Meet David Boring: a nineteen-year-old security guard with a tortured innner life and an obsessive nature. When he meets the girl of his dreams, th...
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reviews
May 27, 2008
Amanda
rated it: 
Worth a read, but I don't recommend reading it on the bus back to New York from Boston where the sororityish girl next to you can read over your shoulder and think you're a weirdo at times. You might need some privacy for some of the pervier scenes. I still feel a little weird about butts right now.
Overall, I think it was a good idea that didn't come through the whole way--for me. Something missing in the execution. Also sometimes I'm just not that good at reading things that are thi More...
Overall, I think it was a good idea that didn't come through the whole way--for me. Something missing in the execution. Also sometimes I'm just not that good at reading things that are thi More...
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Mar 27, 2008
Alika
rated it:
This book was a bit disappointing for me since I’d always seen it around thinking it would be one of the best (and “Ghost World” is one of my all-time faves), but I was let down. Of course the artwork is great (if you like the super-slick flawless look, which sometimes I do) and I’m still amazed at how Clowes manages to draw faces that remind me of real people, yet maintain the “cartoonishness” of an illustration.
But as for the narrative, I was left with more questions than I’m willi More...
But as for the narrative, I was left with more questions than I’m willi More...
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Jan 20, 2008
Jason
rated it: 
Clowes artwork on David Boring is, as usual, immaculate and he consistently manages to draw characters whose faces emote a sense of ennui yet manage to evoke in me a feeling of compassion that borders on pity. This interplay intrigues me in that it serves to both endear and distance me to almost every major player in the book. Whether or not that feature of Clowes' art best serves the narrative, and whether it should, remains left to the individual. For me, the result is a positive and heightens
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Dec 16, 2009
Jay
rated it: 
David Boring is split into three acts.
I absolutely love the first one. David Boring is a male slut, but he doesn't know why, because he only appreciates one woman. After being shot one night, we worry that he may never see her again.
Act two changes gears significantly when David is stuck recovering on a remote island with people who believe the main land has been hit by a nuclear bomb. Yes, this act has nothing to do with the first act and it's not until the bizarro thi More...
I absolutely love the first one. David Boring is a male slut, but he doesn't know why, because he only appreciates one woman. After being shot one night, we worry that he may never see her again.
Act two changes gears significantly when David is stuck recovering on a remote island with people who believe the main land has been hit by a nuclear bomb. Yes, this act has nothing to do with the first act and it's not until the bizarro thi More...
Feb 09, 2008
John
rated it:
After the indifference that the first half of this book left me with, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the last half David Boring actually turns into an interesting and very bizarre story of suspense, intrigue, mystery and, well, sexual obsession (of a sort).
I think Chris is right that there is something David Lynchian about this comic, particularly in the way that there seem to be so many loose ends left hanging at end (and, er, the surreal blend of detective story tropes, More...
I think Chris is right that there is something David Lynchian about this comic, particularly in the way that there seem to be so many loose ends left hanging at end (and, er, the surreal blend of detective story tropes, More...
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Sep 19, 2011
Thom
rated it: 
This was my introduction to graphic novels. A friend of mine, a huge fan of the genre, gave it to me with almost no explanation. I, so dense about Graphic Novels that I didn't even know who David Clowes was, accepted tentatively.
As a long time reader of standard novels, it was my instinct to pay attention only to the words. It's fair to say that the way I read the first ten or so pages of David Boring deserved a slap in the face from any illustrator. I barely looked at the drawings b More...
As a long time reader of standard novels, it was my instinct to pay attention only to the words. It's fair to say that the way I read the first ten or so pages of David Boring deserved a slap in the face from any illustrator. I barely looked at the drawings b More...
Feb 17, 2011
Felipe
rated it:
Não é novidade que Clowes navega por águas niilistas existencialistas por suas obras, porém, na maioria das vezes, o tom é negativo. Aqui não é diferente, com exceção de um fato final que não irei descrever, mas que, talvez pelo momento de extrema dor de cabeça e sensibilidade física que me atingiam quando li este livro, fez-me chorar pela primeira vez lendo uma HQ - e olhe que não existia música melodramática ditando o tom da cena, não havia manipulação emocional de ritmo na montagem e que, afi
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May 27, 2010
Matt
rated it:
This one's good. A piece of advice, though: don't read it while riding the bus. whoever is sitting behind you will look over your shoulder at some point and, when they do, it will confirm their already sneaking suspicion that you are a sexual deviant of some sort.
