Response 11: Dec 1

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I<3 DJB --audj, Wed, 30 Nov 2005 14:31:24 -0500 reply
Well, I’m a total nerd. I have comic book collection already that includes classics like “Superman,” “Batman,” “Sin City,” and some others, and I am glad to add David Boring to the mix. His cynicism is awesome, the sex is hilarious, and color comics against the duotone are absolutely striking. The only episode I’m not sure about, or maybe why it’s mentioned exactly, is the incestuous relationship with his cousin in their teenage years. I think the reason it caught my attention was the attention Clowes gave to the description of the act. He talks explicitly about the peach fuzz on her back and the submerging for ten seconds at a time to kiss. It was erotic but weird all at once, and it caught me off guard. After everything we’ve read this semester, I think I’m getting used to the idea of incest or maybe just desensitized to it. I think it’s interesting he portrays David as a saint on the cover (the iconic yellow halo around his head). He definitely isn’t, at least not by Roman Catholic standards. All the premarital sex, including messing around with your cousin, his involvement with Dot the lesbian – he would be lucky to find a seat in purgatory. Maybe that’s just more of the cynicism that I saw throughout the comic book. I really REALLY liked that part of the book, the cynicism. I found his sarcasm enlightened and a nice break from the incest and murder mystery. The humor is dry, and it rings of most of the melancholia literature of the late 1800s. Even his name is sarcasm, David Jupiter Boring I. David is a biblical name, and King David from the Bible was a direct ancestor of Jesus, he was the David from the David and Goliath story. He is described in the bible as being short with red hair, which kind of looks like the gentleman on the cover. Jupiter was a Roman god, and his part in the religion was god of the sky and heavens and head of the other deities. If David is the god of anything, it’s water, which is seen throughout the whole novel as a symbol. Boring is an awful last name, and his life is hardly boring. Murder mysteries, his lesbian roommate and her drama, his love life, the whole Wanda episode and then Wanda’s sister is all drama, drama, drama. I have to say, too, that I really like the cover art. I already talked about the religious symbolism (which may just refer to his middle name), but also the reviews on the backside in the color comics. I just can’t picture The Onion as a blonde guy in a green shirt crying over this graphic novel. When I saw the back, I thought of a line from Blast from the Past, where Alicia Silverstone says something to the effect of the reason she dates shallow men is because they’re into the same stuff she is – legs, butts, and hair. Those are the pieces of the picture of Wanda placed on the back. I’m glad we ended on this comic book. I really enjoyed the class and novels (even Stephen King after all that). Thanks for a great semester!

It was funny in more ways than one... --Kgifford, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 02:38:53 -0500 reply
I thought the story about Davie Boring was a little weird but at the same time interesting. I have not read a book with this type of story line before. When the pictures were included with the plot it added to the strangeness of it while at the same time having an appealing quality to it when they were joined together. I though it was unusual that he was overly obsessed with women’s butts though out the whole story. The fact that he could tell what a woman’s hind-end looked like by only looking at her face kind of seemed abnormal. He had to do a lot of research on the topic to become that skilled. And then his awful relationships added to this unusual quality to the novel. The fact that David’s first sexual explorations were with his cousin repulsed me but at the same time, I could see how it fit with his pattern of relationships. Most of his girlfriends or lovers were not good for him, except for the one that he ignored. I guess he found her boring because he was good for him. I seemed that they all wanted him for a short period or just a quickie, maybe this was because he was boring like his last name says but everyone has to have someone that is interested in the same kinds of things he was. I loved the pictures. When I first started flipping through the book, I was a little shocked. I did not expect to see some man going down on a woman or any of the other things that were drawn in the story. But they all seemed to fit the story lines so well that when I was reading the novel I did not even think about the graphicness of the pictures. They just fit with the story. I though they were well drawn and even though they were sexually explicit it thought they were funny. I also thought when David got shot in the forehead right between the eyes and did not die was just something unbelievable especially when he makes, somewhat, friends with the person who shot him just to find the girl that he got shot over. It made no sense to me but I have never really read a novel with this style before. I could not figure out there the story was set at. I may have missed it when I zoned out a little in the beginning but I went back to try and figure it out and could not. I sure it said something about a location but I did not catch it or just skimmed past. I knew it was not American when they started talking about being bombed with biological weapons or something similar. Other than that portion of the story, I understood the basic plot and liked it too in bizarre way.

