books:

	Faker Mike Carey, Jock Vertigo, 2008 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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Chock full of ruthless characters with hidden agendas, this graphic novel proves that if you're up for it, you can lie, cheat and fake your way through almost anything.


Not for everyone, but underrated.

Mike Carey (Hellblazer) and Eisner-nominated artist Jock (The Losers) tell a tale of disaffected college youth that's equal parts Bret Easton Ellis and Philip K. Dick.

A group of housemates made up of shallow, exploitative people return from winter break and get really trashed at a party. When they wake up, suddenly they find that no one else seems to remember their roommate Nick. Questions of identity, memory, and existence itself soon wreak havoc as the roommates wrestle with their unraveling lives.

If you're willing to go with some of the more far-fetched plot turns, there is a core idea here that hits on very vital issues at a sometimes overwhelming time in one's life.

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not mike carey's best work

i essentially agree with the other review here. i like mike carey a lot, but this was a rare miss for him. it's strictly "ok," not bad but nothing special. there's a somewhat interesting idea that's a major theme and pops up explicitly in a few places (the last page, for one), but it's just not enough. the characters are basically flat, and the pacing was peculiar, but i think that was a result of the bizarre (not necessarily in a good way) turn the plot took. jock's not at the top of his game either. i normally like his art quite a lot, but there just wasn't much here for him to sink his teeth into. some great looking covers (as usual), but otherwise not much to look at. this is probably a 2.5 star book, might appeal more to someone else, but i was disappointed. did like the last page tho, which helps, but i can't really recommend this.

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Some Potential, But...

Mike Carey is a phenomenal writer, but this book is for Carey completists only. It starts off with an interesting premise (which I won't spoil, since it takes a few issues to reveal itself). But, at six issues, it's too brief to fulfill on its early promise. The book concludes with a bombastic shoot-out that feels like a weak attempt to wrap the series up prematurely.


Complicated sf thriller with a loathesome cast

Inexplicable but surprisingly strong Vertigo one-off.

Difficult to describe (partially because I'm still a bit confused), but Carey does a good job making four utterly reprehensible protagonists into empathetic figures.

The strange bio-nano-psycho-technology at the core of the story exists mostly as an excuse for Carey to do what he wants. Although there are a myriad of twists and turns, it is hard to muster a sense of surprise when there's no initial normality.

The book is supported by solid, but not great art by Jock - I really liked the dyamic layouts more than the pictures within them. And, unlike some of the other reviewers, I love the cover...

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