Science Fiction
Iconic is one of those comics that makes the title do a lot of work. It’s built as a story about stories, with literature and history folded into the form, which is a neat idea until it isn’t. That sort of thing can tip into clever framing for its own sake.
Here it mostly feels like a proper read, not just an exercise. Best suited to readers who don’t mind genre being a bit untidy, and who are happy when comics lean into ideas as much as plot.
Here it mostly feels like a proper read, not just an exercise. Best suited to readers who don’t mind genre being a bit untidy, and who are happy when comics lean into ideas as much as plot.
The “story about stories” bit sounds like the sort of premise that can either feel alive or become its own little trap. I’m more forgiving of comics when they’re messy in an interesting way, though. If the form is doing some of the work, I’d rather it be a bit untidy than polished into nothing.