Graphic Novel Review: Neil by Jonathan Ascher

   Neil by Jonathan Ascher

Neil is a beautiful piece of work by Jonathan Ascher. Reading this book is like walking through an art show while reading a comic book and experiencing perfect synchronicity. Through stylistic plot methods, the reader is immersed into Neil’s world. Dynamic paint stokes increase with intensity as the book moves forward, and it adds to the tone of the story. At times, the illustrative details are minimal to convey emotion, which is a technique that I’m very fond of. The story is raw and passionate, with themes of love, loss, and isolation. Neil’s character forces empathy through the fourth wall, and demands your psyche to mesh with his plight. In essence, When he hurts, you hurt. I read this book in one sitting, and it flowed very well. The first quarter of the story was mainly character development, but it totally paid off on page 31, when the story switched gears. After reading a quarter of the book, I couldn’t put it down, and I had total emotional investment in the characters. That’s a sign of a great book with a story that’s truly embraceable. I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone who appreciates strong and intelligent story-telling.

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