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My Favorite Thing is Monsters Kindle & comiXology

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,251 ratings

Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster magazines iconography. Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold. When Karen’s investigation takes us back to Anka’s life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge.
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From the Publisher

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Fantagraphics

Emil Ferris's My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of the past decade. Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, the book is presented as the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes as she tries to solve the murder of her beloved and enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold. Visually, the story is told in Ferris's inimitable style that breathtakingly and seamlessly combines panel-to-panel storytelling and cartoon montages filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster mag iconography.

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Fantagraphics

"Emil Ferris is one of the most important comics artists of our time." — Art Spiegelman (Maus)

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Fantagraphics

"A thrilling and surprisingly profound novel ... The book is a fine balance of stunning artwork and terrific writing." — Chicago Tribune

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Fantagraphics

"One of the most profound, ambitious, and accomplished creative works to appear in any medium this decade. ... Rarely have words and pictures worked together so seamlessly in service of such a complex narrative." — Forbes

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Fantagraphics

"The novel tackles race, gender, and what it means to be 'monstrous' in big and small ways. It could not be more relevant to today’s climate." — Mother Jones

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Fantagraphics

"No one has ever made a comic like Emil Ferris’s assured, superhumanly ambitious two-part debut graphic novel My Favorite Thing Is Monsters.…It threatens not merely to exceed established standards of excellence, but to set new ones." — The Guardian

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Fantagraphics

"Ferris' work fuses the style and atmosphere of noir godfather Raymond Chandler with the passionate moral intensity found beating beneath a good episode of Tales from the Crypt." — Paste Magazine

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An ambitious, emotional, beautifully illustrated exploration of a 10-year-old girl’s experience growing up late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is an astounding debut, weaving an intricate web of plot threads that keeps the reader compelled from beginning to end."
The A.V. Club

"
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters has all of the complexity of the finest literary fiction and breathtaking art. For what more could we ask?"
The Austin American-Statesman

"
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is not only Ferris’s first graphic novel but also her first published work. ... Yet her mastery of comics, her pyrotechnic drawings, and her nested narratives are already placing her among the greatest practitioners of the form."
The New Yorker

"Emil Ferris is one of the most important comics artists of our time."
Art Spiegelman

"One of the most profound, ambitious and accomplished creative works to appear in any medium this decade. ... Rarely have words and pictures worked together so seamlessly in service of such a complex narrative."
Forbes

"An extraordinary literary experience that tackles questions of racial, sexual, cultural, professional, and class identity with aplomb and aesthetic glory. Welcome to the canon, Ms. Ferris."
Vulture

"The novel tackles race, gender, and what it means to be 'monstrous' in big and small ways. It could not be more relevant to today’s climate."
Mother Jones

"Ferris' work fuses the style and atmosphere of noir godfather Raymond Chandler with the passionate moral intensity found beating beneath a good episode of
Tales from the Crypt."
Paste

"No one has ever made a comic like Emil Ferris’s assured, superhumanly ambitious two-part debut graphic novel
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters. ... It threatens not merely to exceed established standards of excellence, but to set new ones."
The Guardian

"A thrilling and surprisingly profound novel ... The book is a fine balance of stunning artwork and terrific writing."
Chicago Tribune

"Each page of the book is a small masterpiece: detailed, passionate, leaking genius. Ferris’s artwork bullies and commands the reader’s attention, each page bringing her to the brink of exhaustion because the struggle between art and words is so great, and the whole is so sensorially overwhelming."
The Los Angeles Review of Books

"Drawn with Bic pen on lined notebook paper, this moody and ravishing graphic novel takes the form of a sketchbook diary. Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, 10-year-old Karen Reyes investigates the suspicious death of her glamorous neighbor and finds troubling clues lurking close to her own home. … An eerie masterpiece of the monsters around and within us."
The New York Times ― Critics’ Pick

"
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters feels to me like a once-in-a-generation debut ― a vision so clear and original that it will change the course of cartooning."
The Seattle Review of Books

"Ferris’ artwork is astonishing, cross-hatching images upon images, creating a tome that feels homespun but looks consummately professional. This is an emotional, dark, visionary talent to watch."
Omnivoracious

"This extraordinary book has instantly rocketed Ferris into the graphic novel elite alongside Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel and Chris Ware. You see, she's produced something rare, a page-turning story whose pages are so brilliantly drawn you don't want to turn them."
Terry Gross, NPR: Fresh Air

"A graphic novel so immersive it feels almost four dimensional... A fantastical, densely cross-hatched world of Nazis and mobsters and neighborhood eccentrics, seen through the curious eyes of a 10-year-old girl."
Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

Emil Ferris grew up in Chicago during the turbulent 1960s, where she still lives, and is consequently a devotee of all things monstrous and horrific. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01D5H511C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fantagraphics; Illustrated edition (February 15, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 15, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2146747 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 388 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,251 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
1,251 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the artwork and graphic novel for its quality. They find the story compelling, human, and captivating. The illustrations are intricate, detailed, and sophisticated. Readers describe the tone as dark and heartbreaking, with a sense of hope throughout. The book is thought-provoking and insightful, exploring subtleties of human nature and social injustice.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

139 customers mention "Visual quality"139 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the artwork and pictures in the book. They describe it as awesome, gorgeous, and a masterpiece. The protagonist is memorable and lovable, with detailed drawings depicting the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Readers praise the book as an amazing tome that offers hours of enjoyment.

