| Title | : | The Killer Omnibus Volume 1 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1936393751 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781936393756 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 312 |
| Publication | : | First published March 1, 2008 |
| Awards | : | Harvey Awards Best Graphic Album-Previously Published (2014) |
The Killer Omnibus Volume 1 Reviews
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Great crime story with art that borders between realistic and stylized.
Our story follows a nameless, rather heartless, hit-man as the reader is told a story that jumps in time to give the Killer both an origin and the forward momentum to make the story compelling. Though I really enjoyed the story--this is a crime comic done really well--I was a bit bogged down by the endless deluge of the Killer's narration. At times it helps to frame what is happening in the story, or to give it more depth, but a lot of the time it just fills space amidst the art and doesn't add any depth to the lead.
Speaking of the art: great stuff from Jacamon who both draws and colours his own pages. He really sells the different locales in this globe trotting story by bringing to life the architecture, people, and colours of a given location. This reminded me a lot of the recent Daniel Craig 007 movies. The lead is a killer first and foremost, there's tons of sex, violence, and eye-catching locales.
Thanks to Alex for both the recommendation and the lend of this volume and the second. The story closed off well enough in the first volume that I think I'll wait a few weeks before diving back into the killer's headspace. For anyone looking for a break from western comics, or just need a crime-fix, you'd do well to check out The Killer. -
Una historia negra narrada con pulso e interés, aunque el final me parece un poco anticlimático.
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Portrait of a professional assassin. Largely character driven. The...I guess I have to use the word 'protagonist'...kills for money. Anyone, and with zero qualms. There's no Dexter-style code of honor or precious wrestling-with-conscience to make it comfortable for the reader to be on his side.
We follow the killer through a series of jobs, a betrayal by his handler, and an entanglement with a Colombian drug lord, as he muses about his past, his philosophy of life, and the generally despicable nature of humanity.
The plot is pleasingly unpredictable. There are no dramatic twists, there's no formula to follow. He simply proceeds calmly through whatever challenges arise, and he ponders. The end.
I like that. -
The killer sits alone in a hotel room waiting for his victim to arrive. While he waits, his thoughts travel back to how he got here. How his life is, and how he is infinitely patient. Or at least, he says he is. When things in his world go awry, the killer finds an unusual group of new friends to rely on. But can you ever truly trust anyone your life is built on a lie?
This is a densely packed, very cinematic story. There is a lot of self reflection, but there is plenty of action to move the story along. This is a long story arc, but I found it really satisfying.
The art by Luc Jacamon is incredible. With backgrounds like city streets in Paris, the jungles of South America, and underwater and beaches. The killer maintains one facial expression throughout most of the book, which is quite a feat for an artist to maintain. The story by Matz is better than a lot of novels I've read, and could easily be adapted into a television series on Netflix or A&E. Very good and I really enjoyed it. -
Got around this due to the upcoming David Fincher adaptation, and was not disappointed. Luc Jacamon’s vivid art splashes across each page, and Matz is a decent writer, the combination making for a captivating read that is easy to shoot through and difficult to put down. Thankful there’s a couple more volumes to go.
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Una granhistoria, a la que no le doy 5* porque me parece algo confuso con los nombres de los que le engañan yel porque le toman como un pringado. Te lo hace leer del tirón y me alegra saber que estan haciendo la pelicula
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If you ever imagined what goes through hitman's mind while sitting on a rooftop half a mile away waiting for his victim to come into the crosshairs, this is the book to read. Matz and Jacamon's The Killer (Le Tueur) is a long and imaginative monologue rant about the state of the world and what is wrong with humanity from a perspective of a person that has made life simple. Most of us kill ourselves for money, but the killer has cut the whole process short. He kills for money. Described as an ultimate noir, this book is so much more. The killer analyses human need to kill, reasons we would kill for, even ads interesting tidbits about the psychology of killing. From Milgram studies to former Nazis, Matz takes a shot at Freud, apex predators, CIA and global politics, all at the same time and all under a guise of self deprecating humor.
If you have to read one graphic novel, make it this one. And go do it now. -
This is another one of those "been on my to-read list a long time" books. The first of two omnibus volumes, this is an outstanding starting point to Matz's narrative world. The tone is certainly dark, but given its topic, how could it be any other way?
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I picked this up after seeing that Fincher is filming an adaptation of it starring Fassbender. Unfortunately the source material is overlong and trite; a loner hitman monologues at length about the boring, bleak worldview he uses to justify his job while “killing time” on jobs and between them. A few plot twists with his employers eventually liven things up a bit, but even that isn’t particularly interesting as presented here (though I can imagine a thrilling version of it from Fincher). The art has a few nice painted backgrounds but overall it’s very mediocre euro comic art with a ton of the same faced characters and muddy, neutral coloring.
