I, Paparazzi

Rating:
Summary: Take A Picture of Your $30.00, Then Kiss It Goodbye....
Review: After reading (and loving) Pat McGreal's previous Vertigo/DC work- Chiaroscuro: The lives of Leonardo Da Vinci & Veils, I picked up I, Paparazzi with great expectations. Ummm.....can I have my money back, DC...?

I, Paparazzi centers on Jake "Monster" McGowran, a celebrity photographer, who runs afoul of a mean-tempered Sean Penn-type celeb, and stumbles into a bizarre conspiracy; actually, this one is THE conspiracy, the one from which all of the other ones were born,

The problems with the book were few, but large:

1)- The "Scooby-Doo" ending renders the whole story pointless. Why travel down such a bizarre road if it's only gonna end in Normalville? If you're going to deliver that kind of ending, it would have been better if the whole story had stayed believable.
and.....

2)- To this long-time Comic reader, the "Fumetti" style (using photographs instead of drawings) will always seem cheap-looking. I have no doubt that the book was expensive to produce, and very time-consuming, and the photography and digital imaging WERE impressive, but no matter how much of this type of work I see, it still doesn't click for me.

I would advise people with $30.00 burning a hole in their pocket to try McGreal's Veils instead.

Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining
Review: I, Paparazzi is a graphic novel that is relatively unique in format. All of the artwork consists of photography that has been digitally altered (with added special effects, etc.). While this is an interesting gimmick that is used here quite appropriately given the subject matter, it is not always perfectly executed. For example, the colours can get garrish and the layouts are not always the most visually pleasing, but the effort that has been put into this title is worthy of admiration.

I, Paparazzi doesn't have the emotional depth of McGreal and Phillips' Veils (another highly recommended graphic novel in photographic format), nor does it have the beautiful lyrical paintings of Rebecca Guay which provided a nice break from the photographic art, but overall I did find this graphic novel to be more entertaining. The story is about a paparazzi who winds up on an X-Files/Robert Anton Wilson inspired adventure that is a lot of fun to read. To add more depth to the story, the author explains why the main character (and others) became paparazzi and defends the lifestyle pointing out, e.g., that it was a drunk driver who killed Princess Di and the fact that stars on their way up warmly welcome paparazzi until they reach the point where they, unlike most of society, no longer have to struggle to support themselves. Being photographed by paparazzi after deliberately placing yourself in the public eye is a small price to pay for such comforts.

The characters are all quite interesting, the dialogue is enjoyable, etc., making this a great read. Those who aren't familiar with McGreal et al's work might want to put off getting this graphic novel until it is available in a cheaper softcover, but I personally found the hardcover format worthwhile. And given the rarity of photographic comics (at least in North America), it also makes an interesting conversation piece.

Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining
Review: I, Paparazzi is a graphic novel that is relatively unique in format. All of the artwork consists of photography that has been digitally altered (with added special effects, etc.). While this is an interesting gimmick that is used here quite appropriately given the subject matter, it is not always perfectly executed. For example, the colours can get garrish and the layouts are not always the most visually pleasing, but the effort that has been put into this title is worthy of admiration.

I, Paparazzi doesn't have the emotional depth of McGreal and Phillips' Veils (another highly recommended graphic novel in photographic format), nor does it have the beautiful lyrical paintings of Rebecca Guay which provided a nice break from the photographic art, but overall I did find this graphic novel to be more entertaining. The story is about a paparazzi who winds up on an X-Files/Robert Anton Wilson inspired adventure that is a lot of fun to read. To add more depth to the story, the author explains why the main character (and others) became paparazzi and defends the lifestyle pointing out, e.g., that it was a drunk driver who killed Princess Di and the fact that stars on their way up warmly welcome paparazzi until they reach the point where they, unlike most of society, no longer have to struggle to support themselves. Being photographed by paparazzi after deliberately placing yourself in the public eye is a small price to pay for such comforts.

The characters are all quite interesting, the dialogue is enjoyable, etc., making this a great read. Those who aren't familiar with McGreal et al's work might want to put off getting this graphic novel until it is available in a cheaper softcover, but I personally found the hardcover format worthwhile. And given the rarity of photographic comics (at least in North America), it also makes an interesting conversation piece.