I guess I just don’t get it. I mean, I understand this is a dark, allegorical tale of the meaning of life … “Where am I” “What is going to happen to me” “Is that it?” … but I don’t understand why.
The book is 90+ pages of stylized art (and by ‘stylized’ I mean that it has a very loose, sketch quality to it as opposed to a ‘finished’ look) that is primarily in black and white with splashes of color. Of course this is all part of the message.
The book also has very little dialog. You must go through twenty-seven pages before you come to the first bit of dialog, This isn’t a huge issue – a graphic novel should have a lot of art that is essential to telling the story. But this graphic novel is just a little scarce on the ‘novel’ part.
There is a real existentialist film quality about this (think Ingmar Bergman or Francois Truffault) and this could easily be a storyboard for such a stylized movie.
There is something quite solitary and personal about the story and the art, and while I enjoyed this it’s not the sort of book that I’m eager to recommend or share.
If you are a big fan of graphic novels and want something that is just slightly ‘edgy’ then this is probably something you will enjoy. If you are looking for an introduction into the world of non-superhero graphic novels, perhaps keep looking.
Looking for a good book? Jeff Lemire’s Frogcatchers is a dark, generally depressing with an edge of sweetness graphic novella that is analogous to the cycle of life.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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Frogcatchers
author: Jeff Lemire
artist: Jeff Lemire
publisher: Gallery 13
ISBN: 1982107375
hardcover, 96 pages
Looking For a Good Book 