Material #1

The issue reminds me of Sin City in some ways there are intertwined narratives about problems in society. While Material is not as depressing as Sin City, it definitely has some of its charm. I cannot wait to see how this series turns out and I recommend this issue as an interesting read. Read Full Review

The direction that the story is going in remains a complete mystery, but it's so masterfully told that it's hardly a problem. Read Full Review

MATERIAL isn't your typical comic book. We often see different books designated to different genres. Ales Kot isn't interested in making this a book about a specific genre. The book takes an ambitious approach by touching on several different and pretty heavy topics. The characters feel real and you get a sense that Kot is really laying it all out as he sees it. Will Tempest's art adds to the feeling by not trying to depict the perfect or ideal versions of the characters as we often see in most comics. You might find yourself wondering what this entire series is about or how the different characters might connect, if ever, but you'll also find yourself taking an interesting journey that only Ales Kot can take you on. Read Full Review

Love him or hate him, if there's one quality you should respect from Ales Kot, it's his willingness to push his own boundaries and to really reach for new storytelling angles. Read Full Review

Kot also fills the gutters of the pages with footnotes, facts and quotes that he finds inspire or inform the work on a given page; the density of information here is impressive and delivered in an entertaining and clean way. There are still several other subplots not covered in this review that are worth a reader's time, and all of this is before the essay Kot writes in the backmatter of the book. This is a comic driven by his worldview and will stand or fall on the writer's ability to explore that in a manner that is clear to readers, and so far Kot and Tempest are off to a great start. Read Full Review

Writer Ales Kot (ZERO), artist Will Tempest (Deep Roots), designer Tom Muller (The Surface) and letterer Clayton Cowles (Journey into Mystery) have created a gritty serial drama in Material #1, packed with heady psychological commentary on current events, that reads like the story board of a True Detective episode. Read Full Review

"Material" #1 is ambitious, it is not a book with a message, it IS a message. In this first issue alone Ales Kot explores a great many themes and social complexities that each could sustain their own graphic meditation (which feels more fitting a description than "comic book" for something as highbrow as "Material") but together, this is a book about desperation, about fear and control, about communication and when it stops. "Material" inspires dialogue. As a critic my piece is to say "know what you're getting into". As an emotionally engaged millennial I urge you to allow "Material" to give you pause, and spread it around. Read Full Review

A tale bursting at the seam, waiting to reveal its intricate, colorful tapestry; a read for the curious, and patient reader, who likes to be teased, and questioned in what they think will happen Read Full Review

Material can be classified as progressive and edgy, but that edge may come as a downfall to some. It definitely separates itself from the majority of comics out there currently and readers may receive it as a sight for sore eyes or something too inaccessible, especially for the comic medium. I personally enjoyed it and after sleeping on it and after reading it a second time I came away with a much better opinion of it than my initial reaction. This politically and philosophically driven series definitely stands out among the rest and I encourage readers looking for something new to give it a try. Read Full Review

Material #1 isn't your average story, and it doesn't seem to want to be either. Kot and Tempest have set out to give you something that will leave you wondering how others face their fears and overcome their hardships, and it does so in a manner that reflects on the times using recent events and possible futures. Read Full Review

Beautiful, haunting stuff, but hard to properly recommend. If youre in a dark, brooding frame of mind, thisll suit you rather well. If youre just in for some be-tighted super-heroics. best look elsewhere. Read Full Review

There’s a lot here but, there’s also very little. This book might materialize into a lot more than it is right now as these interesting but overwhelmingly dense stories make their way into something more solid but, it’s hard for me to recommend this book in its current state. Read Full Review

All in all, I feel like the comic had some good moments with the young boy especially. At other times, I felt rushed through the story just because it wasn't my cup of tea. With only issue out and me having some doubts with the main characters makes me nervous that I may just want to skip it all together, but Material is definitely a different read for me this week. So if you like different and if you like layers then go for it. Read Full Review

SpeakJazz

Jun 02, 2015

Critics, next time read Material with both feet on earth! I've often read articles defending comics proclaiming that they're not just superhero stories and that it is a wonderful way to communicate ideas of every kind: political, social, artistic, et cetera. I've found Material and read it searching google for the books, authors and music or films that Ales Kot thinks it would enrich our experience, pausing, in fact, my usual experience with comics. I find this quite interesting even when reading authors I do not agree with. Material shows you the world as it is, Ales Kot has chosen to talk to whoever wants to "listen" through his comics. He basically starts a discussion of POV in your head. We don't have to have the same perspective as he does but that's not the point, the point is to discuss and talk about those subjects. It's your choice to buy it or not but try this issue. I don't want to talk in advance but I think Material will be here for quite awhile, Ales Kot is a great writer that had me believing he was some kind of Spider Jerusalem with this comic. Yeah, he's not your usual writer but isn't that important? Why do we proclaim as heroes book characters that dare to do something casual in an uncasual way and slam the real artists of our world of doing the same thing? Image Comics is the company once (or still) called indy because it took comics in a different way but critics and some readers keep digging for some kind of unrealistic heroism or intrigue or even evilness in every new comic they find. Will you keep reading comics just for fun, just for the shock or the plot twist or different characters? 'Cause if you do, comics WILL NEVER be seen as more than superhero stories. MATERIAL#1 is a solid 8.5, close 9! I will not give it more 'cause I think it has much more potential but it grabbed me, made me think and search for information and I found new perspectives of this world I live in and that is a great gift we're not getting as often as we should be. more

Synthozoid

May 29, 2015

Weird, but I liked it.

FellintoOblivion

Jun 22, 2015

This is the first comic I have ever read by Ales Kot and I will not be buying a second issue. The story is an attempt to examine all the ills Kot feels are ailing society but much like that campaign in which Starbucks attempted to have random high school educated (if that) employees talk to strangers about race relations, Kot is punching way above his weight class. This script feels like something written by a disaffected teenager who just discovered Marxism but has no idea what life is like in Cuba. I read many non-traditional comics (I actually don't read anything traditionally super hero-ish except for limited series) so I don't mind reading stories promoting sociological ideas I don't agree with. What I have a problem with is writ ing in which the author is unable to remove his personal agenda from the story and that's Material's downfall. As an example, at one point, devoid of character driven narration or dialogue (i.e. the text is from Kot's perspective), Darren Wilson is referred to as a murderer. Ultimately, Kot doesn't want to have a conversation about society as much as he wants to preach about what's wrong with it. more

Cosmic Ray

May 28, 2015

I read half of the first page and thumbed through the rest.

MarkMiller

Jun 02, 2015

The art is horrible and the script is even more horrible. Please do not spend you money on this