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Swallow Me Whole
Swallow Me Whole is an award-winning love story carried by rolling fog, terminal illness, hallucination, apophenia, insect armies, and unshakeable faith.
In his most ambitious book to date, Powell quietly explores the dark corners of adolescence -- not the cliched melodramatic outbursts of rebellion, but the countless tiny moments of madness, the vague relief of medication, and the mixed blessing of family ties. As the story unfolds, two stepsiblings hold together amidst schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, family breakdown, animal telepathy, misguided love, and the tiniest hope that everything will someday make sense.
Deliberately paced, delicately drawn, and drenched in shadows, Swallow Me Whole is a landmark achievement for Nate Powell and a suburban ghost story that will haunt readers long after its final pages.
2009 Eisner Award Winner for Best Graphic Album (New), Eisner Award Nominee for Best Writer/Artist and Best Lettering, 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for Young Adult Fiction, Ignatz Award Winner for Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Debut, and official selection of YALSA's Great Graphic Novels For Teens.
In his most ambitious book to date, Powell quietly explores the dark corners of adolescence -- not the cliched melodramatic outbursts of rebellion, but the countless tiny moments of madness, the vague relief of medication, and the mixed blessing of family ties. As the story unfolds, two stepsiblings hold together amidst schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, family breakdown, animal telepathy, misguided love, and the tiniest hope that everything will someday make sense.
Deliberately paced, delicately drawn, and drenched in shadows, Swallow Me Whole is a landmark achievement for Nate Powell and a suburban ghost story that will haunt readers long after its final pages.
2009 Eisner Award Winner for Best Graphic Album (New), Eisner Award Nominee for Best Writer/Artist and Best Lettering, 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for Young Adult Fiction, Ignatz Award Winner for Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Debut, and official selection of YALSA's Great Graphic Novels For Teens.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published July 8, 2008
About the author
Nate Powell
61 books193 followersNathan Lee Powell is an American cartoonist and musician.
Born in 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Nate spent his childhood in different parts of the country, as his family moved around following his father's duties as an Air Force officer.
Powell became active in the punk rock scene since his teen age. He ended up performing in several bands over the years, and even owing a DIY punk record label. At the same time, he developed an interest in visual arts and majored in Cartooning at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York.
For about ten years Powell worked as a care giver for adult with developmental disabilities, while also drawing comic books. His major break came with the graphic novel Swallow Me Whole, which won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Debut and Outstanding Artist in 2008, as well as the Eisner Award for Best Original Graphic Novel in 2009. Between 2013 and 2016 Nate Powell released what remains his most famous work, the three volumes of March, a comic biography of civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis.
Born in 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Nate spent his childhood in different parts of the country, as his family moved around following his father's duties as an Air Force officer.
Powell became active in the punk rock scene since his teen age. He ended up performing in several bands over the years, and even owing a DIY punk record label. At the same time, he developed an interest in visual arts and majored in Cartooning at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York.
For about ten years Powell worked as a care giver for adult with developmental disabilities, while also drawing comic books. His major break came with the graphic novel Swallow Me Whole, which won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Debut and Outstanding Artist in 2008, as well as the Eisner Award for Best Original Graphic Novel in 2009. Between 2013 and 2016 Nate Powell released what remains his most famous work, the three volumes of March, a comic biography of civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis.
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July 26, 2024
Revision of review 4/9/17
Nate Powell worked for several years with young people with developmental disabilities, something I also did for a shorter time. He also ran a punk record label and performed in several bands, and oh, yeah, produces these amazing, detailed graphic novels and stories, including the series that took him and his co-authors to The National Book Award in 2016, March, the graphic memoir from Sen. John Lewis of the Civil Rights movement in the US, which Powell illustrated. But Swallow was my very first encounter with him, a story about a family dealing with a dying grandmother who is losing it, and a brother and sister dealing with early onset schizophrenia, something that statistics tell me is something much more common than I had imagined.
The focus in Whole is on the two kids, with primary focus on the girl's more serious, less able to hide, experiences, her visual hallucinations and obsessions. I read this initially and again as a parent whose son has been hospitalized for related issues, so it was scary for me, in the sense that it felt a little more real to me than just any graphic story, of course. In my late teens and twenties, too, I worked in a psych ward with some teens who were schizophrenic, hallucinating, paranoid, what they then called manic-depressive, so I have had some powerful experiences with this stuff. Powell wants us to try to experience what it may feel like to live in two worlds, the "real" world and this hallucinatory one that is unfortunately just as real, and with some folks, this secondary world takes over your “other” life. Sad, and frightening, though Powell also captures the anguish (and some attractions/fascinations associated with it) beautifully, I think. Reminds me a bit of David B's attempt to depict what he imagines his brother's epilepsy to be, which is of course another sad and anguished story, and also Craig Thompson's Blankets, where he tries to mostly visually capture the swirling, romantic falling of first love. What I’m pointing to here is the way comics can attempt to “capture” the emotional aspects of experience, through metaphor.
I've now taught/read this book several times. I had the occasion to meet Powell, who said this was his favorite, his most personal book. Some students don't like it for the very reason I do like it: his almost indecipherable hand lettering, which I think helps you understand auditory hallucinations in a way as happening sometimes just on the edge of “normal” hearing, and also helps you recall the mumbling of quiet, alienated young people, their sometimes disjointed, fanatical and unexplained experiences, which are told here to help us understand the experience of hallucinations.
Some of the images are very scary, the stuff of horror, which is what schizophrenics may regularly wrestle with. It's not fun to read, but there's a kind tenderness to the relationship between the brother and sister, who both suffer from the disorder in different ways. The fear, and the coming to terms (in part) with themselves as humans possessing these unwanted perceptions, that's heart wrenching. Powerful, I thought. Not for everyone, maybe. But as I said, I connect with it in part for family and work reasons. As a teacher, you know you have kids in your classrooms that hear voices and have hallucinations, and are medicated, but you don't always know this.
The medication can help a lot, by the way, and very much has helped my son, I write years later.. It's a muh better world for schizophrenics than in the seventies when I worked in the hospital,or even when Powell worked with folks decades later. Oliver Sacks in Hallucinations makes it clear that what we think of as misperception (think: mirages, and so on) is much more common than most people think.
This last reading, completed April 9, 2017, feels like the grimmest time I have read this book, because in part the future seems scary for my now-17-year old son (and now repost it in July 2024). It's like looking deeply into the heart of darkness, into madness itself. It’s terrifying, really, though. I sometimes ride the trains to work here in Chicago with plenty of homeless people, some of whom I see are having psychotic episodes, who used to be better protected in and by institutions. The world seems like a meaner, less supportive place to me for people that Powell writes about, for people like my son, than when I worked in the psych hospital in the seventies.
Nate Powell worked for several years with young people with developmental disabilities, something I also did for a shorter time. He also ran a punk record label and performed in several bands, and oh, yeah, produces these amazing, detailed graphic novels and stories, including the series that took him and his co-authors to The National Book Award in 2016, March, the graphic memoir from Sen. John Lewis of the Civil Rights movement in the US, which Powell illustrated. But Swallow was my very first encounter with him, a story about a family dealing with a dying grandmother who is losing it, and a brother and sister dealing with early onset schizophrenia, something that statistics tell me is something much more common than I had imagined.
The focus in Whole is on the two kids, with primary focus on the girl's more serious, less able to hide, experiences, her visual hallucinations and obsessions. I read this initially and again as a parent whose son has been hospitalized for related issues, so it was scary for me, in the sense that it felt a little more real to me than just any graphic story, of course. In my late teens and twenties, too, I worked in a psych ward with some teens who were schizophrenic, hallucinating, paranoid, what they then called manic-depressive, so I have had some powerful experiences with this stuff. Powell wants us to try to experience what it may feel like to live in two worlds, the "real" world and this hallucinatory one that is unfortunately just as real, and with some folks, this secondary world takes over your “other” life. Sad, and frightening, though Powell also captures the anguish (and some attractions/fascinations associated with it) beautifully, I think. Reminds me a bit of David B's attempt to depict what he imagines his brother's epilepsy to be, which is of course another sad and anguished story, and also Craig Thompson's Blankets, where he tries to mostly visually capture the swirling, romantic falling of first love. What I’m pointing to here is the way comics can attempt to “capture” the emotional aspects of experience, through metaphor.
