Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I've never done this before. Buy a book. Can't stand it. Return it a few days later. Buy it back a few hours later. Fall in love with it. Such is my journey with Chris Ware's graphic book, "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth". Let me tell you first why I returned it, and what redeemed it.

I came across this book after a brief EW mention of it, rating it very high. Intrigued, I purchased a copy, and attempted to delve into its layers. Instead of intrigue, I found frustration, mainly because I simply didn't know how to look at the book. I didn't know where my eyes were supposed to go, so many of the early pages were difficult to read. Plus, the characters constant and sudden lapses into their daydreams made for early confusion.

So, I returned it, happy of my decision. And then, I attended a live version of "This American Life" that prominently featured the work of Ware. His artwork captivated me, enough to rebuy the book and try again. What I found was an entralling, captivating tale, multi-layered, and worth all the work to learn the language of his drawings.

It's the story of Jimmy Corrigan, an everyman without much of a life at all, who is contacted by his long lost father for a Thanksgiving reunion. Jimmy agrees to attend, which leads him on a retrospective journey of his life and his family. The story is both moving and rich, full of layers upon layers. Once you learn Ware's language, and what he tries to communicate, the story begins to shine like a lighthouse beacon through the pages. I was surprised to find myself crying at certain parts of the book; my brain was telling me this is simply a comic story, but my heart was breaking along with the characters. That alone is impressive.

Ware's drawings are incredible. He communicates so much through each drawing, you need to "read" this slowly, and internalize the story. Whereas you tend to want to skip the less important drawings, quite often they will give you the most information. This book is not one to read quickly, but enjoy, like a fine, fine wine.

I look forward to more work from Chris Ware. His artist's eye is impressive, but his storytelling is even more so.

When people see you reading Jimmy Corrigan, you will get quite the gamut of reactions. Some people snicker to themselves and mumble something about a long comic book and wonder where "Flash-man" is. Others will take an interest, read the first ten pages, and put it down in emotional and intellectual frustration. Then you have a few people who will widen their eyes and say solemnly "are you serious...?"

This work realizes the dream of Scott McCloud's literary graphic novel in a way that has no precedent that I have found. It is both accessible and intellectual. Its the story of an emotionally destitute and pitiful character named Jimmy Corrigan (actually a couple of them, if you want to get technical) and his search for a meaningful relationship with his/thier father(s). To tell any more than that (even that is too much) will destroy the story for you. Its a story that unwinds over the course of its reading, yet is present from the very first page.

Things to think about as your read: The lack of female faces actually shown in any given frame, the significance of misshapen and flawed objects, changes in text, the irony of the title, and the pervasive exploration of the father-son relationship as is stands in the late 20th-early 21st century. Notice, also, how these presentations could not have been made as effective in traditional all-text presentation.

Even more interesting is the presentation of the character(s) of Jimmy Corrigan. In Scott McCloud's first book, he talks about the popularity of cartooning, and how we relate to cartoon characters because their features are so simple. To put it another way, the more details a character has, the less it is us and the more it is someone else. All the Jimmy Corrigan characters, but especially the main one, are drawn super-simply. If they resemble anything, they seem infantile (and an ugly infant at that).

One type 2 person (the book-putting-down type) told me that they had to take a break because they were "starting to feel like Jimmy Corrigan". Hmmmm.............

If you are familiar with the graphic novel, this is the one. It could be studied. However, even if you don't like "comics", I would suggest trying this as an introduction, although I would hardly call it comic. Jimmy Corrigan represents the insecure child in all of us that reaches out for help in any form it can find and recoils when the help is hard and cold. If you ever wanted to put your head in you hands and cry because you thought no one liked you, Jimmy Corrigan is floating around in your psyche. Make sure he knows he's not alone.

Having been entranced by Ware's "The Acme Novelty Catalog" (a meticulously produced comic book containing the Jimmy Corrigan novel and extras, plus other pieces and marginalia that rivals even that of Dave Eggers) for a long time, and having followed a great deal of this book's story in Chicago's NewCity paper, I was no less impressed and moved by encountering the entire story here in one collection. While the abject loneliness of Jimmy Corrigan is more deeply rendered through the extra vignettes in Acme Novelty Co., this book brilliantly captures the evolution of a strain of melancholy across generations (from the dispossesed Irish immigrant/veteran to the abused orphan to the ignored/smothered Jimmy), beautifully counterpointed by the promise of real family assembled from the fragments of others (Jimmy's father and sister). The epilogue (which, frankly, would resonate even more if some of the aforementioned vignettes had been included in this book) lends Jimmy's story a saving grace the likes of which I've not read in a novel -- text or graphical -- in ages. Chris Ware is an artist in more ways than one, and this book lends great hope to the maturation of the comic as serious literature.