This is the story of a young man's quest for the ideal woman. Everything else is ancillary, except for an inscrutable memento of his dead father and his brother-sister/Batman-Robin like relationship with a lipstick lesbian n More...
This is the story of a young man's quest for the ideal woman. Everything else is ancillary, except for an inscrutable memento of his dead father and his brother-sister/Batman-Robin like relationship with a lipstick lesbian n More...
Jul 11, 2010
Jen
rated it:
Perhaps I should have read this in one sitting (it's short so would have been a quick read), but I found that from one read to the next it was difficult to keep track on what was happening. Swift scene changes, strange continuities (how can someone survive head shootings?) , implausible characters and subplots (the room mate storyline just didn't work for me). I also couldn't get into the father comic-writer story. In fact, now I think about it properly, I'd say that it just didn't work and that
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Nov 29, 2008
justme
rated it:
Love, murder, global warfare, and lots of nudity/sex.
I enjoyed this. Even though all the bells and whistles of murder mystery and what not was entertaining, I was most interested and struck by the main character, David Boring's issues with women and his obsessiveness with physical ideals. He makes a lot of smart points about the nature of attraction, love, and looks.
On the art side of it, his drawings are wonderful and as other people mentioned, he has a real knack for fa More...
I enjoyed this. Even though all the bells and whistles of murder mystery and what not was entertaining, I was most interested and struck by the main character, David Boring's issues with women and his obsessiveness with physical ideals. He makes a lot of smart points about the nature of attraction, love, and looks.
On the art side of it, his drawings are wonderful and as other people mentioned, he has a real knack for fa More...
Jul 26, 2009
Nick
rated it:
Kind of regret buying this because it's such a fast read (~2 hours tops) and it's not so detailed or brilliant that I'll keep coming back to it (a la Chris Ware).
That said it's a great example of the graphic novel flexing its muscles and demonstrating that it's the most compelling medium out there right now.
The first few panels made me laugh, I like the character of David Boring. Kind of interesting to see someone deliberately create a Keanu Reeves-type personality for th
That said it's a great example of the graphic novel flexing its muscles and demonstrating that it's the most compelling medium out there right now.
The first few panels made me laugh, I like the character of David Boring. Kind of interesting to see someone deliberately create a Keanu Reeves-type personality for th
May 29, 2010
Nicki
rated it:
I like the quirkiness of this book but I felt as disconnected with the characters as they do with each other and themselves. The story line was rather abrupt and choppy while also being a bit implausible. I'm not opposed to unrealistic plot lines so long as the author sets it up to make you believe it's real. I didn't get that from Clowes in this one. Too much was left hanging for me to consider this a completely satisfying read, but it was still enjoyable on some level.
Aug 11, 2011
Dominick
rated it:
Odd graphic combining the mundane, surreal, and post-modern as it offers (among other things) a meditation on the interrelatrionship between life and art, conceived primarily in comic book and cinematic terms (one of the conceits is that the book we are reading is in fact a movie). Mixes carefully-observed realistic characters with various tropes of melodrama and crime drama, with elements of SF and comic books thrown in. Not the most emotionally engaging of work (Clowes never is), but fascinati
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Sep 20, 2008
Eli
rated it:
Daniel Clowes is the man, basically. He creates this detached, eerie ambience around everything he does and I'm trying to work out how he does it. His illustrations are typically slick and his women especially have this creepy doll-faced look about them, especially in this where it is sometimes, intentionally I suppose, hard to distinguish one female character from another. I like that ambiguous way of dealing with portraying characters and I think it is additionally a completely brave thing to
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Apr 19, 2011
Artnoose
rated it:
David Boring is a young man with an obsession with a certain body type of woman, which becomes an obsession with a certain woman in particular. Things tend not to work out for him. They also tend not to work out for his lesbian housemate.
There's a family owned island. There's chemical warfare. There's an attempt on David's life. There's a baby.
There's a family owned island. There's chemical warfare. There's an attempt on David's life. There's a baby.
