My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1
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- Create Date：2021-04-26 11:56:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emil Ferris
- ISBN：1606999591
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Summary
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。 Full-color illustrations throughout。
Reviews
Dakota Morgan
，
"Overwhelming" is the only way I can imagine anyone describing My Favorite Thing Is Monsters。 Ostensibly， it's about a kid in late 60s Chicago investigating the murder of an upstairs neighbor。 But it's power-packed with every topic under the sun。 Nazis， racism， sexuality， gangsters， riots， bullies， nuns， murder， cancer， casual sex， and the list goes on。Not only is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters dense with text， it's also dense with visuals。 Emil Ferris is quite the artist - the fact that she coul "Overwhelming" is the only way I can imagine anyone describing My Favorite Thing Is Monsters。 Ostensibly， it's about a kid in late 60s Chicago investigating the murder of an upstairs neighbor。 But it's power-packed with every topic under the sun。 Nazis， racism， sexuality， gangsters， riots， bullies， nuns， murder， cancer， casual sex， and the list goes on。Not only is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters dense with text， it's also dense with visuals。 Emil Ferris is quite the artist - the fact that she could produce hundreds of detailed pages is a true achievement。 However， most of the art is surreal to the point of ugliness。 Honestly， I hated it。 But I appreciated the effort that went into it。 My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is peak indie comic: it's what happens when you have gobs of talent， all the ideas， and no editors in sight。 And this is just the first volume in a trilogy！ The main mystery is not resolved！ Consider this your warning: after all that work digging through the mess， you won't even get a conclusion。（To be fair， I was pretty into the book until midway through， when Karen begins listening to Anka's interview tapes and we get what seemed like thousands of pages of her dark， dismal life in Nazi Germany。 Really brought the proceedings to a screeching halt and I was never quite able to get back on board。） 。。。more
John Marr
，
Everyone's been raving about this one and for good cause。 This graphic novel told from the POV of a monster comic/movie obsessed young girl living in the Chicago slums of the '60s is gorgeously drawn and excellently written， far better than many more heavily-lauded graphic novels。 While I don't think this book is flawless--the plot gets a little tangled towards the end and the I think the insertion of great works of art is a little heavy-handed and gratuitious， this is so much better than so man Everyone's been raving about this one and for good cause。 This graphic novel told from the POV of a monster comic/movie obsessed young girl living in the Chicago slums of the '60s is gorgeously drawn and excellently written， far better than many more heavily-lauded graphic novels。 While I don't think this book is flawless--the plot gets a little tangled towards the end and the I think the insertion of great works of art is a little heavy-handed and gratuitious， this is so much better than so many other books that make the comic book crowd go ga-ga， I'm going to overrate it myself。 。。。more
Tom
，
Excellent graphic novel。 Deep， compelling fantastically drawn。
Woobat
，
This was much darker than I was expecting， though I probably should have expected it from the title and the art style。 Because of course there were plenty of human monsters， as well as the protagonist struggling with her own identity and and feelings of being monstrous。 The art was fantastic and unlike any other graphic novel that I’ve read。
Parker Mazure
，
A true artistic masterpiece。 The plot has it's moments but is entirely realized A true artistic masterpiece。 The plot has it's moments but is entirely realized 。。。more
Zach
，
Will put a review after I've read Vol。 2。 Will put a review after I've read Vol。 2。 。。。more
Thom
，
This was a cool story。
Ariel
，
Took a bit of time to get used to/into， but once I was in。。。 I am speechless。 This was so stunning to look at。 I am so ready to get vol 2
Paul Viebranz
，
