"An urgent (and often very funny) attempt to explain a coocoo-rococo cosmology made up of garbled fragments of role-playing games, Transformers episodes, relaxation exercises and horror movies." —... Read More
Description
"An urgent (and often very funny) attempt to explain a coocoo-rococo cosmology made up of garbled fragments of role-playing games, Transformers episodes, relaxation exercises and horror movies." — The New York Times
The Understanding Monster—Book Two follows Pharoah Tellitome, Inspector Gimble, and Master Sponko on their quest to awaken Izadore. Constructed with the same intricate, lush visuals as the first volume, the story returns to the world of time crystals, afterlife quests, thought projection resurrection and the ever-majestic Toy Mountain.
Details
- Price: $21.95
- Pages: 72
- Carton Quantity: 24
- Publisher: Secret Acres
- Imprint: Secret Acres
- Publication Date: 1st September 2014
- Trim Size: 9.25 x 11.5 in
- ISBN: 9780988814912
- Format: Hardcover
- Age: 14+
- BISACs:
FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel
FICTION / Visionary & Metaphysical
FICTION / Fantasy / General
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Literary
Reviews
"A combination of Where the Wild Things Are, a fever dream, a pagan woodland ceremony, and a notebook doodle." – Pitchfork Media
"Ellsworth fills every bit of every page with grotesque patterns and textures and doodles, and his writing is similarly wild-eyed. Nominally an adventure story involving a mouse, “phantom skeletons” and “toy growth formations,” the book is mostly an urgent (and often very funny) attempt to explain a coocoo-rococo cosmology made up of garbled fragments of role-playing games, “Transformers” episodes, relaxation exercises and horror movies. " – The New York Times
"If you missed Book One, it might not be a problem, because despite the artist’s excessively explanatory dialogue, I’m baffled by the narrative and subtext of this eerie fairy tale (mostly taking place in the mind of an immobilized mummy and involving ghosts, a laughing demon and a three-eyed house gnome). But despite my confusion, I unequivocally enjoyed the bewildering experience of navigating this visual feast." – The Chicago Tribune
"Ellsworth’s weird little tales sometimes read like acid trips of the future, complete with lonely robots and unknown creatures. But there’s also a nice personal story threading through this. I have no idea why this guy isn’t considered a comics God yet. Maybe someday he rightfully will be." – The Huffington Post
"Ellsworth conjures up a dizzying array of beautiful, intricately patterned, labyrinthine drawings, perfectly capturing the spiraling sprawl of the narrative within a narrative within a narrative. What keeps this soufflé from collapsing is this: no matter how bizarre the proceedings, Izadore’s odyssey always maintains its internal (il)logic. Somehow, Ellsworth manages to make a perfect sort of sense, and we root for Izadore to escape the forces aligned against him and complete his quest." – The Comics Journal
"In Ellsworth’s intricately crafted trilogy, a group of toys in a shapeshifting house save and revive Izadore, a being destined to transcend “Toy Mountain” and regain his corporeality. Along the way, a bevy of bizarre incidents and obstacles attempt to block Izadore. The story reflects Ellsworth’s own mentality and ideas on creativity and personality." – Publishers Weekly
Author Bio
"An urgent (and often very funny) attempt to explain a coocoo-rococo cosmology made up of garbled fragments of role-playing games, Transformers episodes, relaxation exercises and horror movies." — The New York Times
The Understanding Monster—Book Two follows Pharoah Tellitome, Inspector Gimble, and Master Sponko on their quest to awaken Izadore. Constructed with the same intricate, lush visuals as the first volume, the story returns to the world of time crystals, afterlife quests, thought projection resurrection and the ever-majestic Toy Mountain.
- Price: $21.95
- Pages: 72
- Carton Quantity: 24
- Publisher: Secret Acres
- Imprint: Secret Acres
- Publication Date: 1st September 2014
- Trim Size: 9.25 x 11.5 in
- ISBN: 9780988814912
- Format: Hardcover
- Age: 14+
- BISACs:
FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel
FICTION / Visionary & Metaphysical
FICTION / Fantasy / General
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Literary
"A combination of Where the Wild Things Are, a fever dream, a pagan woodland ceremony, and a notebook doodle." – Pitchfork Media
"Ellsworth fills every bit of every page with grotesque patterns and textures and doodles, and his writing is similarly wild-eyed. Nominally an adventure story involving a mouse, “phantom skeletons” and “toy growth formations,” the book is mostly an urgent (and often very funny) attempt to explain a coocoo-rococo cosmology made up of garbled fragments of role-playing games, “Transformers” episodes, relaxation exercises and horror movies. " – The New York Times
"If you missed Book One, it might not be a problem, because despite the artist’s excessively explanatory dialogue, I’m baffled by the narrative and subtext of this eerie fairy tale (mostly taking place in the mind of an immobilized mummy and involving ghosts, a laughing demon and a three-eyed house gnome). But despite my confusion, I unequivocally enjoyed the bewildering experience of navigating this visual feast." – The Chicago Tribune
"Ellsworth’s weird little tales sometimes read like acid trips of the future, complete with lonely robots and unknown creatures. But there’s also a nice personal story threading through this. I have no idea why this guy isn’t considered a comics God yet. Maybe someday he rightfully will be." – The Huffington Post
"Ellsworth conjures up a dizzying array of beautiful, intricately patterned, labyrinthine drawings, perfectly capturing the spiraling sprawl of the narrative within a narrative within a narrative. What keeps this soufflé from collapsing is this: no matter how bizarre the proceedings, Izadore’s odyssey always maintains its internal (il)logic. Somehow, Ellsworth manages to make a perfect sort of sense, and we root for Izadore to escape the forces aligned against him and complete his quest." – The Comics Journal
"In Ellsworth’s intricately crafted trilogy, a group of toys in a shapeshifting house save and revive Izadore, a being destined to transcend “Toy Mountain” and regain his corporeality. Along the way, a bevy of bizarre incidents and obstacles attempt to block Izadore. The story reflects Ellsworth’s own mentality and ideas on creativity and personality." – Publishers Weekly