Before going any further, you might like to know that this book is being offered from the publisher’s website at 20% off the list price — but there is not much time remaining.
Click the pic to see this on Amazon
This is quite unlike any other graphic novel I’ve read, and here are the reasons.
Firstly, I like Madden’s drawing style — or should that be styles? As I wrote in my review of his 99 Ways to Tell a Story,
“On a very basic level, it is hugely entertaining, because Madden embraces so many styles, both in terms of graphics and type. ”
For example, as an avid 2001 AD, Superman and Spider-man reader, I enjoyed this sort of thing:
I don’t wish to spoil anyone else’s pleasure by saying too much about references, but this is an example of another aspect of Ex Libris that I like, and which is guaranteed to make the reader re-read it several times. There are all kinds of references to other writers, artists, personalities and things.
For instance, I’m pretty sure that the section of the book which begins with the Library of Terror is an allusion to the hysteria which gripped both the USA and the UK about how comics were corrupting the youth (correctly so in my case!), largely driven by Dr. Fredric Wertham.
In another section there is a book cover with the author’s name shown as Loren Ibsen. It cannot be a coincidence that the name bears an uncanny resemblance to the standard placeholder text, Lorem Ipsun.
Graphic references include Manga. Writers whose influence I detect here include Calvino (especially If On A Winter’s Night A Traveller), and Borges and his beloved labyrinths. Ex Libris also does the printed equivalent (or so it seems to me) of breaking the fourth wall.
I could mention other references or allusions, but even if I did I am pretty sure the list would be incomplete because I am certain that still haven’t “got” all of them.
Finally, the story itself is intriguing and interesting, what you might call a page-turner.
Definitely a must-buy, especially if you’re a lover of graphic novels.
If you found this article interesting, why not subscribe to my free newsletter, Terry Freedman’s Books Bulletin, for independent book reviews, interesting places to buy books, and other book-related matters?