1 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Wall follows a team of mercenaries as they first work for the military in Afghanistan and then as part of the president’s guard. The story takes place in a world where the president is followed with cult like devotion and has just finished building The Wall along the Mexican border. The obvious parallels to our political situation might irritate some people with their one-sided take but I found the concept to be interesting and the absurdity that is clearly expressed exaggerates the possibilities of a government where there is no oversight.
What I liked about this book basically ends with the concept of the world. The idea behind this book is a good one but it is poorly executed. The art is also pleasant but scarce, and for something that is listed as a “graphic novel” it is more of an illustrated novella. With a true graphic novel the images add to the story but with this book they simply illustrate scenes that have already been written. Some of the action scenes are interesting and fun to read as well. These few good qualities were not enough to impact my overall enjoyment of the book because the bad far outweighs the good.
First of all the book is not very well written. The writing feels stilted with too many descriptors of unimportant details that break up the dialog and ruin the flow of the writing. The descriptions are also over the top and strange such as “He clucked his tongue and shook his head as though having caught Forge stealing cookies,” “The specialist adjusted his glasses and twirled slowly, arms outstretched,” and “The specialist giggled like a delighted little girl” (5). There is also too much blatant explanation, that is given without nuance just listed such as the quote “You and your buddies have been put in the water dungeon, cold cell, stockade. You’ve been whipped, waterboarded, and electrocuted” (5). There is also strange underlining of words, supposedly for emphasis, that comes across as awkward and unprofessional.
The second problem I had with this book was the underdevelopment of side characters. The reader only really gets to know two of the 4 teammates that the main character has. The introductions of the characters are by height which is just strange and easily forgettable. Each character has 3 separate names making it difficult in the beginning to learn who is who. And the characterization we do get is seemingly based on stereotypes.
Third, let me start by saying IT IS NOT FUNNY TO MAKE YOUR CHARACTER RACISTS OR MISOGYNIST, unless there is a valid reason (such as a historical piece) or it is part of a character’s growth (as in they learn and overcome it) then it is a pointless characteristic that just serves to allow the author to include “funny” lines based on stereotypes. The main character says many problematic things such as calling one character “Chinaman” (44) and another a “Black bastard” (58) he also states that women “distracted men with their bodies.” (21) and that “He didn’t normally beat women. . . ” “. . . but he’d gladly make an exception for that nosy woman. . .” (22). These lines are all presented as comical but they are not funny and do nothing but make the character look like a racist, woman hater with no real reason.
Overall I give this book a 1 out of 4 stars. I did not enjoy this book because it’s poorly written, has underdeveloped characters, and includes racism and misogyny that is presented as comical. The concept of the book is a great one, I just wish it had been executed better.
******
The Wall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like xBibliobibulix's review? Post a comment saying so!
