Rating: 
Summary: The Melancholy Tale of Jimmy Corrigan
Review: Wow, Chris Ware did a great job with this book. Let me start out by stating how deceptively simple the art is. At first, you start out thinking this'll be a cute and fun read, but as you read further into it, things get much darker and more depressing.The story revolves around 37 year-old James Corrigan who we find out is a lonely, emotionally-impaired, human castaway. All the sudden his father, whom he's never met, decides he wants to spend time with Jimmy. Throughout the entire book, we go through not so seamless transitions into his fantasies and daydreams. At times, it can get confusing as to where they begin or end, but that's the whole point sometimes. We also go through other generations of Jimmy's family to take a look at their tribulations. The story can get really depressing at times. Throughout the book, you're hoping for something good to happen to the protaginist. But just because of the overall depressing elements in the book doesn't mean there isn't any humor in it. There are some funny moments, but they tend to be subtle. If you're into graphic novels, or even if you're not, I urge anyone who's in for a decent story to read this. Just don't expect the feel-good story of the year.
Rating: 
Summary: A master work in desing, art and writing.
Review: Young Master Ware has on his hands a very fine piece of art and literature, beautifully rendered in hardback. The story does not start on page one. No, it begins much earlier, on the paper book cover you see before you. Then, on the other side. Looking at the package as a whole, you see the whole life of our young protagonist Jimmy Corrigan in one, universal fashion. Then, upon reading in the traditional linear sense, you quickly become enthralled with the antics of he and his family tree. And by the end, as you read the last page and then stare wistfully out your window at the autumn sky, you wonde; are you so different? Then the phone rings and you realize you have friends, a life. Yes, you are different. Thank God. You leave the book at home, a changed person, and you go out and drink in a crowded bar. Because all of a sudden, you want to be around people.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, lifting, and magnificent
Review: Ware does an amazing job of creating one of the most moving graphic novels I have ever read. The painstakingly detailed drawings add an unparalleled scope to this novel following the meek Jimmy Corrigan, as well as the 1893 story arc following his equally downtrodden grandfather of the same name. The dream tangents are vivid and beautiful, and only occasionally introduced before hand ("I allowed myself to luxoriate in one of my favorite semi-conscious conceits"). Do yourselves a favor and READ THIS NOVEL RIGHT NOW!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: A beautifully illustrated hard-bound cartoon book, it tells the story of Jimmy Corrigan, an Irish kid from Chicago going to visit his estranged father. I bought it because I've seen other work by Ware, mostly book jackets, and it's an amazing illustration. The story is very depressing though; it bounces back and forth from the modern day Jimmy to his grandfather's (also named Jimmy) story of his relationship with his father. These stories, interlaced with dream states, fantasy tangents, and diagrams (including a cut out 3-D assembly of the elder Jimmy's childhood home) are a very entertaining if disturbing read.
Rating:
Summary: the loneliest man on earth
Review: quite simply put: buy this book. This is one of the most beautiful and heart breaking books i have ever read. This book will change your life if you open up and listen.
Rating:
Summary: The Smartest Comic Book on Earth
Review: This beautifully designed collection of the work of Chris Ware is a must have for lovers of the art of comics.The meticulously lettered,folded dust-cover wraps some of the densest narrative yet put onto the comic page.The story concerns the shy,lonely Jimmy and his bleak life,as it is interrupted by the intrusion of his previously unknown father. The subsequent involvement with this "new" branch of his family shows just how alienated Jimmy is,and further illustrates how far apart the individuals that make up modern families are in our divisive society.Ware uses a series of flashbacks to the Civil War and the International Columbian Exposition in Chicago to echo the modern ennui with a claustrophobic awareness of the inevitability of Family.This may sound like tiring material for a "comic book",but the consummate artistry of Ware pulls the disparate threads of this stunning work together.Jimmy Corrigan is recommended for adventurous readers who have yet to sample the great fruits of sequential narrative,as well as those who already enjoy their bounty.
Rating:
Summary: Chris Ware is a genius
Review: I strongly urge those of you who think that the term 'comic book' is synonymous with juvenile hijinx to at least peruse this book. Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan is a character written with as much realistic literary precision as most any Dickens or Hemingway protagonist. The difference: In the ever-expanding and exciting medium of 'comix' or 'illustrated literature', we are brought into this sad character's world in a much different way than mere words are capable of. The story is highly detailed with the 'mundanities' of daily existence, yet quite simple in plot. Jimmy Corrigan, a lonely, middle-aged man living in the 1980's, wants one thing: someone who will love (or at least like) him. Involving 3 generations of the Corrigan clan, we find out why it's been so hard to find this elusive contentment. From abandanment to abuse to 'momma's boy' syndrome, we learn exactly how desparately lonely Jimmy is. This is not a happy book, let's get that straight. Yet, in it's nihlistic sadness, we find a moving and inspirational story, if only in comparison of our lives to the lonley existence of so many people like Jimmy. Written over the course of some seven years, we find in Jimmy Corrigan--The Smartest Kid on Earth an amazing and important work.
Rating:
Summary: A Landmark Achievement
Review: Years from now, people won't remember that the graphic novel was once a marginal format, consigned to hobby shops and newsstands. Literary historians, however, will point to Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan as the book that brought graphic novels out of the dark and into the cultural spotlight.
Rating: 
Summary: Cold and unpleasant
Review: There are just no characters you can relate to here. Jimmy is a cypher. His father is a crudely-drawn caricature of a working class man.
Rating:
Summary: Sadly beautiful
Review: Chris Ware deserves a lot of admiration for writing and illustrating this graphic novel. It took him years to finish this 400-page tale of an unhappy, withdrawn man. The story wanders a bit, forcing you to really pay attention. (Honestly, you'll like it better the second time.) At first, his artwork seems to contradict the mood of the story --- everything is drawn with the color and lines of logos, street signs, and architectural diagrams. Everything is rendered in flat pastels. But as you continue, the panels start to look empty, with a false cheer to it. It's a style that underscores the plot. Chris Ware could have spent years writing a big graphic novel about superheroes, wizards, or vampires --- you know, something easy. But he didn't. Instead, he stuck his neck out and created this, one of the best graphic novels ever written, but also one that challenges the reader. Chris Ware makes it clear what a real graphic novel is. It's an expert use of the comic book medium that deserves a much larger audience.
|