Emil Ferris's My Favorite Thing is Monsters is an incredible piece of visual art， and graphic storytelling。 The impossibly intricately crosshatched images of the text astound on every page， and the sparing use of color is brilliant。 As a fan of fantasy and horror， the pulpy art style and ghoulish character designs are particularly enthralling。 And although I'm not a connoisseur of fine art， the recreations of famous paintings （not unlike what Bechdel did in Fun Home） are also very impressive。 Th Emil Ferris's My Favorite Thing is Monsters is an incredible piece of visual art， and graphic storytelling。 The impossibly intricately crosshatched images of the text astound on every page， and the sparing use of color is brilliant。 As a fan of fantasy and horror， the pulpy art style and ghoulish character designs are particularly enthralling。 And although I'm not a connoisseur of fine art， the recreations of famous paintings （not unlike what Bechdel did in Fun Home） are also very impressive。 The fact that all of this was done by Ferris after recovering from a debilitating， paralyzing illness is nothing short of extraordinary， in the most profound sense of the term。The various narrative threads Ferris weaves into the story are never hard to keep track of， which is applaudable in so lengthy a text。 Primarily， we follow Karen Reyes， a young girl who'd prefer to view herself as a werewolf， and her world as a phantasmagoria of B-movie monsters。 A girl of mixed race in a time and place when white hegemony was threatened by outspoken non-white voices such as those of Martin Luther King Jr。， and thusly that much more violent and oppressive when and how it could be， Karen navigates a world that is often literally out to get her。 So her turning to stories of supernaturally powerful outsiders makes complete sense。We find Karen dealing with bullying at school， her burgeoning queer sexuality， the fatal sickness of her mother， and the apparent murder of her kindly （if strange） upstairs neighbor Anka， a survivor of the Holocaust。 Her most crucial supporter is also her biggest liability: her brother， Deeze， might want to look out for her， but he has dark secrets relating to Anka's murder and a violent temper， and his philandering exploits often leave Karen alone and in danger。 Their relationship is， in a way， the heart of the graphic novel， and the secrets at its center provide this book's cliff-hanger ending （quite appropriate for a pulp horror tale）， and assumedly a good jumping-off point for the second volume。We also follow a good chunk of Anka's story， via a tape-recorded oral autobiography。 In it， we find， horrifically， that her experience during the Holocaust was only one in a long series of traumatic events she'd suffered in Germany， and we're left wondering not IF somebody from her past may have killed her， but WHO did it， and WHY。 Throughout the book， Karen gravitates toward those most people are abhorred by， so her fascination with the beautiful， tragic outsider Anka makes perfect sense， and her assuming the role as lead detective on the case is likewise inevitable， given her innate desire to stick together with other "monsters。"There are several other characters in the book that are absolutely wonderful， but I don't want to spoil them here。 Suffice it to say that they tie beautifully into the overarching themes of societal hierarchy， otherness， and solidarity。I don't think this text will be for everybody。 The visuals can be disturbing， and much of the subject matter is， as well。 But I found it to be a totally unique and incredibly rewarding piece of fiction。 。。。more
Thais_indimapache
，
Esta novela está repleta de sorpresas。 La primera es que los temas y la trama va creciendo como un árbol en el que nos vamos enganchando poco a poco y que nos deja con ganas de más。 Es una novela con monstruos imaginarios y monstruos reales， la historia de Anka， que cuenta su vida en la Alemania de entreguerras y el inicio de la guerra que nos pone los pelos de punta， pero no solo eso， sino el misterio que rodea su muerte es el punto fuerte para entrar de pleno a leer este libro。 Pero hay más， m Esta novela está repleta de sorpresas。 La primera es que los temas y la trama va creciendo como un árbol en el que nos vamos enganchando poco a poco y que nos deja con ganas de más。 Es una novela con monstruos imaginarios y monstruos reales， la historia de Anka， que cuenta su vida en la Alemania de entreguerras y el inicio de la guerra que nos pone los pelos de punta， pero no solo eso， sino el misterio que rodea su muerte es el punto fuerte para entrar de pleno a leer este libro。 