Rating: 
Summary: This book and David Boring . . .
Review: had a lot to do with convincing me that a graphic novel could really achieve the depth and complexity of a genuine work of art. Clowes is a subtle enough artist to get more character in a frame than most novelists can manage in a hundred pages. I'd already seen the movie before I read the book, and I think I liked the episodic quality of the comic much better than the movie - it suited the aimless, repetitive nature of adolescence a lot better than the more conventional narrative of the movie. I also thought the fantasylike ending of the movie was a false note: the conclusion of the comic book is much more consistent with the tone of the rest of the chapters, which are grounded in the reality of the characters and the world where they live, although I thought the movie beautifully showed how the increasingly phoniness and monotony of their town mirrored the slow separation of the friends, since Rebecca is a lot more willing to live in such an environment than Enid. I remember reading an interview with Clowes when he was trying to explain why Enid and Rebecca like eating in those fake 50s diners. He said that it was the fact that whoever made them obviously had no idea what he was doing that was attractive, because it showed the hand of a human creator, instead of some corporation that would probably take the time to get all the details right (see for example Cracker Barrel, where every store feels down home but is exactly the same) - and I felt the same way about this book: the spirit of the author is really there. He isn't just trying to impersonate two teenage girls: he's obviously put a lot of his life and thoughts into Enid, and it's no surprise that her name (Enid Coleslaw) is an anagram for Daniel Clowes. Anyway, this book is hilarious and authentic and groundbreaking, just the thing to give to friends who don't understand why you're still reading comic books...
Rating:
Summary: This book and David Boring . . .
Review: had a lot to do with convincing me that a graphic novel could really achieve the depth and complexity of a genuine work of art. Clowes is a subtle enough artist to get more character in a frame than most novelists can manage in a hundred pages. I'd already seen the movie before I read the book, and I think I liked the episodic quality of the comic much better than the movie - it suited the aimless, repetitive nature of adolescence a lot better than the more conventional narrative of the movie. I also thought the fantasylike ending of the movie was a false note: the conclusion of the comic book is much more consistent with the tone of the rest of the chapters, which are grounded in the reality of the characters and the world where they live, although I thought the movie beautifully showed how the increasingly phoniness and monotony of their town mirrored the slow separation of the friends, since Rebecca is a lot more willing to live in such an environment than Enid. I remember reading an interview with Clowes when he was trying to explain why Enid and Rebecca like eating in those fake 50s diners. He said that it was the fact that whoever made them obviously had no idea what he was doing that was attractive, because it showed the hand of a human creator, instead of some corporation that would probably take the time to get all the details right (see for example Cracker Barrel, where every store feels down home but is exactly the same) - and I felt the same way about this book: the spirit of the author is really there. He isn't just trying to impersonate two teenage girls: he's obviously put a lot of his life and thoughts into Enid, and it's no surprise that her name (Enid Coleslaw) is an anagram for Daniel Clowes. Anyway, this book is hilarious and authentic and groundbreaking, just the thing to give to friends who don't understand why you're still reading comic books...
Rating:
Summary: Surprised
Review: Had never read what after looking through a few of the reviews here I now know is called a "graphic novel." But there was a copy of "Ghost World," translated into French, on the bookshelves of the apartment I'm subletting. I'd seen it there all along but got around to it only after first trying my hand at the real literature also on the shelves. Men of letters such as I do have our pride, after all. And what a suprise! "Ghost World" was true, natural, human. The qualities, I think, of the finest literature. I was so moved by my quick first reading of the book that I've gone to the trouble of trying to remember my Amazon password just so I could write this review. I'm not qualified to judge the drawings, but some of them--"drôle d'Al," as the French translator calls him, serving Enid a plate of onion rings or Rebecca, timid and ashamed, showing up at Josh's place at quarter to three in the morning--had me laughing out loud or shaking my head in wonder.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't like the movie...
Review: I didn't like the Ghost world movie, but the graphic novel was a lot better. There were a couple of times I got confused with people (heh, maybe it's just me) but it was funny and there were moments when I could relate to the characters and the artwork was cool what with the blue and all and so overall I would recommend it to anyone who is as addicted to graphic novels as I am.
