A review by iantaylor
Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw

5.0

Despite the multiple, very clearly stated, "not for children" notices across the book, I read this for the first time about a dozen years ago, when I was around the age of 14 or so. I can remember being struck by so many of the factors introduced in the book (the vignette style of depictions of emptiness, the surreal character design of Peter, the unflinchingly explicit sexuality) and now, at 26, I feel exactly the same. It was such an interesting comparison to see what hit home present day versus during my initial reading, and while it is very safe to say the "not for children" labeling is extremely accurate (like... VERY accurate) I am glad at the end of the day to have had that experience. As contradictory as it sounds, I think the best way I could describe this masterpiece is "full of emptiness". Oddly hilarious at times, heartbreaking in the most mundane manner, and numbing to the senses. It most definitely will not take another 12 years before my next reading of Bottomless Belly Button this time around, 10/10

(PS, if you have not seen the films of Dash Shaw they are equally incredible)