My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

Reading comics is a very particular kind of literary experience. For me, a person who hasn't picked up any kind of comic but maybe once in my life and never finished, I found that it is unlike most literary experiences, and that there's a process to how to do it, and what to pay attention to. The imagery in comics informs you just as much as the text if not more, and there's a particular order in which to look at a page and to make sense of it. This, for me, makes it a more confusing experience than simply reading a book, as I have far more practice in that realm.

In the world of the graphic narrative, we see the authors voice come through a combination of  the imagery they present, the format of said imagery, and the writing style they pursue. In My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, the imagery and the format are the main factors for me. This pen sketching style on ruled paper, seeming much like an illustrated diary of sorts points to the idea of someone speaking from inside, much like in a diary, and retelling the story rather than it unfolding before your eyes. Similarly, the way in which spots are drawn and given arrows with descriptions also allows for a less formal comic structure and points towards this slightly different approach.  The way the illustrations range from detailed renderings to more unfinished pieces allows us to understand the underlying hierarchy of importance in the piece, as well as identify the comic, from the comic within the comic but still understanding that this is pivotal to the adventures we are following by reading the comic. The sparing use of color throughout also helps in this process. In the same manner the writing style paints an image of youth, but also a cross within worlds, as it uses common language and slang throughout, and language that is relevant to our time, and common for a being the narrator's age somehow allowing us to see the maturity of Karen, despite the age she seems to be.