"Monica" is Daniel Clowes' 2023 graphic novel, a fictional biography exploring the life of a woman from various perspectives and genres across Clowes' lifetime. It delves into his love for horror, pulpy '60s and '70s alternative comics, and the darker aspects of '60s and '70s culture. The narrative follows Monica's survival from childhood abandonment to owning a candle shop and joining a cult, all while searching for her roots and parents. Each chapter, like "Pretty Penny" and "The Glow Infernal," adds layers to Monica's quest, blending fantastical nightmares with a search for stability and family. "Monica" is a haunting reflection on the upheavals of recent history, from war trauma to counterculture madness, showcasing Clowes' mastery of comics storytelling.

This was probably my least favorite Daniel Clowes book and took me four months to finally finish it. Any time I sat down to read I felt I really couldn’t push myself to read more than a few pages. While the art is colorful and well done, I couldn’t get invested in the characters or find myself caring where Monica’s journey took her. I will give this credit for a completely bonkers ending, however.

Monica follows a woman throughout her life. Short stories reflect her relationship with her mother, her successful career, and more. This graphic novel has its twists, as Monica's life intertwines with moments of horror, crime, the supernatural.

The coloring and graphics of Monica are stunning. Just flipping through this graphic novel is an enjoyable experience. While Monica effectively tells the complex story of Monica's life, the overall story wasn't necessarily what I expected. There were moments and stories that are really out there. I usually enjoy weird, uncanny stories, but the overall story arc of Monica left me feeling unfulfilled.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys graphic novels with strange elements. If the idea of following a character from childhood to old age appeals to you, this is an interesting take on a character's life story.

*e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Wow!!! I need to read more Daniel Clowes.
The art and writing were of course phenomenal, but what I especially loved was the purposeful design and the clever visual storytelling. I can see myself reading Monica again soon.

Eh, this just wasn't for me. The story wasn't my thing and I didn't vibe well with the art. I've read a few of Clowes' graphic novels before and felt the same way. I definitely recommend this to the Gen X crowd.

Grand master of the graphic novel, Clowes presents an immersive, puzzling and thought provoking look at one woman's life. Join Monica on her journey as she searches for her parents, while also discovering the meaning, and purpose of her life.

Note to self - try candles as a side gig . . .

And avoid cults.

The horror of being "normal" and the impulse to destroy everything just so you can be special.

At first I was puzzled by the inclusion of THE GLOW INFERNAL. What did a fantastical tale about a man becoming the "focal center of human existence" have to do with Monica or the stories around Monica? By the end it all made sense, why we experience the whole history of the world, and why we end with the destruction of it. Monica is everyone's hope that there has to be more to "it," that there has to be more to "me." Clowes seems to point the finger at our parents, especially those who leave gaping holes in their children's self worth.

The story is full of weirdness and the same type of mystery we see in things like Twin Peaks--you know something is off and there's always the implication that the answer is just over the ridge in the distance...if you could only see over that ridge. The art is wonderful, some of DC's best, and the writing is top notch. After completing my read and having some mysteries cleared up for me, I immediately wanted to go back and re-read the book before my ARC timer disappears. I will be buying a physical copy of this one.

I am a long time fan of Clowes' work and would include him in my list of favorite authors. For me, Monica sits firmly in s-tier Clowes (I have included my full list below) and I am just so happy that he has a new book out.

Tiered List
S- David Boring, Monica, Patience, Ice Haven, Mr. Wonderful
A- Velvet Glove, Ghost World (film)
B- Ghost World (book), Death Ray
C- Wilson, Pussey
F-

Many thanks to FANTAGRAPHICS for the Advance Readers Copy and all of their other wonderful publications!

Daniel Clowes is at his best when he takes on a project that is both small (one woman looking for her parents and finding her own identity) and large (major societal shifts, conspiracy theories, cults). The ending came out of nowhere but all the threads leading up to it were resolved satisfactorily.

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Fantagraphics for the ARC!

What a complete and utter mental hijacking. I can't stop thinking about it, and as soon as I finished it the first time, I immediately began reading it again. The degree of foreshadowing involved had my mind spinning.

Monica is about a woman who has been abandoned at all stages of her life through death, loss, and personal hangups (but most notably by her mother leaving her with her grandparents and never coming back) who, despite that, made it to success and middle age only to continuously revisit that old childhood trauma: who is her father and why did her mother leave her? She gives away all of her earthly possessions outside of her old Toyota and the little cash necessary to keep her afloat as she goes on a deep dive into the past to move on in her future.

Then it gets... Weird. "Hold onto your butts." You're in for a ride.

The comic is stylized similar to that of vintage semi-realism Sunday comic strips and is a blend of several genres across nine chapters. It spans decades from the jungles of Vietnam to the corporate offices of 2023: nifty time travel in 112 pages.

I really, really enjoyed it, and I can't wait until it's published. I have so many people who will love it.

I remain so torn on the work of Daniel Clowes. I've never quite jived with his general art style, but occasionally there will be a panel that blows me away. Similarly, a Daniel Clowes narrative always feels like it's ~almost~ saying something really profound and interesting, but time and time again I'm left a little disappointed. I really want to get Clowes more, and I'll keep trying. At the very least I'm glad I gave this new piece a shot. There's a lot here that I'm going to have to unpack for awhile

I'm not going to lie...I didn't "get" it. But I enjoyed the hell out of it anyway. Clowes just really sucks you into this crazy, bonkers story that spreads throughout Monica's life. Each section is an interconnected but separate story that comes together in a bizarre conclusion. I could barely grasp what was happening when I was assaulted by a new story, a new complication, a new weird turn. I can't even begin to summarize the plot, but can say with all confidence that it was worth reading and I was thoroughly entertained and engaged while I watched Clowes do his thing.

