Book Review-Paying For It (2011), Graphic Novel by Chester Brown

I enjoy graphic novels. In the past I would say that the graphic novels I have read would be considered comic books in long form, where the illustrations were an integral part of the story and the overall reading experience. Examples would be X'ed out, by Charles Burns, The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, by Max Brooks (Illustrated by Ibraim Roberson) and the The Walking Dead Series by Robert Kirkman.

Paying For It, by Chester Brown is a graphic novel that documents the author's exploits over several years of paying prostitutes for sex.

As noted in the panel below from the book, Mr. Brown really didn't have the desire to have a girlfriend. He figured out that he really just wanted to have sex, without the emotional baggage of maintaining a long-term relationship.













What makes this graphic novel different than the examples I gave earlier in this review is that the story of the author's internal angst over paying for sex, the debates with his friends over this lifestyle and his opinion on the legalization of prostitution would stand alone in a traditional text format. But the illustrations serve to enhance the story, providing an enriched reading experience on a very intriguing subject.

If as a reader you haven't sampled the graphic novel genre, but enjoy a good debate over contemporary subjects like relationships and sex, I recommend Paying For It. Your emotions and mores will be challenged.

 Paying for It by Chester Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What makes Paying For It different than traditional graphic novels (what I call comic books in long form) is that the story of the author's internal angst over paying for sex, the debates with his friends over this lifestyle and his opinion on the legalization of prostitution would stand alone in a traditional text format. But the illustrations serve to enhance the story, providing an enriched reading experience on a very intriguing subject.

My full review: http://jiresell.blogspot.com/2011/09/boo...

View all my reviews

Book Review-The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks (2009), Graphic Novel by Max Brooks, Illustrated by Ibraim Roberson

I have just started getting into graphic novels. I am currently reading The Walking Dead Series, but recently finished The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. Written
by Max Brooks as a companion piece to his very successful 2003 book, The Zombie Survival Guide (reviewed on my blog 1/15/11) , this graphic novel is illustrated by Ibraim Roberson.

The last section of The Zombie Survival Guide is dedicated to documenting historical Zombie attacks ranging from 60,000 B.C. in Katanda, Central Africa to 2002 A.D. in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Mr. Brooks chose several of these attacks to be highlighted in Recorded Attacks.

The book is illustrated in black and white. Ibraim Roberson's illustrations are very well done. I wish I had purchased Recorded Attacks at the same time as The Zombie Survival Guide, as the novel would have enhanced my reading experience.

I don't know if Mr. Brooks has plans to publish additional graphic novels, but certainly based on the quality of his first work, I would look forward to additions to his portfolio.


The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a graphic novel, this is a great companion book to the Zombie Survival Guide. I reviewed on my blog on January 17th, 2011. http://jiresell.blogspot.com/2011/01/boo...

View all my reviews

Book Review-The Zombie Survival Guide (2003) by Max Brooks

I have a bit of infatuation with Zombies. My first experience with the genre was on a visit to New York City when I visited The Strand Bookstore located at 12th and Broadway. As I was hunting through the stacks there, I discovered the book World War Z, by Max Brooks. I thought the book was very well written as a fictional account of the World as it would be after the Zombie Apocalypse. In fact, my brother Mike, Professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania assigns the book to study in one of the courses he teaches.

The Zombie Survival Guide, written by Max Brooks, was published in 2003. Max is the son of filmmaker Mel Brooks. This book is written as a serious, tongue-in-cheek, guide to how individuals can survive a Zombie attack. The style of this book is very matter-of-fact, with sections describing the undead, weapons and combat, attack and defensive strategies, and a list of historical recorded attacks. (Mr. Brooks has since written a graphic novel with more details on the recorded attacks aptly named The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks.)

As I was reading this book I became immersed in the thought that I had to prepare for the potential of attacks by the undead. That's where Max Brooks has succeeded as a writer. The notion that there is a virus that exists that can cause a dead person to reanimate is preposterous, but as I read the book, I felt as if it could really happen, especially when I read the accounts documented in the section "Recorded Attacks", including the cover-ups of the more recent attacks Mr. Brooks writes about. The book also comes across as very well researched, another consequence of the writing style Mr. Brooks uses.

If you are a fan of all things Zombie, read The Zombie Survival Guide. Even if you are not, it is a short and entertaining read.

http://maxbrooks.com/

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead by Max Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading this I feel very comfortable that I could survive a Zombie infestation. Reviewed on my blog January 15th, 2011. http://jiresell.blogspot.com/2011/01/boo...

View all my reviews