I've now taught/read this book several times. I had the occasion to meet Powell, who said this was his favorite, his most personal book. Some students don't like it for the very reason I do like it: his almost indecipherable hand lettering, which I think helps you understand auditory hallucinations in a way as happening sometimes just on the edge of “normal” hearing, and also helps you recall the mumbling of quiet, alienated young people, their sometimes disjointed, fanatical and unexplained experiences, which are told here to help us understand the experience of hallucinations.
Some of the images are very scary, the stuff of horror, which is what schizophrenics may regularly wrestle with. It's not fun to read, but there's a kind tenderness to the relationship between the brother and sister, who both suffer from the disorder in different ways. The fear, and the coming to terms (in part) with themselves as humans possessing these unwanted perceptions, that's heart wrenching. Powerful, I thought. Not for everyone, maybe. But as I said, I connect with it in part for family and work reasons. As a teacher, you know you have kids in your classrooms that hear voices and have hallucinations, and are medicated, but you don't always know this.
The medication can help a lot, by the way, and very much has helped my son, I write years later.. It's a muh better world for schizophrenics than in the seventies when I worked in the hospital,or even when Powell worked with folks decades later. Oliver Sacks in Hallucinations makes it clear that what we think of as misperception (think: mirages, and so on) is much more common than most people think.
This last reading, completed April 9, 2017, feels like the grimmest time I have read this book, because in part the future seems scary for my now-17-year old son (and now repost it in July 2024). It's like looking deeply into the heart of darkness, into madness itself. It’s terrifying, really, though. I sometimes ride the trains to work here in Chicago with plenty of homeless people, some of whom I see are having psychotic episodes, who used to be better protected in and by institutions. The world seems like a meaner, less supportive place to me for people that Powell writes about, for people like my son, than when I worked in the psych hospital in the seventies.
October 8, 2022
Hep düşünürüm, kitap arkası yazılarını yazan bu embesilleri nereden buluyorlar diye. Mesela kariyer.net'e şöyle ilanlar mı veriyor yayınevleri: "tüm işlevlerini toplam 12 adet nöronla idare edebilen, bön bakışlı, durgun zekalı editör aranıyor. Not: ağzının yerini bilmesi tercih sebebidir" diye? Sonra da çeşit çeşit embesil cv'ler mi yağdırıyor o yayınevlerine; "şöyle aptalım, böyle aptalım," diye?
Kitabın arkasını yazan geri zekalının iddia ettiğinin aksine aşk hikayesi ile yakından uzaktan ilgisi olmayan kitabımız, Perry ve Ruth adlı şizofreni hastası iki kardeşin yaşamlarını, "normal hayat" içinde var olma, uyum sağlama ve hayatta kalma çabalarını anlatıyor.
Büyük annelerinin de muzdarip olduğu hastalıkla olarak küçük yaşlarda tanışan iki kahramanımız büyüdükçe halüsinasyonlar, sanrılar giderek artmaya başlıyor. Ergenliğin o ezici ağırlığı ile de birleştiğinde Ruth ve Perry'nin gerçeklikle bağlantısı giderek daha fazla hasar görmeye başlıyor. Aileleri, öğretmenleri, ve karşılarında çıkan hemen tüm diğer yetişkinler süzme birer hödük olduklarından da yaşadıkları gerçeklik giderek daha fazla tatsızlaşıyor. Ortada bir hastalık olmasa dahi "kaçılması gereken" berbat orta sınıf Amerikan aptallığı kaynaklı bir depresyon yumağına dönüşmeye başlıyor hayatları.
Tam anlamıyla karanlık bir çizgi roman Yut Beni. Dilinden atmosferine, balonundan müziklerine çok yoğun biçimde hissettiriyor bunu. (tam da o yüzden East Hasting 'i bırakıyorum buraya, dinlersiniz okurken). Perry'nin görece uyum sağlayabilir hallerine rağmen, Ruth'un git gide kırıldığını, her şeyin ne kadar ağır geldiğini baştan sona kadar iliklerinizde hissediyorsunuz.
Kitabı ilginç yapan unsurlardan biri de Ruth ve Perry'nin durumlarını kendi aralarında özgürce, çekinmeden konuşabilmeleri. Çarpık ve deforme de olsa bir öz farkındalık etrafından, "seni anlayabilecek biri" ile dertleşebilmek gerçekten önemli bir faktör yaşamlarında. Ancak bir o kadar da ürkütücü bu kadar yalın ifade edilebiliyor olması. Bana tutunacak küçük bir parıltı olduğu kadar, bir miktar aklımı da karıştırdı tam da bu yüzden.
Bir kasabadaki standart ve hayli can sıkıcı insanların, küçük bir kesitine odaklanarak hikayesini anlatan, güzel kurgulanmış bir kitap Yut Beni. Tahammül sınırımızı zorlayan küçük detayları arka arkaya eklemeyi iyi beceriyor açıkçası. Ancak Nate Powell, asıl maharetini grafiklere, panellere, balonlamaya, çizgi romancılığa mutlak hakimiyetinde gösteriyor. Siyah ve beyazı harika bir biçimde kullanan Nate, oturmuş bir üsluba, güzel çizgilere, basit çizimlerle iyi karakterler oluşturabilecek de tecrübeye, çizgi romanda olmazsa olmaz olan hareket hissiyatını ve ifadeler konusunda da tartışılmaz bir başarıya sahip. Bunları detaylı arka planlar, dikkati ödüllendiren mekanlarla da gayet güzel birleştiriyor.
Ama bu kitabın çizimlerini özel ve farklı yapan, Nate Powell'ın eklediklerinden ziyade çıkardıkları. Sanatçı kendi çizimlerini deforme ederek, eksilterek, bozarak, balonları silerek ve anlaşılmaz/okunmaz kılarak, paneller arasındaki geçişlere müdahale ederek, akıcılığı bozarak öyle bir hale sokuyor ki kitabı, sanki siz de her şeye Ruth ve Perry'nin dünyalarını çarpıtan, değiştiren algıyla, o aynı ruh ezen perdenin ardından bakıyorsunuz. Aslında okurken bir yandan da şöyle dedim; keşke şizofreni meselesi kitapta ya hiç tartışılmasaydı ve bizim çözmemiz gereken bir gizem olarak kalsaydı ya da çok daha sonra ortaya çıksaydı. Uzun süre bu deformasyonları algılamaya çalışıp, okuduğumuzun gerçekliğini sorgular durumda kalsaydık. Gerçekten yakışırmış bu anlatım tarzına.
Kitabı bitirdiğimde, bu yazıyı yazmadan önce, spoiler tag'i altında kitabın sonunu da bir miktar tartışmak istiyordum açıkçası. Ancak üzerinde düşündükçe bundan vaz geçtim. Vaz geçtim çünkü hem "bu şekilde" oluşu gerçekten etkileyiciydi, hem de "kör gözüne parmağım" dercesine açıklamanın saygısızca olacağını düşündüm. Ama sanılmasın ki kendi doğrularını dayatmak adına insanların güvenlik ağlarını yırtıp atmakta zerre sakınca görmeyen o berbat, kibirli "normalliğe" öfkemi saklı tutmuyorum.
Beğenmiş olmama rağmen kitabı kolaylıkla tavsiye edemeyeceğim bu arada. Çoğu kişinin kitabı tatsız bulacağını düşünüyorum aslında hem teknik hem de hikayesel nedenlerle. Ama ben gördüğümü baya beğendim, yazarın diğer kitaplarının da peşine düşeceğim.
2 gün sonra editi: Şuraya da okurken dinlediğim playlisti bırakıyorum:
Kitabın arkasını yazan geri zekalının iddia ettiğinin aksine aşk hikayesi ile yakından uzaktan ilgisi olmayan kitabımız, Perry ve Ruth adlı şizofreni hastası iki kardeşin yaşamlarını, "normal hayat" içinde var olma, uyum sağlama ve hayatta kalma çabalarını anlatıyor.
