Asterios Polyp
by David Mazzucchelli
Grade: A-
One of my favorite superhero stories (and probably my favorite Batman story) is Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller and with gorgeous art by David Mazzucchelli and dark, pastel-like colors by Richmond Lewis.
So I was naturally looking forward to a graphic novel completely by Mazzucchelli. Minus Frank MIller (not so gritty) and Richmond Lewis (brighter color schemes) Asterios Polyp looks completely different from that earlier work. Even Mazzucchelli's art looks different - he's got two more decades of experience. He still has beautiful lines, but now it's more like Tintin with brushes of Kyle Baker energy. His techniques are far more varied now and this book almost catalogs the possibilities for opening up the page.
The story itself... well, tough to describe. It's mainly flashbacks in the life of Asterios Polyp, architect instructor, and how his marriage crumbled. I didn't think it was working for me till it neared the end and the fugue-like structure started coming together. It's really a love story and a really unique one. Plus the ending is both sad and funny and unexpected and yet completely plausible in structural terms. Neat book.