Not at all sure about that rating. In all fairness, my viewing of the TV show I think often thwarted my ability to make sense of what was happening in the graphic novel. They are VERY different, the book serving as a kind of basic scaffolding upon which to build the scripts for the TV show. At some point, though it might not happen in this lifetime, it deserves a second reading, one that might allow me to construct a more coherent analysis of how to explain what the work.

The book is incredibly weird, even for someone like me whole revels in the weird and the line between the natural and supernatural. The simplest theory I can give of the author's overall intent was to create a story about how those who have over time come to England as foreigners, or groups within the society, have been rejected or held at arm's length, and the apocalyptic event--the Long Harvest--serves to integrate them into the bosom of the society. ( )

DNF! Din't like the art, dind't like the story. Well, I liked the part from 2014, but the rest was frankly just boring and the art made my head hurt! Damn you nice cover!



½ star

I received this copy from Vertigo through Edewleiss in return for an honest review! ( )

A big concept with writing that veered into Alan Moore territory. In the end the MacGuffin felt a little disappointing, but then most MacGuffins are. ( )

wtf did I just read?

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/confused-math-lady.gif ( )

At four points in time, but presumably the same space, a mutilated body is found, and an unusual murder investigation begins. Thrice, the detectives in charge demonstrate integrity which positively marks them, and once the very deviance of the detective generates strong interest in the reader. As the audience skips from point to point, seeing the parallels lost to the characters in the story, they are treated to sympathetic and interesting characters, fantastic and varied artwork, and an engaging pace which builds and threads from four corners all to a central point. Unfortunately, once that point is reached the strength of the text dissolves, along with any semblance of originality, and not even the compelling protagonists can pull it through. Taking strong cues from the ridiculous moves and conclusion of From Hell, which is similarly smart and interesting until taking this turn for the worst, the narrative dissolves into the ridiculous, and is so close to Alan Moore's take on Jack the Ripper that its adaptation walks the line of direct mimicry. Those who enjoyed the conclusion of From Hell would likely enjoy Bodies just as much, and I'd encourage them to do so. For others, I'd say that the early development and artwork are reason enough to pick it up, but would caution anyone from growing too invested in the book's conclusion. ( )

Ostensibly a mystery, this story covers four time periods: 1890, 1940, 2014, and 2050, with each time period illustrated by a different artist, which helps the reader keep track. Detectives in each era discover a body of a naked man curled in the same position in the same alleyway in London. Each detective has a secret except for DS Hasan in 2014 who is dealing with being a female Muslim police detective at a time when Muslims come under suspicion. How these cases are connected forms the heart of the story and it wasn't what I expected. While things could be clearer, the story does take some interesting turns, and I found it entertaining. ( )

Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First I need to point out this groovy cover - great right? Draws the eye, it's pin-up, pulp, fun, and blood splattered.

It's hard to describe the plot well since it's too confusing for my simple brain; plus this is catered more for the British audience. I think they'll get the cultural identity conflicts and connections stronger than I can.

Basically the collection (8 series joined together in one edition) jumps frequently between four different detectives in London over four time periods. Edmond Hillinghead in the 1890s, Karl Whiteman in the 1940s, Shahara Hasan in 2014, and Maplewood in 2050. Each detective finds a dead body, a weird symbol, and frequent lines said to them, "You are loved."

Edmond was my favorite with his bizarre secrets and even if the events in his time period were just as twisted as the others, it seemed somehow less flummoxing. Karl just comes across as an asshat who dresses the best. Shahara worked as a different, strong woman who didn't take crap from her co-workers but retained a sense of humor. I detested the annoying Maplewood - she and the other characters in 2050 irked me.

The unusual style of shifting these story lines took awhile to get used to. By the time I was used to it in the middle, it had worn thin on me by the end. And the end is not a big bang explosion, but a soft finale. With all the back and forth, I'm not sure if something better could have been creaked out by that point.

A saving technique would to have the flashbacks less frequent, sections of the story being in one time period instead of shifting all the time, with the end and it coming together. I realize since it was a serial published independently, that probably wasn't possible - but it would have made reading this compilation more enjoyable.

There's violence, but nothing gore-drenched. You get blood when it should be there. There's some mild sex silhouette scenes. Kudos dished out for the artwork, it totally worked. The story may have had one author, but he used four artists for the different time periods. I liked that concept. The future stands out as bright, blocky and manic with its uncomfortable intensity. I can almost feel the noir style seep through the pages in the subdued 1940s. 2014 displays a calmer but deeper, more convincing colorization. The 1890s were dark, broody, and rocked the bloody scenes.

Overall this wasn't a bad deal, but it wasn't something my brain likes wrapping around. I don't care for frequent shifts, and the confusion caused by this was too tiring to be enjoyable. The art is stunning, like the colorization differences among time periods, the storyline just failed to impress.

( )

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I requested this graphic novel because of the awesome cover. Then came in all the one star reviews from my friends and I started to get afraid of starting it.

Four detectives, four time periods, four completely different styles, one body.

It's always a tricky thing to pull off multiple timelines with different styles in one and the same story. In this case it didn't really work. The only two stories that could hold some of my interest were the 1890s and 2014 plots, although the 2014 one was the only one that really had an original idea following all the discrimination and racism a female, Muslim police officer has to endure.

The frequent jumps between the different story lines made it difficult to really get into the story, and the story to tie them all together wasn't that strong. I didn't really care for the art (although I liked some better than others).

For me, it was not a one star read, definitely not the worst I've read, but also definitely not as good as I had anticipated based on the cover.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )