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David Boring

Review

David Boring

Daniel Clowes is perhaps better known for Ghost World, but it’s David Boring that deserves to be called his seminal work. Taking on an ambitious plot (seriously, it involves sex, love, murder, biological terrorism, and a lot more), the book weaves into some very uncharted territory. It’s certainly strange and perhaps even out of control, but Daniel Clowes’ inimitable style keeps it in the proper perspective. To start from the beginning: David Boring lives up to his name. He’s not completely present in his own life, just skating through the days with his lesbian roommate and his memories of his father, superheroes, and the small town he left behind. When he falls in love, the woman subsequently disappears; even worse, an old friend comes to visit and is murdered. Boring is the prime suspect, but his problems don’t end there. The book gets even weirder after Boring is shot. All of that may sound like an awful lot to cram into one book—it is—but it’s handled so well and so convincingly that it wins a spot as Clowes’ most inventive creation.

Reviewed by John Hogan on July 11, 2012

David Boring
by Daniel Clowes

  • Publication Date: September 24, 2002
  • Genres: Graphic Novel
  • Paperback: 136 pages
  • Publisher: Pantheon
  • ISBN-10: 0375714529
  • ISBN-13: 9780375714528