Pero hay más， muchísimo más porque la protagonista Karen， en su diario， nos muestra el día a día de su vida que también está rodeada de misterios。Se habla del Holocausto， de la búsqueda de identidad， de la percepción de las cosas que nos rodean。。。 me ha encantado y muero por saber cómo concluye esta historia， que encontrará su desenlace en el segundo volumen de la autora。El arte de sus páginas es de otro nivel， no me veo capacitada para valorar nada pero a mi me han encantado todos esos dibujos hechos a boli， que han sido una preciosidad。Super recomendado si como yo eres fan de los monstruos clásicos， el misterio y incluso la historia contemporánea。 。。。more
Ryn Baginski
，
Not my jam。 I can see how people might like this cuz it’s quirky and different and has a somewhat compelling plot， but it really didn’t work for me。 There were so many slurs and the composition of the pages was often hard to follow in the correct order。 One thing I liked a lot， though， is that the narrator Karen depicts herself as a monster in her drawings and feels a kinship with monsters。 Her obsession with being a monster seems like a realistic coping mechanism for a ten-year-old kid going th Not my jam。 I can see how people might like this cuz it’s quirky and different and has a somewhat compelling plot， but it really didn’t work for me。 There were so many slurs and the composition of the pages was often hard to follow in the correct order。 One thing I liked a lot， though， is that the narrator Karen depicts herself as a monster in her drawings and feels a kinship with monsters。 Her obsession with being a monster seems like a realistic coping mechanism for a ten-year-old kid going through a bunch of traumatic life changes。 。。。more
Marcie
，
My Favorite Thing is Montsters is a stunningly voluminous graphic novel encompassing so many themes， emotions， and historical events that another reading is warranted to begin processing its mind-bending effects， and after that， I imagine a third reading will lead to some a-ha moments。
Santiago。m
，
Me encanta la idea de esta heroína en un mundo cruel e increíble， que invita a conectar la frialdad de la realidad con el arte y la fantasía de horror。 La forma en que ilustra una de las tantas posibles relaciones que se pueden tener con la pintura o incluso con la historia del arte podría permitir que más personas se acerquen a un museo sin miedo。
IvyLuthian
，
Graphiquement incroyable， mais difficile à lire tant les planches sont surchargées d'infos （je sens que ce n'est pas pensé pour des personnes avec TDAH， troubles dys， etc） Graphiquement incroyable， mais difficile à lire tant les planches sont surchargées d'infos （je sens que ce n'est pas pensé pour des personnes avec TDAH， troubles dys， etc） 。。。more
Rummanah （Books in the Spotlight）
，
I really wanted to join the chorus of people who loved this graphic novel， but unfortunately I didn’t like it as much。 The artwork is fantastic， but the meandering plot was confusing and the transition between subplots were jarring。 I also had a hard time reading the pages at times because there was so much packed。
Mary Havens
，
There's a ton going on here and I know I won't do this justice but here goes。 I really loved the fact that Ferris illustrated this graphic novel like it was out of a notebook。 Clever。 I also loved the covers of the pulp comics， the artworks， and the general aesthetic of the graphic novel。 I love classic （and not so classic） monsters as well so it was fun （for me） to see these depictions all over the place。 The graphic novel is riddled with monsters in all forms: classic Frankensteins to human at There's a ton going on here and I know I won't do this justice but here goes。 I really loved the fact that Ferris illustrated this graphic novel like it was out of a notebook。 Clever。 I also loved the covers of the pulp comics， the artworks， and the general aesthetic of the graphic novel。 I love classic （and not so classic） monsters as well so it was fun （for me） to see these depictions all over the place。 The graphic novel is riddled with monsters in all forms: classic Frankensteins to human atrocities。 I liked Karen's lens of the world as she viewed herself as a monster and just about everyone else at one point or another。 It was a fresh take。 