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Collapser (2019) #1-6
Collapser
From the brother of Gerard Way, the curator of DC's Young Animal and writer of Doom Patrol, comes Collapser by Mikey Way. Collapser DJ Liam James finds himself in a cosmic conflict beyond his wildest dreams.
There's a voice in the head of Liam James questioning everything he does--from his job at the nursing home to keeping his relationship with his girlfriend afloat. Liam suffers from anxiety, and the only thing that quiets it is music, which makes a weekly DJ gig his one saving grace. But Liam's life changes forever when he receives a black hole in the mail (yes, you read that right), one that takes up residence in his chest, grants him insane superpowers, turns him into a celebrity and draws him into a cosmic conflict beyond his wildest imagination. Liam finds himself in an intergalactic arms race that centers around him!
There's a voice in the head of Liam James questioning everything he does--from his job at the nursing home to keeping his relationship with his girlfriend afloat. Liam suffers from anxiety, and the only thing that quiets it is music, which makes a weekly DJ gig his one saving grace. But Liam's life changes forever when he receives a black hole in the mail (yes, you read that right), one that takes up residence in his chest, grants him insane superpowers, turns him into a celebrity and draws him into a cosmic conflict beyond his wildest imagination. Liam finds himself in an intergalactic arms race that centers around him!
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2020
5 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 22, 2020
The premise was decent but the execution was poor. Comics are a visual medium. If you are going to dump so much exposition into your story that you don't need the pictures, write a novel instead. The storytelling was very choppy as well, jumping over events that left you feeling disconnected from the story. I did enjoy the art.
May 15, 2020
Tell me if I’m wrong, but there’s too much exposition. Comics are a visual literacy as well as a spatial one. If you’re going to narrate the whole thing, point-blank, there’s no reasoning for having artwork other than to look at “pretty pictures.�
April 28, 2023
3.5, rounded up to 4
December 7, 2019
This was weird, but it wouldn't be a Young Animal book if it wasn't.
July 26, 2020
It's beautifully drawn and the hook is great but the deeper into the book you get, the more exposition is dumped on you and the less it feels like an inventive idea and more like some random wish fulfillment fantasy by a person who read too much Kieron Gillen.
October 11, 2020
From the brother of Gerard Way comes this reluctant DJ by night, chronic anxiety suffering "hero," Collapser. Darkly funny with great art and a healthy dose of what it means to really have anxiety, this was enjoyable and 'in mood' for the Young Animal line.
September 28, 2024
Weird & Fun
May 19, 2020
2.5/5 stars.
I really wanted to like this comic but, in all honesty, I just didn't. And it's a big shame because the premise sounded so interesting. A guy, Liam, ends up with a black hole inside his chest that gives him the power to alter reality as he sees fit. What's not to like about that? The answer: the execution.
So, why didn't I love this? Like I said, the problem is the execution. Comics tend to be an inherently fast-paced medium. Action is prioritized over slow storytelling. And that's fine. There are exceptions, of course. For every superhero comic, there's something likeÌýThe Sandman orÌýWatchmenÌýor evenÌýThe Walking DeadÌýto balance things out with some slower storytelling.ÌýCollapser is not such a title. In fact, it's so fast-paced that it's actually difficult to follow what's happened, making it frequently unpleasant to read.
From the get-go, Way and Simon spend next-to-no time properly establishing the characters or the world of the comic. We're just kind of dropped in as everything moves full speed ahead. Liam's only defining characteristic is that he has pretty severe anxiety and that anxiety makes him a bit of an asshole. And that's pretty much all we're given. And the way that Way and Simon tell us this is through a bunch of really confusing narration bubbles. It's a really unpleasant way of exploring this anxiety as it just kind of interrupts the flow of everything and you're never sure what the narration bubbles are referring to, if they're one voice or multiple voices, or what. It's just... not fun and doesn't really make you want to relate to Liam. It just makes you wish he'd shut up. And that feeling never really goes away.
Ostensibly, the comic is about how Liam grows from this unstable and nervous person who ruins his personal relationships into someone who really tries to be better. But the problem is that we don't really track that at all throughout the six issues. Too much time is spent on all of the cosmic elements and what should be the actual story gets lost in the process. We see him be completely dismissive to his girlfriend and his best friend and they just kind of take it. There's some handwaving in the general direction of them being fed up with his actions, but Simon and Way never quite commit to the idea. There's also some vague hand waving in the general direction of Liam having unresolved daddy issues, but it's something that comes up very infrequently until it's of vital importance to the climax, and is then dealt with so quickly that you wonder why it was worth caring about at all. Liam is an asshole throughout the comic and then he's just suddenly... better and we're supposed to be happy about it and it just didn't work for me at all. In the end, it's just some very uneven, uninteresting character development and it's not particularly fun or compelling to read.
