The triumphant return of one of comics’ greatest talents, with an engrossing story of one man’s search for love, meaning, sanity, and perfect archi...
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reviews
Jul 30, 2009
Seth
rated it: 
Reading Asterios Polyp is a daunting experience. Or maybe not so much the reading, which can be accomplished easily enough, but the being able to speak sensibly about it afterward. I feel kind of like how I did after finishing 2666, only not quite so out of my depth. Like Bolaño, Mazzucchelli's work here displays a breadth and depth that overtly requires multiple readings in order find ground solid enough to speak with any authority about the book.
But since I've only read the book o More...
But since I've only read the book o More...
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Feb 02, 2011
Jimmy
rated it:
I might have to read this one again to catch all the subtleties of the story. What's amazing about this graphic novel is that it is jam-packed with ideas, but most of the ideas are embedded in the art itself, and not in the words (some of it is in words, but it's like a riff that plays along with the visuals). At the same time, all these ideas do not in any way make it a gooey-dense landscape to slodge through. The book is such a pleasure to read, filled with so many wide open panels, so much
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Aug 03, 2009
Bob
rated it:
David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp is quite a thing. A book that uses formalism in a way that is pleasing to the eye, buoyed by a story and characters pleasing to the mind (though I guess the art pleases both). Mazzucchelli has populated this book with a varied cast: narcissistic (and often insufferable) egomaniacs; a neglected beauty taken mostly for granted; a plain, hard-workin’ mechanic who drops many a Norm Crosbyesque malopropism and many more.
The art is an impressive mélange More...
The art is an impressive mélange More...
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Feb 02, 2011
oriana
rated it: 
book #10 for Jugs & Capes!
Also: this is my second review for CCLaP, and my first in a year-long series reviewing graphic novels. W00t!
***
This is the first in an essay series I'll be doing for CCLaP called "Jugs & Capes," where I look at graphic novels from a girl's point of view. I'm not going to say a "feminist" point of view, because I think that's a complicated word, one which any thinking woman has a complicated relationship with. And a More...
Also: this is my second review for CCLaP, and my first in a year-long series reviewing graphic novels. W00t!
***
This is the first in an essay series I'll be doing for CCLaP called "Jugs & Capes," where I look at graphic novels from a girl's point of view. I'm not going to say a "feminist" point of view, because I think that's a complicated word, one which any thinking woman has a complicated relationship with. And a More...
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(14 people liked it)
Sep 14, 2010
Loyd
rated it:
Artist/writer David Mazzucchelli has had one of the more twisted career paths of any artist I know. He began in conventional comics, becoming well-known illustrating Frank Miller's Daredevil, then he disappeared for awhile, emerging with an entirely new style. His new, fluid line was perfect for Miller's DC hit, Batman: Year One. Then Mazzucchelli dropped off the radar again. This time, he showed up illustrating a graphic novelization of Paul Auster's City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, a metaphys
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 24, 2011
Monica
rated it:
This is hovering between a 4 and a 5 for me right now.
Wow - really a sophisticated book. And can I just say that its so great to read a critiquely lauded graphic novel that is NOT a memoir. This was large in scope, nuanced in detail, and I think I need to read it again to grasp it all.
The art was unexpected, with a mix of styles that really worked well together. Totally recommended to all my comic and literary fiction reading friends alike.
Wow - really a sophisticated book. And can I just say that its so great to read a critiquely lauded graphic novel that is NOT a memoir. This was large in scope, nuanced in detail, and I think I need to read it again to grasp it all.
The art was unexpected, with a mix of styles that really worked well together. Totally recommended to all my comic and literary fiction reading friends alike.
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(3 people liked it)
Jul 25, 2011
Núria
rated it:
'Asterios Polyp' es un cómic complejo, inteligente, riquísimo, satisfactorio a múltiples niveles, que habla de temas como filosofía, arquitectura, ficción, arte, etc. La historia no es nada nuevo, es la de un hombre que pasa por una crisis y acaba perdiéndolo todo, porque sólo perdiéndolo todo se dará cuenta de qué es lo realmente importante, y sólo así podrá cambiar. Asterios Polyp es un arquitecto reputado de 50 años, aunque ninguno de sus diseños ha sido nunca ejecutado, porque su fama viene
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(3 people liked it)
Aug 06, 2010
Casey
rated it:
David Mazzucchelli is hella smart. He was filled Asterios Polyp with a ton of brain matter on all topics ranging from architecture, art, literature, dance, music, and the meaning of life. All these topics are brought to you in a very intelligent way. Either David Mazzucchelli is a genius or very well researched.
