This is the first Jurassic Park comic Ive ever read and the only good thing I can say about it is that it has set such low expectations for all future Jurassic Park books I may read that they must surely be masterpieces in comparison when I get around to them.
First, the artwork. I didnt mind the scratchy and sketchy edges to all the drawings. Though Im used to more modern day comics, drawn and colored with the aid of the computer, I can still appreciate hand-drawn things. I may not have loved it but I can still appreciate the style. Where the art fails in the perspective shots and the expressions of the characters. The artist tried different perspectives in some panels that looked really odd. Straight on panels of dinosaurs looked flat, like the very first image of a dinosaur only three pages into the book. Other different angles looked off on paper. The other problem is that the characters are given no expressions. Even in the climax, when theyre being attacked by dinosaurs, their expressions rarely leave dull surprise behind. I cant get into the danger and excitement when the characters dont look they want to be there.
But I could probably forgive bad art if the story was interesting. Unfortunately the book fails us there too. Even setting aside that I cant believe that the kids from the first movie would still try to bring dinosaurs back after everything they went through, the story is confusing and very poorly told. No characters are properly introduced to us; theyre just thrown at us. I know no ones name except for those who already showed up in the movies. The attention span of the story is tiny, jumping from place to place, plot point to plot point, at the end of every page. Even in the span of one page, panels jump around with little context. The sequential art and flow of the story has been gutted. I had little idea where I was, what was going on, or how much time passed as I read the comic.
The only thing I can really say that is even the slightest bit positive is that at least the reveal of the bad guy, and his motivation for everything, was interesting, even if it was a bit of a stretch.
I didn't have high hopes for a Jurassic Park comic to begin with; I just picked it up because I was in a dinosaur mood. But after this, Ill turn somewhere else when I get a craving for dinos. Like to the movies. Even the sequels are leagues above this comic. Bad artwork, confusing plot, and awful storytelling make this book no fun whatsoever, which is all I ever want from a trip to Jurassic Park.
First, the artwork. I didnt mind the scratchy and sketchy edges to all the drawings. Though Im used to more modern day comics, drawn and colored with the aid of the computer, I can still appreciate hand-drawn things. I may not have loved it but I can still appreciate the style. Where the art fails in the perspective shots and the expressions of the characters. The artist tried different perspectives in some panels that looked really odd. Straight on panels of dinosaurs looked flat, like the very first image of a dinosaur only three pages into the book. Other different angles looked off on paper. The other problem is that the characters are given no expressions. Even in the climax, when theyre being attacked by dinosaurs, their expressions rarely leave dull surprise behind. I cant get into the danger and excitement when the characters dont look they want to be there.
But I could probably forgive bad art if the story was interesting. Unfortunately the book fails us there too. Even setting aside that I cant believe that the kids from the first movie would still try to bring dinosaurs back after everything they went through, the story is confusing and very poorly told. No characters are properly introduced to us; theyre just thrown at us. I know no ones name except for those who already showed up in the movies. The attention span of the story is tiny, jumping from place to place, plot point to plot point, at the end of every page. Even in the span of one page, panels jump around with little context. The sequential art and flow of the story has been gutted. I had little idea where I was, what was going on, or how much time passed as I read the comic.
The only thing I can really say that is even the slightest bit positive is that at least the reveal of the bad guy, and his motivation for everything, was interesting, even if it was a bit of a stretch.
I didn't have high hopes for a Jurassic Park comic to begin with; I just picked it up because I was in a dinosaur mood. But after this, Ill turn somewhere else when I get a craving for dinos. Like to the movies. Even the sequels are leagues above this comic. Bad artwork, confusing plot, and awful storytelling make this book no fun whatsoever, which is all I ever want from a trip to Jurassic Park.
