''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' is the debut

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

by American writer

Emil Ferris Emil Ferris (; born 1962) is an American writer, cartoonist, and designer. Ferris debuted in publishing with her 2017 graphic novel '' My Favorite Thing Is Monsters''. The novel tells a coming-of-age story of Karen Reyes, a girl growing in 1960s ...

. It portrays a young girl named Karen Reyes investigating the death of her neighbor in 1960s

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Ferris started working on the graphic novel after contracting

West Nile virus West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...

and becoming paralyzed at age forty. She attended the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum and ...

for writing and began the graphic novel to help her recover in 2010, taking six years to create 700 pages. The work draws on Ferris's childhood growing up in Chicago, and her love of monsters and horror media. The process of creating the book was difficult, with Ferris working long hours, living frugally, and encountering publishing setbacks, such as a cancelation by one publisher and the temporary seizure of the first volume's printing at the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. The first volume was published by

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

on February 14, 2017. The graphic novel won the 2017

Ignatz Award The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997, only skipping a ...

for Outstanding Graphic Novel and two 2018

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

, and was nominated for a 2018

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

. The French edition won the ACBD's

Prix de la critique The Prix de la critique is a prize awarded by the Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée to the best comic album released for a year in France. Previously, from 1984 to 2003, it was called ''Prix Bloody Mary'' and awarded ...

and the Fauve D'Or at the 2019

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lu ...

. ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' has received critical acclaim and is considered by many critics to be one of the best graphic novels of 2017. A related freebie that Ferris created for

Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and is often cross-promoted wit ...

won the 2020 Eisner Award for " Best Single Issue/One-Shot".

Production

Prior to working in comics, Ferris was a freelance illustrator and toy designer. After contracting

at age forty in 2002, Ferris became paralyzed from the waist down and lost the use of her right hand, preventing her from drawing and doing freelance work. The origin for ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' was a screenplay Ferris wrote of "a

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

lesbian girl being enfolded into the protective arms of a

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom * ''Trans'' (film ...

kid". The theme of two outsiders was then carried over to a short story she wrote in 2004. While attending the

for an M.F.A. in creative writing, Ferris taught herself drawing again and began work on ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' to recover. Starting in 2010, it took Ferris six years to complete the manuscript. Her thesis formed the first 24 pages of the graphic novel and secured her a publisher. Ferris often worked sixteen-hour days and lived very frugally while working on the graphic novel. She averaged a rate of around a page every two days. Ferris has said that the process required effort to manipulate her drawing hand properly, which, even after recovery, did not regain the same dexterity. ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' was mainly drawn using a Bic ballpoint pen and the text was written with

Paper Mate Paper Mate is a registered division of Sanford L.P., a Newell Brands company that produces writing instruments. Paper Mate's offices are located in Oak Brook, Illinois, along with those of Newell Rubbermaid's other office products divisions. Its ...

felt tip A marker pen, fine liner, marking pen, felt-tip pen, felt pen, flow marker, sign pen (in South Korea), vivid (in New Zealand), texta (in Australia), sketch pen (in South Asia) or koki (in South Africa), is a pen which has its own ink source ...

Flair pen. As drawing directly on notebook paper made corrections difficult, Ferris used a drawing layer over a notebook layer. Ferris did not use outlines while drawing, instead letting images that were evoked collect visually in her head. The presentation of the graphic novel as a spiral-bound diary was an autobiographical aspect, with Ferris's classmates always passing around her notebooks. Ferris eschewed panels because she felt that she needed freedom and that readers needed a visually dense experience.

Influences

Many aspects of the graphic novel are inspired by Ferris's childhood. The author was obsessed with monsters as a child, eagerly looking forward to ''

Creature Features ''Creature Features'' is a generic title for a genre of horror TV format shows broadcast on local American television stations throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The movies broadcast on these shows were generally classic and cult horror ...

'' on Saturday nights, which had monsters she would weep for. Ferris had

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not t ...

, and to get attention on the playground, she told horror stories. The protagonist, Karen's, portrayal as a werewolf reflects how Ferris saw herself as a child—observing the oppressive social role her beautiful mother, as well as other humans, had to play. The graphic novel is set in Chicago during the late 1960s, and Ferris grew up in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. Her parents were both artists, and she would often visit the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, which is featured in the graphic novel, with them. As a child, Ferris was part of a theatrical troupe near the

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

—which she visited, hoping to find monsters or a ghost—and the graphic novel includes the '' Eternal Silence'' sculpture from the cemetery. Ferris gained an understanding of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

by talking to Holocaust survivors who lived in the neighborhood of

Rogers Park Rogers Park is the first of Chicago's 77 community areas. Located from the Loop, it is on the city's far north side on the shore of Lake Michigan. The neighborhood is commonly known for its cultural diversity, lush green public spaces, early ...

, which she had moved to. She would visit the owner of a gallery who had an identification number tattoo, as well as to elderly survivors, forming a connection between their experiences and monsters. In terms of artistic influences, Ferris was exposed to the works of

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

and

Honoré Daumier Honoré-Victorin Daumier (; February 26, 1808February 10, 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the second N ...

as a child, as well as ''

Collier's ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...

'' illustrated

Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

. The latter's "articulated and atmospheric" drawings were an experience that Ferris wanted to replicate. Cartoonists who were inspirations for her include

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her graphic memoir ''Fun Home'', which ...

, and

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...

. She has also cited horror film posters and stories from

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

as ideas for the mock covers.

