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Devin Grayson
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User Kindle & comiXology

by Devin Grayson (Author), Sean Phillips (Cover Art, Artist), John Bolton (Artist) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
Originally published as a groundbreaking three-part Vertigo miniseries, DEVIN GRAYSON’s USER explores sexual identity and online role-playing in the text-based MUDs of the nineties. Featuring breathtaking art by SEAN PHILLIPS and JOHN BOLTON, USER—which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for its authentic portrayal of gender fluidity—is as relevant and powerful today as it was when first created.
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  1. Part of Series
    User
  2. Print length
    172 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Image
  5. Publication date
    May 17, 2017
  6. File size
    605.6 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED -- This sumptuous hardcover is set in the early digital age of the 1990s: the World Wide Web is text-based, access is via dial-up modem, phone bills are outrageous, and intrepid users create and push boundaries to define this new frontier. Meg Chancellor, a disaffected 20-something still living in her deeply dysfunctional family home, obsessively latches onto a fantasy RPG chat room where she reinvents herself as the fearless and chivalrous paladin, Sir Guillaume de la Coeur. Gender norms, conventional sexuality, and identity barriers are thrown out the window as she explores her character, adventures, and comrades-in-arms, but painful realities challenge her to confront the tension between her personas. Originally published as a three-issue series in 2001 by Vertigo, this compilation contains gorgeous art and coloring by Bolton (Shame) and Philips (Kill or Be Killed). The real world is depicted in a photorealistic moody monochrome while the online realm is enchanting and vibrant with prismatic color. Although Meg is sometimes unsympathetic and over-the-top, Nightwing writer Grayson's fast-paced and relevant coming-of-age drama brings alive the passion, promise, and compassion inspired by the budding online world. (May)


LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Meg Chancellor's world is falling apart-her mother has walked out, her father's best friend Cal is sexually abusing her younger sister Annie, and her father will do nothing about any of it. So Meg finds a new online world of paladins and princesses where she can become the hero she needs in real life. Eventually, the two worlds come together, with Meg taking control and finding hope. Grayson's (Batman) parable first appeared as a GLAAD Award-nominated Vertigo miniseries in 2001 and is set in the mid-1990s when MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) role-playing games became popular. Meg and Annie are the most multidimensional characters, both fighting their way through their problems in different ways. Bolton's (The Books of Magic) masterly gray-scale brushwork with only touches of color depicts the "real" world, while Phillips's (Criminal) blocky, vividly colored fantasy art creates the online realm as a confusing yet compelling place. VERDICT This coming of age that can happen at any age reveals our heroine finding power and peers while exploring her own gender fluidity. Seekers age mid-teens and up will empathize and learn from her quest.-MC

Review

LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Meg Chancellor's world is falling apart-her mother has walked out, her father's best friend Cal is sexually abusing her younger sister Annie, and her father will do nothing about any of it. So Meg finds a new online world of paladins and princesses where she can become the hero she needs in real life. Eventually, the two worlds come together, with Meg taking control and finding hope. Grayson's (Batman) parable first appeared as a GLAAD Award-nominated Vertigo miniseries in 2001 and is set in the mid-1990s when MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) role-playing games became popular. Meg and Annie are the most multidimensional characters, both fighting their way through their problems in different ways. Bolton's (The Books of Magic) masterly gray-scale brushwork with only touches of color depicts the “real” world, while Phillips's (Criminal) blocky, vividly colored fantasy art creates the online realm as a confusing yet compelling place. VERDICT This coming of age that can happen at any age reveals our heroine finding power and peers while exploring her own gender fluidity. Seekers age mid-teens and up will empathize and learn from her quest.-MC




PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED -- This sumptuous hardcover is set in the early digital age of the 1990s: the World Wide Web is text-based, access is via dial-up modem, phone bills are outrageous, and intrepid users create and push boundaries to define this new frontier. Meg Chancellor, a disaffected 20-something still living in her deeply dysfunctional family home, obsessively latches onto a fantasy RPG chat room where she reinvents herself as the fearless and chivalrous paladin, Sir Guillaume de la Coeur. Gender norms, conventional sexuality, and identity barriers are thrown out the window as she explores her character, adventures, and comrades-in-arms, but painful realities challenge her to confront the tension between her personas. Originally published as a three-issue series in 2001 by Vertigo, this compilation contains gorgeous art and coloring by Bolton (Shame) and Philips (Kill or Be Killed). The real world is depicted in a photorealistic moody monochrome while the online realm is enchanting and vibrant with prismatic color. Although Meg is sometimes unsympathetic and over-the-top, Nightwing writer Grayson's fast-paced and relevant coming-of-age drama brings alive the passion, promise, and compassion inspired by the budding online world. (May)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06X9BBMM4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Image (May 17, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 605.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 172 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

About the author

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Devin Grayson

Devin Grayson

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Devin Grayson is an award-winning comics veteran with over two decades of experience writing the world’s most beloved superheroes for Marvel and DC Comics. With the publication of Batman: Gotham Knights in March of 2000, she became the first woman to create, launch, and write a new, ongoing Batman title.

