The New York Four [Paperback]

Brian Wood (Author), Ryan Kelly (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–Riley enters into a standardized test beta with three NYU classmates in order to make some money to get an apartment together. A good student with limited social skills due to her controlling, academic parents, the teen relies heavily on online interactions. As she begins to get to know her classmates and to reconnect with her outcast older sister, a secret virtual relationship threatens to destabilize everything. Wood is known for incorporating a strong sense of place into his comic work, and, while this is a story about growing up and learning to communicate, the classic bohemian fixtures of clubs and brownstones, and the inclusion of New York City landmarks, help make the book feel grounded. Kelly's energetic artwork conveys a sense of activity and movement. His portrayal of one character, Merissa, tends toward caricature more than the others, and panels are occasionally too busy to find the focus of the scene easily, but the detailed settings are nicely evocative. Wood tries to do too much, resulting in a scattered set-up of Riley's classmates' individual stories–glimpses of what are surely the main focuses of future volumes–leaving readers with what is disappointingly not quite an entire story, but one that is superbly told.–Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH
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From Booklist

As in Local and DMZ, indie superstar Wood shows great skill in writing extremely appealing and occasionally infuriating female leads. All four of the college freshmen at the center of this tale are well realized, but it’s shy, sheltered Riley who is the focus of this girlcentric offering. Riley’s life is packed with drama as she meets up with her estranged older sister and struggles to balance school, family, and a mysterious new boyfriend—whom she has never met but texts to the point of obsession. Kelly’s art, filled with expressive, idiosyncratic faces and figures, matches Wood’s indie street cred with gritty depictions of the Lower East Side. He captures actual New York locations with nearly photographic accuracy, matching Wood’s affection for the city, itself made obvious by the passages of hipster, travel-guide stuff packed into the story. Despite a disturbingly ambiguous ending, this graphic novel will delight readers on the cusp of discovering their own independence. Grades 10-12. --Jesse Karp

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Minx (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401211542
• ISBN-13: 978-1401211547
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Wood released his first graphic novel, Channel Zero, in 1997 to considerable critical acclaim and has continued to create at a brisk pace ever since. Focusing almost entirely on creator-owned projects, he's become one of the most important indie creators of the last decade. Standout books include his The Couriers and Channel Zero series, Demo, Local and Supermarket. He's earned multiple Eisner Award nominations and editions of his work have been published in close to a dozen foreign markets. Currently under an exclusive contract for DC/Vertigo, Wood continues to write his unique brand of iconoclastic creator-owned work with DMZ, Northlanders, Demo and The New York Four.

Brian lives with his wife and daughter in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great drawings, very good story, January 17, 2011

By 

Schach the Monkey (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New York Four (Paperback)

Enjoyable romp through NYC behind the eyes of an NYU freshman who's reconnecting with her estranged big sister. Hard to resist these vicarious charms of the city, with all its hipsters and distractions and sights to see. Only slight drawback in the story is that the four girls are stated and presumed to be great friends, but we never quite see it happening, only hear about it. But it wasn't so hard to believe as to ruin the well-paced, beautifully-drawn story. The characters of Merissa and Angie are especially engaging, and the drawings on pages 34 and 59 are especially strikingly done.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The New York Four, December 9, 2008

By 

Cai Yixin Jeremy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New York Four (Paperback)

The New York Four (MINX)

To be honest, I originally wanted to hold off on getting this book because of its target demographic, but as soon as I saw the preview art on it I was sold. The art was every bit as good as Local's and Brian's writing was just as good.

I loved the format as well, I've always wanted to read a manga sized American comic. It has the same feel as a manga volume and it has the structure of one too. It's broken down into bite sized chapters, much like in manga, and you can easily finish reading it in about an hour or so (if you're a slow reader like me).

Like in Local, we have a female protaganist, Riley, who has just enrolled into NYU. She's a quiet character though and that dynamic soon comes into play; she has to fend for herself right from the get-go and she soon finds that university is just the beginning of her struggles. But, thankfully, she has help in the form of her girlfriends. Before long, this book unfolds pretty much the way you expect it to, 'girl' problems abound.

In other words, its just like Local but with a lighter tone. And that's great if you want more of that kind of storytelling. If you aren't looking for another Local, then I'm afraid you may find yourself getting bored very quickly. My suggestion would be to read the preview first and see if you like it; that's what I did and that paid off big time; this book will be a permanant fixture on my bookshelf.

1.0 out of 5 stars Not my style, January 26, 2012

By 

mln9 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New York Four (Paperback)

I read this book was very unoriginal and predictable I almost stopped reading it it was a quick read I guess it would be great for someone very young and someone who doesn't know a lot of normal story plots . I loved the drawings I only spent a bit more than $4 on it so it wasn't a total waste . I cut out all the illustrations of NYC and threw the book away