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alex247's review against another edition
4.0
The ending legit confused me and I had to look it up to understand the final pages, but I don’t mind admitting that because otherwise it’s a great book and I’m currently reading Hegel so my intelligence isn’t threatened. Is it? Are we cool?
rebecca_oneil's review against another edition
5.0
Alison Bechdel says: "Once you enter Emil Ferris's spectacular eye-popping magnum opus, there is no turning back. Her werewolf-girl protagonist's spiral bound school notebook is a visual phantasmagoria of neural-pathway altering proportions. Through noir Chicago streetscapes, a freakish but lovingly cross-hatched cast of characters, meticulously envisioned covers of horror comics, and all-around virtuosic drawing chops, the heroine unravels a baroque mystery whose plot pulls you forward as insistently as the images demand that you linger. This is a monster of a book, in the best possible way."
I could call this a six-star book. Like another of my six-star books, Tender Morsels, this is dark and layered and haunting. I'm kind of speechless. And it's done in Bic pens. And it's enormous. And it's Volume One.
More about the incredible art and backstory:
"Ferris began writing and drawing My Favorite Thing Is Monsters after she was bitten by a mosquito that infected her with West Nile virus. The virus left her paralyzed, but eventually she regained some use of her right hand and learned to draw again by duct-taping a quill pen to her hand. Ferris now walks with the help of a cane."
http://www.npr.org/2017/03/30/522034367/in-monsters-graphic-novelist-emil-ferris-embraces-the-darkness-within
"Ms. Ferris has worked in a range of media, from animation to painting, but “Monsters,” with its rainbow hues, is almost wholly drawn in Bic pen, complemented by Flair markers. She started out drawing it on actual white, lined notebook paper. “But then I started to do it in layers, because it was so hard to make corrections.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/arts/design/first-emil-ferris-was-paralyzed-then-her-book-got-lost-at-sea.html
I could call this a six-star book. Like another of my six-star books, Tender Morsels, this is dark and layered and haunting. I'm kind of speechless. And it's done in Bic pens. And it's enormous. And it's Volume One.
More about the incredible art and backstory:
"Ferris began writing and drawing My Favorite Thing Is Monsters after she was bitten by a mosquito that infected her with West Nile virus. The virus left her paralyzed, but eventually she regained some use of her right hand and learned to draw again by duct-taping a quill pen to her hand. Ferris now walks with the help of a cane."
http://www.npr.org/2017/03/30/522034367/in-monsters-graphic-novelist-emil-ferris-embraces-the-darkness-within
"Ms. Ferris has worked in a range of media, from animation to painting, but “Monsters,” with its rainbow hues, is almost wholly drawn in Bic pen, complemented by Flair markers. She started out drawing it on actual white, lined notebook paper. “But then I started to do it in layers, because it was so hard to make corrections.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/arts/design/first-emil-ferris-was-paralyzed-then-her-book-got-lost-at-sea.html
heli613's review against another edition
4.0
September has been such a great reading month for me, and this book was no exception!
Mostly set in late 60s Chicago, the story follows Karen, a young girl who chooses to be seen as a monster to survive in a world that often pushes her to the margins. During the story, it is slowly shown as a way for her to not being perceived by the rest of the world, especially as a girl who is mixed race, queer, and from a poor background.
The other characters were also well-developped and all highlighted very interesting stories and points.
The story was touching, sometimes funny, often heartbreaking, diving into heavy topics like war and holocaust, death, illness, queerness, classism, and racism. Despite the many themes and the fact that it was a bit all over the place at some points, it also made so much sense and was very well reflected in the drawing style as well!
While the style wasn't too appealing to me at first (I found the characters to be drawn in a bit of a grotesque way which I struggled a bit with), it makes so much sense in the story! The backgrounds and landscapes were absolutely gorgeous, with everything being drawn with a pen, making it all more raw and intense. (and it becomes even more impressive after learning more about Emil Ferris' life story)
I really enjoyed this reading experience and am so glad that I waited for the second volume to be out already, so that I won't have to wait too much to read the end of this story!
