Title: CO2: The Mendoza Files (preview of complete book)
Author: Paul Tobin
Artist: David Morris
Publisher: Corvus Press
Publication Date: N/A
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Rating: 4.5
My expectations: High. I'd read some of the author's posts about CO2 and was quite intrigued by them. Graphic novels don't always agree with me, but if done well they can offer more than your usual all-text book.
I can safely say those expectations were surpassed.
About the book: Kudos to the creators of this graphic novel preview. It is unique and unusual, particularly due to the setting and format. Instead of the comic-style panels and speech bubbles, this is presented in colorful pages that contain police files, magazine articles, photographs, and illustrations of the characters that add further visual details to the writing.
The writing itself is clear and the style changes appropriately to fit the different contexts mentioned above. If the writing and graphic design weren't as good, I suspect the format would have been a problem, since it jumps around so much--but the preview maintains its integrity through visual continuity and a strong setting.
And the setting is fascinating. There are seven parallel worlds in CO2; furthermore, history has been so dramatically altered that "the Church of the Holy Footprint" is taking over the world and, during the time period that the preview takes place, conquering "the Dragon Empire", i.e. the remains of China. The perspective on sweeping social/global change (and its contrast to today's world) is very interesting.
Characters and plot did not seem to be the focus in the preview, and I assume that's due to its length (it is, after all, only a preview). However, there were brief and interesting glimpses of individuals involved in certain cases that provided further insights into the world and the different kinds of people in the universe.
Content: Some swearing; references to prostitution; violence.
Other: Disclaimer: I received this preview free from the author. That did not in any way affect the opinions expressed in this review.
Do I recommend CO2? I haven't read the entire book, but based on the preview, I would definitely recommend checking it out once it is released.
-----The Golden Eagle