Asterios Polyp lost his twin brother at birth. Some of the book is told from the perspective of that brother. Although this novel is filled with intelligence at its core is ma More...
Asterios Polyp lost his twin brother at birth. Some of the book is told from the perspective of that brother. Although this novel is filled with intelligence at its core is ma More...
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Dec 21, 2011
Black Elephants
rated it: 
I just finished reading David Mazzucchelli's new graphic novel Asterios Polyps. I'd seen great reviews for it everywhere, but I think what made me want to read it most was when Skylight Books (an indie store) gushed about it in their blog. Apparently, they couldn't help by try to convince others to read it.
My thoughts?
I liked it. The art was beautiful and sometimes magnificent. The story was engaging. The characters were interesting; I wanted to know what would happen to More...
My thoughts?
I liked it. The art was beautiful and sometimes magnificent. The story was engaging. The characters were interesting; I wanted to know what would happen to More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 09, 2012
Kevin
rated it: 
Asterios Polyp is a so-called 'paper architect' that moves to the town of Apogee (of course...) in order to rebuild a life re-arranged by arrogance, divorce, a lightning-struck apartment and twists of fate, circumstance, what have you.[return][return]Mazzucchelli's accomplishment reflects lofty ambition but the script, filled with tightly-packed philosophy and a loop of eccentric character interactions reinforcing Polyp's arrogance and single-minded worldview, leaves much to be desired. The ple
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Mar 05, 2010
Asterios Polyp is David Mazzucchelli s first solo graphic novel effort, a sprawling, revolutionary work that raises the bar significantly on the medium. It is the story of Asterios, an accomplished architect whose buildings have never been constructed, newly divorced and miserable, who on his 50th birthday watches his home and career burst into flames after lightning strikes his New York apartment building. Asterios gets on a bus headed as far away as his money will take him, and finds himself
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Feb 09, 2012
David
rated it:
The artwork in this book is amazing, owing as much to classic and contemporary graphic design as it does to graphic novels. Both the design elements and the distinctive but deliberately limited colour palette reminded me the type of books Nobrow put out.
Mazzucchelli also uses the medium to full effect, employing a range of techniques, from caricatured physical traits to surreal architectural and geometric shapes, to show us how Asterios experiences and perceives the world. If you're lo More...
Mazzucchelli also uses the medium to full effect, employing a range of techniques, from caricatured physical traits to surreal architectural and geometric shapes, to show us how Asterios experiences and perceives the world. If you're lo More...
Sep 26, 2011
Robin
rated it:
This was truly one of the best stories I've ever read, as well as being an amazing graphic novel. I wasn't quite sure where Mazzucchelli was going with it in the first few pages, but I grew to love both his art style and his subject matter, exploring the sometimes real and sometimes only apparent duality of nature. One noted example of this is his merging of two different art styles (meant to depict the different characters' differing views of the world) when they start to fall in love. Another
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Jul 20, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
Mazzucchelli started his career 20 years ago in mainstream superhero comics drawing memorable runs on Batman and Daredevil, with Frank Miller writing for both. He set an impossible standard for illustrative quality and then turned his back on the whole industry. He has since ventured into self-publishing (3 issues of the anthology "Rubber Blanket") and occasionally contributes short stories to other publications such as "Blab" and "Drawn & Quarterly".
This nex More...
This nex More...
Jul 15, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
I don't really understand the hype over this graphic novel. I thought it was boring - an educated, middle-aged white man feels like his life has fallen apart so he jumps ship and tries to start over again. Maybe I just found his self-absorbed personality too off-putting, but I didn't really feel any sympathy for him or care about his ideas about how the world works. In spite of the sadness in it, it all reads like an educated, middle-aged white man's fantasy: Asterios Polyp is world-renowned in
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May 13, 2011
David
rated it:
Another great recent "graphic novel," or comic book as we used to call them. Asterios Polyp is a college professor who lives a bit too much in his head and maybe neglects those around him; when we first meet him, he is on the skids and (we gather) recovering from a broken heart among other things. Through a series of episodes and flashbacks, we learn about him and his lover Hana, and what happened to bring him to such a sorry state of affairs.