The same is true for the comic's plotting. Like I said, the premise is good, but the execution is flawed. It's all just too confusing, even with the exposition dumps that happen throughout the comic. Things just kind of happen and there's no logical progression of events. You get a lot of information about the black hole and what it is and who wants it, but you're never given any time to reflect on that. The comic never slows down long enough for you to really understand what's going on and why it's happening or why you should care. Sure, it explains the plot at various points, but that doesn't mean the plot actually makes any sense or that it's worth caring about at all. The world-building is neat, but I just didn't care about the story I was being told. I felt a sort of numbness wash over me as I read the comic. It was just so much stuff happening and none of it was connecting with me at all. Between the incoherent character arcs and the confusing plot, it just wasn't anywhere near as fun an experience as it should've been.
A good comic should have artwork that both elevates the material and helps clarify it.ÌýCollapser's artwork has only one of those elements. To be fair to Kyriazis, his art is very beautiful. It's extremely stylized and often a bit abstract, which sort of feels appropriate for a story involving so many cosmic elements. The problem is that with a script that's as hard to follow as Way and Simon's is, the artwork really has to pick up the slack in terms of understandability. And Kyriazis's doesn't really do that. It's pretty to look at but it's hard to follow. It doesn't help clarify the story; if anything, it makes it even harder to follow. I may be in the minority here as I'm really picky about the artwork in comics, but I will always prefer practicality and coherence over beauty and I just feel like the artwork in this comic didn't do enough to help tell the story - even if it was some gorgeous art.
At the end of the day,ÌýCollapser is one of those comics that has a marvelous premise but subpar execution. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it either. Everything about this comic should've spelled instant love for me, but it just didn't click. Everything was way too fast-paced and too expositional. There was no time to get to know any of the characters or empathize with them at all, so you end up feeling like a passive passenger on this breakneck ride and it's not particularly enjoyable. There are no clear motivations to follow or character arcs to track. Everything just... happens. And it's not very fun. On a macro level, the story is interesting enough. Like I said, it's a good premise. I just wish the comic had slowed down enough to properly explore it. The middle chapters show some of the promises the comic had, but it's all squandered by a beginning and an ending that's just too hectic to follow. Unfortunately, the artwork doesn't help much either. While it's certainly a pretty book, I often found the art too abstract to follow. I feel the art in a comic needs to help tell the story and I just didn't feel like the artwork here did that. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to giving this a read. I'm sure some will like it, but it just wasn't for me.
I really wanted to like this comic but, in all honesty, I just didn't. And it's a big shame because the premise sounded so interesting. A guy, Liam, ends up with a black hole inside his chest that gives him the power to alter reality as he sees fit. What's not to like about that? The answer: the execution.
So, why didn't I love this? Like I said, the problem is the execution. Comics tend to be an inherently fast-paced medium. Action is prioritized over slow storytelling. And that's fine. There are exceptions, of course. For every superhero comic, there's something likeÌýThe Sandman orÌýWatchmenÌýor evenÌýThe Walking DeadÌýto balance things out with some slower storytelling.ÌýCollapser is not such a title. In fact, it's so fast-paced that it's actually difficult to follow what's happened, making it frequently unpleasant to read.
From the get-go, Way and Simon spend next-to-no time properly establishing the characters or the world of the comic. We're just kind of dropped in as everything moves full speed ahead. Liam's only defining characteristic is that he has pretty severe anxiety and that anxiety makes him a bit of an asshole. And that's pretty much all we're given. And the way that Way and Simon tell us this is through a bunch of really confusing narration bubbles. It's a really unpleasant way of exploring this anxiety as it just kind of interrupts the flow of everything and you're never sure what the narration bubbles are referring to, if they're one voice or multiple voices, or what. It's just... not fun and doesn't really make you want to relate to Liam. It just makes you wish he'd shut up. And that feeling never really goes away.