"...Detailed interpretations of monster magazine covers and famous art works such as Fuseli’s “ The Nightmare” are juxtaposed with gruesome depictions..." Read more

"...Monster models a rubber jigglers were all part of our norm. This amazing graphic novel brings me back to those days with memories so thick I can..." Read more

"...There are just page after page of awesome artwork and interesting pictures. The story is not the typical graphic novel or comic book subject matter...." Read more

"Just finished reading Emil Ferris's amazing graphic novel and I can say, as a grizzled comics fan with wide-ranging tastes, that I've honestly never..." Read more

93 customers mention "Story quality"88 positive5 negative

Customers find the story compelling and human. They describe it as a timeless, evocative, and inspiring graphic novel. Readers mention Karen's life is interesting and different from their own upbringing.

"...tragedies, violence, and prejudice, though at times grim, is nevertheless inspiring, infused with wit, a sense of childhood resilience and..." Read more

"...This first volume is without a doubt my favorite graphic novel in decades and I can't wait for the second volume...." Read more

"...yet has a jaunty sort of zest for life in it that constantly pulls the narrative along and saves the reader from being overwhelmed by some of the..." Read more

"...For me, this is the best part of the book. Karen's life was interesting. So different from my own upbringing. The drawings were very good...." Read more

63 customers mention "Graphic novel quality"63 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the graphic novel's art and story. They find the illustrations fascinating and breathtaking. The book is described as creative, fresh, poetic, and literary. Readers mention it blends stories and creates an enticing world of fantasy.

"...the perspective of the narrator, Karen, creates an equally enticing world of fantasy by blending stories and imagery from Karen’s experience as an..." Read more

"...This amazing graphic novel brings me back to those days with memories so thick I can smell the wood floor of the store we bought all our comics,..." Read more

"Just finished reading Emil Ferris's amazing graphic novel and I can say, as a grizzled comics fan with wide-ranging tastes, that I've honestly never..." Read more

"Words fail. This is an absolute masterpiece, setting new standards of possibility for graphic novels...." Read more

22 customers mention "Creativity"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the drawings intricate and detailed. They appreciate the artist's creative power and skill. The book is described as intriguing and revealing more layers from page to page, with detailed interpretations of monster magazine covers and famous art works like Fuseli's "The Nightmare".

"...Detailed interpretations of monster magazine covers and famous art works such as Fuseli’s “ The Nightmare” are juxtaposed with gruesome depictions..." Read more

"...pen drawings with limited use of color (for the most part) is done in such detail that it just blew me away...." Read more

"...about and drawings of monsters, this is a very human story with wonderfully complex and well-realized characters...." Read more

"...Seemingly out of nowhere comes a graphic novelist of immense skill, range and originality...." Read more

20 customers mention "Dark tone"15 positive5 negative

Customers find the book's tone dark and heartbreaking. They describe it as a wonderful masterpiece with heartfelt, evocative artwork. The real horror is found in humans, they say. The book is described as transporting, important, and lovable, with a warm soul at its heart.

"...The drawings were very good. I really liked the recreation of the horror magazine covers. All of the people seem rather ugly...." Read more

"...Heartfelt, evocative, artistically brilliant, structurally and conceptually solid. Worth every penny and every hour spent with it...." Read more

"...The illustrations are magnetic, teeming with shadows and depth that defy the constraints of the printed page...." Read more

"...Like any good monster story, here the real horror is found in humans...." Read more

16 customers mention "Thought provoking"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, poignant, and fascinating. They appreciate the author's ability to draw subtleties of human nature and social injustice. The characters grip readers and demand attention. Readers describe the work as provocative, with beautiful artwork and intelligent writing.

"...that Karen idolizes, Ferris’ graphic novel (the first in a series) fascinates and enthralls, giving readers a tantalizing bite that leaves us..." Read more

"My Favorite Thing is Monsters is less a book and more a raw gallery of art and emotion...." Read more

"...Nostalgic and thoughtful, the work does something so rare: captures a moment in time when the adult world crashes into the imaginative panorama that..." Read more

"...Insanely brilliant on so many levels. Stunningly beautiful artwork; intelligent, literary writing; profound truths revealed; and deep levels of..." Read more

11 customers mention "Originality"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's originality, uniqueness, and creative ideas. They find it different in its mind-blowing greatness. The quirky yet skillful drawings are also appreciated.