Büyük annelerinin de muzdarip olduğu hastalıkla olarak küçük yaşlarda tanışan iki kahramanımız büyüdükçe halüsinasyonlar, sanrılar giderek artmaya başlıyor. Ergenliğin o ezici ağırlığı ile de birleştiğinde Ruth ve Perry'nin gerçeklikle bağlantısı giderek daha fazla hasar görmeye başlıyor. Aileleri, öğretmenleri, ve karşılarında çıkan hemen tüm diğer yetişkinler süzme birer hödük olduklarından da yaşadıkları gerçeklik giderek daha fazla tatsızlaşıyor. Ortada bir hastalık olmasa dahi "kaçılması gereken" berbat orta sınıf Amerikan aptallığı kaynaklı bir depresyon yumağına dönüşmeye başlıyor hayatları.
Tam anlamıyla karanlık bir çizgi roman Yut Beni. Dilinden atmosferine, balonundan müziklerine çok yoğun biçimde hissettiriyor bunu. (tam da o yüzden East Hasting 'i bırakıyorum buraya, dinlersiniz okurken). Perry'nin görece uyum sağlayabilir hallerine rağmen, Ruth'un git gide kırıldığını, her şeyin ne kadar ağır geldiğini baştan sona kadar iliklerinizde hissediyorsunuz.
Kitabı ilginç yapan unsurlardan biri de Ruth ve Perry'nin durumlarını kendi aralarında özgürce, çekinmeden konuşabilmeleri. Çarpık ve deforme de olsa bir öz farkındalık etrafından, "seni anlayabilecek biri" ile dertleşebilmek gerçekten önemli bir faktör yaşamlarında. Ancak bir o kadar da ürkütücü bu kadar yalın ifade edilebiliyor olması. Bana tutunacak küçük bir parıltı olduğu kadar, bir miktar aklımı da karıştırdı tam da bu yüzden.
Bir kasabadaki standart ve hayli can sıkıcı insanların, küçük bir kesitine odaklanarak hikayesini anlatan, güzel kurgulanmış bir kitap Yut Beni. Tahammül sınırımızı zorlayan küçük detayları arka arkaya eklemeyi iyi beceriyor açıkçası. Ancak Nate Powell, asıl maharetini grafiklere, panellere, balonlamaya, çizgi romancılığa mutlak hakimiyetinde gösteriyor. Siyah ve beyazı harika bir biçimde kullanan Nate, oturmuş bir üsluba, güzel çizgilere, basit çizimlerle iyi karakterler oluşturabilecek de tecrübeye, çizgi romanda olmazsa olmaz olan hareket hissiyatını ve ifadeler konusunda da tartışılmaz bir başarıya sahip. Bunları detaylı arka planlar, dikkati ödüllendiren mekanlarla da gayet güzel birleştiriyor.
Ama bu kitabın çizimlerini özel ve farklı yapan, Nate Powell'ın eklediklerinden ziyade çıkardıkları. Sanatçı kendi çizimlerini deforme ederek, eksilterek, bozarak, balonları silerek ve anlaşılmaz/okunmaz kılarak, paneller arasındaki geçişlere müdahale ederek, akıcılığı bozarak öyle bir hale sokuyor ki kitabı, sanki siz de her şeye Ruth ve Perry'nin dünyalarını çarpıtan, değiştiren algıyla, o aynı ruh ezen perdenin ardından bakıyorsunuz. Aslında okurken bir yandan da şöyle dedim; keşke şizofreni meselesi kitapta ya hiç tartışılmasaydı ve bizim çözmemiz gereken bir gizem olarak kalsaydı ya da çok daha sonra ortaya çıksaydı. Uzun süre bu deformasyonları algılamaya çalışıp, okuduğumuzun gerçekliğini sorgular durumda kalsaydık. Gerçekten yakışırmış bu anlatım tarzına.
Kitabı bitirdiğimde, bu yazıyı yazmadan önce, spoiler tag'i altında kitabın sonunu da bir miktar tartışmak istiyordum açıkçası. Ancak üzerinde düşündükçe bundan vaz geçtim. Vaz geçtim çünkü hem "bu şekilde" oluşu gerçekten etkileyiciydi, hem de "kör gözüne parmağım" dercesine açıklamanın saygısızca olacağını düşündüm. Ama sanılmasın ki kendi doğrularını dayatmak adına insanların güvenlik ağlarını yırtıp atmakta zerre sakınca görmeyen o berbat, kibirli "normalliğe" öfkemi saklı tutmuyorum.
Beğenmiş olmama rağmen kitabı kolaylıkla tavsiye edemeyeceğim bu arada. Çoğu kişinin kitabı tatsız bulacağını düşünüyorum aslında hem teknik hem de hikayesel nedenlerle. Ama ben gördüğümü baya beğendim, yazarın diğer kitaplarının da peşine düşeceğim.
2 gün sonra editi: Şuraya da okurken dinlediğim playlisti bırakıyorum:
June 18, 2009
It's almost cliche at this point to praise Nate Powell's Swallow Me Whole, but it's not like there's any honest alternative. The book is just too good for anything else. Talented illustrator? Check. Talented storyteller? Check. Imaginative? Funny? Insightful? Worthwhile? All systems are go. Powell's art reminds me of some delicate hybrid between Craig Thompson and David Lapham—and amusingly, Swallow Me Whole is like some strange cross-pollination between Blankets and Silverfish.
Okay, well not really. But kinda.
By the evidence of prior works (Epileptic and It's a Bird come to mind), the comics medium seems uniquely suitable to the exploration of mental deviation-slash-illness. Swallow Me Whole, far from dispelling this sense of things, works to cement the place of comics as a vessel through which the well might come to better understand the unwell. My experience with those suffering under the fist of schizophrenia is limited to a relative I'll never know, so I can't speak very well to the accuracies of Powell's depiction but to say that it isn't so far from the stories I've been told by my relatives who survived the terror and oppression this one errant family member brought into the family by her delusions.
Often these illnesses are portrayed from the outside, from the viewpoint of a quote-unquote neutral observer. Powell gets to the heart of things by giving us two protagonists, Ruth and Perry (one medicated and one not), who labour under the grip of delusions they recognize to be delusions but have no recourse but to answer to their illusions. What's better is that we are allowed to experience their hallucinations somewhat as they experience them. Ruth's delusions are more intrusive and she embraces them with less hesitation, but Perry's can be no less intrusive and no less compulsive.
Where Swallow Me Whole's real strength lies is in the fact that Ruth and Perry talk openly between themselves about the trials of their own branded delusions. Powell goes to pains to give breadth of soul to other family members despite offering them strictly limited screentime but the real focus is Ruth and Perry. Even though neither has any more experience of each other's hallucinations (Ruth's feature ambassador's from the insect kingdom and require a shrine of physical corpses while Perry's involve a diminutive wizard who resides primarily on the end of his pencil and forces him on drawing missions), they speak to each other with love and understanding. Even as the difficulties of their lives threaten to destroy them and their family, the have each other to hold onto and it seems only by their bond that they've survived as long as they have. These are two deeply involving and sympathetic characters who carry the book on the shoulders of their interactions with each other.
The book's conclusion is going to be the sticking point for most readers, either confusing them into distrusting the book or elevating it to a work of grand accomplishment. I fall into the latter of the two artificially-constructed catchall bins. There are, I think two valid interpretations for the finale—both of which are powerful and amazing. I'm not sure which reading I prefer—each has its merits—but in the final analysis, each shows the horrible power of this kind of disease and how acts of coping on one's part can destroy the lives of others. The climax is amazing and, whether taken literally or figuratively, demonstrates well Powell's grasp of the material. Great stuff!
Okay, well not really. But kinda.
By the evidence of prior works (Epileptic and It's a Bird come to mind), the comics medium seems uniquely suitable to the exploration of mental deviation-slash-illness. Swallow Me Whole, far from dispelling this sense of things, works to cement the place of comics as a vessel through which the well might come to better understand the unwell. My experience with those suffering under the fist of schizophrenia is limited to a relative I'll never know, so I can't speak very well to the accuracies of Powell's depiction but to say that it isn't so far from the stories I've been told by my relatives who survived the terror and oppression this one errant family member brought into the family by her delusions.