Ostensibly, the comic is about how Liam grows from this unstable and nervous person who ruins his personal relationships into someone who really tries to be better. But the problem is that we don't really track that at all throughout the six issues. Too much time is spent on all of the cosmic elements and what should be the actual story gets lost in the process. We see him be completely dismissive to his girlfriend and his best friend and they just kind of take it. There's some handwaving in the general direction of them being fed up with his actions, but Simon and Way never quite commit to the idea. There's also some vague hand waving in the general direction of Liam having unresolved daddy issues, but it's something that comes up very infrequently until it's of vital importance to the climax, and is then dealt with so quickly that you wonder why it was worth caring about at all. Liam is an asshole throughout the comic and then he's just suddenly... better and we're supposed to be happy about it and it just didn't work for me at all. In the end, it's just some very uneven, uninteresting character development and it's not particularly fun or compelling to read.
The same is true for the comic's plotting. Like I said, the premise is good, but the execution is flawed. It's all just too confusing, even with the exposition dumps that happen throughout the comic. Things just kind of happen and there's no logical progression of events. You get a lot of information about the black hole and what it is and who wants it, but you're never given any time to reflect on that. The comic never slows down long enough for you to really understand what's going on and why it's happening or why you should care. Sure, it explains the plot at various points, but that doesn't mean the plot actually makes any sense or that it's worth caring about at all. The world-building is neat, but I just didn't care about the story I was being told. I felt a sort of numbness wash over me as I read the comic. It was just so much stuff happening and none of it was connecting with me at all. Between the incoherent character arcs and the confusing plot, it just wasn't anywhere near as fun an experience as it should've been.
A good comic should have artwork that both elevates the material and helps clarify it.ÌýCollapser's artwork has only one of those elements. To be fair to Kyriazis, his art is very beautiful. It's extremely stylized and often a bit abstract, which sort of feels appropriate for a story involving so many cosmic elements. The problem is that with a script that's as hard to follow as Way and Simon's is, the artwork really has to pick up the slack in terms of understandability. And Kyriazis's doesn't really do that. It's pretty to look at but it's hard to follow. It doesn't help clarify the story; if anything, it makes it even harder to follow. I may be in the minority here as I'm really picky about the artwork in comics, but I will always prefer practicality and coherence over beauty and I just feel like the artwork in this comic didn't do enough to help tell the story - even if it was some gorgeous art.
At the end of the day,ÌýCollapser is one of those comics that has a marvelous premise but subpar execution. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it either. Everything about this comic should've spelled instant love for me, but it just didn't click. Everything was way too fast-paced and too expositional. There was no time to get to know any of the characters or empathize with them at all, so you end up feeling like a passive passenger on this breakneck ride and it's not particularly enjoyable. There are no clear motivations to follow or character arcs to track. Everything just... happens. And it's not very fun. On a macro level, the story is interesting enough. Like I said, it's a good premise. I just wish the comic had slowed down enough to properly explore it. The middle chapters show some of the promises the comic had, but it's all squandered by a beginning and an ending that's just too hectic to follow. Unfortunately, the artwork doesn't help much either. While it's certainly a pretty book, I often found the art too abstract to follow. I feel the art in a comic needs to help tell the story and I just didn't feel like the artwork here did that. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to giving this a read. I'm sure some will like it, but it just wasn't for me.
Read
July 8, 2022I think this is the last Young Animal book I hadn't read, and given it sees imprint boss Gerard Way lend his brother Mikey the services of his own sometime co-writer Shaun Simon, it could easily have been like the dying days of Creation, when Alan McGee was getting his dad to do easy listening versions of his best mate's album that hadn't been selling in its original version. The difference, of course, is that Gerard Way is a talented (and very cute) polymath, rather than a coked-up arsehole, and it turns out his brother also has talents beyond being in the goth Queen*, because this is pretty good, not to mention very early Vertigo. Granted, there it would have probably been eight issues instead of six, and I think that extra breathing space would have benefited it, but even as is there's a lot to like. So: Liam James works in a nursing home by day, tries to make it as a DJ by night, and one day gets a parcel with a bequest from the mother who abandoned him as a baby. Rather unexpectedly, it contains a black hole, which takes up residence in his chest, confers strange powers, and also talks. Distinctly post-Zenith weird superhero hijinks with overtones of cosmic horror ensue:
"The gates of hell have opened and our city has become a playground of nightmares! Save your children! Call your Aunt Agnes! We might not survive this one!
Wait! I might be completely wrong! Look! In the sky...
It's a bird. It's a plane! It's...
An exceptionally fashionable superhero!"
Artist Ilias Kyriazis and colourist Cris Peter are both new names on me, but while I can't quite put my finger on who it is the visuals are reminding me of, I do know they would have been right at home accompanying a script by Peter Milligan or Grant Morrison back in their heyday, and as such are a perfect match. Although it does lose points for putting Stonehenge on a hill. I mean, of all the places where it's not hard to find plenty of visual reference material...
