Customer Reviews

The Book of Leviathan

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Book of Leviathan is far from the typical comic strip. Owing a debt to surreal strips like "Little Nemo" and "Krazy Kat" Peter Blegvad takes the reader into the world of Levi, a faceless baby and his cat, Cat. Trying to describe Levi's journeys are particularly difficult because the visual element is as strong a component as the verbal; suffice to say that Levi's odysseys include trips to Hell, reality, school and time. The introduction mentions that these are the lighter strips in the series, which seems a bit of a cheat to me. Hopefully a more complete collection is in the offing. If this is "Leviathan Lite" I'm ready for the rest. This is a challenging and highly entertaining contribution to the world of comics.

I've been aware of the depth and breadth of the mind of Peter Blegvad for many years now, through his musical endeavors (with Slapp Happy, as well as his solo work) - his creations have always been stimulating, bringing with them smiles and incentives for further thought and intellectual and contemplative explorations. I had heard about his comic strip `Leviathan' (which appeared regularly in THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY in Britain), but until I purchased a copy of this collection, I had never actually experienced it firsthand. I'm sorry I waited so long - this is a treasure.

Matt Groening (creator of `The Simpsons' and `Life in Hell') is widely recognized as a purveyor of twisted and useful reflections of real life, is quoted on the back of this volume: `Peter Blegvad's comic strip is one of the greatest, weirdest things I've ever stared at.' I heartily concur. Blegvad combines his senses of humor and irony with his intellectual strengths and his amazing artistic abilities into `Leviathan', giving his readers an opportunity to take one of the wildest rides they're liable to experience. The episodes in this book range from purely humorous takes on a baby's view of the world he inhabits to visual illustrations of puns to hallucinogenic explorations of the conscious and subconscious to sublime meditations on everything from the most seemingly insignificant daily occurrences to the meaning of life and death. Quite a range, right? Blegvad pulls it off beautifully. Perhaps I'm a little prejudiced by already being a huge fan of his music, but none of his outings collected here come across as shallow or pretentious in any way. The subtleties are many, the layers of wit are as innumerable as those in a chunk of mica - each reading reveals something missed the time before.

Leviathan himself - `Levi', as he is called - is a visual as well as a philosophical enigma. He's drawn without facial features, which allows the reader to project his/her own personality/outlook more readily onto the narrator. His parents and his older sister appear in some episodes, but for the most part he's accompanied and guided through the mazes of life (in all its dimensions) by the family cat, who gently imparts wisdom while at times openly expressing amazement that humans manage to survive without caretakers. The artist's hand appears from time to time, allowing him to more directly interact with the characters and events depicted in the strip - and on a couple of occasions, the characters themselves make attempts to escape the bounds of the graphic territory.

I read this book in a couple of sittings - but I've revisited it often and at great length and leisure, with new rewards each time. In his introduction, Rafi Zabor admits that he has encountered a few `intelligent, literate, artistically sophisticated people' who just don't get it - and I suppose that's inevitable in any artistic undertaking. It resonated within me at the deepest level - I can't recommend it highly enough.

Anyone capable of appreciating metaphysical comic strips will drop their jaw at this one. Blegvad is one of the most versatile cartoonists around, so nearly every page bears a distinct look. Punchlines are in less favor than puns and visual gags here, so Garfield readers will be puzzled, lost, and eventually left behind on an isolated island with modest resources. Funny stuff for those of us who get off on absurdity and intellectual punning.

Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read. Blegvad's ability to blend charm, wit, and depth is genius. I bought copies for friends.

Dep!*
*(WOWZA!!)

I was sold when I heard Matt Groening's review, but if that's not enough for ya here's my own...

I read this book in one sitting--how often can you call a comic anthology a "page-turner"? Levi is a literal tabula rasa, Cat is the perfect nonhuman-but-more-adult companion, and let us all stop a moment and ask ourselves... what IS the opposite of bunny?

Confused yet?
This book is a strange "Being John Malkovich" escape into the brilliant mind of Peter Blegvad, who I hope to be seeing much more from in the near future. It stimulates the mind, rewards the intellect, and may even teach you a thing or two. Blegvad somehow weaves together philosophy, literature, myth, and the innocence of childhood in a corrupt world, wrapped in wordplay and inserted into a comic medium it continually makes fun of.

"Leviathan" reminds me of Groening's "Life in Hell," but "Leviathan" is much more, with so much intellectual and visual appeal it leaves Groening's cartoon far behind. Plus, Leviathan plays upon so many levels I'm sure I'll get something new out of each reading.

Occasionally the punning gets a little too blatant, but it's always forgiven before the end of the next comic.

Don't pass this one up. Your brain deserves it!

so many puns, so many references and allusions ... i think this book can be used as an indicator for how well-informed we are: the heartier we laugh at it the smarter we can consider ourselves

finishing this short book was about as enjoyable as having teeth pulled. what a chore to wade through this very unfunny thing. if you read this and wonder why you don't get the humor in it; don't worry, there is nothing to get. it is void of humor. what we have here is something for the pretensious who want to think that they are hip. the author of this cartoon is trying sooooooooo hard to be hip that it becomes painful. yuck!