"...illusion that the reader is stepping into the imaginary realm of a creative and extremely perceptive young girl...." Read more

"Honestly this is a unique, stylish, and amazing book...." Read more

"...out of nowhere comes a graphic novelist of immense skill, range and originality...." Read more

"...I loved the quirky but skillful drawings.The story is surprisingly deep and wide-ranging...." Read more

11 customers mention "Art style"7 positive4 negative

Customers have different views on the art style. Some find the drawings amazing and brilliantly written, with detailed ballpoint pen drawings with limited use of color. Others feel the art style is jarring at first, but after a few pages it just becomes graphic material.

"...The ballpoint pen drawings with limited use of color (for the most part) is done in such detail that it just blew me away...." Read more

"Clever drawings in a spiral spined lined notebook. It draws the reader in as it tells the episodic tales of tragedy and nightmarish woe...." Read more

"...All of the people seem rather ugly. So this book was pretty good, but I don't know if I will read the next in the series." Read more

"...Her artwork casts a spell on the reader to where you almost see the world moving. I'm haunted by this book." Read more

The art work is out of this world.
5 out of 5 stars
The art work is out of this world.
I read good things about this graphic novel and over a thousand people can't be wrong. Every night before bed I look forward to reading this luscious book. Anxious for volume two to come out.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017
    As a monster-loving kid who grew up during the ‘60s and ‘70s, I identified with the scorned, mysterious phantoms of my favorite horror films. My fascination with these immortal creatures never died, lying buried from time to time and then resurging when the darkness within summoned that icily familiar grip. Reading Emil Ferris’ My Favorite Thing is Monsters, I feel again that freezing familiarity, the clench of a kindred spirit.
    The narrator in Ferris’ stunningly illustrated graphic novel, like myself as an adolescent, seeks escape from her feelings of loneliness and alienation by immersing herself in fantasies of thrillingly compelling supernatural beasts. Ferris, writing from the perspective of the narrator, Karen, creates an equally enticing world of fantasy by blending stories and imagery from Karen’s experience as an urban Chicago preteen in the 1960s with depictions of the horror magazines and paintings Karen adores. The book , formatted to resemble a lined notebook sketch pad, brilliantly perpetuates the illusion that the reader is stepping into the imaginary realm of a creative and extremely perceptive young girl. Detailed interpretations of monster magazine covers and famous art works such as Fuseli’s “ The Nightmare” are juxtaposed with gruesome depictions of Karen’s neighbors and playfully doodled sketches of Karen as a trench-coated child werewolf. As Karen explores her interest in art, Ferris’ illustrations reveal a variety of styles—from the neon-lit grotesqueries of Ernst Kirchner and the German Expressionists to the luridly seductive pulp art of popular comics and the grittily unflattering portraits of Robert Crumb. Unlike many graphic novels, Ferris’ work focuses on inner conflicts, the dangerous secrets festering inside neighbors, schoolmates, and family members that threaten to emerge in monstrous form when exposed.
    Secrets connect the lives of Karen and the people she knows. During her attempts to unravel the mystery of her murdered neighbor Anka, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, Karen discovers secrets within her family and within herself. A growing awareness of her own sexuality and the tragic revelation of her mother’s fatal illness lead her to find strength and solace in her imagination. The monsters she loves, draws, and writes about are her salvation.
    Ferris’s depiction of Karen’s monster fantasies and homoerotic stirrings while struggling with family tragedies, violence, and prejudice, though at times grim, is nevertheless inspiring, infused with wit, a sense of childhood resilience and untarnished insight. Like the enduring, undying creatures of the night that Karen idolizes, Ferris’ graphic novel (the first in a series) fascinates and enthralls, giving readers a tantalizing bite that leaves us craving more.
    40 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2024
    As a full fledged monster kid growing up in the 60s and 70s and living a couple of blocks away from the only Aurora plastics factory. Famous monsters of filmland, Creature feature and chiller theater, Creepy and Eerie magazines were all part of my life blood. Monster models a rubber jigglers were all part of our norm. This amazing graphic novel brings me back to those days with memories so thick I can smell the wood floor of the store we bought all our comics, magazines and models. The artwork is absolutely stunning and having it done in a style like she's drawing it all out on a composition notebook is brilliant. We all cut pictures of monsters and glued them in notebooks along with our drawings. This first volume is without a doubt my favorite graphic novel in decades and I can't wait for the second volume. I hope Emil has a long a celebrated career.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2018
    I was very pleased with the incredible artwork in this graphic novel. The ballpoint pen drawings with limited use of color (for the most part) is done in such detail that it just blew me away. There are just page after page of awesome artwork and interesting pictures. The story is not the typical graphic novel or comic book subject matter. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the description doesn't really capture the feel of the entire book. If you want a "hard-boiled" detective story, this is not one. However, if you like interesting stories with the exploration of a place and time and the slow reveal of info about a diverse cast of many characters. . . this may be for you.

