The Wake

GO READ IT. NOW. STOP READING MY REVIEW. GO. It's a story that shows what kind of a writer Snyder is. Goes to such an extent, shows you he gots lots to tell, never letting you get bored or side-tracked, shows how much research he does for his work and how much of a great storyteller he is. Such a great story. Great artwork too. With amazing splash-pages and action sequences. And it binds everything together so damn well, you can't but just to enjoy and be in awe with everything you see/read. Had some complains with some scenes though.. but nothing to ruin it overall. It's about Lee Archer, a mom who's working with analyzing sea-creatures.. whale-calls and stuff. When a team brings her in, to listen to a noise of something they discovered that they want her to analyze and tell them what is it. And.. it's about Leeward who's living in this wasteland that--- oh..Can't say anything else. Sorry yo. Won't do this terrible thing to you. Because, no spoilers. But don't you worry, Snyder is not torturing you that much in the beginning, but manages to keep lots of secrets and mysteries until the very end. What REALLY surprised me is how he was able to tell two stories and make them one so well, without losing me not one second. You'll find yourself wondering until the end, I promise you that. Also, the end, is fulfilling and great. I'm not giving it 5 stars just because the artwork at some point was all over the place and started getting confused with who's who and "hey those faces look exactly the same" but not something that will cause too much of a problem to anyone. Maybe I'm just too picky. But still, wasn't that big of a deal. You're pretty much getting a great mystery/drama post/pre-apocalyptic story with lots of action and all of that in like... a feeling that you read two different series that are for the same story. Can't explain it better or simpler. You're going to read about a whole new world too. Great stuff. Snyder never disappoints!

Absolutely brilliant. This comic book merged horror, sci-fi, mythology with a dose of cinematic qualities to make one jaw dropping series. What really amazed me was its large scope. I have always loved myths, and here they are lovingly accentuated by the artwork. The ending seemed a bit rushed, it took me some time to draw my own conclusions, and some parts about the Governess are still unclear, but what of that. This comic made me think and it lingered in my mind. That is an achievement.

I really enjoyed this, it started off strong, very Alien set under water, and unfortunately it didn't go the way I had hoped and got a little weird in the end. However it's unique and beautifully written and illustrated, well worth the read.

Scott Snyder's books are just not meant for me. I've picked up a few of his well-regarded comics, and every time I finish feeling a bit confused about what all the fuss was about. The Wake is a good example. It's got exciting visuals and a fast-paced plot, but it lacks much in the way of characterisation or sensible world-building. It would probably make a fantastic big budget action flick, but as a book, I found it rather wanting. The conclusion is confusing and hastily wrapped up, and I really have no idea why the antagonists were antagonists (other than to be generically evil if they were human, or to be some sort of badly explained evolutionary necessity if they were fish people). All in all, if you want a Michael Crichton-style thriller with evil fish people that you can finish in an hour or so, The Wake can be a fun way to pass the time (and sometimes, that's all I want from an afternoon). Just don't expect too much weightiness from its conclusion.