Asterios Polyp
By David Mazzucchelli

This is a graphic novel published in 2009 by David Mazzucchelli, a comic artist acclaimed for his art on Frank Miller's 1987 re-telling of Batman's origin, Batman Year One. He is not a prolific artist but his work has been very influential in the field of comics and graphic novels; seen as a benchmark in the more mature themed and designed work that came of age in the later Twentieth Century. He has also taught comic book storytelling at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

There are no superheroes in Asterios Polyp. This is the story of a man who has a high opinion of himself and is not one to concern himself with what others think. He teaches Architecture in Ithaca, New York State, but has never actually built anything (he calls himself a "paper" architect). His life is one of order and straight lines but he marries a woman (Hana, a Japanese-American) quite the opposite: she experiments with objects and form in her art, is emotional and open. When his apartment is lost in a fire he goes on a journey both literal and metaphorical; an attempt to find, and perhaps fix, himself.

This is just a great work of art and I think a master-piece. Story and words aligning perfectly with the beautifully realised stylish pictures that Mazzucchelli is famous for. The art is sometimes experimental but very readable; a spare two colour design, and range of marks and styles. I can't praise this enough: it is a comic-strip work of the highest order but much more than that. People bandy around the term "graphic novel" but I have often been a little uncomfortable with it because so much of the field is, let's face it, still quite childish in many respects (often the story). This is different. A true graphic novel for real grown-ups. Highly recommended.