At 400 pages， this graphic novel was not going to be an afternoon delight anyway but the actual reading of it is difficult。 Putting aside the subject matter， the text doesn't always flow from one box to another。 Not terrible， just not usual， and I had to pay attention。 The plot: it was little everything and the kitchen sink。 Nazis， nuns， lesbians， artwork， gigolos， mafia， crazy hidden pasts， even crazier Kubrick-esque secret societies， cancer - what the hell？ I don't know if Ferris was setting a huge plot for a bunch of sequels or if this is a compendium。 The story seemed to jump forward a bit at times， further adding to my confusion （I was viewing this as a palate cleanser and that for sure did not work out）。 I had to work for it。 The ending sucked。 I needed some resolution。 That was a big nope and I doubt I will have access to the sequel。 I would read the sequel if only for some closure。 Lots of positives here but also lots of weirdness as well。 。。。more
OnceUponATam
，
Sorti lauréat du Fauve d’or au Festival International de la Bande dessinée d’Angoulême 2019 et en vitrine de pratiquement toutes les librairies， je ne pouvais pas passer à côté de ce nouveau phénomène littéraire。 Confiante， je l’ai donc acheté et ai littéralement dévoré ses 416 pages。 J’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé。 Cette BD a largement mérité son prix : elle est magnifique。Dire que cette BD a été entièrement dessinée au stylo bille et au feutre…。 Le résultat est tout simplement bluffant。 J’ai ador Sorti lauréat du Fauve d’or au Festival International de la Bande dessinée d’Angoulême 2019 et en vitrine de pratiquement toutes les librairies， je ne pouvais pas passer à côté de ce nouveau phénomène littéraire。 Confiante， je l’ai donc acheté et ai littéralement dévoré ses 416 pages。 J’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé。 Cette BD a largement mérité son prix : elle est magnifique。Dire que cette BD a été entièrement dessinée au stylo bille et au feutre…。 Le résultat est tout simplement bluffant。 J’ai adoré les reconstitutions de vieilles couvertures de magazines d’horreur marquant chaque début de chapitre : magnifiques ！Et tous ces petits détails inattendus qu’on trouve dans les dessins sont extras。 On en retrouve d’ailleurs dès la couverture dans les yeux d’Anka où on peut apercevoir le reflet loup-garou de Karen qui mène l’enquête pour découvrir qui l’a tuée， puis dans la chambre de son frère Deeze avec tous ces posters， la reproduction du cahier à spirales du débit à la fin de l’ouvrage pour donne l’impression que tout l’album a été griffonné dans un cahier d’école。J’ai aimé la manière dont les personnages passent d’une （superbe） représentation réaliste à une représentation fantastique en prenant la forme d’un loup-garou pour Karen， d’un vampire pour son « amie » （hum hum） Missy et autres monstres pour d’autres。La reconstitution des œuvres d’art du musée sont juste incroyables ！La trame principale， la mort étrange d’Anka， ne semble être dans ce premier tome qu’un prétexte pour laisser place à la présentation du personnage principale et au thème de la différence。 Karen se sent à l’écart et incomprise des gens qui l’entourent。 Comme dans l’univers burtonien， ce sont les « monstres » que l’on voit comme des personnages bienveillants et ouverts d’esprit contrairement au reste du monde qui souhaite « rester dans le rang » en se conformant aux normes instaurées par la société。 Karen s’identifie donc à ces monstres en se voyant elle-même comme un loup-garou。 Elle se sent différente de bien des manières et la société le lui fait bien ressentir bien qu’ils ne connaissent pas tout d’elle : par sa famille qui connait de nombreuses difficultés （frère au passé et aux relations troubles， la maladie de sa mère…）， son homosexualité （sentiments amoureux explicites envers Missy） ou encore son ouverture d’esprit qui détonne avec la vision conformiste des gens qui l’entourent。（La suite de ma critique ici: https://tamtaminwonderland。wordpress。。。。） 。。。more
Laura Gaelx
，
Una maravilla originalísima con dibujo y narración igualmente fascinantes。
Rosa Olagüe García
，
