I have no idea what to make of this extremely complex graphic novel. It has elements of postmodernism, stream of consciousness, and sometimes just unexplainable events. At first I had a troubling time reading this book, but after a couple of hours I began to get the hang of it.
There were moments of pure humor, and other times (most of the time) the book was depressing. The main protagonist is Jimmy Corrigan, a 37 year old who has no friends, no prospects for romance, overweight, homely, and is socially uncomfortable. I hesitate to even refer to him as a protagonist as the story happens to him while he remains passive to the world around him. Another parallel story is of his grandfather who suffered under a terrible father. If there was one main theme in the book it would be issues concerning fathers, as the two fathers were both negligent and for the most part missing. The story is about an awkward reconnection with a missing father that ends in the father's death through an automobile accident on Thanksgiving. But from what I understand this book is partly autobiographical.
I loved the Gasoline Alley-like art, but the tiny little print drove me insane!
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