*If you think this is anything but a high compliment, I'm afraid I don't know what to say to you.
"The gates of hell have opened and our city has become a playground of nightmares! Save your children! Call your Aunt Agnes! We might not survive this one!
Wait! I might be completely wrong! Look! In the sky...
It's a bird. It's a plane! It's...
An exceptionally fashionable superhero!"
Artist Ilias Kyriazis and colourist Cris Peter are both new names on me, but while I can't quite put my finger on who it is the visuals are reminding me of, I do know they would have been right at home accompanying a script by Peter Milligan or Grant Morrison back in their heyday, and as such are a perfect match. Although it does lose points for putting Stonehenge on a hill. I mean, of all the places where it's not hard to find plenty of visual reference material...
*If you think this is anything but a high compliment, I'm afraid I don't know what to say to you.
March 20, 2021
The sheer time effort and skill that goes into creating a graphic novel means I'd never stoop so low as giving this genre a poor star rating.
More often that not, comics rush through plot (often leaving out great gaps or relying on knowledge of other material to fill the detail), and sadly that is evident here. It has the feel of something that was a trial, and the writer wanted to get as much world building in to give the story a chance and hope to win a second series from the publisher. Could take some hints form the excellent Black Hammer series, to flesh out the tale and give our protangonist time to breathe, and panic, and discover truths.
That said, they speed of storytelling didn't detract too greatly, and kind of fits in with Liam's young, snappy lifestyle. He's an instantly likeable character, lots of opportunities for fun with the villains. Perhaps we'll get a longer more drawn out finding himself story next, now he knows roughly who he is.
The artwork is awesome, some great action shots, the treatment of the black hole is unique and funky. Hope we get more.
More often that not, comics rush through plot (often leaving out great gaps or relying on knowledge of other material to fill the detail), and sadly that is evident here. It has the feel of something that was a trial, and the writer wanted to get as much world building in to give the story a chance and hope to win a second series from the publisher. Could take some hints form the excellent Black Hammer series, to flesh out the tale and give our protangonist time to breathe, and panic, and discover truths.
That said, they speed of storytelling didn't detract too greatly, and kind of fits in with Liam's young, snappy lifestyle. He's an instantly likeable character, lots of opportunities for fun with the villains. Perhaps we'll get a longer more drawn out finding himself story next, now he knows roughly who he is.
The artwork is awesome, some great action shots, the treatment of the black hole is unique and funky. Hope we get more.
January 26, 2024
This felt very millennial.
A shiftless 20-something gains a sentient black hold, which allows him to basically destroy things (and create illusions), and ends up mostly destroying his previous life. The issues feel disjointed, going in very different directions before wrapping up in what manages to be one of the more coherent of the Young Animal volumes. But Liam isn't very likable, and neither is anyone in his orbit. There are some interesting ideas about music shaping his life, but they stay an under-current throughout, which is a bit of a shame. The artwork ranges from average to hard-to-read, without anything particularly memorable, even with a vast selection of weird creatures popping in and out of the story.
Ultimately, it's a story that feels like it never got fully fleshed out, and then, somewhat apropos, collapses under its own weight.
A shiftless 20-something gains a sentient black hold, which allows him to basically destroy things (and create illusions), and ends up mostly destroying his previous life. The issues feel disjointed, going in very different directions before wrapping up in what manages to be one of the more coherent of the Young Animal volumes. But Liam isn't very likable, and neither is anyone in his orbit. There are some interesting ideas about music shaping his life, but they stay an under-current throughout, which is a bit of a shame. The artwork ranges from average to hard-to-read, without anything particularly memorable, even with a vast selection of weird creatures popping in and out of the story.
Ultimately, it's a story that feels like it never got fully fleshed out, and then, somewhat apropos, collapses under its own weight.
February 4, 2023
I love weird comics, I especially love DC Young Animal comics. They’re fun, unique, and the art is amazing. My favorite thing about this comic is probably it’s art, closely followed by its general premise. I desperately want a second volume, but I doubt that’ll ever happen sadly. My main critique of this is its clunky exposition and the general resolution. I think they tried to have too big of a premise. If they streamlined its antagonists a bit more, cut out some characters that really didn’t move anything forward, it would’ve packed a bigger punch. Overall, it’s a fun and enjoyable read. The art is spectacular, the colors are bright and when there are page spreads that focus on specific colors, it’s just electrifying.
March 15, 2023
The creator of this comic, Mikey Way, is often noted as the quieter, younger brother of Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance. Using this medium, Mikey has gotten the chance to express his struggles with anxiety and depression, through a protagonist loosely based on himself.
