Week 11: Comics as Contemporary Literature

This week I read Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzucchelli. This graphic novel truly blew me away stylistically. Unlike any novel or comic I've read, Asterios Polyp has a unique color pallet and style to it. The pages are colored in a two-tone way which gives the book a unique and beautiful feel. The limited color palette also helps set the mood of the pages.

Something that was very low key, but pleased me nonetheless, was the author's attention to detail. Either knowledgable of the art world, or having done his research, Mazzucchelli really brought Asterios' architectural world to life with the collection of designer furnishings in his apartment. In the room you can see furnishings from Eames, Breuer, Mies van der Rohe, Eileen Grey, and Le Corbusier. With such expensive and iconic designer furnishings, it was interesting seeing the space messy and dirty, and the juxtaposition of the two helped set the scene for the opening of the comic.

Another plot moment I found interesting, and shocking, was how the narrator reveals himself as the stillborn brother of Asterios. It adds interest to the story, while revealing a major aspect of the plot. These type of plot reveals are ubiquitous throughout the story, and give the reader big moments of realization.