I’m a sucker for anything 3D, I admit. While I received an ARC digital edition of this through NetGalley, I had no problem with the 3D effects as I have my own collection of 3D glasses:
I think this book is mostly a concept book. Clearly the 3D is a major portion of the concept, but if we take that away as simply a gimmick, what else do we have? We have a story that is simple. George Joyner is a mid-level businessman in the future. While he’s not particularly successful as a businessman, he’s less so as a husband and father. He hopes he can ‘man up’ by being a bit of a savior to the attractive babysitter, and this takes him on a journey.
The story is very simple and I’m not convinced that it would stand up on its own and be a strong story without any art.
The art is also very simple, though this simplicity, within the frame of the story, comes off as ‘efficient’ and helps define this futuristic world. Simplicity doesn’t mean simple. This is austere and lovely.
The 3D is a nice enhancer. The sense of depth in a traditionally 2D format is always appreciated by me when it is done well, and this 3D conversion is solid. I did have some issue with some of the word balloons which did not seem to be incorporated in to the conversion process and sometimes it interrupted lines and created an incorrect break in the depth.
I enjoyed what I had here, but I wasn’t committed enough to the project that I’d have to be sure to get the next book in the series.
Looking for a good book? This 3D graphic novel has some really nice, efficient and austere art, though the story is a little bit wanting.
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The Joyners in 3D
author: R. J. Ryan
artist: David Marquez
publisher: Archaia Entertainment
ISBN: 9781936393
hardcover, 136 pages
Looking For a Good Book 