How am I expected to follow a story with such a large cast, unfamiliar tech, strange ways of living and alien lore? Give me some background, explain some stuff. This is how the Sherlock Holmes stories were made accessible to regular humans - thanks to the perfectly normal Watson. There's no Watson here, nor Holmes really, only a truck-load of information, names and objects that I 'may' figure out by the end. Again, may. I just feel like I won't take anything from this story but a feeling of conf...

Futuristic story centered on a man trying to get to a city that still functions in a country where most technology based things stopped working long ago. Some things still work, but the infrastructure to build and maintain many things is long gone. But our hero, Jack, knows something, or does he? We get some hints about the story of what happened in the past as we follow Jack's adventure and see there are those trying to stop him. Lots of mystery about what is going on and how Jack fits in. In f...

Three centuries after a nanotech apocalypse brought technological civilisation crashing down, wonders remain in the grand, half-ruined cityscape of Paradiso - but anyone wanting in must run a gauntlet of desperate scavengers, fearsome augmented guardians, and the sheer strangeness of the city itself. And it's that setting, the way it recalls the excesses of the London skyline by way of Thomas Cole's Architect's Dream with a serious hangover, that's the main draw here. Though the people are fasci...

Post-apocalyptic tale which is slightly confusing but deliberately so?This comic collection deals with Jack trying to get to Paradiso with the Pneumas which repairs and powers machines and which is coveted by many different types. A variety of characters get involved from scavengers to Guardians of the city. There's plenty of action, mainly fighting, as well as a good deal of mystery (to be explained later presumably) and betrayal.Artwork is reasonably clear and colourful and the story moves alo...

Warnings: violenceThis first volume of Paradiso introduces us to a post-apocalyptic city that is alive in a way, and the humans that live inside and outside it. Paradiso is supposedly a haven, but is fiercely guarded by bionic creatures called Guardians (who are like spare parts stacked on each other inside a trench coat, literally!) and the entry for which is very difficult for those living on the outskirts. Jack, a man with a fragmented memory of his childhood, is in possession of a miraculous...

I asked Ram V, at a comics event (NICE Con) about his name and he quite rightly put me in my place. He was right, I couldn't even attempt to pronounce the full version. I immediately bought his book half through embarrassment but also I am always interested in post-apocalyptic novels. I stumbled over the first two pages as I misread them. I went back and realised - my fault. After that, I was drawn along with our protagonist into this superbly well-developed world of Paradiso. It still rings lik...

*galley received from Image*Paradiso vol. 1 establishes a fascinating post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk world inhabited by great characters--human and otherwise--all overlaid with a dynamic mystery at the center. Supplementing this is an engaging and visual art style which fits the story well. Unfortunately, the plot delivery often feels cursory and abrupt, for my tastes, decreasing my overall enjoyment of the volume.

Paradiso is a refreshingly brilliant post-apoc cyberpunk. Influenced by Mad Max, The Terminator, and The Matrix. With robots, cyborgs, machine sentience, and alternative physics, to name a few. The artwork is sketchy expressionism, detailed, and high contrast coloring. A great start!

This is a graphic novel where the story is told through the brilliant artwork and the introduction. It portrays a futuristic world with lots of hidden ideas in the various storyboard panels. A little tough to follow.

Ram V is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Grafity's Wall to The Swamp Thing (2021-) #1; his writing is so varied. Wonderful sci-fi story set in an intriguing setting, with a strong script.The beginning of this novel was a little gloomy. As well as dismal and muddy sceneries that are dark in hue or have shadows cast over them. It involves plenty of heavy inking, especially along the borders of panels and outlining profiles, among other things. But gradually it goes away, or you grow used...

The story leaves me with a feeling that I've not grasped all there is it. We are not given the whole story of what is going on, leaving the reader with many questions by the end. I did enjoy the read though and would continue on. It's not post-apocalyptic but rather apocalyptic as this world is so many thousands of years after the event called "The Midnight". This primitive lifestyle is the now and the upcoming events will be its apocalypse. There appear to be giant humanoid machines guarding th...

Good Fun for a Patient ReaderThis is a very entertaining post-apocalyptic tale with cyberpunk goodies, an alt-science macguffin, a sentient city, virtually indestructible cyborg guardians, Mad Max style scavengers, a semi-amnesiac hero, double-dealing sidekicks, conflicted villains, and big all-over-the-page style. BUT, the story is non-linear and set up through flashbacks, monologues, expository dialogue, fever dreams, hashed memories, and some puzzling panels that hold clues. That means that t...

Dripping with sci-fi post-apocalyptic cyber-punk action-hyphen brilliance. 5 stars for coloring and pencils. So gooey. Tokyo Ghost vibes but with 100% less clowning and chemming.

This was an interesting concept, but, ultimately, there was just too much left between the lines to make a coherent, compelling story. I also find it interesting that the "Old West" is being tied to futuristic things now. Perhaps it's due to the new iteration of West World. That said, I'm unsure how much of a fan I am of it. It's all rehashing and brings nothing new to the table. Feels like it's just done to fit into a trend, which, in my opinion, is never a good thing.

I feel slightly bad for giving this one star because the art obviously took a long time and I can sort of see what they were going for, but even then things faded into barely saturated browns and overly shaded steampunk-esque apocalyptic mud.But nevermind the artwork, this thing is so, so annoying to read. It's the kind of thing where the creator is /obviously/ in love with their world-building, so like fifteen different concepts get shoved into the first however many pages of story. There's bar...

He said that a god lived within the city, and in her heart, she held memories of all the people who ever lived, and so no one was truly lost.I’m not sure how I feel about this yet, but it’s intriguing enough that I’d like to read the next in the series.

Hell yeah: robotics, “post-apocalypse” but no longer “apocalyptic, and a living breathing city (or something more) known as PARADISO. Every panel is a philosophical query about life and sentience, as Jack and a few friends try to determine their place in PARADISO. Jack’s memories come and go, but somewhere in PARADISO he hopes the mysterious device he inherited will unlock his mind and, just maybe, the city.

*I received this book as an eARC from Image Comics via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*I could not get into this post-apocolyptic story. The artwork is very cool. It has a grungy, dirty feel to it. Quite appropriate to the setting. I just could not get into the story. I was confused, and my attention was not held. I give this volume a 2/5.

It’s quite well done I suppose, but there’s nothing original about this tale, it’s like someone cut up loads of other comics and then stuck them together to make this story. I may try volume 2, in the hope it gets better.

Fascinating future tale set after the world suffers a technology based disaster leaving the world in an almost pre-industrial era state