Recent works include REWILD, a contemporary graphic novel fairy tale about the Climate Crisis with artist Yana Adamovic (Berger Books), the #GGN2022-noinated Omni for Humanoids, and “Widowmakers” for Marvel featuring Yelena Belova, a character Devin created back in 1999 who is currently starring in Disney’s Black Widow blockbuster.

Openly bisexual, Devin is committed to diverse representation in both real and fictional spaces. She lives in the Bay Area with her family, including two step-sons—one transgender and one cis—and an adorable Diabetes Alert Dog, Jada. Find out more at DevinGrayson.net!

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
10 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Ruthsic
    5.0 out of 5 stars this story about a young woman named Mel who discovers the whole world of MUDs (think MMORPG in text form) and initially drowns
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2017
    Whether or not you are a gaming fan (I am not), this book is an experience to read through. Set in the 90s, this story about a young woman named Mel who discovers the whole world of MUDs (think MMORPG in text form) and initially drowns in the delight of that experience. In real life, she is the elder daughter, who is helpless to save her younger sister, but in that virtual world, she is a bisexual French knight in a medieval fantasy. It makes her feel more alive than her life, that she has a purpose over there, a cause to fight for and gets to be the knight in shining armor. It also speaks to her gender fluidity in a way.

    At first, I had thought that the book would be a cautionary tale about losing yourself in your online persona. It happens to most of us - we prefer the virtual or online world than our reality, because there we can be something we are not. We can hide behind a strong personality, but this book takes a step further and shows that you can learn from what you built up as a persona. Mel eventually learns to emulate her character and be as valiant in real life as she is in the game, to take risks and be actionable than just living through life passively. She saves her sister from her abuser, and for herself, she finds a new relationship with someone who is as passionate as she about the game. (Side note: It does not, however, linger on the consequences of her getting lost in the virtual world, like her losing her job and her leaving her sister behind initially. Which, yeah, she is a flawed character and has to grow, but I felt wrong that she did not apologize for it)

    As for the artwork, it is amazing. There are two styles - the real and the virtual. The real is done in exquisite detail, and you can see some amazing artwork in the lineart - expressions, body language, setting, as well as some beautiful shading even in the greyscale-ish rendering of her life. As for the virtual, it seems more rudimentary in lineart (to emulate the gaming atmosphere) but is vibrant in coloring. Both, however, have markedly impressive amounts of work and detail put into them - the best one I've seen since Monstress #1.

    Overall, a feast for the eyes and an interesting story as well.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Johnnie Lewis
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing changed...
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    I started reading User when it first came out back in 2001 and after finally reading the whole series the only thing I could say is that this book caused more problems than it set out to solve! The lead character was struggling with her life while trying to forget the problems of everyone else around her. She thought by joining an online game that it might help relieve her of stress. Although she enjoyed getting lost in the virtual realm it didn't solve any of her problems and just made things worse! She finally figured out what she needed to do after she had time to think! So the lesson here was that it takes a strong mind to wake from a dream but it takes an even stronger will to solve a nightmare!
    One person found this helpful
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  • LJS
    2.0 out of 5 stars Incapable of Greatness
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2018
    Any story that takes such a non-chalant view of rape doesn't deserve more than 2 stars. Well the main story is solid if not great, the b-story of the main character's sister being raped on a daily basis while Meg and her father are too busy not having a life is completely gross and inappropriate. Yeah, I'd help you not be raped everyday in the house I'm in, but I just discovered chatrooms so good luck escaping daily torture. The author does this to illustrate just how addictive chatrooms could be as the internet became commonplace, but he could have literally done anything else. Anything else would have been better then the daily rapings of Meg's sister. It's just so gross and despicable to use daily rape as a plot device. It completely tanks the story as a whole that the daily raping of Meg's sister by her father's friend in their house is a throwaway b-story. Atrocious story that could have been something good but carries deep-seated flaws.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • PaulAllard
    3.0 out of 5 stars Computer gamer gets a bit too involved in her game
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2017
    The main character here is a computer gamer who joins a live role-playing game based in a fantasy sword-and-sorcery world. This slowly takes over her life as her real-life family and work situation deteriorate.

    With some well-executed illustrations by John Bolton (as one might expect), this comic collection is reasonably interesting but, not being particularly interested in gaming, it didn't do a lot for me. The real life situations were the best part for me. A matter of personal taste, this might suit many, especially gamers.
    One person found this helpful
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  • A. David Lewis
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of its time, ready for NOW
    Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2017
    I've said repeatedly over the years that this series was well ahead of its time. Gender fluidity, online identities, net neutrality -- Wow!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Spidey
    2.0 out of 5 stars A story best left in the 90's
    Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2017
    The story here is clumsy at best. The reason to pick this up would be for John Bolton and Sean Phillip's painted art. It's beautiful.

    The basic plot is: Set in the 90's, Mel discovers online gaming and lets it control her life. Her real life falls apart as she tries to escape more and more into the game. The book mostly takes place online and this part of the book is SO boring and cheesy. It's like going to an online renaissance fair. I found myself more interested in the real life portion, but the story there was limited and over teh top as well. This is one story that was probably better off left out of print.

    Received an advance copy from Image and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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