The Collector

Italian artist Sergio Toppi's work is a revelation for me. Right now the clean, minimal lines of classic comics are so in vogue that it is such a breath of fresh air to discover a master of scribbling all over the page in a way that looks spontaneous and energetic, yet still intentional. It reminds me of Bill Sienkiewicz and a couple other guys in comics. While Toppi passed away in 2012, only two of his books have been published in English that I know of; this and Sharaz-de: Tales from the Arabian Nights which I've also reviewed. While I enjoyed the colored chapters of Sharaz-de, Toppi's busy black and white line art can't be said to suffer from the comparison. Toppi is a master of drawing faces and landscapes from all around the world. Unlike Sharaz-de, The Collector follows the same protagonist through a series of adventures. This story reads a lot like a Sergio Leone spaghetti western might in comic form, though some of the surreal elements bring to mind other more avant-garde filmmakers like Alejandro Jodorowsky. In other words, this book exists loosely in a fun genre that mainstream comics don't often touch - the acid western. I'm not sure how much is lost in translation, but I will say the writing is light on character development. The art, while beautiful, sometimes doesn't serve the storytelling in a way that would make it possible to follow if it weren't translated into English. So here's hoping Archaia publishes releases some more Toppi books! If you like any of the artists/filmmakers I've mentioned, or movies like Dead Man this book is definitely worth checking out.

The artwork is first-rate. It's not quite "If Picasso did comic books" as a friend of mine described it, but Toppi's use of patterns and abstractions, negative space, etc. and the unique montage "panels" are expressive and exciting, sometimes boarder on grotesque, and are just endlessly interesting to look at (and learn from if you draw). The man was a genius of composition and line work The stories are fine, they seem as much as anything an excuse to exhibit the stunning visuals, which is fine with me as that's what I bought the book for; the plots weren't boring but they also didn't leave me wanting more. My only complaint is that the book arrived a little banged up.

A real pleasure to read and enjoy, great stories and delightful art. Sergio Toppi is a master in his craftsmanship, it will always remain a classic in graphic novel artwork. Highly recommended.

Yes, it has a story and the story is probably pretty cool, and maybe (just maybe) I will get my eyeballs off the artwork long enough to read the story. Until that time I will be happily drooling over every schnazztastic page of this completely masterful work of art.

Beautiful, beautiful line work. All of the art is black & white, and the drawings are so meticulous and intuitive, they're incomparable. Each story chapter conveys great mythology. He obviously put in his research when writing out each story.

Another beautiful book by an amazing illustrator. I just would have like to seen some color on some of the interiors as Toppi's colors are another level of beauty. Archaia has done an overall wonderfull job with the printing and binding and this book matches up beautifully with my copy of Sharaz De. Hopefully we will see more of these volumes, but questionable as agreements were made for these prior to Toppi's passing. For reading purposes I like the paper better in Sharaz De. I'm not sure why, but maybe it's just a tad glossier and tad heavier. Beware!! Your copy will most likely come scuffed as the cover is mostly white and Amazon is not bagging them in the box. So the cardboard rubs the white edges of the cover and scuffs it. I haven't been able to get the scuffs off. I even tried getting a replacement copy, and while the Amazon auto return system was easy to work through and get the replacement, there is obviously no one reading the comments as the second was shipped exactly the same and in addition to the scuffed covers, the spine was bent and ripped at the corners. I sent the 2nd back and kept the first. The scuff problem could also be solved with a dust jacket on Archaia's end, and while I sent a complaint to them as well, I never heard back from them either.

I highly recommend this book. Toppi's artwork is at it's exquisite best. Will definitely read his other stories. R.I.P. Mr. Toppi.

The illustrations are a tour de force of black and white pen drawings. The story, for me was incidental to the the images some of which are unbelievable in their complexity and artistry. The case bound book was in great shape a great addition to my collection.