Since its release in August, David Mazzucchelli’s original graphic
novel Asterios Polyp has been praised by critics as a
masterpiece, and deservedly so. I have no doubt this book will be at or
near the top of every comic reviewer’s Best of 2009 list. The book
tells the story of a middle-aged, pretentious, semi-successful
architect and professor. Middle-aged protagonists are rare in the world
of indie comics, with authors typically preferring to explore their own
traumatizing high school experiences, or the struggle and poverty of
the 20-something. Asterios Polyp is not only unique in its
subject matter, it is also brilliant in the way the story is told. I
was especially impressed with how well-developed even the most minor
characters are. Adding to this is Mazzucchelli’s beautiful art and the
fact that Pantheon did a fantastic job designing the book. Every now
and again a non-superhero comic gains enough accolades and hype to
interest the masses who don’t spend half their lives and income in
comic shops. Like Ghost World, Blankets or Maus, I
think Asterios Polyp is going to be sought after by casual comic
readers for years to come.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2009.
