Sunday 23 January 2011

"EmiTown" by Emi Lenox

Year of Publication: 2010
Number of Pages: 408 pages
Genre: Diary, autobiography, graphic novel

Summary: As it says on the front cover, this is a "sketch diary" in which writer and artist Emi Lenox details a year of her life from May 2009 until April 2010 through notes, comic strips, sketches and song lyrics. She describes the details of her day to day life as well as comics detailing her as superhero "Ocean Girl" and a general leading an army of cats among many others.

Opinions: The book began as a web comic. Read straight through as a collected book it works really well. The switch from daily notes to the fantasy comics are slightly disconcerting at first but it's not long before you get used to it. As a diarist Lenox has a good eye for the details of daily life both funny and sad, and she is a very talented illustrator. It's kind of amazing that she manages to produce work of this quality on seemingly a daily basis. It is an endlessly entertaining and hugely charming book, which for the most part has a refreshingly positive outlook on life and the world, without ignoring the dark side.
If you are looking for a unique and engaging reading experience, this is well worth checking out.


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