Graphic Novel Review – The Collector by Sergio Toppi (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Adventure
Length: 252 pages
Publisher: Archaia
Release Date: October 14, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0316273329
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5 stars
“Far from the auction halls of the elite, The Collector seeks out rare and mysterious artifacts across the world.
At home in the salons of Paris as he is in the jungles of Borneo, The Collector is a man who has dedicated his life to finding objects very special and almost unknown , which tracks through his research in a variety of locations. But beware, a man who comes into possession of such items does not hesitate to use any means without scruple. Set against the backdrop of late 19th-century colonialism, The Collector is a delightful, swashbuckling adventure by a master of European comic books.”
I picked this up at Half Price Books because it looked like an interesting read. It ended up being okay but wasn’t really my thing. The illustration was done in an interesting style but was hard to follow at times.
The story has a Wild West/Tomb Raider tone to it and is about a man only known as The Collector who obtains items that are special and/or magical for his own use. The Collector is half gunslinger, half tomb raider and incredibly manipulative in an effort to get what he wants (and he ALWAYS gets what he wants).
It was an okay story but got a bit repetitive. Each chapter is basically a short story about The Collector obtaining an item. There is some carry over between stories but not much; the stories pretty much stand alone.
The illustration is done in a beautiful sketched style of ink. While I enjoyed the style of the illustration I found it very hard to follow at times. Many of the minor characters have a similar look to them and it can be confusing to follow what is actually happening.
Overall this was an okay collection of stories about The Collector. While I enjoyed the idea of the The Collector I found the stories involving him to be a bit repetitive. I was somewhat disappointed that this wasn’t a complete story but rather a collection of stories. I also struggled some with following the illustrations, characters just looked too similar. Personally I would skip this unless you are a huge fan of Toppi’s art style.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
