Well shit.

How disappointing was this?

So, you've got Paul Chadwick, who's Concrete series still holds a near and dear place in my heart, illustrating a story by Harlan freaking Ellison, an absolute legend in the writing field, the man who became the embodiment of the term "curmudgeon" and, overall, is a hero of mine. So...what could go wrong?

Apparently damn near everything.

Chadwick provided exceptionally average art, never ever rising to any level that could be termed inspired. In fact, I got a sense, at times, that he struggled to illustrate some of the things that the story required of him, instead lazily stealing designs (the smaller, round ship they traveled in is straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey) or just provided run-of-the-mill stuff. A spacecraft that looks like a hypodermic needle. A woman with metal pincers that look like they were designed by a 3-year-old...and on and on and on.

And then there's Ellison's story. The thought I had, as I read through this waste of 200 pages, was that this literally could have been Ellison and Chadwick's [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442239711l/472331._SY75_.jpg|4358649]. Honestly. With the characters and the scope of the story? Hell yes, it could have been.

Instead, we're treated with incredibly abbreviated introductions to the seven principle characters that focus more on the situation they're currently in than building any motivation or relationship with them. When they're brought on board the ship by a guy who literally refuses to show his face to them, they all seem to just shrug and accept it.

And because of the sloppy setup of the story, we're treated to a couple of repetitions of facts (the destruction of New York, etc.) that, had some time and care been applied, could simply have come up at the right time to devastating effect. And then there's the villain of the piece, who isn't brought in until we're at least halfway through the story, leaving the reader to not really care exactly why these seven are even being assembled. There's no clear and present danger, only the hint of a far off one.

And the characters are so generic and under-personalized (yeah, I know, not a real word, oh well, it fits) that when they die, the reader simply shrugs and trundles on, hoping something of interest or import will occur before the page count runs out.

But it never does.

This is the story Ellison settled to write? The guy who punched his writing teacher when the teacher told him he'd never make it? The guy that wrote I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream? The guy who, despite all the interference, still managed to pen one of the best Star Trek episodes in The City On The Edge Of Forever?

I gotta go back and read something good from him, just to wash this bad taste from my mouth. ( )

The first 2/3 of this book were amazing. It's only as the action ramps up towards the climax that Ellison starts to lose me. The passive way in which the female characters act is just so godsdamned stereotypical of old school sci-fi. Try a little harder next time to write a believable woman, maybe? Still, I enjoyed the book immensely, it's exactly what you'd expect from Harlan Ellison. The characters were (mostly) entertaining, the setting fantastic, and the plot enticing. ( )

Ellison and Chadwick perfectly capture the 1960s Silver Age era of comics in story and art ( )

I guess it is about time for me to give up on the idea of truly enjoying graphic novels. I have tried numerous times and found them to be okay, but not as satisfying as other forms of reading. I never got into them as a youngster, and my forays at this much later age do not appear to add to my ability to enjoy them.

That represents my caveat for the review that follows, because, as much as I liked the story, as much as I liked the art, and as much as I enjoy Harlan Ellison's work, this felt a pale shadow to actually reading what might have been a full novel.

Using a concept as old as "The Seven Samurai" (Ellison acknowledges the homage), seven people are brought together from various parts of the solar system to deal with the chaos that is being wrecked in the past. The story is about how the seven are brought together, how they discover the work they must do, and how they accomplish their mission.

It is full of ideas and concepts that barrage you from all directions. There is heart beneath the story. There is heart in the characters. The illustrations are beautiful.

And yet, I cannot give this a high rating – strictly because of my prejudice. All I could think of were two things. One, what a great movie it would make (I think that may be one of the great strengths of graphic novels – it helps tone deaf producers and directors actually see a project). Two, I wish I were reading the novel so I could dive in so much deeper.

Again, it is my failing, not the book's nor the story's nor the art. But I have to rate it based on the way I see it. ( )