Rating:
Summary: Like the comic book, love the movie
Review: I have a theory about books vs. movies: If you read the book first -- it being your introduction to the story -- then the movie will be a bit of a letdown. Since I saw the movie first, based on a friend's recommendation, I went out and bought the book afterwards. The comic book is darker and monochromatic, versus the movie's beautiful use of primary and pastel colours. That makes the book and movie equal for me, and gives one the choice of alternate "Ghost" worlds. But the book is written in episodic installments, and is therefore less unified than the movie; like many comic books, this one is an ongoing serial, and works great as a character study. Where the movie departs from the book is the development of a plot which involves one of the book's minor characters (the bearded guy with whom Enid and Rebecca make a fake blind date as a practical joke). In the movie, the bearded guy is shorn of his facial hair and re-emerges as Seymour (played by Steve Buscemi) as the catalyst for a major tunrning point in Enid's life. I really think that by collaborating with director and screen-writer Terry Zwigoff that Clowes made a work of art a masterpiece. Nonetheless, I found the book very compelling, but really do recommend reading it before seeing the movie. I really like Daniel Clowes' stripped-down, stylised drawings. Like the movie, you can really get lost in this book. That's a lot coming from me, because I don't get into most comic books. This one, though, speaks to me.
Rating:
Summary: Spooky Good Ghost Tale
Review: I have been a fan of the grafic novel (GN) long before the term was coined... I have explored the medium from Spider Man to Japanese Manga... so when I say I *love* this work, and appreciate it for it's originality and impact, I am comparing it to many many works that came before it... Okay, so I *did* see the movie first, but the film raised enough interest (and questions) that I sought out the GN to compare and resolve... and darned glad that I did! The film was very good. VERY! But I gotta admit, the GN was better... If you enjoyed the film, please read the original GN. If you enjoy comics and/or graphic media, then I also recommend you read this... The GN gives so much more depth and background to the main characters, as well as gives a different spin to many of the stories and sub-plots. No, I didn't get many of the answers I was seeking here, but I got a heck of a lot of understanding and satisfaction. You will, too...
Rating:
Summary: One of the best graphic novels around
Review: I kept reading this book over and over, and then I lent it to a friend who did so as well. Come to think of it, I never got it back. But I'd gladly drop another 10 bucks on a book as good as this. Despite his being a self-proclaimed dorkus, Daniel Clowes certainly does seem to understand young women. One of my all-time favorites.
Rating:
Summary: Ghost World
Review: I love this book because it's so subtle- and initially appears so slight, yet read once ( which can be done very quickly) I came to realise how much I knew about these two girls; That a solid picture had been created out of many subtle moments.The character are to fall in love with and relate with. Single frames are so "true" so poignant to my life. Anyone who has grew up with comics this is the ultimate love letter to your hobby somthing to cherish as taking a medium that is simple- aimed at short attention spans and being returned with somthing sublime.
Rating:
Summary: Once in a lifetime, the movie is better than the book.
Review: I saw Ghost World in the theatres, and absolutley fell in love with the movie, without ever reading the graphic novel. The characters were memorable, the scenes were hilarious, the casting and the dialouge was wonderful. I attribute a large part of this to Daniel Clowes re-writing the comic book as a screen play.
Like any book translated to film, much is changed. Many characters are left out, some characters are developed in different ways or developed less or more, new scenes are added, other scenes are left out..etc..
To be honest, if I'd read the comic book before the movie, I would have loved the graphic novel more than I did initally, but after seeing the movie, which was just incredible, I think that the graphic novel is lacking.
This is one of the first times I've ever seen/heard of a movie having much more substance and being more memorable than the book it was based off of.
Nevertheless, the comic book is wonderful, filled with humor and originality and true emotion. Clowes really hits the nail on the head. Read this first, then see the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Surprised
Review: I saw the movie because of an interview of Daniel Clowes I heard on NPR. Then I bought the book because the movie was so good, and everyone knows the book is always better than the movie, right? Actually they're both good. Movies and comix (of the self-contained, non-superhero type) are similar enough that one translates pretty well into the other. The scene with the bus at the end, for example, is about as poigniant in the book as in the movie, but in a novel it'd just be stupid. The art is interesting, blending a surrealistic attention to kitschy detail with a well-proportioned reasonableness. Everything is bathed in an eerie blue glow, which Clowes (NPR interview) likened to the illumination of a television screen at night. It does not shy from the boring ugliness of ordinary life. The story is about Enid and Rebecca wresting with an adult world that, in the summer after their high school graduation, expects them to join it. As their caustic banter shows, they are very aware of adulthood's boring ugliness, and band together to resist. They rebel against tedium, with mixed success, before realizing that they need to get on with their lives. "Ghost World" tells this universal story of American life with grace and wit. I really recommend this book.
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