The artwork takes some getting More...
The artwork takes some getting More...
Feb 19, 2011
christa
rated it:
You just like assholes, my boyfriend tells me.
I don't think this is universally true. But it is probably pretty true when it comes to fiction, and certainly true in the case of that blow hard who is the title character in David Mazzucchelli's graphic novel, "Asterios Polyp."
The story opens with the debt-riddled sad sack's Manhattan apartment on fire. AP grabs the three things he considers worth saving -- a lighter, a pocket knife, and a watch -- a ditches out for a new More...
I don't think this is universally true. But it is probably pretty true when it comes to fiction, and certainly true in the case of that blow hard who is the title character in David Mazzucchelli's graphic novel, "Asterios Polyp."
The story opens with the debt-riddled sad sack's Manhattan apartment on fire. AP grabs the three things he considers worth saving -- a lighter, a pocket knife, and a watch -- a ditches out for a new More...
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Jan 30, 2011
Felipe
rated it:
Este é um quadrinho que, enfim, explora muita das possibilidades de linguagem do meio, além de ter boas idéias e um enredo fino! Asterios Polyp é um arquiteto novaiorquino conceituado, mas que nunca teve um projeto executado. Um profissional "do papel", que perde tudo num incêndio e, então sem nada, se manda para o lugar mais longe que lhe é possível alcançar com o dinheiro que lhe resta no fundo do bolso, levando consigo apenas um canivete suíço, um isqueiro, um relógio e suas lembran
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Jan 26, 2011
EZRead
rated it:
It’s almost annoying how wonderfully David Mazzucchelli brings us the classic American novel (mid-life crisis, break down of a marriage, etc.) in a beautiful, visual new way. Our hero Asterios was a professor with a solidly square view on life, whose stout philosophy blinds him to other people’s unique vision. Later in life, after a (gorgeously drawn) fire at his apartment, he seeks a new vision of his life and most importantly, his ended marriage. Imaginatively drawn in a simplistic, 50s sort o
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Jan 11, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
After all the buildup and critical praise heaped on this book, my expectations were quite high. So it was something of a disappointment not to love this book. That said, I did read it rather quickly. And to its credit, the book presents an atypical protagonist for the graphic novel format. That is, a character who is not mired in outright depressing circumstances from dawn til dusk and who is articulate and socially functional. So the book is novel in this regard, or at least breaks off int
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Dec 22, 2010
Eric
rated it:
A fine graphic novel by Mazzuchelli. Around the time that I read it, I watched the Coen Brothers' film "A Serious Man". Both of them shared a similar theme: the futility of trying to impose order on a meaningless universe. The title character is an architect who attains some renown through his designs of buildings which never get built, and through his theories about art, which he disseminates as a university lecturer. Polyp, who had a twin brother who didn't survive birth, tends to s
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Dec 01, 2010
Panoramaisland
rated it:
Asterios Polyp is an amazing mechanism of a story, a beautiful machine for putting on display the dialogue between Enlightenment and Romantic thinking: Duality and Nonduality brought together to form a duality, but a duality which turns nondual as the two elements interact.
This is one of those stories in which absolutely everything - every character, every color, every font, every stylistic choice - appears to be on some level a blatant storytelling device, a cog in the machine. The wh More...
This is one of those stories in which absolutely everything - every character, every color, every font, every stylistic choice - appears to be on some level a blatant storytelling device, a cog in the machine. The wh More...
Nov 29, 2010
Jon
rated it:
Having just read Gaiman's review of this graphic novel, I can't help but agree.
It was chugging along so beautifully, the constantly evolving artwork doing magical things on the pages even as the story took turns in directions I hadn't expected. We skip all over Polyp's life, seeing him with Hana and then without her, the narrative split so many times that you'd think it would be confusing, but it wasn't. And it's because it's so deftly executed, even down to the obnoxious Woody Allen- More...
It was chugging along so beautifully, the constantly evolving artwork doing magical things on the pages even as the story took turns in directions I hadn't expected. We skip all over Polyp's life, seeing him with Hana and then without her, the narrative split so many times that you'd think it would be confusing, but it wasn't. And it's because it's so deftly executed, even down to the obnoxious Woody Allen- More...
