals and what he wants from this new country.

I think this was really good at showing the different perspectives people had in post-soviet Russia - we have the questioning and confused Slava, get-rich-quick swindler type in Larvin who in many ways is thriving but his line of work is a precarious one, Nina who grew up during the Bolshevik v Menshevik divide and power struggles who values the hard work of her community, this is something Volodya and the other miners retain valuing hard work, spirit and determination over money (soviet socialist/communist ideals). There are other characters which also add to the mix but what’s linking them all is how once again those in charge in effect failed the people under their control. A similar tale has plagued Russian history for many years and continues to this day (the ordinary Russian people do not want this war with Ukraine) where the common person’s ignored, used and left stranded when the current system inevitably falls. I studied Russian history from 1850-1970 at a level and I left it there so am glad I read this graphic novel as it’s piqued my interest for discovering how the fall of the Soviet Union impacted people and wish I had read more literature at the time.

Whilst the story and character types are suited to the time period it’s set, the themes and messages I guess are timeless. It doesn’t represent the contemporary Russia of today but in many ways her people are still cogs in the big machine of the country. Very insightful and I’ll likely pick up some more material to look into this further.

The artwork is pleasant and easy to understand. Not the most appealing to me personally but it’s good nonetheless, the best sections were of the large scale landscapes like the mountain and looking over the city. The same colour themes and style is prevalent throughout and it definitely adds to bringing the characters to life unlike some others I’ve read.

Overall, I would totally recommend this book as it’s rather short (under 100 pages) but is meaningful. It’s not a favourite but was an enjoyable read. Solid 4 stars.

This graphic novel is very Russian, with its cynicism and bleak outlook on life in post-Communist Russia. I appreciate that the writer didn't pull back any punches when describing the mad race to get rich quick in a society that had sharply pivoted from the worship of work to the worship of money.

Both the MCs, Slava and Lavrin, are as different from each other as they can be, yet similar in this new era of Russian society. After quitting his life as an artist (and a huge critic of Communist Russia) Slava's cynical outlook mirrors Russian society. It's not hard to see why he becomes entangled with Lavrin and his schemes. After all, a man's gotta eat. And critical artworks can't pay the bill.

The story and the art are both pretty simple and easy to follow along. I liked the characters and what they stood for: Nina and her father as bulwarks of the hardworking Russian people, Lavrin and his connections as the seedy underbelly of Russian society, and Slava as the lens through which the reader sees and experiences the new capitalist Russia.

I had some issues with the writing and the typeface. I'm not sure if it was my digital copy, but at times it was very hard to read some words due to the font and size. Even after zooming in, the font size is very small and the font color is very light.

But other than that, I liked the story, the art, and the characters.

Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for this arc.

I wasn't crazy about the style, but the main character, in some ways and maybe even the way he was drawn; Slava though, this character halfway between Lupin and Rockerduck ,I liked quite a bit.

Lo stile non mi ha fatto impazzire, ma il personaggio principale, per certi versi e forse anche per come era disegnato; Slava peró questo personaggio a metá tra Lupin e Rockerduck mi piaceva parecchio.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.