May 31, 2011
Anne
rated it:
I liked this even better than Ghost World--it's an artfully crafted, bizarre world that somehow sheds light on the human experience while dancing erratically around issues of obsession,
paranoia, and love. I adored the artwork and the non-traditional narrative with the non-sequitur moments. It's a thrilling page turner, but it's rich and deep as well.
paranoia, and love. I adored the artwork and the non-traditional narrative with the non-sequitur moments. It's a thrilling page turner, but it's rich and deep as well.
Oct 01, 2007
Baiocco
rated it:
This was recommended to me by my Senior Seminar advisor in college and was my introduction to the graphic novel. I guess Daniel Clowes is pretty popular, but maybe not as popular as Neil Gaiman? I dunno, I don't read many graphic novels. Like comics though, like anyone that makes comics. Tough life there, hands-cramped, vision dying, little to no money involved. Did anyone read the Vice Comics issue? I thought it was the best one they've put out in a while and exposed a lot of comics I'd n
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Jan 12, 2012
Peter
rated it:
I've read this a couple of times but just can't get into it. The book's in three parts, the first of which is pretty straightforward and accessible, but becomes increasingly surreal and hard to follow in subsequent parts.
The artwork is as consistently good as Clowes' other books, but I prefer later work like Ice Haven and Wilson.
The artwork is as consistently good as Clowes' other books, but I prefer later work like Ice Haven and Wilson.
Feb 19, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
Good, solid Clowes, and showing a real transition from the 8 Ball Days, from which this story originated. The opening few pages, I felt were a bit weak, but persevere, because as it progresses it opens and all begins to make sense. A good story, especially the middle section, and could easily see this following Ghost World to the big screen. As ever with Clowes, the best character is female, and I would love to read the further adventures of Dot...
Jan 01, 2010
Jonathan
rated it:
I have a hard time giving this more than a "I liked it" rating. Even that is a bit of a stretch, but... the aura of the story does stick with you. The story gets pretty dark (and twisted) throughout the book, but it still draws you in. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for intense dramas that have an apocalyptic background.
Sep 21, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
I had a lot of fun reading this. The insertion of color panels from David's father's comics elevated the book from entertaining and odd to something literary and worth poring over. I like how it uses some murder-mystery tactics but really doesn't hew to that at all.
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May 29, 2011
Peacegal
rated it:
Blech. A rambling, nonsensical story about a bunch of people who are too boring even to kill themselves. And seriously, can we have some kind of injunction against disgusting bodily functions in graphic novels? (Clowes must really have a major ass fetish.)
Sep 01, 2010
Steven
rated it:
Not as humorous as "Wilson", "Ghost World" or "Ice Haven" but this book is probably the most peculiar and original one by Clowes. The narrative is rather bizarre especially near the end of it and the cynical charm is there but n the end the book turns out to be just a poignant love story.
Nov 18, 2011
Germancho
rated it:
Funny, ominous but never heavy-handed, this is a great and concise graphic novel that dwells on man's fear of women, whether they are overbearing and loveless, or facetious and clueless. In many ways, it's the complete opposite of Asterios Polyp.
Oct 12, 2011
Eric T. Voigt
rated it:
Six stars. Clowes does not get worse. Clowes does only get better. Although I think everything I'm delving into after this one is mid- or early-nineties. Which seemed like a more fucked up period of time. Which should still be awesome. Which will be awesome! "Reason will prevail."
Aug 06, 2011
Andy
rated it:
Normally I like Clowes but this one kind of wandered around in an aimless fashion. It wanted to be deep but not work too hard for it. If Donny Darko was too scary for you with its psycho bunny then try this one on for size.
Apr 21, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
I guess I really do like comic books better than graphic novels. This is a graphic novel. The story is pretty good and sensational, though, sort of like a comic book. But no super heros. Pretty solid. Not overwhelming, though.
Jan 27, 2010
James
rated it:
For me, the first and third acts were flawless; love anything dealing with obsession, especially within a relationship. It lost something in the second - a dark 'n violent detour that didn't hold my attention - but still, highly recommended. Clowes's art sets the tone perfectly throughout; nothing says ennui like vanilla sex and a good vacant stare.
May 13, 2010
Main character Boring and his lesbian roommate Dot Paar and their unending search for the right mates. Several murders occur and there is a background of terrorist doom that prevails. Very sexy.
Jan 10, 2010
frances
rated it:
kinda obsessive and sad, in an early-college way. i read this in college and thought it was awesome- reading it at 30 i felt a bit disconnected, but still enjoyed the story and art.
