I visit the local library at least once a week. I am always on the lookout for new graphic novels and this one caught my eye on a recent excursion. It took me a while to begin reading it. It was actually overdue by the time I opened the pages to give it more than a passing glance. Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.
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| What initially drew me in was the clean art style |
While I had an affinity for the art style, the writing pulled me into it's orbit. Here was a guy struggling to make human connections and not from a lack of trying. It was immediately relatable to my own struggles to make meaningful connections with other human beings.
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| Those charming, bulging eyes are a hallmark throughout the experience. |
The central relationship between Wren and Nick had me in rapture. I immediately liked Wren and grew to dislike Nick as near the end of the experience Nick's personal pain caused him to lash out in ways that I found extremely childish and unrelatable. Here was this wonderfully funny, patient, and worthwhile person that Nick so easily could dismiss. It honestly made me angry. Now I know that that makes the story more realistic, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth.
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| Some of the funniest scenes are when Nick talks to himself in his own mind |
Lastly, I applaud the dramatic use of color in the sequences where Nick is able to make those human connections. Those are some amazing sequences that I don't want to spoil for the reader.
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| When the colors appear, prepare to be dazzled |
IN is a worthwhile experience and it puts Will McPhail on my radar. It's published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and can be purchased from Barnes and Noble, Book Soup, or Indiebound.