Boring story --jbradley, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:00:09 -0500 reply
This book is very different from the others that we have read. I was actually a little disappointed that for our last book that we had to read it had to be so boring .I found it hard to find a particular passage or quote to argue or discuss and I also couldn’t find a unique writing style or just anything that stuck out to me. After reading the other recent comics books I assumed that David Boring would be just as entertaining. But I actually don’t like David Boring…he’s just a boring character and doesn’t have much of a personality. He’s very dry humored and it seems like he is only interested in getting into girls’ pants, naturally, what else do 20 year old boys have on their mind? Also, he really doesn’t have anything interesting to talk about with these girls, well except maybe for Wanda, but it seems that she was doing all the talking? The first part of the book talks mostly about Boring trying to get into Wanda’s pants and then when it finally happens the relationship goes down hill, but what else really made him so attracted and infatuated with her? I’m proud of Wanda not giving into sexual activity with David, I think its what help maintain their relationship aside from any sexual interaction. I also thought his so called best friend Whity was a jerk, I didn’t like their friendship either. He claimed that Whity was his best friend, but it seems that he couldn’t be completely honest with him when it came to woman and/or relationships, like he had to prove something in order to be accepted by his “best friend.” I guess I can use friendship rivalry as an excuse, but never-the-less. Although I think maybe the penny that Whity gave to Boring could have perhaps been the “housewarming gift” that he said he “didn’t have.” But the significance of Whity giving the penny to Boring on the particular night that he got attacked and died I think shows some type of “good luck/ bad luck” correlation. Act II was boring too. The lesbian relationship was annoying. Why did David’s family and especially mother have such a problem with Dot and that she was a lesbian? The old weird man complaining about a war and contaminated air also was weird. Also, his relationship with his cousin was gross, and he had sex with her too! Everyone living on that small island went insane and all the deaths and attempted deaths were just weird, not interesting, mysteries. Overall, I didn’t like this book, but I give myself credit for having the opportunity to attempt to read another comic book while being in this class, even though the others were much better.

Jennings (Jay) Lyons --jlyons5, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:06:50 -0500 reply
I really enjoyed reading Daniel Clowes “David Boring”. I must say that the graphic novel portion of our class is something I especially enjoyed. Exploring graphic novels as a literary work is something I never had the opportunity to do in my previous english classes and really appreciated. I really liked how the illustrations in this book could tell the whole story and some more. In all, the illustrartions were great in displaying the plot and the storyline of the story. In this story, the understanding of the storyline by using only the illustartions could be independent from the words that go along with each scenes. The story of David Boring was a lot different then most readings that I have had to do, but it did contain many erotic characteristics that keeps a typical reader interested including: love and sex, lesbian love and sex, fights, gun shootings, and a mystery scenario. David lived a life of following his emotions, most of which led him to being single, being beat up, or shot in the head. Miraculously, David was never killed by a bullet to his cranium or being washed up from sea during a storm. This is where the unrealization comes to play but since it is a comic book you can get away with escaped deaths like that. Part if which makes the story so humerous. In a comic book, characters contain the elastisity that makes cartoons invincable, one can be shot in the head twice and escape death multiple times, one can also be saved by a talented lesbian secret pistol sharp shooter, who also has amazing ability to be clutch. The book is so weird. David probably wouldn’t be described as some sort of stud or anything too incredible, but the guy always gets laid. And he has this butt fettish scrapbook that is most certainly creepy, but everybody that sees it is amazed by it. He has stalking tendencies, but always end up with the girl likeing him. He has a secret childhood love with his cousin; and to wrap it up, He and is lesbian roommated escape to the uninhabitied island house after killing two private investigators or policemen and when they reach the uninhabited island house they find not other then David’s lost childhood lover cousin, and her baby, where they live happily ever alone just the four of them.

Autumn Means --ameans, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 11:58:05 -0500 reply
One of the things I found most interesting about Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel David Boring is the way it is presented visually. I thought the somewhat simple black and white format of the majority of the book worked well with the story line. What I really liked, though, was the random introductions of the “Yellow Streak” material. The images from the comic book David Boring is reading are presented in color. Also, they’re presented in that retro style with the tiny little dots that, occasionally, overlap the outlines of the characters and objects. This added a lot more emphasis on those specific panels. When you flip through the pages of David Boring, you’re automatically drawn to the color panels, because they stand out as completely different from the main storyline, with its plain, dark panels. I think, since the Yellow Streak panels are so noticeably different from those of the main story line, there must be something really significant about them. These were all my thoughts before I actually started reading the story. When I began reading, I realized that David Boring’s father had drawn comics, and that Yellow Streak was something his father had done. At one point, when David is lying in bed reading the comic book, he says “I allow myself to read only two panels a night, very closely, with an eye for uncanny parallels and traces of my father.” Throughout the graphic novel, the main character seems to always come back to these comics and wonder about his father. I think this shows, on a different level than even the main text, that David is searching for some kind of belonging, something or someone to which he can identify, something he can call himself. Basically, he’s trying to assert himself as an individual with unique…and weird…traits. I haven’t finished reading the whole story yet, but I kind of hope he finds his father and has some kind of big epiphany. He says, at one point “ Lately I’ve been thinking about tracking him down…” and then catalogs what he knows about his father’s career…So, maybe they will meet. I can’t really decide, though, how I think David feels about his father. I mean, he’s obviously curious about what has happened to his father, but at the same time I can see that he sort of resents the fact that his father left him and his mother. Also, he seems to have trouble finding out information about his father – “My mother loathes the very thought of him, so it’s tough to get information out of her”…but, then again, why is he just now suddenly interested in this man? – “..and, to be honest, until recently I wasn’t all that interested.”

