Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
6/10! Not terrible but nothing great. Just a quick little graphic novel about clowns . It’s 6 short story’s and some are sweet and others are depressing and gory. It was good but can’t give it anything higher than 3 stars
relaxing
fast-paced
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
I did enjoy this collection, but I think some of the stories had much to be desired. They all had a lot of potential to be developed into better clarity or depth, but a lot of them were the same, spoke with much of the same voice, and the characters ended kind of with the same dispositions.
The best thing about this volume was the art, and like many, my favorite stories were of the old woman and Gustav stuck in the balloon. Those were the two most developed stories.
The best thing about this volume was the art, and like many, my favorite stories were of the old woman and Gustav stuck in the balloon. Those were the two most developed stories.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
So. I love clowns. Like...I'm borderline obsessed with them, to tell you the truth. So when I discovered that this book existed (and by the same author of the Ice Cream Man books), I knew that I immediately had to read it. It would be a terrible crime for me not to. I have no regrets.
For this review, I decided to break things down by story.
Story One: This was not my favorite art, but I did like the colors during the bullet scene. It felt like a circus was happening in his mind. This one follows your typical bozo the clown type of clown, and I was sad for him that he wasn't being taken seriously and that the amusement park was shutting down. His perspective was...interesting. I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of this one. Maybe about how the glass is always half full? This was an alright opener. ☆☆☆
Story Two: I really liked this one and the art style. I liked the story of Rudy and the way her memories pushed us to present day. I admit I'd have liked more of her in the current time period, and I still have questions about her mom. But I don't think we are meant to have those answers. I liked the brief way in which this story connected with the first one. ☆☆☆☆☆
Story Three: This felt very different from the last two. It had a fun art style and was very quick to get through. I'm not sure how it connects to the others. It had an interesting format, about a mime, so there really weren't that many words used. I like it but I also feel like I didn't understand it. ☆☆☆.5
Story Four: This one was...very surreal, with a different kind of art style. I liked it in the clown world, not so much in the real world. I feel like there were definitely some lessons in this one, about trying to improve and be better to ourselves and the ones we love. ☆☆☆
Story Five: I loved this one. I really liked the old clown lady. She just misses how things used to be. This one plays heavily on nostalgia, which I could certainly relate to. And it was sweet how she helped the kid. I'd like to be friends with her. I want her house. ☆☆☆☆☆
Story Six: This one was sad. I like the minor tie ins with the other stories, and with the ice cream man comics too. That regret, the moment before the clown did what he did at the end...that part really got me. Because it was already too late. I'm not surprised this was the story the book ended on. ☆☆☆☆
I'd say I liked this for the most part. If you enjoy the Ice Cream Man comics, I think you will also like this.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt
Better than I expected, but very very strange. But what did I expect, reading an anthology about clowns!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical content
dark
fast-paced
dark
reflective
sad
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
It was sadder and darker than I thought, but I thought it was great. I loved seeing all of the varied stories unfold and the different kinds of sadness they reveal