De lo mejor que he leído en lo que llevo de año。 Es fascinante como Emil Ferris consigue emplear un lenguaje narrativo propio en el que las ilustraciones y el texto se acompañan y se entrelazan de una forma tan natural que parece que estás navegando por un mar de tinta。 La historia es una mezcla de ternura， humor y tristeza， donde se nos demuestra que los peores monstruos no viven en las revistas pulp， sino en la vida real。 Que algunos monstruos son buenos， que asustan porque son diferentes y no De lo mejor que he leído en lo que llevo de año。 Es fascinante como Emil Ferris consigue emplear un lenguaje narrativo propio en el que las ilustraciones y el texto se acompañan y se entrelazan de una forma tan natural que parece que estás navegando por un mar de tinta。 La historia es una mezcla de ternura， humor y tristeza， donde se nos demuestra que los peores monstruos no viven en las revistas pulp， sino en la vida real。 Que algunos monstruos son buenos， que asustan porque son diferentes y no encajan; otros son terribles， porque quieren controlarnos a todos y， sobretodo， a todas。 。。。more
Fanja Evers
，
Pfiou ！
Carmen Sandoval
，
Espectacular。 Gran combinación de narrativa y habilidad gráfica。
Gladys Ann
，
Your story deserves a lot of audience， you can publish it on NovelStar Mobile App。 https://author。starlight。ink/ Your story deserves a lot of audience， you can publish it on NovelStar Mobile App。 https://author。starlight。ink/ 。。。more
Asra
，
Beautiful and haunting illustrations， but the real gem is in the the complex mystery and characters' intertwined storylines。 Set in 1960's Chicago， there's mention of MLK Jr's assassination， a subplot about WWII Nazi concentration camps， a murder （or more！）， and a myriad of other heavy topics。 Note that this is book 1 of 2， but as of March 25， 2021， Book 2 is not published yet。This is book hangover material。 I can't stop thinking about it， and I'm so sad that the second book isn't out yet。 Beautiful and haunting illustrations， but the real gem is in the the complex mystery and characters' intertwined storylines。 Set in 1960's Chicago， there's mention of MLK Jr's assassination， a subplot about WWII Nazi concentration camps， a murder （or more！）， and a myriad of other heavy topics。 Note that this is book 1 of 2， but as of March 25， 2021， Book 2 is not published yet。This is book hangover material。 I can't stop thinking about it， and I'm so sad that the second book isn't out yet。 。。。more
Monkey Feyerabend
，
I give up。I endured 10% of this tome。 I just cannot stand it。 I am sure that the remaining 90% is Super Ultra Great Delicious Wonderful （cit。） as so many seem to think。 But what I have read is just not for me。 Comics is not just a juxtaposition of prose bits and illustrations。 This book is。 As far as I have read， at least。 So， there is not much for me to say about it， other than the following: I did not particularly like the prose and I did not particularly like the illustrations。 The constant f I give up。I endured 10% of this tome。 I just cannot stand it。 I am sure that the remaining 90% is Super Ultra Great Delicious Wonderful （cit。） as so many seem to think。 But what I have read is just not for me。 Comics is not just a juxtaposition of prose bits and illustrations。 This book is。 As far as I have read， at least。 So， there is not much for me to say about it， other than the following: I did not particularly like the prose and I did not particularly like the illustrations。 The constant feeling that I had during the reading experience was: why am I reading the debut （illustrated） novel of a graphic designer， with all due respect， when I still have Kurt Vonnegut books to read？ Is this what you are selling now， Gary Groth？ 。。。more
Clay Doran
，
Some art is inextricably tied to its medium。 Sure you could tell this story as a novel or a tv show but I think to truly appreciate this story and all of its intricacies Emil Ferris’ “My Favorite Thing is Monsters” HAS to be a graphic novel。 First of all the use of spiral bound notebook paper and multi color ballpoint pens sets a perfect tone of nostalgia。 We’ve all drawn in the margins of our notebooks but Ferris takes ballpoint pens on notebook paper to the next level。 The wide range of charac Some art is inextricably tied to its medium。 Sure you could tell this story as a novel or a tv show but I think to truly appreciate this story and all of its intricacies Emil Ferris’ “My Favorite Thing is Monsters” HAS to be a graphic novel。 First of all the use of spiral bound notebook paper and multi color ballpoint pens sets a perfect tone of nostalgia。 We’ve all drawn in the margins of our notebooks but Ferris takes ballpoint pens on notebook paper to the next level。 