I appreciated the mix of genres in Monica. The illustrations were well-done and beautiful. I liked the depth of character study

A series of stories coalescing into one succinct narrative. Monica lives a fractured and troubled childhood with a mother who flits from one man to another before finally disappearing into a cult. A series of twists and turns, generally bad but still a life mark Monica until she stumbles into success as a businesswoman, setting her life on a trajectory where she now has the comfort and flexibility to answer the questions about her past. Occasionally skirting into genre, Monica ultimately tells the story of a child lost along the way, and the adults in her life who continually dropped the ball instead of caring.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Fantagraphics for an advanced copy for my honest review.

This is my first time reading anything from Daniel Clowes and I really enjoyed it, the artwork was the first thing that caught my attention and interest it’s old-school and I love it.

I would highly recommend ‘Monica’

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Fantagraphics for an advanced copy of this new graphic novel by a true master of the medium.

Being old I have been reading comics for a long time. I never thought while reading X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, one of the first graphic novels I read, purchased I think for $5.95 which was crazy, that sometime in the future, graphic novels would be the primary way most people read comics, in print or on-line. Also as a long time comic book reader I would like to say that I have been aware of Daniel Clowes since his days at Cracked, and have a pristine copy of Lloyd Llewellyn in my comic stacks. While I knew about Fantagraphics I wasn't a big independent comic guy, not until my tastes started to broaden. I think I might have a few Eightball comics, or I read them, but I probably knew Clowes better from his album covers than anything else. Ghost World was my first comic read, and the story hit me hard. The art, the way Clowes could tell a story, the way he could focus in on odd moments. From here I was hooked. Monica by Clowes, is a long work in progress, sharing the life of a woman from before she was born, up until a little before now, and the characters that influenced, and shaped her.

Monica starts in Vietnam, with two buddies thinking about the future. One is sure that is will end in fire, the other just wants to get home to his girlfriend, Penny. Penny has moved on from Johnny, and is living with a bohemian artist, who leaves Penny, either trying to find himself, or being lost in himself just as Penny realizes she is pregnant with Monica. Monica's first years are spent as a wanderer, traveling from boyfriend to boyfriend, while Monica grows up alone, and very lost. Johnny and Penny bump into each other, things seem to be going great, until the night before her wedding to Johnny, Penny disappears leaving Monica with her parents. Years pass, Johnny passes, Monica starts a successful business, joins a cult who lives on dumpster diving in an effort to find her mother, all while looking for something to make her feel whole. Which she might find in a radio, or the man sharing the AirBnB with her.

The graphic novel is made up of chapters that tell a story in a variety of different ways. Many told in a sort of comic trope style. There is a war story, an origin story, a hero doubting herself story, a mystic story, even a little Gaiman or Moore tossed in. Monica is a very rich character, with a lot of problems, not knowing where she came from, abandoned by a Mother she loves, and a boyfriend who breaks up with her, when Johnny has also just died. As in life, things happen with no reasons why. As much as we try to figure out a reason, bad things, odd things, just happen, and there is never an explanation. The art is just beautiful. Lush colors, odd motions, fully drawn characters, weird things in the background. Panels are designed to highlight the art, or the story, depending on what is needed. One of the best things that Clowes has ever committed to paper.

A work that makes one think, which is a very good thing. Some things happen that well just happen, and not everything works out. Like life. A really wonderful work that should just sweep the Eisner's next year. Fans will enjoy it, and new readers will become fans for life.

The cover caught my eye on NetGalley, so I had to request an ARC. It's stunning. The art inside gives me Creepshow vibes for some reason. Very detailed and old-school style! There's surrealism, reality bending, horror, fantasy, crime. A lot of different comic genres wrapped up into one.

We’re following the life story of Monica and those connected to her, through successes, delusions, failures, and a brief stint in a cult. Clowes’s old-school comics art grabbed my attention and didn’t let up. Despite the fairly straightforward art, there are numerous details lying in wait on every page, ready to spring out on your next pass.

Every single chapter of this book is riveting in its own right, but the story swings so dramatically from one chapter to the next that it can be hugely disorienting until familiar faces identify themselves and the larger story begins to click into place. Granted, some chapters remain on the fringes right up until the finale.

I cannot say I totally understand what I read, but I had a hell of a good time.

A unique collection of stories that can stand alone. Each one provides additional insight into Monica. Good for adult graphic novel collections.

If you loved the classics of the intellectual American graphic novels like "Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth", and "Black Hole", then you're in for a treat. This bends reality and perception, trauma, coping mechanism, surrealism, deep human psychology, cult, speculative, lonliness, myth and crushes the American dream under it's heel.
There is so much in those pages and it will grip you hard and leave you dazed. Prepare for an experience that will hurt, but also leave you feeling like you got something big handed to you and you need time to process and analyze and grow.

As noted in the supplied marketing material, this reads like a culmination of Clowes career for the fans, myself included, who have been reading him since the earliest Eightball days. The artwork, it always goes without saying, it gorgeous, thoughtful, unimpeachable. Each reader will have their own opinions on the various stories and how they interact with each other - but I was particularly drawn to the through-point of the father figure, and the looming sense of chaos/apocalyptic fervor that surrounds the edges of each story.

Highly recommended and I will certainly be buying a copy to read over again and cherish.