    Though the book is clearly not intended for young kids, the content adds up to the same mix of occasional nudity or sex, adult themes, troubled characters and similar content you would expect out of a PG-13 coming-of-age movie. The main character explores her initial feelings of romantic/sexual attraction, and her newfound understanding of more adult undertones in her everyday life that may have been missed previously. The story does seem to jump around without smooth transition to some extent, but as a result you get a lot of "meat" in the course of the book, which is quite long and a large format. The abruptness of some of the topic shifts also fits well with the sketchbook/journal nature of the entire piece, which is really incredible. When you read the more negative reviews, focus on the description of the story and the book, not the subjective opinion of the author. I can see how some people would not be as interested in this book as I am (from a subjective point of view), but the art alone is worth the cost of admission. I read a lot of comic books and novels, and this bridges the gap to some extent to create an interesting story that may meander some, but it always seems to lead somewhere I can't wait to be led.

    As part one or a three part story, there is no real neat ending (of course), but I am interested to read more and I can't wait for part 2.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Wendy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-blowing
    Reviewed in Germany on March 25, 2024
    I discovered this book at my local library when I was asked to illustrate a graphic novel as part of a project in Luxembourg. I am an artist but didn't know much about graphic novels. This book blew my mind and set the bar impossibly high, but I learned so much about what was possible from Emil Ferris and I admire everything about her - her art, of course, her storytelling, and how she personally overcame enormous challenges to complete this work. She's incredibly talented! I ordered the book on Kindle just because I wanted to show it to people at an exhibition of our project here, and I wanted a copy with me at all times, so I have it on my phone. But I will order the paperback copy too, because this is a book meant to be held, spent time with, admired and marveled at. It made me cry, laugh, think and reel back in horror . . . and feel strongly for - let's just say love - the very memorable and colorful characters she portrays. It tells such a complex, fascinating story and one that I think means even more to me, having grown up in the Midwest in the 60s and 70s, and as an art and film fan. But the story is relevant to everyone, and invites people to be more compassionate and understanding, more observant and sensitive. As an added bonus - you can learn some very interesting facts about art, history and films. I am very excited about part two of this work being released this coming May, and I will definitely be ordering that too. Emil Ferris is amazing! Just one word of caution - although the book is written from a child's perspective, it is definitely not suitable for kids. For 16 and up, though, I would really recommend it even though - or because - it touches on many very difficult topics.
  • Ed Gostyn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pense um gibi diferente!
    Reviewed in Brazil on April 16, 2021
    Tem tudo para dar errado: desenhos estranhos, uma história meio desconexa... uma certa sensualidade meio perversa... e poxa, essa mulher aí da capa, o que é isso? Desenho à caneta esferográfica?
    Bom, é isso mesmo. A ilustradora teve um problema gravíssimo de saúde o que lhe custou toda a mobilidade nas mãos. Quando retornou, é isso o que ela conseguiu... antes que tenha pena, é uma verdadeira obra de arte!
    Um ambiente meio mafioso, tipo década de 1940... e uma menina monstra, literalmente no cio... hesitei em baixar a amostra, quando cheguei ao final... bom, eu realmente queria mais!
  • Guillermo Camacho
    5.0 out of 5 stars Una estética impactante
    Reviewed in Mexico on September 25, 2020
    Lo primero que llama la atención es que el arte es sublime y fue hecho con plumas bic en hojas de cuaderno, debido a que la autora atravesaba una etapa complicada en su vida.
    La historia es muy buena, al nivel del apartado artístico.
    Una de las mejores novelas gráficas que se hayan escrito jamás.
    La edición está a la altura, con unas hojas espectaculares y una encuadernación excelente.
  • Simone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magnifico
    Reviewed in Italy on July 6, 2021
    Non ci sono parole per descrivere la bellezza di questo libro.
    Ogni pagina è meritevole di attenzione sin nei minimi dettagli.
    Imperdibile.
  • Irene
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great artwork. Less great story-telling.
    Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2018
    Fantastic artwork. I also love the story, but there're too many loose ends that are not accounted for in the first book. Judging by the pace set here in the first one, I doubt that Emil Ferris will finish telling the murder story in the second book. When a murder story is stretched that long, I'll probably lose interest...

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