Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dark horse comics, entertainment, Fabio Moon, gabrial ba, How to talk to girls at parties, neil gaiman

"You Cannot Hear A Poem Without It Changing You" Review Of Neil Gaiman's How To Talk To Girls At Parties

Dark Horse brought us the graphic novel form of How to Talk to Girls at Parties, written by Neil Gaiman, with adaptation, art, and lettering by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba this week. This was my first encounter with the story, though it originated as a short story and will soon be a movie starring Elle Fanning. The basic premise is two guys attending a party, but the girls that they meet are more than meets the eye.

[WARNING: SPOILERS FOR HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES BELOW!!]

Though it certainly does start out normally enough. The main character Enn attends a party with his friend Vic in the hopes of meeting girls. Upon arrival they meet Stella, who Vic quickly latches onto. This leaves Enn to fend for himself as Vic and Stella become a constant package throughout the graphic novel.

What I found to be so brilliant about this graphic novel is how complex it is. The concepts on the surface level may seem simple, but there were certain pages that I stopped and marveled at for minutes at a time. Between the dialogue we get from certain characters and the wonderful imaginative illustrations, there's a lot to soak in. It's truly an artistic masterpiece in my eyes.

I found Enn's character to be relatable. His anxiety being at parties is something I think a lot of people can identify with. There's the Vic's and there's the Enn's in the world. Usually the Vic's get with the Stellas and Gaiman paints an amusing picture there. Enn continually refers back to where Vic and Stella are, or what they're doing.

As far as the females go, well, it's incredibly interesting. It's clear after a while that a lot of the girls that Enn interacts with are otherworldly, but the most fascinating of all is the one that identifies herself as a poem. Her dialogue is deep and sophisticated. So while we can assume what Vic is experiencing with Stella, we see Enn having a much different moment. Perhaps a more memorable one?

Overall, I found this to be one of the more meaningful graphic novels I've read in a while. It's not a super long read, but it's satisfying. Be sure to grab yourself a copy of How to Talk to Girls at Parties! 

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