Andrew Benesh > Recent Status Updates

Interesting premise.

Done! I appreciate that the final arc gives more recognition both to the Afghan people and to the questionable ethics of the company.

I like that this volume addresses the issues of NGOs that are more focused on their confirmed of origin than the countries that they serve.

I'm not sure why the subtitle for this one isn't in English on Goodreads.

Done! There's some clever meta humor in this. I appreciate that the author owns his blindspots. I like how he balances expectations and reality in his storytelling.

Good integration of history and modern politics.

Done! This is my second Jeff Lemire book, and the connections in the set and writing are really apparent. I'm enjoying it, though reading it mid-pandemic is not exactly comforting.

Jeppard is taking a somewhat predicable plot route, bit the plot with Singh is developing interestingly.

Oops, had the wrong edition in Goodreads. So far so good; this feels very TLOU.

This feels very TLOU.

All in all a good entry in the series. I'm hoping we get more development for Ingrid, and I'm a little dad we didn't get a more developed relationship with the neighbor.

Definitely time for a palate cleanser after the last comic. I kind of hope this isn't the end of the burglary arc; It's fun having the characters putting on roles that are not their norms.

As an expressionist illustration of a dream, this makes sense. There's clearly skill and intention in this, but it feels like an illustration of delirium. I can't say I found it enjoyable.

WTF

Well this is a fever dream of a comic. Definitely not my preferred art style, but it fits the surreal content well.

Done! I particularly enjoyed the music festival and ikea stories; the relationship writing in general is excellent.

I'm really enjoying these as a palate cleanser between heavier comics. It's nice to have something that's thoroughly wholesome and still enjoyable and engaging.

Done! The last two stories felt a bit disconnected, but I like that they kept the overall tone. This would make for an interesting family therapy case study.

Book 2 is difficult to read, but it has a great payoff.

This is a master course in subtle storytelling.

Done. There's a lot to unpack here; finding some supplementary resources to give cultural context definitely helped. It's certainly not a comfortable ending, but it does seem to have a glimmer of implied hope in it that I didn't think was coming during the duration of the novel itself.

This feels like a John Ajvide Lindqvist novela. The incremental reveals are impactful, and the escalation feels at once grounded and supernatural.

I wish there was a little more effort to show these characters outside of their trauma. A little faster clarity on timelines would be nice too, though it is effective at communicating the psychological effects.

This is really well done, but really really dark.