My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two – May Graphic Novel of The Month.

The highly anticipated second volume of Emil Ferris’ award winning graphic novel My Favorite Thing Is Monsters has finally arrived. Dark mysteries past and present continue to abound in the tumultuous and violent Chicago summer of 1968. Young Karen attends a protest in Grant Park and finds herself swept up in a police stomping. Privately, she continues to investigate Anka’s recent death and discovers one last cassette tape that sheds light upon Anka’s heroic activities in Nazi Germany. She wrestles with her own sexual identity, the death of her mother, and the secrets she suspects her brother Deez of hiding.

The first volume originally released in 2017 was a smash hit and one of the strongest comic creator debuts of recent memory. Ferris’ melding of queer themes with classic horror monsters struck a chord with many readers which lead to high sales and several awards including Eisner, Ignatz and the Angouleme Festival’s Fauve D’Or. As with the previous volume, it is a true labour of love that was more than worth the wait.

The art is the first thing one must discuss when looking at this graphic novel. Continuing to be depicted as the pages of Karen’s diary/sketchbook (complete with faux lined notebook paper), the art has a sketchy quality whilst being insanely detailed at the same time. Ferris maybe the best artist using cross hatching in comics right now with skills on par with Robert Crumb and Gene Colan.

Speaking of Gene Colan, the horror aspect of the comic continues to be the main driving force of the comic and Ferris continues to prove herself to be on the same level as the greatest creators working in that genre. As you’d expect, the Karen’s Werewolf appearance still has that Teen Wolf style that mixes horror with the right level of endearment. Ferris’ love of monsters that she channels through Karen also lead to some terrific depictions of classic beasts such as Cerberus.

The story isn’t just carried by the art. The comic continues the strong mystery elements from the first part whilst playing on real history. Karen’s bond with fellow monster fan Shelley also creates a fun narrative with their secret group giving Karen an excuse to explore her interests and obsessions like visiting museums, philosophy and plunging the depths of her rather scary apartment building. But at its core, the comic never loses touch of the fact that it is a story of self-discovery, with Karen coming to terms with both her identity and sexuality.