If ever there was a title in the comics medium that could attract the attention of the literary world, "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" would be it. Indeed, this meticulously crafted tale of estranged fathers and sons spanning three generations has already won much acclaim from reviewers and readers alike who, until now, would typically have never even considered picking up a work of graphic literature. Originally running in serial form in the Chicago's weekly publication New City, "Jimmy Corrigan" took Ware seven years to create, though just by reading it you would never be able to tell. The artwork maintains a consistency throughout that suggests a vigorous discipline on Ware's part to create a cohesive and uniform story. Although it's true that Ware started the work as a free-form narrative experiment-never fully aware of where the story was headed from one "episode" to the next-eventually, as the tale began to take shape, he was able to rein in all the loose themes and motifs and successfully weave them together into a unified whole.

The story opens depicting the title character, Jimmy Corrigan, as a young child living with his mother and already showing signs of an unhealthily introverted personality. His father is noticeably absent from the picture. A one-night-stand his mother brings home becomes a pivotal figure in the development of Corrigan's inner psyche. Moving forward to the present, Corrigan-now a middle-aged man living out a miserable existence still indelibly attached to his mother-is abruptly contacted one day by a man claiming to be his long-lost father. Soon he finds himself on a plane bound for an awkward reunion with his progenitor, and what subsequently follows is a series of events that can only be described as Chekhovian in terms of emotional depth and scope.

Interwoven with this line of action is the tale of another member of the Corrigan clan, raised in an earlier era, with his own set of woeful circumstances also pertaining to his relationship with his father. Parallels both broad and intricate are drawn between the two storylines as Ware delicately shifts between past and the present, between the real and the imagined, between the melancholy and, well, the downright tragic. Shades of autobiography can be detected in the story's theme: Ware himself had never met his father until well into his adulthood, and when he did the results were less than joyous. Although the meeting did not occur until work on "Jimmy Corrigan" was well underway, the absence of a paternal figure throughout most of Ware's own life seems to inform the story in a deeply personal way.

One cannot discuss "Jimmy Corrigan" without mentioning its exquisite visual artistry. The book is simply stunning to look at. The story is primarily told through illustration-dialogue is sparse and largely informed by the image rather than vice versa-and is a masterful example of storytelling by way of composition and juxtaposition. Its muted color scheme (heavy on the earth tones, light on the pastels) and minimalist line-drawing artwork serves to convey the bleak, desolate state-of-mind of the title character. It's a case of style becoming substance as the aesthetics of its design are as integral to the story as its fractured narrative. Ware borrows heavily from turn-of-the-century newsprint art styles, which he obviously regards with great veneration. There is much in "Jimmy Corrigan" that demonstrates his penchant for the nostalgic; not only in the artwork but also in its storyline (the 1892 Chicago World's Fair is prominently featured as a backdrop for one of the story arcs). He frequently contrasts the old with the new, suggesting that there is a certain splendor and majesty to be found in the pop-cultural artifacts of yesteryear that has been replaced in modern times by a drab tackiness that pervades our artistic, commercial and architectural landscape.

The result of Ware's masterful combination of artwork, design and narrative is nothing short of astonishing. "Jimmy Corrigan" is a masterpiece of graphic literature; a quiet, absorbing tale that evokes the hopelessly sad, the desperately pathetic, and the heartbreakingly beautiful. It is a literary treasure that will hopefully find its way into the hands of those who have ever questioned the potential of the medium, and to those who want to be mesmerized by the talents of a wonderful storyteller.

Don't believe what Chris Ware might say about himself -- he is a gifted writer. This is to say nothing about his stunning talents as an artist and storyteller. This seven-years-in-the-making compilation of Jimmy Corrigan's story is both depressing and profound. It shouldn't be missed.

Chris Ware transports the reader not only to another era, but into the middle of a man's web of pain, solitude and confusion. But he does so in such a delicate, meticulous manner; it's the perfect use of the comic book medium.

Beautiful, poignant, sublime. I am a more complete person having read these comics.

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.

Congratulations to Chris Ware on winning the prestigious Guardian UK First Book Prize, the first graphic novel ever to garner the award. It is well deserved, and is a fine testament to his talent as both a storyteller and a craftsman of pictorial art.

The use of space and captions are truly groundbreaking. There are poetic moments and narrative strands that are flawlessly transposed into the 'comic book medium.' Many metaphors and symbols that link different eras and themes, such as birds, peaches, etc... are given room to breathe and function in the work not only as images, but as integrated motifs of the work.

The artwork is truly breathtaking. Every scene, every sequence has an eloquent, understated poetry... The Chicago fair of the late 19th century is recalled with nostalgic flair, as are individual miseries of the four generations of Corrigans. The sense of motion, spatiality, and poetry is perfectly judged. Many cells of the graphic novel speak as fluently as prose (if not better) about the condition of characters that inhabit this beautiful work.

