Asterios Polyp is a very interesting graphic novel. It's written David Mazzucchelli, who's did illustrations for Batman: Year One, among other things. This, however, is no Batman. It's not about a super hero, or any sort of hero, for that matter. I saw it on G4TV and it caught my eye, so I picked it up at my local Barnes and Noble. If you're feeling too lazy to actually read my review I've added scores so that you can quickly get the low down on what I think of this book.

Art: 9

Unique, beatiful, and very, very strange. Character designs are extremely weird and the use of colors and lighting is attractive, as well as effective. The book switches between the slick look you see on the front cover and a rough concept drawing look to display certain scenes. The frames are presented in unique ways and the changing fonts between characters is a very interesting idea that works well.

Story: 8

This is a very hard story to explain because it's so complex. Asterios Polyp is a middle-aged man whose house burns down along with all his posessions. He uses his last bit of money to buy a subway ticket and gets a job working for a mechanic. He stays at said mechanic's house in an empty room, along with the mechanic's young son and insane wife who believes she was a godess in a past life. The story unfolds by switching between the past and present. Sometimes it shows Asterios and his ex wife, Hana, which explains how he got where he is now. The problem with the story is that it's extremely complex and hard to follow. It switches between the past and present randomly without any indication, and at times Asterios goes on and on about very strange and deep views on life, as well as a lot of architectural talk.

Writing:7

The writing here is insane, with tons of crazy views on life and death, among other insane topics. The dialogue often lost me because there were times when I didn't really understand its purpose and simply skimmed through the words so that I could find the next interesting bit. If you're willing to truly invest time into understanding all the book's complications then you'll appreciate the depth of the storyline and writing, and if you're good with shapes and signs then you'll have no trouble understanding all the ridiculous architerual conversations. There are some very interesting characters here, though, such as the aforementioned mechanic's wife who believes she was once a godess, as well as Asterios himself, who is incredibly arrogent and self-centered. He always believes he's right, and in many cases, he's far from it. He's a very complex character, though there was never really a moment when I felt attached to him, or anyone else. Still, the writing deserves attention for making you think.

Value: 6

I got the book for $30 from Barnes and Noble, which certainly isn't cheap. You might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but if you find it for over $20 you might want to seriously consider purchasing it, as I was able to read the book in less than two hours with no real desire to go back again. If you're into the weird and thought provoking, however, then this is your book, and if you have an eye for true artistic beauty then this will no doubt catch your eye. I definitely recommend it if you can find it cheap, but as I said, if it's above $20 you might be better of waiting for a price drop.

Overall:7

Asterios Polyp is beautiful and thought provoking in some ways, but it's also incredibly complex and will baffle many readers. Young kids will likely find this book due to its art and end up being subjected to tons of adult content as well as a deep and complex storyline that only people who commit time to this book will understand. If you aren't easily confused or bored, and you're okay with a rather slow pace then this book is for you, no doubt. Unfortunately, it's also rather short, and I wasn't interested in reading it a second time.