My Favorite Thing is Monsters Kindle & comiXology

Imagine (if you can) someone taking David Lynch's "Blue Velvet", and gene-splicing it with the classic movie monsters of Universal Studios, the seedy underbelly of Chicago, and a pre-teen's gorgeous biro-pen-rendered journal.That's about the best summary I can come up with for "My Favourite Thing is Monsters" by Emil Ferris. Emil has constructed a story world like no other, written from the perspective of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, who is thrown into a deviously twisted mystery involving the murder of her upstairs neighbour.Karen's investigation leads her to the taped journals of Anka (her beautiful neighbour) and her harrowing past.This is one hugely thick and immensely satisfying book to get wrapped up in. Laid out against the backdrop of a foolscap-lined spiral bound journal, Emil's artwork will grab you by the throat and shake you. Exquisite ballpen drawings intermixed with garishly coloured (but again gorgeous) pulp horror comic book covers and scratchier pen drawings, if nothing else it's a visual feast (and I've become completely obsessed with drawing and mimicking this style myself in my own art).Beyond that though it's a gripping read as the story darts between Karen's observations of her dying mother, her louche brother and of course deeper digs into Anka's life.It took a bit of getting hold of this in the UK but you can find copies (I highly recommend Speedy Kitty as a reseller if you want a copy pronto in great condition btw). It's probably one of the best graphic novels I've ever read (and I've read a lot), and I'm overjoyed to hear a sequel is on the way. You need this in your life, simple as.

I am so in love with this book. I honestly feel as though the work that has gone into it deserves a higher price-tag.It's rare that I stare at the art work in a graphic novel, literally examining every pen-stroke. It's amazing.So the story is a bit clunky, the characters are a bit extreme, there is a 'Grave of the Fireflies' feel of, 'This can't get any worse, can it? Surely they're not going to make it worse? Can't I have a break for five minutes. Oh God, they're going to go there... Yep, they went there.' It's a bit much. And the book starts with one mystery, introduces at least two others, and only solves one of them. Or maybe solves it, because the solution is revealed in an art-infused vision.If that hasn't put you off, you will probably love this book as much as I did. Spiegelman, Bechdel, you have a new peer. Although appropriately (given the 60s setting), the graphic style made me think of Robert Crumb - ugly-beautiful.I could go on, and on, about the psychological depth, about the most shocking and beautiful image in the whole thing being a drawing of a girl's face in a mirror, about the intrusion of 60s politics in a little girl's tough, tough life, about the encroachment of the bad monsters, who hate the good monsters and how much a memoir about a distant childhood is now about America, TODAY.Just read it.

A good decent story - it takes its time and it is not thrill a minute. You have to be patient. However you will be kept gripped by the artwork as it is outstanding. The layers and complexity is mind blowing and it is kept up throughout the entirety of this heavyweight book. I cannot wait for part two (which is on order)...!

A very competant illustrative artist creates a wonderful art work. The story line grabs and has interesting twists and turns down dark alleys. Very nicely done. The seller sent quicker than expected so five stars for them as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this comic! Can't wait for the second part to be published.

I was unsure about buying this graphic novel as visually it’s not the style i usually go for. But it is EXCELLENT. I would whole heartedly recommend. It’s worth the hype.

Lovely illustration

Great book.

J'ai très rarement rencontré de livres aussi fort, et pourtant, j'en consomme en quantité industrielle. Chaque page m'agrippe et ce livre ne me lâche plus. Je suis entrée tout droit dans l'histoire, le personnage de Karen est atypique et ultra-attachant, chaque silhouette a un background, c'est riche de détails, le dessin est incroyable... Tout est tellement vrai dans ce livre, et en même temps fantasmagorique. Savoir qu'il y a un tome 2 est un plaisir rassurant. Et j'attends avec impatience la sortie de la version française chez Monsieur Toussaint Louverture, pour l'offrir et le conseiller à mes proches et amis francophones.I have very rarely encountered books this powerful, and yet I use consume them in huge quantities. Each page has a grip on me and never let go. I walked straight into the story, Karen's character is atypical and so endearing, each drawn extra you spot has an actual background, the book is amazingly rich in details, the art is incredible... Everything feels so true in this book, and yet phantasmagorical. Knowing that a second volume is coming reassures. And I look forward to the French version, soon to be released by Mr. Toussaint Louverture, so I'll be able to showcase this wonder to my french-speaking friends and family.

Afortunadamente para mí leo muchos tebeos. Según algunas personas más de los que debiera. Soy un enamorado del medio desde que tengo uso de razón e intento leer de todo tipo de género y procedencia geográfica (japones, europeo, americano,...) . Hacía mucho tiempo que no leía un tebeo que me haya impactado tanto en tantos sentidos. Tanto la historia como el arte como la narrativa me han parecido extraordinarias.Cuenta una historia que trata temas tan importantes como la infancia, la muerte, el poder de la imaginación, el amor dentro de una familia, etc... Y lo hace de una manera originalisima, a modo de un diario de la niña protagonista que es toda una artista y esta enamorada tanto del genero de terror de la epoca (los años 60) como del arte de los museos de la ciudad. El trabajo gráfico es apabullante, de un trabajo infinito y un gusto exquisito siempre al servicio de la narrativa de manera que las historias nos afecten todo lo posible.Estoy deseando echarme a las manos la segunda parte.

