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bryforce 's review for:
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters
by Emil Ferris
There's not much I can say that hasn't been said about the lush, detailed imagery and fine, mesmerizing hatch work of Emil Ferris's illustrations that seem expertly sketched atop spiral-bound notebook paper. Art-wise, it's unlike anything I've seen in comics, and I loved how she varied her style and level of realism depending on the scene or mood of a section. The motif of monsters and classic horror imagery throughout really reinforces the truly dark subjects of this book (the Holocaust, poverty, racism, murder, underage sex trafficking, sickness, the turbulence and grit of '60's era Chicago, etc.). The narrative, for me (at least until I fell into the groove of the story) felt at times a little text heavy and I was kind of let down by the unexpected cliffhanger ending (not knowing going in that this is apparently the first part of a multi-volume story--I guess? It isn't made clear). Regardless, this graphic novel still held my wonder and kept me engaged, especially the Anka story (within the story?), which I found most compelling. Strong characterization. Cool premise. Fantastic art (the kind of illustrations that, at times, you just want to sit and stare at).