When I started this book, I said to myself, this seems like something I might do if I had more focus and talent. I am not entirely sure if that is true now, or even if that were true would it be something to recommend the title to others. Nevertheless, I did not write this graphic novel, a man by the name of Chris Ware did. He's a cartoonist that was at least one time based in the fine city of Chicago.
First off, even though the subtitle references `The Smartest Kid on Earth,' the novel is a story about adulthood. We see three generations of Jimmy Corrigans fight through the loneliness of adulthood. There are not cartoon adventures, no redemption. Most everything that happens is bad for the characters. I for one did not relate to the characters as feel empathy for them.
The art, I think, helps enforce this sense of loneliness and alienation. The panels are mostly small and illogically ordered. The reader is confronted with relearning the patterns of the storytelling. It is almost a Brechtian disconnect, where you are always aware that you are encountering an artificial construct. This may not be the cup of tea for everyone, but for what it is, it is well done.
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