Nov 28, 2010
Jen
rated it:
I barely feel up to the task of reviewing this amazing graphic novel. It only takes an hour or two to read, but Asterios Polyp will leave you in the dust, thinking about architecture, dance, Modernism, Postmodernism, Greek mythology, color theory, classism, highbrow culture vs. lowbrow culture, and well, I could go on and on, and I probably would still be missing half a dozen big ideas.
David Mazzucchelli has worked both high and low: he drew comic books and has done illustrated versio More...
David Mazzucchelli has worked both high and low: he drew comic books and has done illustrated versio More...
Oct 15, 2010
Mark
rated it:
NOTE: The review below has been published (in German) in the Swiss comics journal STRAPAZIN.
Form Follows Function: David Mazzuchelli’s ASTERIOS POLYP
by Mark David Nevins, September 2010
David Mazzuchelli’s long-awaited graphic novel--coming almost a decade and a half after his and Paul Karasik’s adaptation of CITY OF GLASS--was published more than a year ago, so this review is coming a little late to the game. But given all the critical buzz about ASTERIOS POLYP, wh More...
Form Follows Function: David Mazzuchelli’s ASTERIOS POLYP
by Mark David Nevins, September 2010
David Mazzuchelli’s long-awaited graphic novel--coming almost a decade and a half after his and Paul Karasik’s adaptation of CITY OF GLASS--was published more than a year ago, so this review is coming a little late to the game. But given all the critical buzz about ASTERIOS POLYP, wh More...
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Jul 24, 2010
Cotton
rated it:
I make no secret of my love of comics and graphic novels. Trying to legitimize them as a respected form of art on the internet in 2010 is probably akin to justify movies in the mid-50s, but for some reason I will always feel that the medium is undercut by the notion at large that they are mindless and sensational. Of course, many of them are. I probably tend to prefer the sensationalistic (though not without artistry) tendencies of the superhero genre more than the subtle storytelling of the OGN
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Jul 22, 2010
Books based on comic strips circulate. Superhero comics circulate. Manga circulates like crazy. Art comics? Bzzzzt. Championed by the likes of the ultra-pretentious Comics Journal, art comics get great reviews, so they’re maybe over-represented in our collection. As with punk rock, any trace of virtuosity, or even skill, is often suspect, suggesting inauthenticity.
In the tiny world of art comics, Asterios Polyp is a big deal. Writer and artist David Mazzucchelli walked away from More...
In the tiny world of art comics, Asterios Polyp is a big deal. Writer and artist David Mazzucchelli walked away from More...
Jul 21, 2010
Jack
rated it:
An original graphic novel (long-form comic, not a collection of shorter issues), this story could not be better told by any other medium. A nice balance of content and style. Through the narrative and visuals it explores the perspectives of the characters and challenges the perspectives of the reader.
The story follows a listless, middle-aged, self-described-genius architect as a crisis forces him to reevaluate his lost love. He has rigid rules of aesthetics that he applies to his en More...
The story follows a listless, middle-aged, self-described-genius architect as a crisis forces him to reevaluate his lost love. He has rigid rules of aesthetics that he applies to his en More...
May 19, 2010
Sabra
rated it:
Passing by Asterio's Polyp a few times, on the bookshelves of friends, or for purchase in book stores, I often wondered what the hype was all about, for the tri-colored, minimalist-seeming tale, illustrating the life of an architect. Then for eight weeks my name was on a waiting list at a nearby public library, it became available; on a night devoted strictly to reading, I dug in.
Within two hours, from start to finish, I was glued to its pages, admiring familiar archetypes, sympathiz More...
Within two hours, from start to finish, I was glued to its pages, admiring familiar archetypes, sympathiz More...
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Feb 01, 2010
Jason
rated it:
Publishers Weekly, the Globe, and the Times on each coast all assure me Mazzuchelli's biography of a "paper architect" is a masterpiece. I'm giving this highly enjoyable book three stars for now, but I can see how some re-reading could elevate it to those four-star, and--who knows--perhaps even five-star, mountaintops where the air is thin. Surprisingly literate as it is, this isn't just words on paper, after all--it's a visual experience--and it might not reveal all of its qualities i
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