WEEK 12: Comics by Women | My Favorite Thing is Monsters

This week I had the pleasure of revisiting the extraordinary comic by Emil Ferris. When I first discovered My Favorite Thing is Monsters, I thought it was just weird doodling on a notebook, but I found it was so much more than that. I was fascinated by the intricate detail of each drawing and the idea of collaging each of these drawings together.  As an art student, the familiarity of drawing on homework connected me to the work. I love how personal this comic feels. It acts as a personal journal filled with thoughts, poetry, and deep, meaningful illustrations. The story is told from the perspective of a girl called Karen. Throughout reading, there is lots of heavy content that Karen deals with that definitely will give you nightmares.

I researched some about the artist/author Emil Ferris and noticed she was never even heard of in the comic world until she published this comic. I think it's incredible how successful this comic has become and how well everyone has responded to it. Comic artists such as Ferris keep pushing the boundaries of comic standards, which in turn is leading them to great success. Using the rough art form of a notebook is captivating and makes you want to keep flipping through the book.

-Abigail