Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Along with his brother Gilbert, Hernandez helped usher in the alternative-comics movement in the 1980s with their groundbreaking Love and Rockets series. Three decades later, he remains at the top of his game, as proven by this masterful tale centered on his frustratingly flawed but immensely sympathetic longtime heroine Maggie Chascarrillo. The years have not been particularly kind to Maggie, whose once-turbulent life has settled into a drab existence managing a seedy apartment building. She occasionally sees friends from the old days, among them her on-and-off boyfriend, Ray Dominguez, who still carries a massive torch for her. Skillfully merging tragedy and serendipity, Hernandez brings the pair's intertwining stories to a satisfying, if hard-won, culmination. The simplicity of Hernandez's page designs and the elegant economy of his drawing style belie the thoughtful sophistication of his storytelling, exemplified by a two-page spread that brilliantly encapsulates two entire lifetimes in just 18 panels. Although The Love Bunglers certainly isn't a jumping-on point for new readers, fans who have followed Maggie's exploits over the years will find it a heartbreakingly satisfying achievement that leaves the door wide open for further chapters in this most rewarding and accomplished of serialized comics.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hernandez (Love and Rockets), one of graphic storytelling's modern masters, returns readers to the mundane world of his most lasting creation, Maggie Chascarillo. Maggie's ongoing soap opera continues as artist and former lover Ray Dominguez re-enters her life, tentatively testing the waters to see if things between the two of them could be rekindled. Theirs was never an easy connection and things have not simplified with middle age, but Ray nonetheless holds out hope despite Maggie's statement of not being right for him. But the human heart is capricious and the outcome of the pair's emotional impasse is far from certain, especially as their situation crosses paths with the considerable dysfunctions of seemingly peripheral characters. This rich tapestry of superb, deceptively minimalist artwork and characterization is rounded out with extended flashbacks to Maggie's adolescence that shed light on how her early experiences affect her actions well into adulthood. Sexual abuse, violence, and the sundering of the family unit are all brought to vivid, sometimes heartbrekaing life with Hernadez's often-uncomfortable honesty, and it's that realistic candor that hooks readers to his stories and characters. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Collecting recent issues of his long-running series Love and Rockets, Hernandez explores the middle-aged life of erstwhile mechanic Maggie Chascarillo. Interweaving Maggie's present-day struggles with Ray and Reno, men very much hung up on her since their youths, is the story of a brief period in her childhood when her family moved to a new town, suffered divorce and trauma, loss and sexual abuse. These events drive much of the anger, confusion, and, ultimately, the narrative, as moments of horrific violence both past and present explicate the characters' natures and desires. The combination of simple and graceful black-and-white linework and richly developed characters creates an excellent, engaging book. Readers new to the series may struggle to get into the story and have as strong a connection with Maggie as veterans. This is particularly true of the fleeting references to her longtime lover Hopey, whose exceedingly brief appearance comes at the end. However, unfamiliarity does not preclude enjoyment automatically, as there is much here to applaud even for the uninitiated. Verdict Recommended strongly for fans of the series as well as those readers interested in a mature, nuanced portrait of modern life and love.-Evan M. Anderson, Kirkendall P.L., Ankeny, IA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