Often these illnesses are portrayed from the outside, from the viewpoint of a quote-unquote neutral observer. Powell gets to the heart of things by giving us two protagonists, Ruth and Perry (one medicated and one not), who labour under the grip of delusions they recognize to be delusions but have no recourse but to answer to their illusions. What's better is that we are allowed to experience their hallucinations somewhat as they experience them. Ruth's delusions are more intrusive and she embraces them with less hesitation, but Perry's can be no less intrusive and no less compulsive.
Where Swallow Me Whole's real strength lies is in the fact that Ruth and Perry talk openly between themselves about the trials of their own branded delusions. Powell goes to pains to give breadth of soul to other family members despite offering them strictly limited screentime but the real focus is Ruth and Perry. Even though neither has any more experience of each other's hallucinations (Ruth's feature ambassador's from the insect kingdom and require a shrine of physical corpses while Perry's involve a diminutive wizard who resides primarily on the end of his pencil and forces him on drawing missions), they speak to each other with love and understanding. Even as the difficulties of their lives threaten to destroy them and their family, the have each other to hold onto and it seems only by their bond that they've survived as long as they have. These are two deeply involving and sympathetic characters who carry the book on the shoulders of their interactions with each other.
The book's conclusion is going to be the sticking point for most readers, either confusing them into distrusting the book or elevating it to a work of grand accomplishment. I fall into the latter of the two artificially-constructed catchall bins. There are, I think two valid interpretations for the finale—both of which are powerful and amazing. I'm not sure which reading I prefer—each has its merits—but in the final analysis, each shows the horrible power of this kind of disease and how acts of coping on one's part can destroy the lives of others. The climax is amazing and, whether taken literally or figuratively, demonstrates well Powell's grasp of the material. Great stuff!
February 11, 2024
There seemed to be way too much happening in this graphic narrative. So many threads knotted up in a tangled mess. Some speech balloons were in the tiniest script— once I started skipping them I should have just packed it in.
This book is probably well done but was just not for me and my struggling eyesight.
This book is probably well done but was just not for me and my struggling eyesight.
January 20, 2020
I stumbled across this, my first graphic novel the other night. This book is about two siblings, both suffering from mental illness - hallucinations, obsessive behaviour, schizophrenia perhaps. There is a touch of young love thrown in and a family struggling with these health issues and the normal pressures of family life - not least of which involves a grandmother with a terminal illness.
The drawings were powerfully grim, this book is dark. I will need to re-read and think more about this story as I believe there is a lot more in it than I have gleaned from my first read.
I did find this worthwhile, as it has given me something to think about and the artwork as such, presented a different world which was quite immersive.
3.5 stars
The drawings were powerfully grim, this book is dark. I will need to re-read and think more about this story as I believe there is a lot more in it than I have gleaned from my first read.
I did find this worthwhile, as it has given me something to think about and the artwork as such, presented a different world which was quite immersive.
3.5 stars
March 2, 2009
Damnit! I just wrote a long ass review and the goddamn internet ate it up and shit it out in some unknowable aether. Fuckers.
Whatever.
The review was good, but now you're just going to have to trust me on that because there's no way in fucking hell I'm re-typing it.
Anyway, I've been following Nate Powell since I found his punk-inspired minis, and he was and is one of the best draftsmen in comics today. That said, he often spirals off into doodle-y dream-narratives with tons of boring-to-read experimentations. He was and is great at straight-forward narratives, but seems to be bored by them.
In this book, he sublimates his love for experimentation with a solid story about a young girl in a family who seem to be predisposed to schizophrenia. It's powerful stuff, circumventing the tired coming of age bullshit with unreliable narrators, an obsession with death and a sick and dying grandmother, and an inability to distinguish reality from fantasy that is punctuated with frequent flights of fantasy, which are sometimes whimsical, but more often frightening and portent of doom. The narrative proceeds in fits and bursts and often follows an odd logic, which cumulates with a tour-de-force ending, which might be metaphorical, might be from the POV of an unreliable narrator, or might be an intrusion of the unreal upon reality. Whatever it is, it works, and is a hell of a way for Powell to combine his love and his strength as a cartoonist.
Whatever.
The review was good, but now you're just going to have to trust me on that because there's no way in fucking hell I'm re-typing it.
Anyway, I've been following Nate Powell since I found his punk-inspired minis, and he was and is one of the best draftsmen in comics today. That said, he often spirals off into doodle-y dream-narratives with tons of boring-to-read experimentations. He was and is great at straight-forward narratives, but seems to be bored by them.
In this book, he sublimates his love for experimentation with a solid story about a young girl in a family who seem to be predisposed to schizophrenia. It's powerful stuff, circumventing the tired coming of age bullshit with unreliable narrators, an obsession with death and a sick and dying grandmother, and an inability to distinguish reality from fantasy that is punctuated with frequent flights of fantasy, which are sometimes whimsical, but more often frightening and portent of doom. The narrative proceeds in fits and bursts and often follows an odd logic, which cumulates with a tour-de-force ending, which might be metaphorical, might be from the POV of an unreliable narrator, or might be an intrusion of the unreal upon reality. Whatever it is, it works, and is a hell of a way for Powell to combine his love and his strength as a cartoonist.
November 23, 2009
This book is deep and difficult for me to write about as I'm not sure I "got" the whole thing. I'll make an attempt at my impressions. Two siblings both have psychological problems. The girl, Ruth, is the main character and suffers from delusions, paranoia, schizophrenia and OCD while her brother seems to suffer on a lesser degree from delusions. They also have their grandmother living at home with them as she is dying and also delusional. The book follows the girl's descent into madness while those around her stand by and do nothing. She recognizes her mind is different and so does her brother, together they can talk to each other about it. We watch as Ruth starts out trying to make her way through each day until in the end her illnesses smother and bury who she once was.
The book is done is black and white, with a lot of the pages having a black background. Many scenes have word bubbles with writing so tiny or scribbled it is unreadable, these are the background voices that Ruth doesn't hear in her world. The story is intense and yet, there is no real plot. The book tries to capture a feeling in words and pictures. I sort of enjoyed the book. Probably up to the mid-point I was enjoying it but honestly, I didn't see the point of the story. I have mental health issues myself (some of which were mirrored in the book) and the book seemed to just be saying to me, "Look, this is what it feels like to go crazy". Perhaps others will get more out of it. I recommend the book for higher aged teens because of the swearing (which includes the f-word) and a small amount of teenage sex.
The book is done is black and white, with a lot of the pages having a black background. Many scenes have word bubbles with writing so tiny or scribbled it is unreadable, these are the background voices that Ruth doesn't hear in her world. The story is intense and yet, there is no real plot. The book tries to capture a feeling in words and pictures. I sort of enjoyed the book. Probably up to the mid-point I was enjoying it but honestly, I didn't see the point of the story. I have mental health issues myself (some of which were mirrored in the book) and the book seemed to just be saying to me, "Look, this is what it feels like to go crazy". Perhaps others will get more out of it. I recommend the book for higher aged teens because of the swearing (which includes the f-word) and a small amount of teenage sex.
April 7, 2019
Da li je moguće nacrtati hebefrenu šizofreniju običnom olovkom? DA.
U ovom grafičkom romanu pratimo (ne, pratimo nije dobar izraz, jer se njihova svakodnevica preliva preko stranica, lebdi, gmiže po tuđoj koži, isušuje ih) polubrata i polusestru, Perija i Rut.
Rut je opsednuta rearanžiranjem životinjskih leševa u formolu koje religiozno slaže na polici, i koji ponekad govore sa njom, dok Perija maltretira sitan čarobnjak na vrhu olovke koji ga tera da pravi misteriozne crteže dok ga ne zabole ruke.
Mogu da se povere jedino jedno drugom, gde pokušavaju da nađu utočište, ali i to je preteško kada svako od njih postaje sve više zarobljen u sopstvenom svetu halucinacija. Potpuno nerazumevanje okoline, roditelja, vršnjaka, medicinskog osoblja ih boli u početku, mada postaje sve nebitnije dok ih opsesije obuzimaju i dok postaju centar njihovog sveta, bez pogleda u budućnost.