I have only two reservations about this book. One is that the story, although fine, is a bit too unilaterally single-minded - about the pathology and sadness of being a Corrigan. The second is that no matter how amusing/informative/poetic the postmodern interventive snippets are that pepper this work, they ultimately detract from telling the whole story. (Not all, but some.)

As graphic novels go, I've never seen anything like this. Spiegelman's Maus books are textured better, and are better-layered in terms of narration and story itself, but the artistry, the graphic poetry of this book surpasses Spiegelman's work in my opinion. The urban loneliness of Corrigan is never treated with a backhand, 'aw-shucks' familiarity, but with incredible specificity that will touch your soul. 'Kafkaesque' is a big, dirty and derivative word, but it's a word that applies appropriately, without false grandeur, to Ware's book and its story.

Tremendous stuff. I give this work 4 stars only because I measure it with great works of literature, graphic or prose. But this book will change your perspective on how you look at graphic novels. It's exciting what Ware is doing with this medium. He's doing great literature, and in his unique, transcendental and unimitable way.

This is the best bang you can ever get for your comic book buck. It has a full 380 pages, the art is very detailed, and after reading this, you get the feeling that Chris Ware has put way more effort into this book than the benefit you could ever hope to receive from it.

Warning: start this book from the beginning. I usually browse through the middle of comic books before I start, and I picked this book up multiple times before I really got into it. It also has one of the best beginnings to a comic book ever. Read the first 8 pages, and you'll be hooked. Also, read the apology at the end. It gives a lot of insight into why he wrote the book

This was one of the hardest graphic novels to me read, but it was definitely worth my time. And, it also has the best writing of any graphic novel that I have read.

"Jimmy Corrigan" is a sad, sad comic book about the kind of kid who you'd expect would read comics rather than star in them. He's a 36 year old man who wears old-fashioned knickers, works in an anonymous cubicle equipped with a phone that rings only when his mother calls, and wishes he were a superhero or at least gallant enough or charming enough to secure a date with Peggy from the mailroom. I wouldn't recommend this book for its plot or characters, but the precisely drawn, evocative illustrations sucked me in.

I've never before read a book-length comic or a graphical novel, and I was never a voracious reader of comic books. Even to me, though, it's clear that Chris Ware is both paying tribute to and poking fun at comic book culture. The meticulously crafted frames are as clean and crisp as a hospital bed, and his attention to detail suggests this comic-artist has a profound respect for his medium. The title plates and stylized, block-lettered conjunctions - ostensibly transitions in the story - are more likely souvenirs from a childhood spent pouring over classic comics. But the "superheroes" of Ware's imagination aren't the type you'd find beating up Lex Luther. Of the several masked men who make cameo appearances, one commits suicide by leaping off the roof of a tall building near Jimmy's office, and another is a costumed pitch-man at an auto show who seduces Jimmy's mother and skulks off next morning without saying goodbye.

In the book's forward, printed on the inside flap of the book binding, Ware's irony is even more direct: His tongue-in-cheek "General Instructions" provide a Dave Eggers-like primer for establishing "a successful linguistic relationship with the pictographic theater" on the pages that follow. These "Instructions" include a quiz of your abilities to interpret the meaning of comic images. The first cell shows a stick-figure mouse holding aloft a stick-figure hammer; the second shows the hammer slammed down on a cat's head. If you think the strip depicts two different mice, each with a hammer, or, worse yet, you don't identify the critter as a mouse at all, Ware discourages further reading. The message, I gather, is that comic books are easy - unless you're a complete idiot.

But in reading further, I was amazed at the subtlety of emotion and the complexity of meaning Ware conveys through pictures. When Jimmy's father delivers an unkind comment, Ware merely re-uses an image of Jimmy's face, without captions of any kind, and through this silent pause the reader feels Jimmy's heartbreak. In another sequence, Ware draws a conversation between a laborer and his boss in which the dialogue bubbles contain cartoon images instead of words. Nonetheless, the content of their discussion (dirty jokes included) is perfectly clear.

I'd liken my experience with "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" to an afternoon at a museum. While it wasn't easy "reading" the meaning of the pictures, the book reminded me to look more closely at details, facial expressions, gestures, and perspective, and for that alone it's worth it.

this book will change the way you think about graphic novels forever. it's about so many different things - from degrading urban landscapes to the spiritual implosion of america. the primary metaphor is seeing ... jimmy's great-grandfather was a glazier and jimmy spends his time aimlessly staring out his window as we spend our time purposefully staring through the window-frames of ware's art. it's NOT a difficult book, just an intelligent one.