I love this graphic novel

If there's one graphic novel that you have to read, it must be David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp. After reading it last week, I realized that I will never look at graphic novels the same way again. To say that Asterios Polyp pushes the boundaries of graphic novel is an understatement. Mazzucchelli's masterpiece even puts most novels to shame.

The graphic novel focuses on the failed life of Asterios Polyp, a well-renowned, award-winning professor of architecture whose designs have never been actually constructed. He's all talk and is so full of himself that he considers his opinions about everything to be true. We get to read how he meets his future wife, Hannah, who eventually leaves him after being fed up with his superiority. The graphic novel chronicles Asterios's downward spiral -- from losing his academic tenure, to working as an auto mechanic, to finally asking for his wife's forgiveness.

Don't let the simple plot fool you though. Asterios Polyp touches on a lot of themes that many experienced graphic novelists wouldn't attempt to include in their graphic novels. For one, AP is a meditation on the importance and relevance of artistic styles and design theory. Mazzucchelli switches to different artistic styles to match the mood of the panels. He even limits his color scheme to blues and purples, with the occassional splashes of yellows. The result is brilliant. Every panel, despite its minimal elements of line and color, speaks volumes.

Asterios Polyp even pays homage to the myth of Orpheus. There's a sequence that shows Asterior going down the depths of hell to rescue his wife. For those who know Orpheus Underground, you just know that the ending of this sequence doesn't go well for Asterios and Hannah. Still, the panels that form this sequence is one of the highlights of this masterful graphic novel.

Humorous, profound, trivial, introspective, important -- words that I never thought I would use to describe just one work of fiction. Asterios Polyp is all these. What's even more amazing is that you can see these attributes in one page as your eyes move effortlessly from one panel to the next. Yes, the narrative constantly jumps from the present to the past, but you're seldom left confused. I think this is why this technique works best in graphic novels. You have visuals to help you note minor details.

Asterios Polyp is -- literally and figuratively -- a huge graphic novel. I read somewhere that it took Mazzucchelli several years to produce this work, and it shows. The layout doesn't scream at you; every color, shape, and line has been thought of. It's one of those books that you discover something new every time you reread it. It's just too beautiful.

Read this book if:

1. You're getting tired of your usual graphic novels.
2. You love minimalist artwork.
3. You like blue and purple.