Sve halucinatorne epizode su fantastično dočarane, nestajanje u vrtlogu nerazmuljivih reči, oblika i pokreta. Priča je sumorna i dovodi do ogromnog osećaja praznine sa sitnim plamičkom tinejdžerskog bunta da se njih dvoje neće prilagoditi društvu i da će pokušati da pronađu značenje svoje bolesti.
U ovom grafičkom romanu pratimo (ne, pratimo nije dobar izraz, jer se njihova svakodnevica preliva preko stranica, lebdi, gmiže po tuđoj koži, isušuje ih) polubrata i polusestru, Perija i Rut.
Rut je opsednuta rearanžiranjem životinjskih leševa u formolu koje religiozno slaže na polici, i koji ponekad govore sa njom, dok Perija maltretira sitan čarobnjak na vrhu olovke koji ga tera da pravi misteriozne crteže dok ga ne zabole ruke.
Mogu da se povere jedino jedno drugom, gde pokušavaju da nađu utočište, ali i to je preteško kada svako od njih postaje sve više zarobljen u sopstvenom svetu halucinacija. Potpuno nerazumevanje okoline, roditelja, vršnjaka, medicinskog osoblja ih boli u početku, mada postaje sve nebitnije dok ih opsesije obuzimaju i dok postaju centar njihovog sveta, bez pogleda u budućnost.
Sve halucinatorne epizode su fantastično dočarane, nestajanje u vrtlogu nerazmuljivih reči, oblika i pokreta. Priča je sumorna i dovodi do ogromnog osećaja praznine sa sitnim plamičkom tinejdžerskog bunta da se njih dvoje neće prilagoditi društvu i da će pokušati da pronađu značenje svoje bolesti.
April 11, 2018
Sevmedim. Üzgün surat.
August 17, 2019
Черговий, визнаний шедевр від Нейта Пауела. Історія про двох підлітків Рут та Перрі, які мають складне психічне захворювання - шизофренію. У першому випадку Рут медикалізована, коли Перрі - ні. Більший фокус усе ж на Рут. На початку історії нічого особливого не відбувається: напади агресії, галюцинації, непорозуміння та самотність. Це все, як завжди, чудово візуалізовано на рівні контрастів, глибоких тіней і швидких, гострих ліній. Мені навіть здалося, що цю річ трохи переоцінили. Але вже під кінець історія набуває емоційного резонування, просто перевертає все з ніг на голову.
Відчуваєш, що Пауел хоче щось більше сказати, аніж розкрити складну проблему шизофренії для дитячого та юнацького віку (насправді дуже важлива тема, майже не розкрита в графічних романах). Мені здається, що одна з ключових ідей в неможливості впоратись з нестримним божевіллям, яке справді поглинає повністю, крок за кроком забирає відчуття об'єктивної реальності. Навіть більше, божевілля - як вірус - може передаватись від однієї людини до іншої, де епізод із жабою є підветрдженням цієї тези. Важливо й те, що ця страшна (й водночас часто замовчувана) хвороба забирає усе важливе для людини, а особливо підлітка. У такій ситуації для Рут і Перрі лишається тільки змиритись, прийняти свою темряву, коли не допомагають таблетки й ліки, констультації в лікаря та інші терапевтичні засоби. Вони тримаються один одного як ті самотні човни в бурхливому океані неконтрольованих марень.
Водночас ідея про те, що є речі сильніші від нас - метафізичні, вигадані - теж доволі важлива ідея. Ми помічаємо як реальні речі стають основою для уявного, де другий поступово витісняє перший. Також помічаємо так званих "посланців" з обох вигаданих королівств: у випадку Рут це вимагання примножувати святиню із фізичних трупів комах, а у випадку Перрі накази малювати різні місії від маленького чарівника на кінці олівця. Метафора комах є теж блискучим рішенням, адже не тільки символізує поступове, децентралізоване наростання безуму, але й непоборну його природу. Одному не в силі впоратись із мільйардами комах. Так само й неможливо впоратись із мільяржами роздроблених страхів, що виповзають з вікон, дверей, вилітають з неба й дерев. Зрештою, самі витворюють фізичні об'єкти. Усе це показує, що для Пауела тема ментальної хвороби болюча, близька, а усі його образи потрібні, насамперед, для власного лікування. Або відтермінування. Бо рано чи пізно абстрактне теж поглине нас.
Відчуваєш, що Пауел хоче щось більше сказати, аніж розкрити складну проблему шизофренії для дитячого та юнацького віку (насправді дуже важлива тема, майже не розкрита в графічних романах). Мені здається, що одна з ключових ідей в неможливості впоратись з нестримним божевіллям, яке справді поглинає повністю, крок за кроком забирає відчуття об'єктивної реальності. Навіть більше, божевілля - як вірус - може передаватись від однієї людини до іншої, де епізод із жабою є підветрдженням цієї тези. Важливо й те, що ця страшна (й водночас часто замовчувана) хвороба забирає усе важливе для людини, а особливо підлітка. У такій ситуації для Рут і Перрі лишається тільки змиритись, прийняти свою темряву, коли не допомагають таблетки й ліки, констультації в лікаря та інші терапевтичні засоби. Вони тримаються один одного як ті самотні човни в бурхливому океані неконтрольованих марень.
Водночас ідея про те, що є речі сильніші від нас - метафізичні, вигадані - теж доволі важлива ідея. Ми помічаємо як реальні речі стають основою для уявного, де другий поступово витісняє перший. Також помічаємо так званих "посланців" з обох вигаданих королівств: у випадку Рут це вимагання примножувати святиню із фізичних трупів комах, а у випадку Перрі накази малювати різні місії від маленького чарівника на кінці олівця. Метафора комах є теж блискучим рішенням, адже не тільки символізує поступове, децентралізоване наростання безуму, але й непоборну його природу. Одному не в силі впоратись із мільйардами комах. Так само й неможливо впоратись із мільяржами роздроблених страхів, що виповзають з вікон, дверей, вилітають з неба й дерев. Зрештою, самі витворюють фізичні об'єкти. Усе це показує, що для Пауела тема ментальної хвороби болюча, близька, а усі його образи потрібні, насамперед, для власного лікування. Або відтермінування. Бо рано чи пізно абстрактне теж поглине нас.
January 25, 2011
I expected Swallow Me Whole to be a sweet, melancholy story of adolescence. I was unprepared for how disturbing and sad it is. I was also disturbed to get partway into the book and realize that the awesomely cute character Powell had drawn in my signed copy was actually an anthropomorphic pill.
There are a lot of pills in Swallow Me Whole. The story centers around siblings Ruth and Perry, who each have their hidden adolescent demons which manifest in different ways. Perry draws and Ruth obsesses over insects. They live with their parents and fading grandmother. Powell draws an incredibly sympathetic portrait of the grandmother, switching between the elderly woman others perceive and the young woman she sees herself as. I don't know that I have ever seen a kinder treatment of the elderly in fiction, despite her physical and mental infirmities.
Powell should be commended for how artfully he handles such difficult topics. This is a heavy book and while I expected the graphical nature to lessen the impact, it does not. I think this could easily be a great short story but as a graphic novel, it is immensely powerful. It is amazing how much loneliness, fright, and sadness Powell is able to capture with just ink and paper.
There are a lot of pills in Swallow Me Whole. The story centers around siblings Ruth and Perry, who each have their hidden adolescent demons which manifest in different ways. Perry draws and Ruth obsesses over insects. They live with their parents and fading grandmother. Powell draws an incredibly sympathetic portrait of the grandmother, switching between the elderly woman others perceive and the young woman she sees herself as. I don't know that I have ever seen a kinder treatment of the elderly in fiction, despite her physical and mental infirmities.
Powell should be commended for how artfully he handles such difficult topics. This is a heavy book and while I expected the graphical nature to lessen the impact, it does not. I think this could easily be a great short story but as a graphic novel, it is immensely powerful. It is amazing how much loneliness, fright, and sadness Powell is able to capture with just ink and paper.
