“My Favorite Thing is Monsters,” by Emil Ferris

This book was a gift from a friend — a friend that has good taste. I loved that it was a graphic novel that could only be told as a graphic novel…. Now I know how to look for the triangles in classic art. I also appreciated that, on an initial flip through the book, I found the “monsters” style quite unpleasant. But as I got to know the characters I grew to like that outwardly (and inwardly) they were strange, and gross, and imperfect. It made them all the more lovely.

I was very confused by the ending until I googled and realized there is a second volume on the way. (One of the reasons I read fewer comics nowadays is that there aren't always endings….) I’ll have to reserve final judgment, but the first half deserves the awards it won.