Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
24th out of 52 books
—
34 voters
Monsters
by
Ken Dahl (Goodreads Author)
Part fiction and part deranged educational film strip, Monsters focuses both on the physical symptoms and the traumatic emotional damage of an STD that rarely affects two people the same way. Following his acclaimed collection of short comics, Welcome to the Dahlhouse, Ken Dahl cements his status as one of the best cartoonists of his generation with this brutally honest ac...more
Paperback, First, 200 pages
Published
September 14th 2009
by Secret Acres
(first published 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
557)
This is an account of cold sores (oral herpes!) as a kind of vaguely-educational confessional horror story. It is actually a really good use of the medium, with latent viral panic lurking in every frame, and lots of neat visual-free-associations to guide the eye through the pages. And so, much more enjoyable and interesting than most memoir-comics. By the end though, it's rather inconclusive about just what the 70-or-so-percent of the population with some form of the herpes simplex virus should...more
Uh, this simultaneously made me pissed off and terrified. First off, sleeping with someone when you have an STD without telling them (ESPECIALLY WITHOUT A CONDOM, DAMN) is an incredibly fucking evil and irresponsible thing to do, regardless of what the STD is (even if it's something as "normal" as herpes, that doesn't make it okay). Like, even if you are drunk that doesn't fucking make it okay, and the major problem I found here was that it more or less "excused" at the end. Personally, I think...more
Este é um quadrinho sobre herpes. Mais precisamente, um quadrinho educacional. Ou seja, não fossem os bons comentários que li a respeito, possivelmente não teria chamado minha atenção. Quando o livro chegou em casa, em meio a outros, sequer sabia ou lembrava do que se tratava. No entanto, o homem amarelo-esverdeado da capa com tarja vermelha berrante nos olhos tornou-se um clamor imediato sobre a minha pilha de leituras e, em instantes, percebi que havia terminado de lê-lo por inteiro. Creio que...more
Sep 28, 2011
Maureen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Russ Woods, Nate Beaty, Alana Cuellar
Recommended to Maureen by:
O Holy Internet
Shelves:
nonfiction,
comics
I've wanted to read this book for a long time, having seen copies of it at Quimby's Books in Chicago a bunch of times. But I'm a major tightwad, so I ordered it in from an obscure college library that had a copy of it- the only one in Illinois. Anyway, I'm glad I went to such great lengths, because this is a pretty good book.
The medium chosen was well used. The author wants the reader to feel uncomfortable at times, with the graphic representations of the disease's manifestations- in order to un...more
The medium chosen was well used. The author wants the reader to feel uncomfortable at times, with the graphic representations of the disease's manifestations- in order to un...more
Is it weird to totally love a comic about herpes?
Heavens no!
The basic concept of this was guy figures out he has herpes, gets upset about it and breaks up with his girlfriend over it. Then feels really bad and monstrous for ever wanting to have sex or kiss anybody, and imagines himself as all kinds of freakish things because he has this disease. Imaginary monsterized illustrations are sort of my favorite thing in the world if they're done well, and these were(another example: Joann Sfar).
And so...more
Heavens no!
The basic concept of this was guy figures out he has herpes, gets upset about it and breaks up with his girlfriend over it. Then feels really bad and monstrous for ever wanting to have sex or kiss anybody, and imagines himself as all kinds of freakish things because he has this disease. Imaginary monsterized illustrations are sort of my favorite thing in the world if they're done well, and these were(another example: Joann Sfar).
And so...more
Five stars? Really? Really? For a freakin' comic about the author/artist's experience with herpes? Indeed. There's enough humor and pathos and artistry and anti-everyone sweetness and STD information to make this book wholly individuated, informative, entertaining, emotional, eye-catching reading. Very talented deployment of drawing, characterization, storytelling oomph, thematic/existential heft, balance of dramatization and exposition, distortion of frames to match the author's psychic sense a...more
2 likes · like · see review
One of the best graphic novels I have ever picked up. Ken Dahl is an incredible artist and storyteller. His ability to manipulate comic styles to serve the purpose of the message is inspiring. He also has an amazing talent for using backgrounds as secondary commentary (usually hilariously misanthropic). Everyone should read this book.