Publication

While halfway through work on ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'', Ferris had to find a new publisher when the first one,

Other Press Other Press is an independent publisher of literary fiction and nonfiction, based in New York City. Founded in 1998 to publish academic and psychoanalytic titles, Other Press has since expanded to publish novels, short stories, nonfiction, poetr ...

, said it was too large and that they could not properly market it. After receiving 48 rejections for 50 submissions, the graphic novel was picked up by

. The work was originally over 700 pages, but Fantagraphics split it into two volumes to keep the price reasonable. Publication was set for October 31, 2016, to coincide with Halloween. In October, the ship containing the print run of the graphic novel—10,000 copies—was seized at the

due to the freight company,

Hanjin Shipping Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd. was a South Korean integrated logistics and container transport company. Prior to its liquidation, Hanjin Shipping was South Korea's largest container line and one of the world's top ten container carriers in terms of ca ...

, having gone bankrupt. While the ship was released by the Panamanian government later that month, publication was still delayed due to the media campaign being pushed to February 2017, in anticipation of a required reprint. The first volume was published by Fantagraphics on February 14, 2017. In March 2017, the graphic novel received a second print run of 30,000 copies, the largest second printing Fantagraphics had ever done. In March 2017,

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

won an auction for the

film rights A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

to the work, with Amasia Entertainment's Bradley Gallo and Michael Helfant producing.

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...

was in early talks to possibly direct. On November 3, 2016, in order to raise funds for the second volume of the graphic novel and a new computer, Ferris ran a

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

campaign on

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the b ...

, raising $11,000. The second volume was originally slated for an October 2017 release. The novel has also been published in France by Monsieur Toussaint Louverture, in Canada by Éditions Alto, in Italy by Bao Publishing, in Spain by Reservoir Books, and in Germany by Panini. For

on May 5, 2019, Ferris created ''Our Favorite Thing Is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters''. It contained an original sixteen-page monster story as well as the autobiographical "The Bite That Changed My Life" and "How to Draw a Monster".

Reception

Paris - Salon du livre 2012 - Art Spiegelman - 001

''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' has been critically acclaimed. Reviewers for the graphic novel have noted the quality of Ferris's artwork and writing compared to her inexperience in comics publishing.

Douglas Wolk Douglas Wolk (born 1970) is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including ''The New York Times'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The Nation'', ''The New Republi ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said that Ferris has a "portraitist's skill with tiny subtleties of expression and lighting and a New Objectivist's eye for the raw grotesquerie of bodies and their surroundings". The graphic novel has also been received positively by other notable comics artists.

told ''The New York Times'' that Ferris is "one of the most important comics artists of our time" and that she "uses the sketchbook idea as a way to change the grammar and syntax of the comics page". The cover of the novel features praise from

Chris Ware Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his ''Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (2012 ...

and

. Paul Tumey of ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...

'' compared the cross-hatching used to "both vividly delineate detailed forms and evoke a wide palette of emotion" to the work of

and likened the graphic novel to a

patchwork quilt A patchwork quilt is a quilt in which the top layer may consist of pieces of textile, fabric sewing, sewn together to form a design. Originally, this was to make full use of leftover scraps of fabric, but now fabric is often bought specially for ...

he owns, calling it "weird, unique, ndlovingly crafted from caring and devotion". Oliver Sava of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' called it a masterpiece, saying that it stands out against contemporary graphic novels with its "visual splendor, narrative ingenuity, and emotional impact", concluding that "Ferris immediately establishes herself as one of the most exciting, provocative talents in the comics industry". John Powers of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

said that "for all its stylistic tour-de-forciness, ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' is filled with emotion", finding that "every page feels like it's been secreted from the very core of erris'sbeing". ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' has charted on the ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' graphic novel bestseller list. The work garnered three nominations at the 2017

s—Outstanding Artist, Outstanding Graphic Novel, and Outstanding Story—winning Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Graphic Novel. The novel was nominated for five 2018

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

s: Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer/Artist, Best Coloring, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design. It won Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer/Artist, and Best Coloring. It was also nominated for a

for Best Graphic Story in 2018. The work won a Division Award from the

National Cartoonists Society The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

for Graphic Novels. It also won in the category LGBTQ Graphic Novel at the 30th Lambda Literary Awards in 2018. The French edition won the ACBD's

2019 as well as the Fauve D'Or at the 2019

. The graphic novel has been considered by many critics as one of the best of 2017, including at ''The New York Times'', ''Publishers Weekly'',

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

, ''The A.V. Club'', and ''The Comics Journal''. In a tabulation of 136 "Best Comics of 2017" lists, ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' received the most mentions. Ferris's freebie for Free Comic Book Day, ''Our Favorite Thing Is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'', won the 2020 Eisner Award for " Best Single Issue/One-Shot".

References

External links

"The Bite That Changed My Life"
a short comic by Emil Ferris telling her story for ''

Chicago Magazine ''Chicago'' is a monthly magazine published by Tribune Publishing. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, ...

'', also utilizing the art style of the graphic novel.
"On Comics: Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (2017)"
a reading of Ferris's use of fine art in the graphic novel. {{Authority control American graphic novels 2017 graphic novels 2017 LGBT-related literary works Fantagraphics titles Chicago in fiction Ignatz Award winners for Graphic Novel Eisner Award winners for Best Graphic Album: New Eisner Award winners for Best Coloring Lambda Literary Award-winning works LGBT-related graphic novels 2010s LGBT novels American LGBT novels Lesbian-related comics Novels with lesbian themes Novels set in Chicago