June 13, 2009
I had such high hopes for a longer comic by Nate Powell, but this book really fell short of my expectations. A lot of the story was hard to follow, which may have been somewhat intentional since the story deals with schizophrenia, but unfortunately that doesn't make it any less difficult to understand. If he had done a better job moving between external narrator and character experience, I would have had more tolerance for some of the confusion. For example, I discovered that the main characters were step-siblings, a fairly basic fact of the story, only when I read the back cover in hopes that it would shed some light on what was happening. I also didn't find the story particularly interesting, but it's hard to say how much of that had to do with the difficult-to-follow narrative style.
Read
July 28, 2011I didn't like this book. It was really confusing and hard to follow - partially because the characters were not introduced in a clear way in the beginning and partially because the drawings were so muddled it was often hard to tell what you were looking at. Some of that was stylistic choices - I guess this is what it feels to be schizophrenic? - but really it just made the book confusing to the point where it was hard to care about any of the characters because you never really knew what was going on. At some point it just feels pretentious and pomo, and I'm not really into the whole 'weird for the sake of being weird' thing. I don't recommend.
March 8, 2020
"Hayatımızın bu aşaması ucuz bir roman gibi.
İnsan formları yavaşça titreşiyor...
Bununla ilgili düzeni anlıyorum...
Buna boyun eğiyorum, direnmiyorum, kabul ediyorum.
Damarlarım, ağaç kökleri gibi
Ciğerlerim toprak ve sisle doluyor
Hepimiz bu şekilde yapılandırılıyoruz
Gevşekçe vidalanıyoruz...
Söyle adımı kağıttan turna,
Yontulmuş, katlanmış iç organlar,
Kökler, resimler,
Bir daha asla eve gidemeyeceğim.
(s.100-101)
7/10
İnsan formları yavaşça titreşiyor...
Bununla ilgili düzeni anlıyorum...
Buna boyun eğiyorum, direnmiyorum, kabul ediyorum.
Damarlarım, ağaç kökleri gibi
Ciğerlerim toprak ve sisle doluyor
Hepimiz bu şekilde yapılandırılıyoruz
Gevşekçe vidalanıyoruz...
Söyle adımı kağıttan turna,
Yontulmuş, katlanmış iç organlar,
Kökler, resimler,
Bir daha asla eve gidemeyeceğim.
(s.100-101)
7/10
June 7, 2015
This is another work of Powell's I've had for awhile, but I've just been lax in getting to it. And shame on me for waiting, as this is truly an engaging story. I'm more familiar with Powell's historically based comics more than I have been the fiction, but here is a shining example of what the creator is capable of pulled purely from his experiences and imagination. I read this as a result of our recent review of Powell's latest book, You Don't Say, part of one of our review episodes of the podcast: http://comicsalternative.com/episode-....
January 30, 2018
An Eisner Award winner ! I just discovered Nate Powell this year and after finishing this volume I plan to read March.
The main theme of the book is mental illness. I’ve struggled with my own mental health issues for the entirety of my adult life. I’ve never experienced the severe hallucinations that the main character Ruth endured but I know the turmoil that an episode can inflict on family and friends.
Powell’s art and inking were amazing. He truly is a gifted artist. Recommended.
The main theme of the book is mental illness. I’ve struggled with my own mental health issues for the entirety of my adult life. I’ve never experienced the severe hallucinations that the main character Ruth endured but I know the turmoil that an episode can inflict on family and friends.
Powell’s art and inking were amazing. He truly is a gifted artist. Recommended.
February 8, 2016
This was strange, very strange, but captivating.
October 8, 2022
Yazıyı iyice uzatmak istemiyorum o yüzden meraklısını hayli açıklayıcı bilgi veren, başından sonuna katıldığım Rygard Battlehammer'ın şu güzel incelemesine doğru alıyorum.
Bunun haricinde panellerin kullanımı hoşuma gitti ama pek garipsemedim çünkü pek çok mangada bu tip sayfa ve panel kullanımını görmek mümkün, o yüzden düzenli bir manga okuyucusuysanız aşina olduğunuz bir tarzla karşılaşacağınızı söyleyebilirim. Ayrıca çizim tarzı ve siyah-beyaz oluşu ekstra beğendiğim bir yönüydü. Özellikle Powell'ın bazı yerlerde aynı sahneleri farklı kişilerin bakış açılarıyla çizdiği kısımları sevdim (örn: Ruth'un gördüğü vs dışarıdan herhangi birinin gördüğü şeklinde), bence olaya çok daha çarpıcı bir hava katmış.
Çizgi roman, bir kesime "n'oldu ya şimdi?!" dedirtebileceği gibi bir kesime de "daha farklı olmasını beklemiyordum" dedirtecek şekilde sonlandı. Ben kesin, BAK TAM OLARAK ŞÖYLE BİTTİ, açıklaması olmayan kitapları/çizgi romanları sevdiğim gibi net olmadığı için çıldırıp bu çıldırmadan haz alan bir insan olduğumdan sonu beni tatminsizliğimle tatmin etti diyebilirim. Ama zaten üretebileceğiniz bir-iki teoriden ötesiyle sonuçlanamayacağı için de "kesin bir sonu yoktu" demek de bence gereksiz olur. Sadece Rygard abimizin de dediği gibi "kör gözüne parmağım" şeklinde sonuca direkt bağlanmamış o kadar.
Velhasıl, ben çizgi romanı sevdim. Çoğu kişinin aksine pek atmosfer iç karartıcı vs de gelmedi bana bilmiyorum ama atmosferi de hoşuma gitti. Bence duygular da dünyalar da çok güzel yansıtılmış. Tatmin edici bir okuma oldu benim için. Adını üçüncü kez incelememde andığım Rygard abime buradan teşekkürlerimi iletiyorum bu çizgi romanla beni karşılaştırdığı için, normal şartlarda dikkatimi bile çekmezdi. Tavsiye ediyorum diyemem ama yukarıda paylaştığım linkteki incelemeyi okuyup fikir edindikten sonra kendiniz karar verebilirsiniz.
Son olarak, yıldız kırmamın sebebi bazı yerlerde kimin ne konuştuğunun pek anlaşılamıyor olması. Yani olayların soyutluğuyla alakasız, ortamda kim kime ya da neye ne diyor anlaşılmadığı kısımlar var. Bazı cümleleri de bir mantık çerçevesine ya da konuşma akışına oturtamadım, bu sorun sanatçıdan mı çeviriden mi kaynaklanıyor bilemiyorum ama her iki şekilde de bazen bir sayfayı birkaç kez okumama sebep oldu. Onun dışında gayet akıcı bir okuma oldu benim için, neredeyse tek seferde bitirdim diyebilirim.
Not: Arka kapak yazısıyla çizgi romanın uzaktan yakına, Dünya'dan a galaxy far far away'e bir alakası yok. Bizim yayınevlerinin aptal özensizliği mi diye baktım orijinal basımdan çeviri yapmışlar, bizimkilerin tek günahı bunun bu kadar malca olduğunu görüp kendilerinin yeni bir tane yazmamış olmaları. Ne diyebilirim ki, iyi ki arka kapağı okumak yerine yukarıdaki incelemeyi okumuşum...
Bunun haricinde panellerin kullanımı hoşuma gitti ama pek garipsemedim çünkü pek çok mangada bu tip sayfa ve panel kullanımını görmek mümkün, o yüzden düzenli bir manga okuyucusuysanız aşina olduğunuz bir tarzla karşılaşacağınızı söyleyebilirim. Ayrıca çizim tarzı ve siyah-beyaz oluşu ekstra beğendiğim bir yönüydü. Özellikle Powell'ın bazı yerlerde aynı sahneleri farklı kişilerin bakış açılarıyla çizdiği kısımları sevdim (örn: Ruth'un gördüğü vs dışarıdan herhangi birinin gördüğü şeklinde), bence olaya çok daha çarpıcı bir hava katmış.
