Review: Clockwork Lives: The Graphic Novel

Clockwork Lives: The Graphic Novel by Kevin J. Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a sequel (prequel... midquel?) to Clockwork Angels: The Graphic Novel and it shares, more or less, the same highs and lows as its companion (see my review).

First the negatives: as before, the graphic novel feels a bit condensed and so, some of the narrative is slightly tricky to follow. For example, there are two pages that I think may be printed in the wrong order. The fact that I only think they are in the wrong order and don't know for sure shows my confusion with the narrative. Also, one of the protagonists has a hand that seems to appear and disappear - it seems the artist sometimes forgot the character was only supposed to have one hand.

The positives: generally outweigh the negatives. I really liked the way the different stories had different artists; different lives, different artists really worked. And the artwork was less fussy than Clockwork Angels: The Graphic Novel and all the more enjoyable for it. As before, the frequent quoting of Rush lyrics did not feel as intrusive as it did in the novel. The numerous visual references were easy to spot and felt fun rather than forced.

Perhaps still not a full blown four stars but a good 3.75!

"Some lives can be summed up in a sentence or two. Other lives are epics."

I can't finish this review, however, without acknowledging the passing of Neil Peart. His life truly was "epic".

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