City Monster

by Reza Farazmand

Don’t Miss Poorly Drawn Lines on Cake , airing on FX and streaming on FX on Hulu!

From New York Times bestselling author and artist Reza Farazmand, his first graphic novel about a young monster who moves to a big city.

City Monster is set in a world of supernatural creatures and follows a young monster who moves to the city. As he struggles to figure out his future, his new life is interrupted by questions about his mysterious roommate—a ghost who can’t remember the past. Joined by their neighbor, a vampire named Kim, they explore the city, meeting a series of strange and spooky characters and looking for answers about life, memories, and where to get a good beer.

With Reza's signature style, and familiar snark, this graphic novel is equal parts irreverent and insightful, the perfect vehicle for conveying the utter absurdity of our bizarre and confusing times.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Humor, Comics, Vampires, Fiction, Ghosts, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2020

About the author

Reza Farazmand is a New York Times-bestselling author, comedy writer, and creator of the popular internet comic series Poorly Drawn Lines. He has published four books, including the graphic novel City Monster and the comic and essay collection Poorly Drawn Lines: Good Ideas and Amazing Stories, along with two followup collections: Comics for a Strange World and Poorlier Drawn Lines. His work has been featured in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Adventure Time comics, Buzzfeed, NPR, and on Comedy Central. He lives and draws in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like his Poorly Drawn Lines, this is kinda cute, worth a few smiles. And not poorly drawn, but very simple, with spare backgrounds. This reads to me like a PG version of Simon Hanselmann's Megg & Mogg series, less edgy, far fewer drugs and no offensive pranks, but with slackers doing pretty much nothing, including a big guy, a cat, a witch, a vampire, a ghost, a mummy. Sound a little like Megg & Mogg? Just a little. The plot, such as it is, and since they have nothing else going on, is to help the ghost find out who he was.

The point? It's just about some friendly "city monsters" who talk a little like bland contemporary twenty-something folks, depicted as stiff and expressionless cute little goofs. But a lot of people like this guy, it passed the time for a few minutes and it was pretty good! Farazmand seems like a nice guy.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those graphic novels the phrase "deceptively simple" was made for. It's about a monster who moves to the city, gets an apartment, and then... kinda gets stuck on what to do next? The apartment comes with a ghost, though, and after the monster starts hanging out with a vampire, they eventually end up helping the ghost investigate who he used to be before his death.

However, to me that plot summary gives the events greater importance than they have in the book, which to me is more about a feeling. What it feels like to be purposeless, or unmoored, but then to connect with others. It felt cozy and small stakes in a good way, and I really enjoyed it.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Poorly Drawn Lines, but this graphic novel falls short of that strip in laughs. Written with a childish simplicity and adult language, a monster hangs out with his friends: a ghost and vampire. They decide to find out who the ghost was before he died and trip around for a bit meeting some other supernatural beings. Almost humorous things are said and then the book ends. Disappointing.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I hadn't read it so fast and returned to the library because I think there were little details I missed! Will need to read again :)

[Hannah Garden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hahahha

[Caitlin Grabarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+ cozy horror you can read on your lunch break. Plot involves a monster and a vampire helping their ghost acquaintance figure out his backstory which he can’t remember since ghosts lose more and more of themselves the longer they exist as ghosts. That and the ghost smokes way too much weed. I don’t want to give anything more away other than I nearly spit out my tea laughing at some of the panels.

[Trish Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish it had been longer, but this my type of humor and I laughed at every page, just as I knew I would.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just cute. Really cute. Totes adorbs as the kids say. A short lovely graphic novel about a Sasquatch like monster who trades woods for city life and comes to live in an apartment with built in friends, a ghost for a no rent contributing flatmate and a vampire for a neighbor. Together they set off to solve the mystery of the ghost, who has no memory of how he got to be that way, in a city that has a lovely plethora of various monsters as a city should.
Very charming read, both context and art. Speeds by like a good quicky dream. Recommended.

[Oriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this in book club, paired for some reason (I missed the meeting when we decided) with Lisa Hanawalt's Coyote Doggirl. I found both books to be totally weird and wacky, and this one just absolutely did it for me—I couldn't stop giggling and I was so pleased by its simple, matter-of-fact absurdity. Of course it turns out that this is not a unique view; Reza is monstrously popular on ze internets, as I was seemingly the very last person to discover.

Regardless, brava and hooray, I can't wait to read more of his delightful strangeness!

[StephanieNicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I usually love everything from Farazmand, but this book wasn't interesting enough or funny enough to entertain me. This wasn't a case where I liked some scenes but didn't like others; the entire story was "meh" to me. I didn't hate it, but I regret purchasing the book.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

City Monsters is a graphic novel written and drawn by Reza Farazmand.

A monster teams up with his vampire neighbor to find out who his roommate ghost was in his previous life.

This book is great lighthearted fun. If you are familiar with the author's comic strip "Poorly Drawn Lines," you will instantly know the style of humor.

[Paul Dickerson]

Probably my favorite graphic novel that I've read this year. It reminds me of Futurama--existential and philosophical, but lighthearted and short. I actually did laugh a few times. I sort of love this, yeah. Reminds me of The Good Place too (the show)!

[Armando · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and enjoyable read. I really liked the dry pan humor in this, and the art style was unique. Will definitely have to check out more by this author/artist.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these so much.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reza Farazmand is the author of Poorly Drawn Lines, a short-form webcomic that regularly gets me laughing and screenshotting to share its signature dry humor with friends. When I saw that he was publishing his first graphic novel, I was suddenly and without warning on an indie bookstore’s site clicking ‘add to cart’ 😂 A breezy read at just over 100 pages, City Monster is a charming, delightful book that had me laughing out loud a probably obnoxious amount. The story follows a relatable young forest monster turned city monster who’s trying to get his life together, maybe after he takes a nap. Together with his cool vampire neighbor he sets off to help the ghost who haunts his apartment determine who he was before his death. This book was such a treat, just the levity I needed for a quick break from this weird, stressful and sad year. If you need a good laugh or love writing that crosses the space between sarcastic humor and millennial ennui, definitely check out City Monster!