Collapser is a quick read, with everything explained in its relatively short run. Reading the main character’s, Liam James's, thought process at the beginning really makes you feel like you're the one experiencing a panic attack. I'd say it's a good way of getting into Way's own psyche, as well.
While there were still some things that were a bit confusing - namely, the hallucinations - it's still an overall impressive achievement of a story where mental illness is used as a metaphor for a superpower.
Collapser is a quick read, with everything explained in its relatively short run. Reading the main character’s, Liam James's, thought process at the beginning really makes you feel like you're the one experiencing a panic attack. I'd say it's a good way of getting into Way's own psyche, as well.
While there were still some things that were a bit confusing - namely, the hallucinations - it's still an overall impressive achievement of a story where mental illness is used as a metaphor for a superpower.
November 4, 2020
The core idea behind Collapser is great, a perfect fit thematically with the rest of the Young Animal lineup titles. Where this falls flat, unfortunately, seems to be a problem of too big an idea and too little space to give it any breathing room. This could have been much better told with even a couple extra issues to spread out the story and make both the exposition and the action less forced and compressed.
July 5, 2021
Ideally I would give this a 1.5 out of 5, because I've definitely read worse comics than this, but it's not up to a 2 for me. I read Collapser because an advertisement was in another comic I'd read, and the image drew my interest.
The story was interesting, but the slow startup followed by a bit of nonsense made it hard to really get into until the last (two-ish) issue(s). I'd like to see more of Liam and the black hole in DC, as I do think they'd make a great addition.
The story was interesting, but the slow startup followed by a bit of nonsense made it hard to really get into until the last (two-ish) issue(s). I'd like to see more of Liam and the black hole in DC, as I do think they'd make a great addition.
December 7, 2020
Interesting concept, perplexing execution. The story jumped all over the place, was over-narrated, and repetitive. Characters were developed to the level of a frat party in terms of emotional depth � the main character in particular is just despisable. Gets 2 stars because the art style is captivating.
November 27, 2023
There’s a lot going on and didn’t buy into some of the setups that were present. But what if black holes make you ultra powerful? What would do with that to be able to change perceptions? There were some great ideas at the star that would have been interesting to see where it went but it doesn’t feel like they were fleshed out.
December 24, 2020
I don't fully understand what I just read. The entire black hole/monsters thing never really comes together in a coherent way. But I was into it. It's super weird with lots of musical references and weird af art. It was like a lesser version of Neverboy.
December 30, 2019
Read as singles.
December 31, 2019
Disappointing
April 5, 2020
The art is fantastic, the story is meh...
April 7, 2020
The art is excellent but the story is all over the place and I don't feel the climax was worth reading 6 issues for.
September 28, 2020
Poor characterization. I wish the aliens and backstory were explored more. The parents' behavior and personalities weren't explored either.
December 20, 2020
Collapser is one of my favourites reads this year. Liam is a character that most people can relate to, he is stuck at a job he doesn’t enjoy while having a passion that he can’t peruse as a full-time job, one of my favourite things about this book was the characters they are so real and relatable, even though I rated it five stars I would have enjoyed the comic more if there was more explanation of the magic system because there was a part at the end that would make the book better if they took the time to explain how it worked. The most important aspect of a comic is the art. I enjoyed the art style, to specify the colour palette is so fitting to the storyline and the character emotions. My favourite line should be this “maybe I should cry. Yeah, crying would probably be the right thing to do right now�. To conclude the comic was great, I would probably re-read it in the future.
February 12, 2021
Liam receives a parcel that he ignores, but it opens of its own accord and suddenly he is living with a black hole in his chest.
March 29, 2021
Weird, wonderful, surreal and relatable.
June 27, 2021
I am 100% biased on this.
This is the only young animal collection I’ve read that explains anything. I love Gerard but this is miles ahead IMO.
This is the only young animal collection I’ve read that explains anything. I love Gerard but this is miles ahead IMO.
July 17, 2021
Loved this graphic novel 🖤
Well out thought character build, I for one could really resonate with Liam on several levels.
I already am a sucker for superhero stories and this is a good one!
Well out thought character build, I for one could really resonate with Liam on several levels.
I already am a sucker for superhero stories and this is a good one!
May 16, 2022
Sorry, but I was very bored in this. The exposition never stopped. And the rules seemed to change as the comic went on...but not in a good way. I also did not care about any of the characters.
June 21, 2022
Way more exposition than most comics and I still didn't know enough about what the black hole could do and where everything came from.
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