Mostly set in late 60s Chicago, the story follows Karen, a young girl who chooses to be seen as a monster to survive in a world that often pushes her to the margins. During the story, it is slowly shown as a way for her to not being perceived by the rest of the world, especially as a girl who is mixed race, queer, and from a poor background.
The other characters were also well-developped and all highlighted very interesting stories and points.
The story was touching, sometimes funny, often heartbreaking, diving into heavy topics like war and holocaust, death, illness, queerness, classism, and racism. Despite the many themes and the fact that it was a bit all over the place at some points, it also made so much sense and was very well reflected in the drawing style as well!
While the style wasn't too appealing to me at first (I found the characters to be drawn in a bit of a grotesque way which I struggled a bit with), it makes so much sense in the story! The backgrounds and landscapes were absolutely gorgeous, with everything being drawn with a pen, making it all more raw and intense. (and it becomes even more impressive after learning more about Emil Ferris' life story)
I really enjoyed this reading experience and am so glad that I waited for the second volume to be out already, so that I won't have to wait too much to read the end of this story!
dionemay's review against another edition
4.0
“The thing about adults is this-that to kids adults seem free. But-of course-a lot of them are in a kind of prison. You might wonder who’s keeping them on lock down. From what I’ve seen, 9 times out of 10, it’s their ghosts...”
This graphic novel is full of beautiful and intricate artwork that’s unlike the art in most graphic novels I’ve read. The story elements-1960’s Chicago, early horror movies and posters, Nazis, a murder mystery, the Mob, and LGTBQ youth (to name a few)-are enthralling. I really loved it and hate that it ends on a cliffhanger!
2019 Reading Women Challenge #12 A Lamba Literary Award Winner
This graphic novel is full of beautiful and intricate artwork that’s unlike the art in most graphic novels I’ve read. The story elements-1960’s Chicago, early horror movies and posters, Nazis, a murder mystery, the Mob, and LGTBQ youth (to name a few)-are enthralling. I really loved it and hate that it ends on a cliffhanger!
2019 Reading Women Challenge #12 A Lamba Literary Award Winner
tex2flo's review against another edition
5.0
Karen is a little monster. Her brother Deeze is a chick magnet. Hher mother is half Irish and half American Indian and has a large mixture of superstitions. They live in Chicago in the '60s.
The drawings are not "pretty" things; they are cross-hatch, visceral, mostly-black impressions of a little girl growing up in the inner city surrounded by a lot of ugly.
However, the story is touching and has a full-blown mystery inside. The characters are intriguing and endearing. I liked how the paintings from the museum drew (not chosen lightly) Karen into them and how accurately they were depicted.
I want my own copy so I can refer to the images and the heft of the book. A real treat.
The drawings are not "pretty" things; they are cross-hatch, visceral, mostly-black impressions of a little girl growing up in the inner city surrounded by a lot of ugly.
However, the story is touching and has a full-blown mystery inside. The characters are intriguing and endearing. I liked how the paintings from the museum drew (not chosen lightly) Karen into them and how accurately they were depicted.
I want my own copy so I can refer to the images and the heft of the book. A real treat.
kinda_like_shaft's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding art and story! Can’t wait for part 2.
kinda_like_shaft's review against another edition
4.0
This will tide me over until Book Two releases.
ddmgembala's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jstanfordcarey's review against another edition
The story is interesting, the art is interesting. It has a specific vibe that it is achieving. But the layout structure of this graphic novel makes it WORK to read.
The whole story is presented as if a school kid is writing everything in their notebook, which means all the words look handwritten, it curves around the sides of illustrations. Sentences sometimes stay wrapped on one page, other times it spans both pages of the spread.
This structure also supports the fiction, but it makes reading it a real effort.
The whole story is presented as if a school kid is writing everything in their notebook, which means all the words look handwritten, it curves around the sides of illustrations. Sentences sometimes stay wrapped on one page, other times it spans both pages of the spread.
This structure also supports the fiction, but it makes reading it a real effort.