This graphic novel is full of great stories, great artwork, and nudity (always a plus). After reading this graphic novel, I do wonder how much of the stories are true, embellished, or fabricated from blurred memories. The main character’s name is Jonathan A., which I assume is short for the Authors name but allows for embellishment through a character that is based off of Ames, but is a different person. I have to say it does make me want to read more of Jonathan Ames’ work. The basis behind his stories is Jonathan Ames’ tendencies to follow the desires of his id. It isn’t that he is completely out of control; instead he is fighting addictions on several levels as he is trying to make a living as a writer.
The Art was completed by Dean Haspiel. I am not familiar with his work since I am not a comic book coinsure, but according to his Wiki page he was one of the artists that worked on American Splendor which I read several after the move came out. He has a long list of works if you want to check it out go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Haspiel.
I loved the look of this graphic novel and feel the writing and art complimented each other on many levels. The use of black, white, and grey scale gave the book a unique look at the drawings where well executed.
In all the praises I have for this book, it has one major flaw. That is the ending falls a little flat for what I expected from such a great book. The book is full of humor, despair, all kinds of emotions but it does lack a definite feeling of closure. While I do not recommend this book to everyone, it is a must read for fans of those interested in the under belly of society, self-degradation, and human despair on the level of Hunter S. Thomson, Hemingway, etc.
“Nobody gets everything they want. That’s the way it is.”
–Jonathan Ames “The Alcoholic”
