Ratings10
Average rating3.7
This is Monica, one ordinary woman's extraordinary journey through the history of comics - from the creator of Ghost World ***AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023*** 'Pitch-perfect... Could not put it down' OBSERVER 'In Monica, Clowes reaches a new artistic peak' VANITY FAIR A dazzling, spectacular tapestry of interconnected narratives that together tell a life story, Monica is the new graphic novel from one of the most iconic storytellers of all time. This eponymous protagonist is a rag-to-riches character who, after being abandoned by her freewheelin' parents in childhood, succeeds in clawing her way to the top - only to lose it all in a stroke of bad luck. She lives out the rest of her days in search of her parents, encountering a cast of eccentric characters who help to piece together her story. This graphic novel extravaganza is an unforgettable ode to the many genres that have defined the comics form - from war, romance and horror to crime and the supernatural. Mysterious, uncategorisable and quintessentially Clowesian, here is a multi-layered masterpiece born of a lifetime of inspiration. Monica marks the creative apex of Daniel Clowes' distinguished career, one of the defining voices of the graphic novel boom over the past quarter-century.
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Pretty wild collection of vignettes in the life of a woman searching for her family. Cults, the 60s, transistor radios in cabins communicating with the dead(?), all kindsa weird stuff. Clowes usually gives me a stomachache and this is no exception, but there's also no denying that this is a solid achievement.
I think they call that surrealist? Experimental. Tidbits of sci-fi and horror but also much searching for family/identity. Vintage adventure story/comic art style, largely set in previous decades, starting with the '60s. Lots of rambling introspection. Not my vibe.