Çizgi roman, bir kesime "n'oldu ya şimdi?!" dedirtebileceği gibi bir kesime de "daha farklı olmasını beklemiyordum" dedirtecek şekilde sonlandı. Ben kesin, BAK TAM OLARAK ŞÖYLE BİTTİ, açıklaması olmayan kitapları/çizgi romanları sevdiğim gibi net olmadığı için çıldırıp bu çıldırmadan haz alan bir insan olduğumdan sonu beni tatminsizliğimle tatmin etti diyebilirim. Ama zaten üretebileceğiniz bir-iki teoriden ötesiyle sonuçlanamayacağı için de "kesin bir sonu yoktu" demek de bence gereksiz olur. Sadece Rygard abimizin de dediği gibi "kör gözüne parmağım" şeklinde sonuca direkt bağlanmamış o kadar.
Velhasıl, ben çizgi romanı sevdim. Çoğu kişinin aksine pek atmosfer iç karartıcı vs de gelmedi bana bilmiyorum ama atmosferi de hoşuma gitti. Bence duygular da dünyalar da çok güzel yansıtılmış. Tatmin edici bir okuma oldu benim için. Adını üçüncü kez incelememde andığım Rygard abime buradan teşekkürlerimi iletiyorum bu çizgi romanla beni karşılaştırdığı için, normal şartlarda dikkatimi bile çekmezdi. Tavsiye ediyorum diyemem ama yukarıda paylaştığım linkteki incelemeyi okuyup fikir edindikten sonra kendiniz karar verebilirsiniz.
Son olarak, yıldız kırmamın sebebi bazı yerlerde kimin ne konuştuğunun pek anlaşılamıyor olması. Yani olayların soyutluğuyla alakasız, ortamda kim kime ya da neye ne diyor anlaşılmadığı kısımlar var. Bazı cümleleri de bir mantık çerçevesine ya da konuşma akışına oturtamadım, bu sorun sanatçıdan mı çeviriden mi kaynaklanıyor bilemiyorum ama her iki şekilde de bazen bir sayfayı birkaç kez okumama sebep oldu. Onun dışında gayet akıcı bir okuma oldu benim için, neredeyse tek seferde bitirdim diyebilirim.
Not: Arka kapak yazısıyla çizgi romanın uzaktan yakına, Dünya'dan a galaxy far far away'e bir alakası yok. Bizim yayınevlerinin aptal özensizliği mi diye baktım orijinal basımdan çeviri yapmışlar, bizimkilerin tek günahı bunun bu kadar malca olduğunu görüp kendilerinin yeni bir tane yazmamış olmaları. Ne diyebilirim ki, iyi ki arka kapağı okumak yerine yukarıdaki incelemeyi okumuşum...
July 16, 2023
Definitely haunting, but also pretty hard to follow. The illustrations were incredible at times, and sort of off-putting at others. Made me feel some things though.
November 8, 2012
You know this is a great graphic novel if you’ve done your best to read it twice and then Google the title so you can read what this book was actually about! Nate Powell pushes what illustrated literature can achieve in Swallow Me Whole because a movie, a novel, a mobisode, a poem, a short story—any other genre couldn’t accomplish what’s been achieve here. This novel is about two step siblings suffering from mental illness. I was confused exactly about which character was afflicted with schizophrenia and paranoia and OCD and hallucinations, but I felt like I was drowning the whole time I read this graphic novel.
For those who do not understand mental illness, this story conveys it so darkly that you become it for a while. I’ve never read anything like this before, though The Boy Who Made Silence by Joshua Hagler comes close (though I’m on issue 4 of TBWMS and I’m so lost I don’t know what the story is about anymore. Here’s hoping 5 and 6 set me straight!).
If you liked Dave McKean’s bleakness in Cages and Farel Dalrymple’s ability for weightlessness and magic in Pop Gun War and Hagler’s The Boy Who Made Silence, you might just have the mental ammunition to escape Swallow Me Whole’s devastationally all destroying epic but get ready for vertigo, a rolling stomach and a deep sadness for anyone suffering from mental illness. I felt like there was no hope left for any of the characters and I’m sad about this. It's just so sad and dark with no escape or easy answers, and I love it for being so. (Grades 11 and up)
For those who do not understand mental illness, this story conveys it so darkly that you become it for a while. I’ve never read anything like this before, though The Boy Who Made Silence by Joshua Hagler comes close (though I’m on issue 4 of TBWMS and I’m so lost I don’t know what the story is about anymore. Here’s hoping 5 and 6 set me straight!).
If you liked Dave McKean’s bleakness in Cages and Farel Dalrymple’s ability for weightlessness and magic in Pop Gun War and Hagler’s The Boy Who Made Silence, you might just have the mental ammunition to escape Swallow Me Whole’s devastationally all destroying epic but get ready for vertigo, a rolling stomach and a deep sadness for anyone suffering from mental illness. I felt like there was no hope left for any of the characters and I’m sad about this. It's just so sad and dark with no escape or easy answers, and I love it for being so. (Grades 11 and up)
October 29, 2016
A series of disjointed thoughts seems like a good way to review a rather disjointed book.
1. I have no idea what this story was about, even after finishing it.
2. I did enjoy it.
3. I suspect I will remember this book, and think on it, much longer than other books that I probably enjoyed more.
4. I wish I hadn't seen that this book dealt with "Schizophrenia and Hallucinations" before I read it. It colored my whole perception of the first quarter of the book.
5. This was a comic.
6. I found some of the panel-to-panel action hard to follow.
6b. I suspect this was somewhat intentional.
7. I found much of the dialogue script hard to read.
7b. I expect this was also intentional.
8. This was a fascinating look into the mind of a person (people?) who are differently wired in the head.
8b. It was not a cohesive or particularly informative look into their minds.
8bi. Again, I suspect this was intentional, given the subject matter.
9. I'd like to go on the record that I read this book long *after* starting a certain short story which will probably be coming out later this year.
10. I did like it. And would happily pick up other work by the author. He obviously has a solid grip on his craft.
1. I have no idea what this story was about, even after finishing it.
2. I did enjoy it.
3. I suspect I will remember this book, and think on it, much longer than other books that I probably enjoyed more.
4. I wish I hadn't seen that this book dealt with "Schizophrenia and Hallucinations" before I read it. It colored my whole perception of the first quarter of the book.
5. This was a comic.
6. I found some of the panel-to-panel action hard to follow.
6b. I suspect this was somewhat intentional.
7. I found much of the dialogue script hard to read.
7b. I expect this was also intentional.
8. This was a fascinating look into the mind of a person (people?) who are differently wired in the head.
8b. It was not a cohesive or particularly informative look into their minds.
8bi. Again, I suspect this was intentional, given the subject matter.
9. I'd like to go on the record that I read this book long *after* starting a certain short story which will probably be coming out later this year.
10. I did like it. And would happily pick up other work by the author. He obviously has a solid grip on his craft.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2018
Ruth and Perry are a sister and brother who both have schizophrenia. (Unlike the popular misconception, schizophrenia is not multiple personality disorder. It's a mental illness that results in becoming cut off from reality, often experiencing hallucinations.) It seems the siblings' illness began manifesting in late elementary or middle school, but the bulk of this story takes place when they're teenagers. Ruth receives some medication, Perry does not. Neither of them is really okay, though Perry is better able to cope.
It's a dark, disturbing book - not because Powell uses the characters to shock the reader, but because of the reality of their lives given that neither receives appropriate treatment. However, I appreciated how Ruth and Perry are not just their disorders. They go to school, have jobs, and date. But as Ruth's illness progresses, it takes over.
Not one to read for entertainment, but definitely well-crafted literature.
It's a dark, disturbing book - not because Powell uses the characters to shock the reader, but because of the reality of their lives given that neither receives appropriate treatment. However, I appreciated how Ruth and Perry are not just their disorders. They go to school, have jobs, and date. But as Ruth's illness progresses, it takes over.
Not one to read for entertainment, but definitely well-crafted literature.
June 20, 2017
Nate Powell is incredible at everything he does. This book is beautiful and moving and elusive in the best way. Dealing with grief, obsession, aging, mental illness - it makes no argument, pleads no case, just tells a story mired in these things and admits how full of ache and beauty lives touched by that can be. Loved it.
May 28, 2019
Teens with Mental Illness....was okay.
