Good Book Get! Asterios Polyp

Asterios Polyp is the first original graphic novel by David Mazzucchelli and it has quickly became one of my favorite graphic novels. First, just look at the above cover. The graphic design for the book is absolutely perfect, and I have nothing to critique.

The novel itself is short of perfect, but I assure you that through weird, but intelligent existentialism, heartfelt illustration and one of the best color pallets I’ve seen in a book, Mazzucchelli manages to craft quite the graphic novel.

The book follows a retired, divorced fifty-year old architect named Asterios Polyp, whose apartment burns down during a thunder storm. As his home is burning, Asterios grabs a few precious possessions, pockets them, and heads to the nearest train station.



Polyp embarks on a journey and grows more than he ever thought possible in a short time, with a family he would’ve never been caught associating with during his pretentious past.

He ventures forth, thinking of his past, his mistakes, and his lover, whom he lost, and dearly misses.

Mazzucchelli does things with frames, lines, and color that communicate feeling, and thought, so incredibly that I haven’t seen some of it in the comic medium before. Some pages in the book are incredibly ground-breaking.

I highly recommend checking the novel out, it’s well worth the money, and I’m certain it will enjoy a spot on your shelf for years to come.

- Kyle