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angelofmine1974's review
informative
fast-paced
2.0
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/R7YiQY_Pw5g
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/R7YiQY_Pw5g
Enjoy!
bluenicorn's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this. The drawings are crudely fashioned, but the character has emotion and the stories are brief but well-done. Short read, interesting. I still hate mosquitoes, but it gave me an interesting view.
mrsthrift's review against another edition
3.0
My friend Rita Brinkerhoff recommended John Porcellino's King Cat stuff to me. While I was waiting for it to come into my local public library, I decided to read this, his autobiographical graphic novel about his career as a mosquito abatement man. This is a quick, short book of collected comics and stories from his five years in the business of exterminating mosquitoes.
Some of the stories are about sights and experiences from the day-to-day life of being out in nature all day, in public areas. You see some weird stuff. It is interesting in the way that the daily rhythm of any job has some irregularities that provide entertainment value. The latter part of the book is a reflection on the morality of mosquito extermination, and the responsibility John feels as someone who sprays poison into the water and clouds of toxins into the night air. Like, on one hand, it's just a job. On the other hand, it is kind of a toxic job. As John develops health problems and his environmental awareness awakens in the late 1990s, he finds it more difficult to balance his job with his new belief system.
I enjoyed the progression of JP's work over the decade. From the beginning, his work was crude - both the subject matter and the drawing style. There is a sort of raw, young punk energy to his stories, and an undeveloped voice that just shares the happenings without any context or insight. By the end, his drawing style has become slightly more refined, and instead of daily going-on's, his narrative is more reflective and his style develops immensely. His job immerses him in nature, and eventually he can recognize all the types of insect larvae and the plants you find in marshy places, and he starts naming them in his comics. I love that.
Some of the stories are about sights and experiences from the day-to-day life of being out in nature all day, in public areas. You see some weird stuff. It is interesting in the way that the daily rhythm of any job has some irregularities that provide entertainment value. The latter part of the book is a reflection on the morality of mosquito extermination, and the responsibility John feels as someone who sprays poison into the water and clouds of toxins into the night air. Like, on one hand, it's just a job. On the other hand, it is kind of a toxic job. As John develops health problems and his environmental awareness awakens in the late 1990s, he finds it more difficult to balance his job with his new belief system.
I enjoyed the progression of JP's work over the decade. From the beginning, his work was crude - both the subject matter and the drawing style. There is a sort of raw, young punk energy to his stories, and an undeveloped voice that just shares the happenings without any context or insight. By the end, his drawing style has become slightly more refined, and instead of daily going-on's, his narrative is more reflective and his style develops immensely. His job immerses him in nature, and eventually he can recognize all the types of insect larvae and the plants you find in marshy places, and he starts naming them in his comics. I love that.
scottgordonwi's review
4.0
This is one I'll definitely read over and over again. My only gripe is that it's a pretty slim introduction to Porcellino, but then again it makes me want to check out more of his work. I especially liked the "Chemical Plant" story, in which he drives through a plant that resembles "a flood-lit, open-air city" populated by workers in "chem suits."
xterminal's review
3.0
John Porcellino, Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man (La Mano, 2005)
Over the past few years, Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man had become something of a graphic novel holy grail for me; library after library had listed it in their catalogs (presumably having it on order rather than in stock), and then had it mysteriously disappear. Finding a copy was downright impossible, and the book sat at the top of my list of stuff I wanted to read for over three years before Interlibrary Loan were finally able to track down what I'm starting to think is the only extant copy of the book in existence. (For the record, I extend my undying gratitude to the folks at the Salt Lake City Public Library.) I knew, somewhere in the back of my head, I was probably setting myself up for disaster; when you look forward to something for this absurd amount of time, the reality almost never matches the anticipation. And yet Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man almost did. Almost. I knew I was going to be in trouble when I read the preface, though, so I was prepared when I got to the last pages and Porcellino's conversion (not a spoiler, since, obviously, it's mentioned in the preface). Still, I found myself liking the earlier stuff better, despite it being far more primitive and crude (in every sense of the word) than the later work. But my problems with the later work are all philosophical, rather than with the work itself; don't let my reservation stop you from seeking this one out. ***
Over the past few years, Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man had become something of a graphic novel holy grail for me; library after library had listed it in their catalogs (presumably having it on order rather than in stock), and then had it mysteriously disappear. Finding a copy was downright impossible, and the book sat at the top of my list of stuff I wanted to read for over three years before Interlibrary Loan were finally able to track down what I'm starting to think is the only extant copy of the book in existence. (For the record, I extend my undying gratitude to the folks at the Salt Lake City Public Library.) I knew, somewhere in the back of my head, I was probably setting myself up for disaster; when you look forward to something for this absurd amount of time, the reality almost never matches the anticipation. And yet Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man almost did. Almost. I knew I was going to be in trouble when I read the preface, though, so I was prepared when I got to the last pages and Porcellino's conversion (not a spoiler, since, obviously, it's mentioned in the preface). Still, I found myself liking the earlier stuff better, despite it being far more primitive and crude (in every sense of the word) than the later work. But my problems with the later work are all philosophical, rather than with the work itself; don't let my reservation stop you from seeking this one out. ***
satyridae's review
3.0
Interesting graphic novel. Porcellino matures over the course of the book, and so do his drawing skills. He starts out an enthusiastic mosquito killer and ends a soberer, more thoughtful person.
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