I was very pleased with the incredible artwork in this graphic novel. The ballpoint pen drawings with limited use of color (for the most part) is done in such detail that it just blew me away. There are just page after page of awesome artwork and interesting pictures. The story is not the typical graphic novel or comic book subject matter. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the description doesn't really capture the feel of the entire book. If you want a "hard-boiled" detective story, this is not one. However, if you like interesting stories with the exploration of a place and time and the slow reveal of info about a diverse cast of many characters. . . this may be for you.
Though the book is clearly not intended for young kids, the content adds up to the same mix of occasional nudity or sex, adult themes, troubled characters and similar content you would expect out of a PG-13 coming-of-age movie. The main character explores her initial feelings of romantic/sexual attraction, and her newfound understanding of more adult undertones in her everyday life that may have been missed previously. The story does seem to jump around without smooth transition to some extent, but as a result you get a lot of "meat" in the course of the book, which is quite long and a large format. The abruptness of some of the topic shifts also fits well with the sketchbook/journal nature of the entire piece, which is really incredible. When you read the more negative reviews, focus on the description of the story and the book, not the subjective opinion of the author. I can see how some people would not be as interested in this book as I am (from a subjective point of view), but the art alone is worth the cost of admission. I read a lot of comic books and novels, and this bridges the gap to some extent to create an interesting story that may meander some, but it always seems to lead somewhere I can't wait to be led.
As part one or a three part story, there is no real neat ending (of course), but I am interested to read more and I can't wait for part 2.
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From the Publisher
Emil Ferris's My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of the past decade. Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, the book is presented as the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes as she tries to solve the murder of her beloved and enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold. Visually, the story is told in Ferris's inimitable style that breathtakingly and seamlessly combines panel-to-panel storytelling and cartoon montages filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster mag iconography.
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"Emil Ferris is one of the most important comics artists of our time." — Art Spiegelman (Maus) |
"A thrilling and surprisingly profound novel ... The book is a fine balance of stunning artwork and terrific writing." — Chicago Tribune |
"One of the most profound, ambitious, and accomplished creative works to appear in any medium this decade. ... Rarely have words and pictures worked together so seamlessly in service of such a complex narrative." — Forbes |
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"The novel tackles race, gender, and what it means to be 'monstrous' in big and small ways. It could not be more relevant to today’s climate." — Mother Jones |
"No one has ever made a comic like Emil Ferris’s assured, superhumanly ambitious two-part debut graphic novel My Favorite Thing Is Monsters.…It threatens not merely to exceed established standards of excellence, but to set new ones." — The Guardian |
"Ferris' work fuses the style and atmosphere of noir godfather Raymond Chandler with the passionate moral intensity found beating beneath a good episode of Tales from the Crypt." — Paste Magazine |
Reviews with images
The art work is out of this world.
I read good things about this graphic novel and over a thousand people can't be wrong. Every night before bed I look forward to reading this luscious book. Anxious for volume two to come out.
Top reviews from other countries
Irene
Great artwork. Less great story-telling.
Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2018