The Collector

I picked this up at Half Price Books because it looked like an interesting read. It ended up being okay but wasn’t really my thing. The illustration was done in an interesting style but was hard to follow at times.The story has a Wild West/Tomb Raider tone to it and is about a man only known as The Collector who obtains items that are special and/or magical for his own use. The Collector is half gunslinger, half tomb raider and incredibly manipulative in an effort to get what he wants (and he ALWAYS gets what he wants).It was an okay story but got a bit repetitive. Each chapter is basically a short story about The Collector obtaining an item. There is some carry over between stories but not much; the stories pretty much stand alone.The illustration is done in a beautiful sketched style of ink. While I enjoyed the style of the illustration I found it very hard to follow at times. Many of the minor characters have a similar look to them and it can be confusing to follow what is actually happening.Overall this was an okay collection of stories about The Collector. While I enjoyed the idea of the The Collector I found the stories involving him to be a bit repetitive. I was somewhat disappointed that this wasn’t a complete story but rather a collection of stories. I also struggled some with following the illustrations, characters just looked too similar. Personally I would skip this unless you are a huge fan of Toppi’s art style.

Three stars because the art is, as always, amazing. Wish the story could match.

Regarding The Collector, I can only say is that it is unfair to the whole comic industry that Toppi had all this talent. The art is stunning, the storytelling is compelling and the story is intriguing. We follow the adventures of a Collector who travels the world from the American wilderness to the Extreme Orient, passing through Africa and Australia to get unusual, supernatrural and rare objects. In his adventures there are negotiations, alliances and vendettas for getting the goods. His motto is "I always get what I want" and it is taken to the extremes even when he finds his Nemesis.It is a total 5 stars, hands down.