NIL GN REVIEW

[Dylan McKay]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/ind/slg/0405/NIL.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/ind/slg/0405/NILt.jpg" hspace=10 align=left alt="Nil: A Land Beyond Belief"></a> Reviewer: Dylan McKay dmzm@shaw.ca
Story Title: Nil: A Land Beyond Belief

“Nature evolves through extermination, but our modern technological society, with its tradition of tolerance, liberty, and diversity, helps keep millions of stupid, incompetent people alive. Help us restore the balance of nature and kill a stupid person. Return to nature: Eat your neighbour.”

Written & Illustrated by: James Turner
Published by: Slave Labor Graphics (http://www.slavelabor.com/)
Nil, Official Website (http://www.jtillustration.com/nil/)

Believe in nothing
Nothing will destroy something
Believe in something

Greetings, fellow sufferers! I'm here to talk to you about the graphic novel Nil. It is worth noting that, when purchasing this book, trees will die, so, if you like trees, I'd avoid all non-digital comic books. If you like to destroy trees, then I recommend bombs, after all, blowing things up is Nil's national pastime. Just be careful not to be too close when the bomb blows up, not that I care about your safety or anything, you may even enjoy the thrill of it. And I would never wish to impede on your thrill seeking. Back to the subject of Nil, because I want to talk about Nil. In Nil you will find: war, sex, violence, torture, murder, disembodied two-dimensional heads, bombs and a lot of other fun stuff. The one thing you won't find is any of those pesky beliefs. Oh, there are ideas in here, but I recommend avoiding those parts, they can lead to a nasty outbreak of beliefs. In fact, I recommend avoiding the entire graphic novel, because even during fun stuff, like television and drinking, there's intolerable subtexts. Looks like we'll have to deploy deconstruction grinders on the entire topic.
.
.
.
.
.
.
By Nothing! I think it worked, now we can carry on analyzing Nil without any pesky beliefs clouding my judgment, preventing objective analysis.

Nil is the story of Proun Nul, a man too afraid to deviate from his monotonous life, which is leads him to become disenfranchised with disenfranchisement. And when he's accused of murder a very strange, even by Nil's standards, series of events unfolds around him. But due to the atypical narrative structure the plot isn't really the selling point of the book. It's all about style, this book has a great and unique, sense of style. This book mocks everything: from pop culture to religion, from love to logic, and everything in between, all lined with a contempt and disdain for bureaucracy. Topped off with a complete fusion of story and art, where the visuals truly can be read, and often have text on them anyway. This won't be confused for Alex Ross painting over John Cassaday's pencils, but as visually stunning as that would be, that could never achieve what the art achieves here. This is a complete rejection of pin-up art in order to embrace art as a narrative. Which is the greatest strength of this graphic novel, every flaw that I could point out, is made irrelevant. The flaws are elements that are so actively avoided that they, instead, are an atypical storytelling frontier. And as such, there is really only one truly honest question to analyze the book by; did I enjoy it? And to that question, I must answer with an emphatic "YES!" I laughed, almost constantly, and I thought. There aren't many stories out there that can be simultaniously genuinely funny and genuinely thought-provoking. Even leading me to question my own beliefs. I can't say everyone will find the book funny, as humor is constantly and repeatedly subjective.

But then, what's the point of reviews if the book's merit is inherently subjective? Does subjectivity make discussion a waste of time? And if discussion is a waste of time, is human interaction also not a waste of time...:flamed:

ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgnone.jpg

STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slghalf.jpg

OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/slghalf.jpg

Buy Nil: A Land Beyond Belief online now! (http://store.slavelabor.com/)

[Cyclops1280]

This sounds kind of like a twisted George Orwell story. I love it.

[Jon Hancock]

I really want this. Hopefully work can order it for me. Otherwise I'm doomed! Why can't Slave Labour get comics to England except to James?

[Anand Khatri]

Hmmmmm....very very interesting...This sounds good.....

btw...Great Review! :D

[Jennifer de Guzman]

Why can't Slave Labour get comics to England except to James?
I've seen this a number of times here, and I have to point out -- it is not Slave Labor that is not getting comics to England. We do not send the books to UK stores ourselves. The distributors do. We keep all of our distributors in stock with what they ask for, so if stores can't get a book they've ordered, they should take it up with Diamond UK or Red Route.

We have quite a few readers in England, actually, so I think that there is a plot against you specifically. ;)

I hope you can get Nil. I adore this book. It's definitely along the lines of George Orwell. But much funnier than 1984.

[James Groves]

This sounds great!! I bought 300 this week though, so that kinda took a chunk out of my money. But i'll be grabbin this as soon as possible!

I really want this. Hopefully work can order it for me. Otherwise I'm doomed! Why can't Slave Labour get comics to England except to James?

They love me. A kiss and a cuddle can do wonders. ;)

I've seen this a number of times here, and I have to point out -- it is not Slave Labor that is not getting comics to England. We do not send the books to UK stores ourselves. The distributors do. We keep all of our distributors in stock with what they ask for, so if stores can't get a book they've ordered, they should take it up with Diamond UK or Red Route.

We have quite a few readers in England, actually, so I think that there is a plot against you specifically. ;)

I hope you can get Nil. I adore this book. It's definitely along the lines of George Orwell. But much funnier than 1984.

Sounds great. And i'm glad the humour is more overt in Nil than 1984.

I think there is a plot against Jon. And it all lays in his love of Guy Gardner... :P

[Jon Hancock]

Guy's always been faithful to me :P

Jennifer, do you know if Baker and Taylor will be handling this? That's the suppliers my workplace uses. If not I guess it's just a case of nagging my comic book guy.

[Jennifer de Guzman]

Yep, you should be able to get all our graphic novels through Baker and Taylor, too.

[raul grau]

I finally finished reading Nil on the train this afternoon, and since I am out of bombs (or explosives of any kind), I have chosen this reply as the best means to make my opinion known. Dylan, I would agree with your review, but agreement creates a sense of community, and community is based upon the false belief that people are like-minded, so it should be avoided at all costs. I would express great enjoyment, but my feelings are subjective, and therefore meaningless.

My only complaint would be the abruptness of the ending, but that is based upon my own limited perceptions, which are, again, too subjective to be of any real consequence...

- Raul, Undermiddlesuperdupercommander of something... I just never remember precisely what...