Observing the isolated existence of an adolescent cat, his younger brother and their overactive imaginations in the American Heartland, Skyscrapers...
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reviews
Jan 05, 2009
Jeff
rated it: 
The first 1/3 of the book left me with the impression that this was just a series of weird and wacky tales, with only a few having to do with each other. But actually Joshua Cotter in fact has no random stories or wasted space at all in here. Its quite thought provoking, and builds on itself with determined purpose.
I had said in a previous version of this review that Joshua Cotter and this book was similar in style to Tony Millionaire (the author of Billy Hazelnuts, Uncle Gabby, Soc More...
I had said in a previous version of this review that Joshua Cotter and this book was similar in style to Tony Millionaire (the author of Billy Hazelnuts, Uncle Gabby, Soc More...
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Jan 07, 2010
Andrew
rated it: 
Cotter's Skyscrapers is not without its charms; it's a nice stew of cute, sad, and surreal, with robot hobos, robot kitten angels, and all protagonists rendered in a stylized, Fritzlike cat-people manner. Cotter's style is scratchy and moody in a way that casts a funky, nostalgic melancholy over his stories of the epic tragedy that is childhood. Unfortunately, however, this often tips over into unchecked miserablism ultimately feels showy and unearned; in spite of its chunky girth, the entire bo
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Jan 08, 2011
Bren
rated it: 
The most important aspect of Skyscrapers of the Midwest is the eminent re-readability of the books, as well as the myriad interpretations which the content both invites and entices. Too, there is not a
single wasted panel or image to be found amongst these pages. Seeing the inter-connectedness of these books makes them unique in their own sense – they are readily accessible to new readers at either issue, though best understood by those who have followed the previous book.
Ver More...
single wasted panel or image to be found amongst these pages. Seeing the inter-connectedness of these books makes them unique in their own sense – they are readily accessible to new readers at either issue, though best understood by those who have followed the previous book.
Ver More...
Feb 21, 2009
Jason
rated it:
i'm re-reading this very closely as i'm right in the middle of the section in my thesis that deals with this book...
and what an amazing piece of work it is...
truly high modernist brilliance...every minute aspect of this text is rich with meaning and significance...it's so hard for me to believe someone as young as Cotter could be capable of such a mature and unbelievably well-crafted narrative...
the universality of his themes cannot fail to touch practically everyone who More...
and what an amazing piece of work it is...
truly high modernist brilliance...every minute aspect of this text is rich with meaning and significance...it's so hard for me to believe someone as young as Cotter could be capable of such a mature and unbelievably well-crafted narrative...
the universality of his themes cannot fail to touch practically everyone who More...
Jun 29, 2010
Matt
rated it:
Straight up brutally honest tales of childhood woe, etc in the midwest (or the middle anywhere country really) done very right. Great illustration and well thought out symbolic mixtures. Crossing the childhood fascinations of our toys with religious imagery is quite the potent statement and yet it's done with a quiet shame, naiveté, and isolation. Nice work indeed even in it's heartbreak. If you were a nerd like me, chances are this one will reopen the hurt a little.
Nov 11, 2009
Scott
rated it:
There are cats, foul mouthed cowboys, robot gods, robot cats, and more. It's a coming of age story, but it allows its downtrodden characters to escape into fantasy. They aren't infinitely sad, or ready to commit suicide, they don't even contemplate it. Instead, if something bad happens to the characters, they try to find a silver lining, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes this book is far more bizarre than real life, but not completely.
Jan 30, 2009
M.
rated it:
I was pretty into it, but there's a bit too much overly-poking at the midwest, without any sort of love present. It's angry, but without any sort of locus to make the anger justified. I liked the narrative itself, sort of (it feels a little half assed), but it just sort of fizzles out in the end. I think it was maybe trying to pull one of those "indie movie" endings (where it just stops, totally), but it failed even in that regard.
Jan 01, 2009
Lars
rated it:
Freakishly weird and poignantly touching at the same time. Maybe it's about the resiliency and courage one can draw from innocence and naivete in the face of common and everyday cruelty; it certainly is a demonstration of the power of the medium of the graphic novel. I'll never look at a kid playing with an action figure the same way again. Highly recommended.
