David
Mazzuchelli’s Asterios Polyp is a
truly groundbreaking work in recent graphic novels.
The story follows
Asterios Polyp as he finds a way to understand his life after his divorce and
losing his home, until he finally finds closure. Carrying only a few
significant possessions with him – each with their own history – Asterios
gradually gives them away. Scott McCloud’s review of the book remarks, “They work so well as markers of maturity, of
unburdening, of selflessness, of acceptance of mortality, of putting the past
behind him, of learning to value what works over theory, etc.; so harmonious
and right that you could almost believe that the universe was ready to reward
him. And then the lighter comes back alongside a bottle smashed over his head.
Because that’s not the way the universe we live in works.”
One thing
that struck me about this novel was seeing how Mazzuchelli’s artistic decisions
communicated the method of making comics, and vice versa. He employs a great
variety of ways to communicate information throughout the entire story, yet it
still holds consistency. This makes the process of reading and understanding
the novel as a whole a very stimulating experience, especially when reading the
hardcover.
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