Asterios Polyp

     This entry is coming from one's perspective who have spent most of his childhood with Marvel comics. Hell, I still read the adventures of men in tights all the time and I loooove them. I don't care what indie fans say about superhero comics, my opinion is storytelling in superhero stuff has progressed a lot. Look at "Requiem" by J.Michael Straczynski collaborating with Esad Ribic, or "the Joker" by Azarello and Lee Bermejo as recent examples.
     Before reading Asterios Polyp, I did a mini internet research about it and came across some positive feedback (like "best graphic novel of the year!!!"). So I set my expectations very high when I flipped the first page. Although I really really liked the way of story was told (like separation of the worlds of Asterios and his girlfriend with line and form, like very smart and effective use of typography with different speechbubles, each one having a unique character... All these stuff is pretty cool) I didn't enjoy the story. Well, to put in better words; I did not like the story. And I think this is the most crucial thing in a graphic novel. I remember enjoying graphic novels which had great stories but they had poor art. Or they had art that I didn't like.
     Maybe I didn't like the story because the ups and downs in it weren't enough for me. I wanted more tension. Especially the first half. The story's second half has more action in it, and I enjoyed it more.
But I feel like this piece needs multiple readings. It's one of those works which offers something else than just a good story. It has little details. It's been made cleverly and uniquely. Nobody can argue with that.

     It's just doesn't appeal to me.