The wide range of characters and styles really show off the artist’s mastery of the medium。 Intricate crosshatching paired with quick and expressive line work create beautiful spreads that are a joy to dive into。 It feels as though the reader is casually flipping through a sketchbook of a talented and troubled young horror fan。 However， as the story unfolds we realize that this sketchbook contains a lot more than just monster pictures and diary comics。 A mystery soon starts to unfold and stories about the Holocaust， mortality， child prostitution， and murder start to weave into the picture。 In the end you are left with a much more human and heartfelt story than the cover/title would lead you to believe。 There is also another aspect that I can’t stop thinking about。 Some of the most detailed full page drawings must have taken hours and hours to complete and that time is usually accounted for in the story。 If the main character has been trying to get away from everyone and everything she can go to the local museum and copy the works of the masters。 The final piece may be a nice ballpoint copy of an oil painting but the piece also represents the time she spent holed away in the museum drawing to get away from the stressors of her daily life。 I thought that was an incredible way to show the passage of time and that may be a device unique to the medium of journal style graphic novels。 Overall a great book and in particular a great graphic novel。 I’ve read that this is intended to be a trilogy and I am excited for the next book because Emil Ferris knocked it out of the park in her debut。 。。。more
Melanie
，
Many content warnings at end of review。 The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful！ The content is very difficult。 It is a lot of sadness upon sadness without much respite at all， expect in a few small places。The characters are very interesting and I really enjoyed reading about their stories。 I know that parts of this are inspired by true events。I will definitely read the sequel when it comes out。Content WarningsGraphic: Addiction， Adult/minor relationship， Alcoholism， Animal death Many content warnings at end of review。 The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful！ The content is very difficult。 It is a lot of sadness upon sadness without much respite at all， expect in a few small places。The characters are very interesting and I really enjoyed reading about their stories。 I know that parts of this are inspired by true events。I will definitely read the sequel when it comes out。Content WarningsGraphic: Addiction， Adult/minor relationship， Alcoholism， Animal death， Antisemitism， Blood， Body shaming， Body horror， Bullying， Cancer， Child abuse， Child death， Death， Death of parent， Domestic abuse， Drug use， Drug abuse， Emotional abuse， Genocide， Gore， Grief， Homophobia， Infidelity， Mental illness， Misogyny ， Murder， Physical abuse， Police brutality， Racism， Rape， Self harm， Sexism， Sexual assault， Sexual content， Sexual violence， Stalking， Suicidal thoughts， Suicide， Terminal illness， Torture， Toxic relationship， Trafficking， and Violence 。。。more
Giulia Renzi
，
I’ve stumbled on this book completely unaware of the amazing journey I would’ve started by reading it。 Sometimes you get lost between all the drawings and the writing， but I think that you’re supposed to do so。 Such an amazing piece of literature。 Can’t wait to read the next one！
Lu
，
J'ai mis une éternité à me mettre à le lire et finalement je n'ai pas décroché et j'ai hâte de lire le tome suivant。 Les dessins sont sublimes， c'est une oeuvre d'art。 L'histoire est horriblement triste。。。 La personnage principale terriblement attachante。。。 J'ai mis une éternité à me mettre à le lire et finalement je n'ai pas décroché et j'ai hâte de lire le tome suivant。 Les dessins sont sublimes， c'est une oeuvre d'art。 L'histoire est horriblement triste。。。 La personnage principale terriblement attachante。。。 。。。more
Brandon Forsyth
，
The art is absolutely stunning， and the ambition on display is staggering， but the story here never really clicked for me。 I definitely want to read part 2 and reassess once I see the whole narrative， but there’s just so much going on here that the book kind of felt like Dr。 Jekyll and Mr。 Hyde - totally out of control at times。 I reserve the right to change this to 4 stars at a later point！
Kevin Johnson
，