Here are some of the things this book did for me:
- made me paranoid about having or contracting herpes
- made me not really care about having or contracting herpes...more
Here are some of the things this book did for me:
- made me paranoid about having or contracting herpes
- made me not really care about having or contracting herpes...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Everyone should read this book. As someone whose job requires them to discuss HSV 1 and 2 regularly-- usually with people who are recently diagnosed and panicked-- I think this is amazing! The artwork is fantastic-- make sure to look at every little detail, because they are priceless. (Plus, I'm pretty sure I've been to some of the same parties...When I saw a dreadlocked girl wearing patchwork hippie pants in one panel I laughed out loud with recognition. So, extra stars for the portrayal of the...more
I don't know about you but when someone hands me a book and says "it's about herpes but it's pretty good" I'm kind of like Uh well OOOOOOOOOOOKaaaaaaaaayyyyy. But you know what? It is pretty good. Graphic (I mean explicit but it is a graphic novel too-clever!), but good. Plus I learned a ton about the disease. I don't know what I'd do if I had to navigate the whole relationship thing in this day and age.
Who'd expect me to read a comic about herpes? Well, I did, and it was awesome!
Hilarious and informative.
I love the art. There is so much to see. The framing is great. The subtleties are perfect. The story is good. Great overall.
I'd recommend this to anyone.
Hilarious and informative.
I love the art. There is so much to see. The framing is great. The subtleties are perfect. The story is good. Great overall.
I'd recommend this to anyone.
I want to read this book every day. It is a graphic novel about dealing with herpes and how to be responsible to partners and yourself. It is brutal and honest and the drawings are amazing. It is now in my bathroom so everyone can share the magic.
Dahl offers a frank, thoughtful account about living with an STD. Sprinkled with wit, this is an enjoyable and informative read. Fans of Jeffrey Brown would especially enjoy Monsters.
One of the best graphic novels I've read in the past few years. I love the art and the storytelling even if it is a subject matter that makes people uncomfortable.
Complex, funny, scary look at one man's battle with herpes. He is kind of a dick but the whole premise acknowledges that. Very brave and honest. Great ending.
really great book - very honest and funny. should be mandatory in sex-ed classes (do schools even have those anymore?). anyway - kids should read it.
A wonderful blend of human foibles, surrealism, and facts about STDs.
this should be required reading for all high school sex ed classes.
Nobody does it better.
Apr 26, 2012
Zoe
added it
creepy
This is basically a cautionary tale about living life with Herpes. I like the artwork and the narration, but sometimes it started to feel like a weird how-to-live-with-herpes informational pamphlet. Still, it was pretty darn educational, and after all the doom and gloom that Ken feels about his life, he does come to a place that is happier and more informed. (fun fact: most adults have a form of herpes--yikes!)
Dahl shares his experiences with the herpes virus in graphic novel format. This is an important, well-done book about a topic that doesn't get much attention in literature--which is strange, considering that roughly one in six people are infected with the virus (but: Monsters is definitely not for squeamish or conservative readers).
Feb 22, 2010
Matt Buchholz
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people that have been looking for the 'Maus' of STD comics.
Recommended to Matt by:
Dahl won something that escapes me right now.
And here I was thinking the auto-bio comic was dead, especially its self-flagellating male sub-genre (Joe Matt, you're on notice), but Dahl has made it surprising all over again. To come off as both despicable and brave takes talent, but to draw a touching scene between a hipster and his personal cold sore creature, that's some special cartooning.
Well-written, well-drawn, good metaphor with the monsters. But... as many fun facts as I learned about herpes from this, I think I might actually just be more confused. Just sayin.
Brilliant.
disgustingly gross and hilarious
May 21, 2013
Alex Scales
marked it as comicstobuy
May 21, 2013
Cj
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Jun 07, 2010 02:19pm
Jun 07, 2010 09:10pm