My Favorite Thing is Monsters Kindle & comiXology

As a monster-loving kid who grew up during the ‘60s and ‘70s, I identified with the scorned, mysterious phantoms of my favorite horror films. My fascination with these immortal creatures never died, lying buried from time to time and then resurging when the darkness within summoned that icily familiar grip. Reading Emil Ferris’ My Favorite Thing is Monsters, I feel again that freezing familiarity, the clench of a kindred spirit. The narrator in Ferris’ stunningly illustrated graphic novel, like myself as an adolescent, seeks escape from her feelings of loneliness and alienation by immersing herself in fantasies of thrillingly compelling supernatural beasts. Ferris, writing from the perspective of the narrator, Karen, creates an equally enticing world of fantasy by blending stories and imagery from Karen’s experience as an urban Chicago preteen in the 1960s with depictions of the horror magazines and paintings Karen adores. The book , formatted to resemble a lined notebook sketch pad, brilliantly perpetuates the illusion that the reader is stepping into the imaginary realm of a creative and extremely perceptive young girl. Detailed interpretations of monster magazine covers and famous art works such as Fuseli’s “ The Nightmare” are juxtaposed with gruesome depictions of Karen’s neighbors and playfully doodled sketches of Karen as a trench-coated child werewolf. As Karen explores her interest in art, Ferris’ illustrations reveal a variety of styles—from the neon-lit grotesqueries of Ernst Kirchner and the German Expressionists to the luridly seductive pulp art of popular comics and the grittily unflattering portraits of Robert Crumb. Unlike many graphic novels, Ferris’ work focuses on inner conflicts, the dangerous secrets festering inside neighbors, schoolmates, and family members that threaten to emerge in monstrous form when exposed. Secrets connect the lives of Karen and the people she knows. During her attempts to unravel the mystery of her murdered neighbor Anka, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, Karen discovers secrets within her family and within herself. A growing awareness of her own sexuality and the tragic revelation of her mother’s fatal illness lead her to find strength and solace in her imagination. The monsters she loves, draws, and writes about are her salvation. Ferris’s depiction of Karen’s monster fantasies and homoerotic stirrings while struggling with family tragedies, violence, and prejudice, though at times grim, is nevertheless inspiring, infused with wit, a sense of childhood resilience and untarnished insight. Like the enduring, undying creatures of the night that Karen idolizes, Ferris’ graphic novel (the first in a series) fascinates and enthralls, giving readers a tantalizing bite that leaves us craving more.

This massive (400+ pages) graphic novel is like nothing else I have ever read. The conceit is that it is written and drawn by Karen Reyes, a girl of about 11 years, in her spiral-bound notebooks, in Bic pens of various colors. Especially given the self-imposed limitation of the medium, Ferris's drawings are stunning stuff (many of them would be anyway).Karen is half-Hispanic, quarter-Native American and ... shoot, I can't recall the other quarter, and a quick skim doesn't find it. At any rate, she lives with her older brother, Diego Zapata, called "Deeze", and their mother. Their father disappeared when Karen was a baby, after attempting to do something not made clear to her. The story is set in a poor neighborhood of Chicago in 1967 and 1968, with all that brings with it (it does not go so far as the apocalyptic Democratic National Convention and the associated demonstrations): hippies, ethnic prejudice,Deeze is a talented artist and a horndog. He loves his mother and sister dearly, but has a macho thing going that limits how he can show it. Mother is very protective of Karen, but not understanding of Karen's differentness.Karen, you see, is deeply alienated, bullied at (Catholic) school, and wants to be a monster. Her great ambition in life is to be bitten by a werewolf or vampire so she can shuck off the constraints of her life. (She would then bite her brother and mother so they could all live forever.) She draws herself as a werewolf for most of the book, and definitely can be dangerous.As the story begins, Anka Silverberg, a survivor of the Holocaust and more, is shot to death. The Silverbergs live directly above the Reyes' basement apartement. The gun and a lot of blood are found in the living room, and Anka is found tucked neatly into bed with a bullet through her heart. Nonetheless, the police (and, presumably, the coroner) declare it a suicide, because the doors and windows were all locked from the inside.. Anka's husband, a jazz drummer, claims to have been at a gig in Peoria when it happened, but can't prove it.Karen, donning a trenchcoat and fedora borrowed from Deeze, sets out to unravel the mystery of Anka Silverberg's death.That is (mostly) from the first few pages of this rich, dense graphic novel, which integrates text and graphics in a unique manner, and things only get more complicated from there. The book -- which is part one of two -- ends on what might or might not be a stunning revelation. RIght now I believe I would commit at least minor mayhem to get hold of Volume 2, which Fantagraphic Books has, apparently, allowed to go out of print.

