Review by Matthew Nielsen
Ghost World! Daniel Clowes’ classic graphic novel is the story of two young women in their teens: Enid and Becky. Clowes is very good at capturing how people (at least certain people) talk about others and the world around them. The main characters feel that a lot of these people lead sad and creepy lives. But surely that’s how many of us see the world? We see others as rotten, crappy, lame, or weird as all hell. You might not want to admit it, but plenty of people out there freely say it casually among each other, and this story certain shows you that side: the personal conversations we have with our closest friends about those we like to feel superior to.
The art is done in black, white, and a funky aqua or something. I love it! Clowes does a great job capturing all the sorts of facial details and expression, making them often gross, weird, or surreal. But that’s life — there is a lot of grossness and weirdness in the world. Some artists might polish away some of these things, making their characters all look more charming, but Clowes keeps the strangeness all there. Though sometimes the faces look a bit derpy, but that’s realistic enough too. All this reminds me a lot of Daria. So yeah, if you liked Daria, there is a good chance you’ll like this, but Ghost World is a bit meaner in comparison.
If you’ve seen the Ghost World movie, you’ll find that the book is in many ways quite different, and the arc goes off in a different direction. Just keep that in mind if you already saw the movie. Not sure how much you’ll relate to the main characters of Ghost World, but maybe it’s worth finding out. Give it a look!