Apr 25, 2009
Jace
rated it:
AMAZING. Skyscrapers of the Midwest is nostalgic, sentimental, and insightful without feeling cliche or overwrought. Everything that Blankets should have been, but wasn't. This book is a must read for anyone who ever lived in the country or the city, owned a He-Man action figure, or lost a loved one. Or anyone who has ever been a child.
Aug 29, 2009
Nick
rated it:
Strange graphical novel but it's engrossing at the same time. Well worth a read if you can't think of anything else you'd rather want to read at the time.
I'd buy this book, but I'm not sure how much I'd reread this one. It's beautiful and haunting at the same time, a requirement for all truly great books in my view.
I'd buy this book, but I'm not sure how much I'd reread this one. It's beautiful and haunting at the same time, a requirement for all truly great books in my view.
Feb 07, 2009
Will
rated it:
I'd rate this with 3.5 stars if possible. It's really clever, and dark and universal in a suffering American boy kind of way. The sureal moments were the highlights for me. However there were many panels in this that I could not decipher the drawings. I didn't like that. The migraine insect was really cool, though.
Aug 25, 2008
Deb
rated it: 
This collection of comics was verrrry odd. Giant flys who land and suck your soul away, no explanation given, and robot hobos. Being uncool in school and the beatings that follow. Losing a favorite stuffed animal and the random paths it takes en route back to the original owner.
I only ended up finishing this book because I was stuck on the bus, 30 minutes from home, and had run out of reading material. Comics based on everyday life don't grab my interest very much, but I recognized More...
I only ended up finishing this book because I was stuck on the bus, 30 minutes from home, and had run out of reading material. Comics based on everyday life don't grab my interest very much, but I recognized More...
Jul 28, 2011
I was going to write a long review of why I didn't enjoy this book at all despite critical acclaim, but another user beat me to it. So I just want to use my review to second everything Bryan Thompson said. I'm sure this is the book for someone, but it really really wasn't me.
Dec 15, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
I am not done yet but this is good, sad but good. Well drawn, heart wrenching kid who does not fit in stuff. The author does a series of vignettes that tie together into one complete narrative. Excellent fake adds and advice sections round this out.
Oct 27, 2010
Mike
rated it:
Wish it was weirder, but still pretty weird. Illustrations are killer.
Kind of a R-rated Calvin & Hobbes. But some real midwest mentalities of a kid and his little brother as they grow up and grow apart.
Kind of a R-rated Calvin & Hobbes. But some real midwest mentalities of a kid and his little brother as they grow up and grow apart.
Oct 23, 2009
Sara
rated it:
Trippy little graphic novel about the Midwest. Makes me think of Thompson's Blankets in some ways, but also has a character all its own.
May 24, 2011
Wess
rated it:
Book one was a little stale but everything that followed was morosely engaging (or do I mean engagingly morose?).
Mar 02, 2011
212 Tobias :)
rated it:
I thought the book was waaay innapproppriate, though that might be what made it funny. . . sorry. . . honest opinion
Dec 06, 2009
Mollymillions
rated it:
By far one of the weirdest books I've ever read. Just pick it up and try to make sense of it yourself.
Jan 06, 2009
Jacob
rated it:
A somewhat strange but very enjoyable look at life growing up in the midwest. The author imagines himself and his family/friends as cats and surrounds himself with robot gods. Yet another modern graphic novel that pushes the medium forward. I agree with Warren Ellis's review- "This is one fucked up book."
Jun 17, 2008
Bill
rated it:
There's a lot going on here, most of which defies conventional description... sometimes it's dark comedy, sometimes it's intensely uncomfortable tales of adolescence, and sometimes it's just really, really odd. It wasn't unusual to laugh out loud one page, nearly cry the next, and be intensely creeped out on the third. Definitely a reading experience that'll stick with me a while, even if I don't think I got it all. I need to read this again sometime. I look forward to reading this again som
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Jul 02, 2009
Alohatiki
rated it: 
I had heard good things about it, but I just didn't care. Too depressing, kinda like Chris Ware without the obsessive art work.
Jan 04, 2011
Russ
rated it:
The art is nice enough, but heavy-handed satire, especially anti-christian satire, gets really old for me really fast. We get it, you're not a christian. It seems an especially juvenile approach after reading Kevin Huizenga's really fascinating piece involving christian/non-christian interaction in Curses.
