Post by Riko on May 4, 2021 19:54:32 GMT
I've read these 2 graphic novels recently. Both were pretty good.
![https://i.imgur.com/bnpW8Im.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/bnpW8Im.jpg)
Fence is the story of a Nicholas a trainee fencer. It has that slightly trendy modern thing where a lot of the characters are gender-fluid. So it's set at a boy's fencing school but there are clearly girls there (who identify as boys, even one who looks very girly). It's a good story though, well told, about Nicholas' rivalry with the arrogant but excellent Seiji (the guy on the cover) and his estrangement from his father and his champion fencer half-brother. Like the cover says this a slow burn, and so far it's simple but still very gripping. So you get to the end of it - thinking you should have seen a bit more by now. But it's a great way of getting you to buy the 2nd book, which I probably will.
![https://i.imgur.com/p491o6E.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/p491o6E.jpg)
Livestock is a story about the UK government using the drama surrounding celebrities (pop singers here) to deflect from scandals and things they don't want the press to talk about (sound familiar?). In this case it goes step further because they literally own the celebrities and tell them what to do. They are the "Livestock" of the title. But when a human cloning scandal starts to break - and their usual tactics start to fail, how far will the government go to create a news story that is so huge it can't be ignored?
![](https://i.imgur.com/b7DTXZ5.jpg)
This is the 2nd time I've read this book. The first time i thought it was excellent and there were some aspects I didn't quite understand which made it very intriguing to think about. However reading it again some of the mystery has gone and it's a bit wordy for a graphic novel but it's still pretty good and there's some very clever and amusing details in there. The art-style may not be everyone's cup of tea but if you like the idea a bit of satire mixed with politics + celebrity culture, this is for you.
![https://i.imgur.com/bnpW8Im.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/bnpW8Im.jpg)
Fence is the story of a Nicholas a trainee fencer. It has that slightly trendy modern thing where a lot of the characters are gender-fluid. So it's set at a boy's fencing school but there are clearly girls there (who identify as boys, even one who looks very girly). It's a good story though, well told, about Nicholas' rivalry with the arrogant but excellent Seiji (the guy on the cover) and his estrangement from his father and his champion fencer half-brother. Like the cover says this a slow burn, and so far it's simple but still very gripping. So you get to the end of it - thinking you should have seen a bit more by now. But it's a great way of getting you to buy the 2nd book, which I probably will.
![https://i.imgur.com/p491o6E.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/p491o6E.jpg)
Livestock is a story about the UK government using the drama surrounding celebrities (pop singers here) to deflect from scandals and things they don't want the press to talk about (sound familiar?). In this case it goes step further because they literally own the celebrities and tell them what to do. They are the "Livestock" of the title. But when a human cloning scandal starts to break - and their usual tactics start to fail, how far will the government go to create a news story that is so huge it can't be ignored?
![](https://i.imgur.com/b7DTXZ5.jpg)
This is the 2nd time I've read this book. The first time i thought it was excellent and there were some aspects I didn't quite understand which made it very intriguing to think about. However reading it again some of the mystery has gone and it's a bit wordy for a graphic novel but it's still pretty good and there's some very clever and amusing details in there. The art-style may not be everyone's cup of tea but if you like the idea a bit of satire mixed with politics + celebrity culture, this is for you.