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 2, 2022Dnf @75%
This book is deep and sad,
I am dumb and sensitive.
This book is deep and sad,
I am dumb and sensitive.
October 23, 2010
Hook, Line & Sinker: Nate Powell’s Swallow Me Whole
Once a year (at best), I come across a title so powerful that it compels me to stop back at the comic store and devour everything else that the author has written. From every standpoint imaginable, Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell is an unmitigated masterpiece. You can read four dozen black and white titles this year before you find something that even begins to approach the beauty, scope, originality and genius of this story. I’m not one to heap praise when it’s not warranted, but I can’t say enough about this book. My eyes have been opened.
The book follows the growth of two teenaged siblings with deep developmental and psychological issues. The brother hallucinates a small gnome that appears on every writing utensil he uses who orders him to draw until he’s exhausted. The girl comes to terms with obsessive compulsive disorder while stealing and compiling a bug and amphibian collection out of a personal obligation to represent each species. This is not your everyday material. I urge you to read it anyway.
From an artistic standpoint, Powell soars off the page by playing with (and ignoring) the classic use of panels to tell a comic story. In the beginning chapters of the book, many pages don’t use panels at all to border each moment. While it may not seem like such a quantum leap, the impact for the reader is potent as well as palpable. I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s going to change the way I read comics from here on out.
The story also explores the notion that mental illness travels through DNA by looking at the family’s ailing grandmother, who passes her ailment on in more ways than one while dispensing advice to her grandchildren about how to turn a crutch into a creative monsoon. The book spans the siblings’ growth and deterioration through high school and beyond along with their parent’s ability to cope with not one, but two ‘problem children’ who require extra attention while they house a dying matriarch.
Disturbing? Yes. Deeply personal? Absolutely. The best serious comic I’ve read since Black Hole? You better believe it. Nate Powell is a creator to be on the lookout for. After talking to industry enthusiasts about his work and sharing the book with others, the general consensus contends that this is his first major effort as an artist. Powell has hit his stride with a sonic boom and then some. Buy this book at once. Beg, borrow or barter and go to your local comic retailer at once. In an industry clogged with ‘me too’ titles, sequels and variations on existing superhero storylines, tales like this (which don’t come down the pike often enough) need to be encouraged. Even though there are two more months left to this calendar year, I can state with full confidence that this is the best title I’ll read. Swallow Me Whole is a masterpiece that fires on all cylinders, artistically, thematically and emotionally. Powell is an artist to look out for from this point on. Consider yourself warned.
Once a year (at best), I come across a title so powerful that it compels me to stop back at the comic store and devour everything else that the author has written. From every standpoint imaginable, Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell is an unmitigated masterpiece. You can read four dozen black and white titles this year before you find something that even begins to approach the beauty, scope, originality and genius of this story. I’m not one to heap praise when it’s not warranted, but I can’t say enough about this book. My eyes have been opened.
The book follows the growth of two teenaged siblings with deep developmental and psychological issues. The brother hallucinates a small gnome that appears on every writing utensil he uses who orders him to draw until he’s exhausted. The girl comes to terms with obsessive compulsive disorder while stealing and compiling a bug and amphibian collection out of a personal obligation to represent each species. This is not your everyday material. I urge you to read it anyway.
From an artistic standpoint, Powell soars off the page by playing with (and ignoring) the classic use of panels to tell a comic story. In the beginning chapters of the book, many pages don’t use panels at all to border each moment. While it may not seem like such a quantum leap, the impact for the reader is potent as well as palpable. I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s going to change the way I read comics from here on out.
The story also explores the notion that mental illness travels through DNA by looking at the family’s ailing grandmother, who passes her ailment on in more ways than one while dispensing advice to her grandchildren about how to turn a crutch into a creative monsoon. The book spans the siblings’ growth and deterioration through high school and beyond along with their parent’s ability to cope with not one, but two ‘problem children’ who require extra attention while they house a dying matriarch.
Disturbing? Yes. Deeply personal? Absolutely. The best serious comic I’ve read since Black Hole? You better believe it. Nate Powell is a creator to be on the lookout for. After talking to industry enthusiasts about his work and sharing the book with others, the general consensus contends that this is his first major effort as an artist. Powell has hit his stride with a sonic boom and then some. Buy this book at once. Beg, borrow or barter and go to your local comic retailer at once. In an industry clogged with ‘me too’ titles, sequels and variations on existing superhero storylines, tales like this (which don’t come down the pike often enough) need to be encouraged. Even though there are two more months left to this calendar year, I can state with full confidence that this is the best title I’ll read. Swallow Me Whole is a masterpiece that fires on all cylinders, artistically, thematically and emotionally. Powell is an artist to look out for from this point on. Consider yourself warned.
April 2, 2021
Wow. This is how schizophrenia feels like.
January 11, 2009
A very surreal look, and an extremely insane take on sequential art. Of course, that was the goal, so such indeed does the comic justice.
Unfortunately, it's not of my typical fare, so I didn't enjoy this work as much as I probably should have. While the setting is very familiar to most, there is no development of characters or setting added to the story; much of it is meant to be understood already, and the comic has an atmosphere that may be alienating to some readers.
The visuals are nothing short of impressive though. High-contrast black and white values gives an atmosphere of discomfort that describe the setting, and drawn textures give a heap of depth.
As I said, this isn't my usual type of read. But while I had troubles enjoying this story, it does push a level of impressiveness and detail that some comic enthusiasts may find hard to argue against.
Unfortunately, it's not of my typical fare, so I didn't enjoy this work as much as I probably should have. While the setting is very familiar to most, there is no development of characters or setting added to the story; much of it is meant to be understood already, and the comic has an atmosphere that may be alienating to some readers.
The visuals are nothing short of impressive though. High-contrast black and white values gives an atmosphere of discomfort that describe the setting, and drawn textures give a heap of depth.
As I said, this isn't my usual type of read. But while I had troubles enjoying this story, it does push a level of impressiveness and detail that some comic enthusiasts may find hard to argue against.
May 1, 2022
İlginç ve bol boşluklu bir hikaye.
Sanırım yazarın tarzı böyle. Fazla mı sanatsal yoksa boşlukları siz doldurun mu diyor? Ama arka kapağı okuyunca ardından da kitabı bitirince kendimden şüphe duymadım değil doğrusu.
-Bir aşk hikayesi.. Hadi ya, nerede?
-Ergenlikteki yanlış aşklar.. Nerede yanlış aşklar? İki kardeşte mutlu ve düzgün kişilerle (geçmişte ki ot içme ve dövüş kısmını atlıyorum.)
-Bastıra bastıra üvey kardeşler denmiş ama üvey olduklarına dair hiçbir şey göremedim. Hadi diyelim bu yazmıyordu ama bunun zaten hikayeye bir etkisi yok ki.
Bilmiyorum arkadaşlar. Bazı eserler vardır, tükettikten sonra dersin ki “Heralde ben anlamadım, yoksa övenler, ödül verenler var. Sorun kesin bendedir, daha o donanımda değilim.” bu eser de bana ucundan onu düşündürdü. Ama ucundan..
Sanırım yazarın tarzı böyle. Fazla mı sanatsal yoksa boşlukları siz doldurun mu diyor? Ama arka kapağı okuyunca ardından da kitabı bitirince kendimden şüphe duymadım değil doğrusu.
-Bir aşk hikayesi.. Hadi ya, nerede?
-Ergenlikteki yanlış aşklar.. Nerede yanlış aşklar? İki kardeşte mutlu ve düzgün kişilerle (geçmişte ki ot içme ve dövüş kısmını atlıyorum.)
-Bastıra bastıra üvey kardeşler denmiş ama üvey olduklarına dair hiçbir şey göremedim. Hadi diyelim bu yazmıyordu ama bunun zaten hikayeye bir etkisi yok ki.
Bilmiyorum arkadaşlar. Bazı eserler vardır, tükettikten sonra dersin ki “Heralde ben anlamadım, yoksa övenler, ödül verenler var. Sorun kesin bendedir, daha o donanımda değilim.” bu eser de bana ucundan onu düşündürdü. Ama ucundan..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2012
Engaging, mysterious, beautfiully drawn.
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