Berlin: City of Stones by Jason Lutes

I hereby declare July "Graphic Novel Month" because it seems to be that all I want to do these days is make my way through more and more of them.

Berlin: City of Stones is part one of a series by Jason Lutes, and begins with two main storylines: one of Marthe Müller, an art student who develops a relationship with a journalist, and one of a family of working-class Germans on the breaking point because of differing political viewpoints. While it's all fiction, nothing about it is fantastic. It all seems quite believable and realistic in its entirety. The drawings too are realistic as comics go; there is of course stylization but nothing too dramatic. It was interesting in contrast to the comics I keep up with on a reuglar basis, all of which have pretty cartoony looks (American Elf, for example).

I found myself wanting to read all the way to the end, but I wound up thinking this was just out of a sense of commitment rather than an actual liking for the story. While it was vaguely interesting, I feel incredibly distant from this location combined with the time period (1910s and 20s in Berlin, obviously). Not only that, but I found myself unable to form a true interest in the characters. It was somehow difficult to relate to them, even to Marthe who was an art student who questioned the value of university teachings (as I have also been the past 4 years of my life). Maybe I need to finish the series to have a whole understanding of the story and a better "relationship" with the characters, but I'm not sure that I want to. I feel no obligation to complete it when all the while it seemed to be so distant.

It brings up an interesting point, I think. You can illustrate the hell out of something, writing about an important period and the lives of fellow humans, but it won't always be interesting to the reader. I'd rather read American Elf, even though it's just a diary of James Kochalka's life and may seem boring to others. I find it more relatable because there is a sense of humor (not so apparent in Berlin) and a bit of fantasy drawn into the everyday happenings of someone's life. So while Berlin may still be a great book valued by others and located at the top of many "Best Graphic Novels" lists, my feelings on it border on the line of neutral and dislike, and I don't feel bad about it!

Onto the next, eh?