Based to some extent on Ferris’ experience growing up in Chicago’s Uptown, MFTIM features 10-year-old, monster-obsessed Karen Reyes as, in her trenchcoat, she investigates a woman friend's death in her apartment building. It's declared a suicide, but signs point to murder. There are many intertwined stories, as she begins to better understand her older brother Deeze, who's irresistible to the ladies, and other friends, neighbors, and relatives.Many are already calling this a masterpiece, and they're right, IMO. I loved the quirky but skillful drawings.The story is surprisingly deep and wide-ranging. A local newspaper article explained that she sketches people on Chicago's El trains for inspiration, and that's easy to imagine in this book.One of my favorite parts is the time she spends in the Art Institute with her brother Deeze, talking about various paintings, and even entering some.If you enjoy graphic novels, you'll want to read this one. If you like reading something different, and seeing a new talent emerge onto the scene, that's reason to give this one a try, too. (

Imagine (if you can) someone taking David Lynch's "Blue Velvet", and gene-splicing it with the classic movie monsters of Universal Studios, the seedy underbelly of Chicago, and a pre-teen's gorgeous biro-pen-rendered journal.That's about the best summary I can come up with for "My Favourite Thing is Monsters" by Emil Ferris. Emil has constructed a story world like no other, written from the perspective of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, who is thrown into a deviously twisted mystery involving the murder of her upstairs neighbour.Karen's investigation leads her to the taped journals of Anka (her beautiful neighbour) and her harrowing past.This is one hugely thick and immensely satisfying book to get wrapped up in. Laid out against the backdrop of a foolscap-lined spiral bound journal, Emil's artwork will grab you by the throat and shake you. Exquisite ballpen drawings intermixed with garishly coloured (but again gorgeous) pulp horror comic book covers and scratchier pen drawings, if nothing else it's a visual feast (and I've become completely obsessed with drawing and mimicking this style myself in my own art).Beyond that though it's a gripping read as the story darts between Karen's observations of her dying mother, her louche brother and of course deeper digs into Anka's life.It took a bit of getting hold of this in the UK but you can find copies (I highly recommend Speedy Kitty as a reseller if you want a copy pronto in great condition btw). It's probably one of the best graphic novels I've ever read (and I've read a lot), and I'm overjoyed to hear a sequel is on the way. You need this in your life, simple as.

I am so in love with this book. I honestly feel as though the work that has gone into it deserves a higher price-tag.It's rare that I stare at the art work in a graphic novel, literally examining every pen-stroke. It's amazing.So the story is a bit clunky, the characters are a bit extreme, there is a 'Grave of the Fireflies' feel of, 'This can't get any worse, can it? Surely they're not going to make it worse? Can't I have a break for five minutes. Oh God, they're going to go there... Yep, they went there.' It's a bit much. And the book starts with one mystery, introduces at least two others, and only solves one of them. Or maybe solves it, because the solution is revealed in an art-infused vision.If that hasn't put you off, you will probably love this book as much as I did. Spiegelman, Bechdel, you have a new peer. Although appropriately (given the 60s setting), the graphic style made me think of Robert Crumb - ugly-beautiful.I could go on, and on, about the psychological depth, about the most shocking and beautiful image in the whole thing being a drawing of a girl's face in a mirror, about the intrusion of 60s politics in a little girl's tough, tough life, about the encroachment of the bad monsters, who hate the good monsters and how much a memoir about a distant childhood is now about America, TODAY.Just read it.

I was really disappointed with this book. The layout and spacing of the lettering were so bad at parts that it hurt to read it. Not only that, it wasn't clear what parts to read next in places, it was so jumbled. The lines on every page made the legibility of it even worse. Due to the content of the story and some of the images, it's definitely not suitable for children. Some of the artwork is really good but it doesn't make up for the negative points about it. I didn't even try to finish reading it and sent it back for a refund.

A good decent story - it takes its time and it is not thrill a minute. You have to be patient. However you will be kept gripped by the artwork as it is outstanding. The layers and complexity is mind blowing and it is kept up throughout the entirety of this heavyweight book. I cannot wait for part two (which is on order)...!

A very competant illustrative artist creates a wonderful art work. The story line grabs and has interesting twists and turns down dark alleys. Very nicely done. The seller sent quicker than expected so five stars for them as well.