[Ken Yuen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's cute and quirky!

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's stupidly simple and the art is simple. But I like the humor. And would have read more. Why is it so short?
Just a bunch of slacker monsters chilling out. And vaugely solving a mystery. Hah

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

borrowed this from the library randomly and got something equally random in return :)

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

“I’ve been a forest monster most of my life. My parents are forest monsters. My sister is a forest monster too. I wanted something different. I’m a city monster now.”

This rolls with a kind of slacker/stoner/loser list of non-human characters. Moving swiftly through the streets of some American backwater city on a quirky quest, this is an enjoyable little yarn, which certainly has its funny and random moments, keeping it lively and entertaining to the end.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, but sweet and meaningful. We're all just trying to live and find ourselves with the help of our friends.

[Nicole Soltys · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly sweet story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

City Monster is a great graphic novel by Poorly Drawn Lines creator Reza Farazmand. It follows a monster who left behind being a forest monster to be a city monster, his ghost "roommate" who doesn't pay rent, and their vampire neighbor Kim. The city monster feels a bit directionless, and when the ghost decides he wants to learn who he was before he died, the three friends set out to find out. City Monster has the same dry sense of humor as Poorly Drawn Lines, which made this a winner in my book. My only complaint is I wish it were a bit longer as I didn't want the story to end.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hipster monsters exploring their purpose in life and enjoying the coffee and culture of the city while helping their ghost friend explore its past. Fun premise and loved the humor. The art is in the same simple style as Poorly Drawn Lines, and fits the story well. Short but didn't feel rushed, seemed like the right length for the story.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, quick, funny and I want more

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure when I started reading Reza Farazmand's Poorly Drawn Lines webcomic, but I have enjoyed his simple art style and humor for quite a while. City Monster is a graphic novel in this same, simple style with a plot that's quite a bit longer than the handful of panels he uses to tell a joke in his webcomic.  With all-new characters that don't regularly appear in the webcomic, it was nice to see something different than just another adventure with bird, mouse, turtle, and maybe Kevin. Even at 112 pages long, it's a quick read, and the ending is satisfying. Still, City Monster has a few minor flaws.

Again, I love Reza's simple drawing style. However, there's a danger in making something look simple because some might think this book is appropriate for children. The occasional strong language might put some people off, mainly because it feels a little out of character and is added for shock value. Granted, those who have read Poorly Drawn Lines would already be prepared for this. It's just that when a book like this could easily be made PG by taking out the language, it seems unnecessary.

While this book is a bit longer than the roughly four panels of webcomic I normally read online, there seemed to be a lot of fluff added in to make it over 100 pages long. Yes, there is a fully formed mystery the characters try to solve, but so much of the book just felt like them walking around aimlessly. Sure, it's on-brand, but it just felt like a graphic novel was a stretch from a creator who excels at short-form content. In the end, I'm glad I picked it up because it gave me more of the fix I get from reading Poorly Drawn Lines.

A cute mystery that could have been much shorter, I give City Monster 3.5 stars out of 5.
   1/2

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious, irreverent little romp in a city full of supernatural creatures. Monsters moves to the city to do something different than what his family has done before, to find himself, you could say. When he moves in, he finds a ghost haunting the place. They play video games together. The ghost doesn't remember anything about his past. With the help of a vampire neighbor, Kim, they set out to try to find out the ghost's identity. Random, hilarious, absurd, and comical, the search meanders and eventually provides some answers, but perhaps not the ones everyone thought or hoped. The humor is great. The drawings are simple, yet effective. My main complaint, if I am to have one, would be that the story arc of the monster and maybe Kim could have used more development. I wanted more from Kim's vampirism and City Monster to have more of an aha! moment. Recommended for those who like angry cats, cemeteries, pretzels, and mummies.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because Reza Farazmand has a new release and an author’s event at Powell’s. While I went into this not knowing anything about his comics, my husband has seen some of his work and now I notice it popping up here and there on social media. Overall, this book is a a super fast read. The content is a bit bizarre but certainly got a few chuckles out of me along the way. This felt like a collection of anecdotes rather than a cohesive story, so it was at times hit-or-miss hence my rating of 3.5 stars but I will give more of his work a shot. I appreciate the clean-lined illustrations and legible font.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, Reza Farazmand could publish the phone book, and I would still buy it and read it. Poorly Drawn Lines is so true to life, so hilarious....I was a bit worried I wouldn't enjoy City Monster as much. I was wrong. It is basically a Poorly Drawn Lines strip that keeps going. I hope he continues this series, so we see more of these character's exploits. Well done, Reza. Signed, Your #1 Fan.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow that was really sweet!
I was skeptical that the understated one-liners and double takes of Poorly Drawn Lines would translate into a long-form single story, but it did so with all of the humor and randomness without compromise. Very sweet story, reminiscent of James Kochalka with a dash of Regular Show and perhaps even Lucas Bros. Moving Company (there is a surprising amount of weed smoking!) but mostly captures the PDL comics perfectly in this expanded medium.

[Jordan Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I only started reading this while waiting for my fiancé in a piercing shop, it was the best option out of her many new books.

I'm not sure what to say about it...it's alright I guess, it was fun to read (and really quick) and the characters are all fun especially A Guy.

If you see it around, give it a quick read.