Asterios Polyp

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzuccheli--for lack of a less dramatic phrase--changed my life. Initially the visual aspect of the graphic novel struck me unlike any other graphic piece I have encountered. The use of color and varied typography as more in-depth storytelling elements was highly sophisticated, and because of their addition to the collective story, the characters are more developed, which results in greater audience interaction with the story.

Beyond the visual artistic components I was highly impressed with the intellectual content of Asterios Polyp. Mazzuccheli found intriguing ways of illustrating abstract concepts that surround the subject of thought and intellectual limits. In other words, this novel dealt with the core of Asterios' inner wiring which serves as an examination of greater human kind in general. For example, in one section of the book we see a diagram resembling some kind of atomic structure with the statement that Asterios is the center of his own story. We see his face very large in the center next to his wife's [which is considerably smaller] with other prominent people in his life in varying positions around them on the atomic track. Not only does this illustration give us insight as to the flaws in Asterios' character, but we also better understand how he operates due to the fact that we can place ourselves in his position from the structure of the panel to see that if we are honest enough with ourselves we will probably see that our own personal diagram would be similar to Asterios'.

Soon after we see this panel, Mazzuccheli presents another version of the social diagram after telling the readers of Asterios' divorce with his wife. At this point his head has shrunk, the atoms have been blown off their track, and the viewer sees a chaotic version of what had previously been shown to them. This of course signifies the importance of being level headed by pictorally representing Asterios' struggles after finding himself more or less alone.

Overall, I felt that this novel was successful because it paired stunning design with an honest examination of human tendencies. It could be my personal sympathy with Asterios, but I truly felt that by reading Asterios Polyp I was reading about some abstract version of my life, or peoples' lives in general. Sounds lame maybe, but what can I say? My interest in graphic novels has skyrocketed in these past few months.