Still looking forward to the movie, though! -
Just not for me. I usually like French bande dessinées, but this certainly isn't one I'll ever care to come back to.
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I liked the style and artwork, but the writing at both the small and large scale was redundant and, at its worst, asinine. I'm excited to see what Fincher does with this!
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Decent, but rather bland take on the enigmatic Hitman trope.
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*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*
Authors
Luc Jacamon honed his drawing skills with an Alfred scholarship in 986. Le Tueur: Long Feu was his first published work
Matz has published various graphic novels. He is also, under his real name, an active writer for videogames, as well as a published novelist.
Review
I love books on crime and when I saw this title on Netgally I got curious. Usually I read my crime novels trough the eyes of the police officer, reading a book trough the eyes of a hitman would be something totally different for me. This particular hitman has a problem. He has the feeling he is beginning to loose it and you actually start to feel sorry for him at some point. Trying to get out of the job because he has made enough money to lead an easy life he runs into a setup pulling him deeper into the world pushing him in situations he does not want to be in. You can really feel his desperation for the whole situation.
The evolution of the story is set up nice too, you can see all the problems he runs into and when you think he solved the one the other is popping up and you move on. I do not know much about the life of a hitman but this story sounds very solid. The graphics are varied in details. Specially the killings and sex graphics have explicit details. I like how the main character is always a bit shadowed in the drawings this adds to the mystery surrounding him. Even now I would not be able to give a solid description on his looks to the police.
Some of the quotes I liked in the book
"I believe there are to many people on the earth... But on the other hand life is very fragile"
"The days of the dinosaur, the reptile brain, are long gone, maybe the time had come to adapt. Play it all a little bit more subtle. Aim a little higher. After all, the most fearsome predator, the most lethal creature in the whole of creation, the one with the fewest scruples and the least reason is man" -
This is the story of the ultimate anti-hero. He is a hired gun who kills solely for profit. He's lived his entire life as a loner wanting only enough money so he can "retire" and fade away into South America where no one will know him or bother him. But, when the tables turn and someone comes after him, he not only has to defend himself, but all the people he has come to care for without even realizing it.
This is one of those rare books that is not lost in translation. The story was originally published in French and takes place mostly in and around Paris (with side trips to a couple of South American jungles), but holds up extremely well in English. This could be any average American man living in any average American city. The art style is also excellent with beautiful places and beautiful people rendered in beautiful colors.
One of the best I've read so far this year. It will definitely appeal to fans of noir, action and guns. -
Originally published in French as Le Tueur (a five albums series), this English language omnibus edition of writer Matz and artist Luc Jacamon's crime comics masterpiece is both a visual piece of storytelling beauty and well-crafted plotting and writing. Following a professional killer's life following a hit that does not quite pan out according to plan, the narrative laconically offers a dark and misanthropic view of the world, while producing a credible (to me at least) psychological insight into this kind of professional human predator.
A highly recommended read, especially for fans of hardboiled crime fiction. -
This came recommended and was given to my by a friend to read. I was a little wary in the beginning because it had all the makings of a story that typically features a main character who's so over the top bad ass that it becomes childish and annoying, but that was not the case this time around. It's a good story that kept me guessing until the end and features some nice, vibrant art as well. I kept preparing myself for the worst, but it just didn't happen. Finally, by about the halfway point, I was able to relax and just enjoy it without the fear. Now I just wish there was more.
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Really good.
Here's what you get.
Great artwork and a solid story.
About the story you ask?
You get a Hitman. A professional hitman who kills marks, collects and goes on to the next mark. You mostly get his inner thoughts about his job and his ideology on assassinations and killing in general.
All the while we have his current mission each time and also he talks about his experiences on killing and how he started too.
Good read. -
Love it when I discover a title that I never heard of then realize its everything I look for in a good graphic novel. The Killer is right in my wheel house , the life and mind of a sociopath/serial killer working as a hitman. I flowed right through in a one sitting reading caz both the pacing and the story hooked me hard and fast. I really enjoyed the poop out of it.
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El Asesino tiene un tono muy atractivo y un protagonista muy interesante. La inmersión en sus pensamientos e ideología son de lo mejorcito del cómic, así como su dibujo. Muchas ganas de ver la adaptación de Fincher
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Dobar crtež, zanimljivo kadriranje, interesantna priča, ali i nepregledna naracija i glavni lik koji je odvratna osoba čine ovaj reman ne baš čitkim. Šteta, htio sam da mi se svidi.
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The man appears to be a mild mannered average Joe, yet is a very successful killer for hire. Still, he gets himself in a mess. Well-written storyline, very nice artwork.
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Iako crtež nije vrhunski, priča je ona koja obara s nogu.
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Great new find in graphic novels. I can't wait to read more.
