Outcast by Kirkman & Azaceta Book One

March 27, 2017 1:37 AM - by Robert Kirkman

This hardcover features the first twelve issues of the hit comic book series, along with covers and a sketchbook, in one oversized hardcover volume.

Apparently this is a hit show! I'm about to embark on reading the comic on a friend's recommendation, feel free to join me. Don't be spoiler shy.

posted by KMH (2 comments total)

*cue creepy music*

Ha. I just finished the 2nd trade paperback in bed this morning, which ends at #12. It's a pretty weird and interesting horror story, marred in a few spots by that dumb "let's not tell our pals about something important" trope, along with the "let's not spend all of our time carefully exploring what is happening to us" trope, both of which exist solely to slow down (and pad up) a story.

I do like the dark, impressionistic art, which works to keep the horror mostly unknowable, and the odd use of panels is generally interesting on the page. It does look a little too murky at times for my taste, but I think I prefer that to the brighter, cleaner art in a horror book like Locke & Key, e.g.

I enjoyed some of the thrills and don't mind too much the way the backstory unfolds in bits of memory, but I'm mostly left feeling a bit underwhelmed. I could see it turning into a solid 89-minute movie but to me the pace of the 2 main protagonists' investigation drags in the first 12 issues of the comic. Is this planned as a limited series? If so I'll keep going, but if Kirkman hasn't announced a definite end, with a clear beginning, middle and conclusion, I think I'll pass.
posted by mediareport at 12:58 PM on March 28, 2017

Just saw that not only is it planned as an open-ended comic series, it's also already an open-ended Cinemax series. Shows you how much I keep up with comics and Cinemax these days. Personal bias, but I *so* much prefer the kind of storytelling Ed Brubaker does, with limited 12-, 24- and 40-issue runs that tell a smart, planned tale from beginning to end.
posted by mediareport at 6:42 AM on March 29, 2017 [1 favorite]