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A review by jekutree
Mister Wonderful: A Love Story by Daniel Clowes
5.0
Nearing the end of my Clowes binge with Mister Wonderful, a graphic novel originally serialized in the New York Times magazine. I was worried this would come off half assed considering it’s technically work for hire, but this turned out to be one of (if not) my favorite Dan Clowes book. I thought the character of Marshall was really relatable and likable. A lot of protagonists in Clowes’s bibliographies (especially his male protagonists) all have this insecure, self deprecating and loneliness to them, I feel that Marshall is the best of the bunch. You really understand where he’s coming from and it’s very easy to be on his side throughout the story. The temper of the character and the romantic attributes he has actually remind me a lot of Barry Egan from the film Punch Drunk Love. I thought the connection of the characters was authentic and I was actually rooting for them unlike a couple other romances in Clowes’s catalogue. The humor in the book was great too, it’s not overwhelmingly negative like his earlier work.
The art and presentation in the comic strip style was awesome. Clowes does change his style throughout similar to an Ice Haven, Wilson or Death Ray, but it’s used more sparingly making it more effective. The simpler “cartoony” style is reserved for Marshall’s inner thoughts and fantasies. The lettering is also great in this, I think it features the best use of internal monologue from Clowes. It uses monologue boxes to cover bubbles of dialogue which very simply articulates to the reader that Marshall isn’t listening. The comic strip style and format of the book also allow for jokes to land more effectively. They often conclude scenes and the chapters are broken up by this splash page esque double page single images.
Overall, I think this an impressive showing from Clowes. It’s the first one I’ve given the coveted 5 stars to (I still have to reread The Death Ray and check out David Boring. Also, I’d give Ghost World a 5 star rating if I read it by itself) and stands as a strong strong blip in his impressive bibliography.
The art and presentation in the comic strip style was awesome. Clowes does change his style throughout similar to an Ice Haven, Wilson or Death Ray, but it’s used more sparingly making it more effective. The simpler “cartoony” style is reserved for Marshall’s inner thoughts and fantasies. The lettering is also great in this, I think it features the best use of internal monologue from Clowes. It uses monologue boxes to cover bubbles of dialogue which very simply articulates to the reader that Marshall isn’t listening. The comic strip style and format of the book also allow for jokes to land more effectively. They often conclude scenes and the chapters are broken up by this splash page esque double page single images.
Overall, I think this an impressive showing from Clowes. It’s the first one I’ve given the coveted 5 stars to (I still have to reread The Death Ray and check out David Boring. Also, I’d give Ghost World a 5 star rating if I read it by itself) and stands as a strong strong blip in his impressive bibliography.