Keine Details zum Buch von mir. Darüber wurde schon viel geschrieben.Als jemand, der mit Graphic Novels nie so recht warm geworden ist, hat mich dieses Buch absolut geflasht. Dabei ist es so komplex, dass ich es nach dem ersten Durchackern gleich wieder von vorn begonnen habe. Die Story ist nichts für seichte Gemüter. Für mich eine Art literarischer Irrgarten, den man nur langsam (und niemals so ganz) auflöst. Ich habe das Buch mehrmals in unterschiedlichen Sprachen verschenkt.

Las ilustraciones (hechas a mano con lapiceros y marcadores sobre hojas de libreta), tienen un nivel de detalle impresionante, además de que la historia está muy bien contada. Trata temas muy difíciles como la discriminación y el Holocausto con una gran sensibilidad, de una forma muy humana.Tiene con qué aspirar a ser el o uno de los libros del año.

I loved this story. It's dark, sad, mysterious and quite frankly, one the best stories ever written. It has multiple plots within the main plot that help the readers immerse themselves into the story and get to know some of the characters. I'm very happy that there's gonna be a sequel because there were some things that were not resolved and I'm pretty much looking forward to read all about whatever happened to Anna and Victor, etc.The illustrations were superb, the reproductions of famous paintings were an added bonus because I know nothing about art but now I want to visit museums and stare at things and imagine the story behind them all.I'm very happy with my purchase and the time it took me to finish this book.

Diese Werk passt in keine Kategorie – oder – es erfüllt alle Kategorien! Für mich die Entdeckung des Jahres. Oberflächlich betrachtet mag es als Comic durchgehen. Wer sich darauf einlässt, wird mit einem Trip belohnt, der durch viele Ebenen des Denkens, der Inspiration, von Horror und Humor, Zeitgeschichte und Kunst führt. Da bleibt viel hängen und die Gedanken driften. Schwer mit Worten zu beschreiben. Und – alles auf gelochten Schulblock-Papier gezeichnet/gemalt.Ein grenzenloses exzentrisches Universum menschlicher Imagination und funkelnder Fantasie.

This book has 'a must read' written all over it. Fantastic debut by Emil Ferris. Inventive, beautiful and sincere, the work presented as a diary entries of a 10-year-old Chicago girl Karen Reyes who lives in the world of monsters but that is only part of the story.

It's a well drawn book, but after that the story itself feels a bit weak and I wasn't really invested in the characters. It also ends with a couple of unanswered questions that could have been fleshed out better. I will be fair and say I'm not big into slice of life books and movies, I felt like I got a bit of a bait and switch expecting a murder mystery. Long story short it has Eisner grade art and should hopefully be in the running, but the art can't carry the story for me.

Bellissimo libro, pieno di disegni stupendi realizzati dalla talentuosissima autrice. Il modo di raccontare la storia è immediato e misterioso allo stesso tempo, visto attraverso gli occhi di una ragazzina che ci racconta i suoi sogni, incubi e misteri. Un viaggio avvincente e assolutamente raccomandato.

Fantastic artwork. I also love the story, but there're too many loose ends that are not accounted for in the first book. Judging by the pace set here in the first one, I doubt that Emil Ferris will finish telling the murder story in the second book. When a murder story is stretched that long, I'll probably lose interest...

Man sieht, mit wie viel Herzblut Emil an diesem Buch gearbeitet hat. Ihre Zeichnungen sind exquisit und die Geschichte mit all ihren Facetten ist mitreißend. Ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Band.

This book is a work of art at the same time it is a captivating story. At every turn of the page I was left to decide whether to linger over the gorgeous drawings or rush to follow the story. A delicious dilemma as a reader.

Uno de los mejores y más disfrutables cómics que he leído en mucho tiempo. Imprescindible.

Superbement dessiné et colorié.Un hic cependant...Arrivé à un dessin exécuté/imprimé sur une double page, celui se retrouve réduit,concentré en plein milieu de l'écran, n'y occupant pas toute la surface disponible,contrairement aux pages "simples" qui occupent, elles, toute la hauteur de l'écran...Est-ce une issue propre à ce livre, ou bien est-ce en rapport avec le logiciel Kindle (pour PC) ?Peut-on obtenir une double page occupant un maximum de la place disponible ?

Historia, arte y diseño impecables, desde la sensación al tacto de los forros hasta la impecable impresión de interiores. Es por obras como esta que nunca será lo mismo leer en digital que en físico. Altamente recomendado, esperando la parte 2.