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A review by uosdwisrdewoh
The Acme Novelty Library #16 by Chris Ware
4.0
When Chris Ware announced that his next long work after "Jimmy Corrigan" would be "Rusty Brown," it seemed odd. Rusty had previously appeared in gag strips making fun of the collector mentality. And Rusty--an obese middle-aged man who constantly conspires to rip off his only friend, Chalky White--appeared to be an unlikely candidate to be fleshed out in long form. But I shouldn't have doubted Ware.
This first chapter of what looks to be a very long work (six years later, he's only on the fourth chapter) takes us in awesome cinematic fashion back to Rusty's childhood, on the day he meets Chalky. The eccentricities that come up later in adulthood are still there in childhood. Rusty's friendless, painfully introverted, and obsessed with his toys. But while Rusty himself is still kind of a disagreeable kid, the characters around him, like his father and his teacher, come to life. Knowing now that these supporting characters will largely take over the narrative in later chapters, I really appreciate the quiet groundwork Ware set up with this opening chapter.
This first chapter of what looks to be a very long work (six years later, he's only on the fourth chapter) takes us in awesome cinematic fashion back to Rusty's childhood, on the day he meets Chalky. The eccentricities that come up later in adulthood are still there in childhood. Rusty's friendless, painfully introverted, and obsessed with his toys. But while Rusty himself is still kind of a disagreeable kid, the characters around him, like his father and his teacher, come to life. Knowing now that these supporting characters will largely take over the narrative in later chapters, I really appreciate the quiet groundwork Ware set up with this opening chapter.