... --lgilkeso, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:30:43 -0500 reply
David Boring is a character to say the least. The first act of this graphic novel appeared simple on the surface, but underneath there were some issues that needed to be solved, but David knew they would never been resolved. David describes himself as someone who was pretty low key in high school, not exactly part of the in crowd; in fact, on page 4 in his description of his teenage years David states that Whitey was “the school punching bag before his arrival” which obviously implies David was an extreme outcast. David has a major issue and it seems to be his mother. After David moves to “the city” he begins having sex with random people just for fun. It almost seems as though David is trying to fill a void. No, I am not saying that David wants to have sex with his mother, but I am simply proposing the idea that maybe the sex wasn’t really about sex for David. I get the vibe from David that all he wants is acceptance, acceptance from his roommate, from girls, from Whitey, and most importantly his mother (despite his stated distaste for her). David becomes obsessed with Wanda in the first act, he randomly shows up at places he knows she will be and repeatedly asks her about her trip even though during their first couple of meetings she has no clue who he is or where she is supposed to know him from. In the second act, David has sex with his mother’s cousin. Yes, this is very gross, but I feel that in David’s eyes it is as close to acceptance from his mother as he can get without having to actually be accepted by her. David’s mother’s cousin, Helen, is an older woman who appears to David to be in a position of authority. I think that David has sex with Helen because he sees Helen as more of a mother-like figure, due to her age and status in the family, and feels that if he is capable of being desired by Helen then there is no reason why his mother should not readily accept him for who he is. Perhaps David feels that his mother resents his mere existence and is not capable of loving David so David fills that absence with meaningless sex. David’s obsession to find his father leads me to believe he knows his mother resents him because he is in fact proof of their relationship. At the end of act two and the beginning of act three, we are told that David’s father is dead, but he still left his wife and son, leaving much room for David’s mother to resent the father and the proof and offspring of their relationship.

Will Good --wgood, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:44:06 -0500 reply

Will Good --wgood, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:44:09 -0500 reply

Will Good --wgood, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:44:10 -0500 reply

Will Good --wgood, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:44:15 -0500 reply

Will Good --wgood, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:44:18 -0500 reply

Paul Tobin --ptobin, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:53:28 -0500 reply
I don't really know what to make of this story. The illustrations are very good and the story is also a bit intriguing. The thing I like most about the story is the lack of any real resolution. It's ironic how he talks about how you stucture a film and yet I haven't seen this type of non-resolution - resolution since "The Big Lebowski". I love that movie for the fact that all the drama that involves the main character, upon it leaving his world, is gone and he doesn't go looking for it. It's not quite the same here, but it ends with the same kind of realization that the drama in life is not what's important, it's what you actually want. I think there's a lot that could be said about the concept of love and sex in this book and what it means. Why do most of the women in the book stay with their boyfriends/husbands when they would clearly be more happy with someone else. Is this book trying to make us evaluate our own taboos and mores to determain whether or not David's love for his cousin is acceptable? It's fine with me if David is with his cousin and happy about it; he's spent most of his life trying to find a girl that looks and acts like her so why shouldn't they be together? Society might view it as wrong, but on a social standpoint it's much more beneficial to the community if David is married and not out breaking up marriages and sleeping with mothers that wind up dead the next morning. I think it's obvious that "Man" (his name is also very fitting - the only better name for him, I think, would be "That Guy") killed Iris's mother but the simple motivation of her not liking him doesn't seem like enough for me. It seems he thought that her death would bring his wife closer to him, but it obviously didn't work. Are Man and Mrs. Boring seeing each other? I believe it's possible; they both seem evil enough to be in love with one another. I both like and don't like the fact that the story doesn't tie up all the loose ends. My mind, upon finishing, is torn between questions that are immediately answered by the characters that I've made through reading. Questions like "Who killed Whitey" and answers like "who cares. He wasn't a very interesting/good person anyway." Either I've missed the point of the novel completely or that's what the story is supposed to get out of the reader: a realization that not every mystery has to be solved; that life will go on and it does best to dwell on the things that matter most to you directly - let the world figure itself out.

not so boring.. --jfroess, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:53:38 -0500 reply
After reading some of this book i can say i am definitely interested in reading the rest. David Boring is not the character I thought he would be, though. In the beginning I pictured this kind of nerdy kid who never really got the girl or had friends, but then after u read the first 2 or 3 pages you realize he is not the type of kid you would feel sorry for. He does not speak to his mother, has a perverse book about naked girls, sleeps around with alot of girls and never calls them the next day, and on top of all of that has an impossible picture in his head of what perfect physical beauty is of the girl he wants for himself. I ended up rading this book and actually not really liking his character th at much. He really is not even sorry when his best friend in high school dies. I'm really interested to read the rest of the book and see if I can put togehter why he is like this. One pattern that I;m seeing in this book and throughout alot of the other books we've read is the sexually explicit content. Not that it bothers me, though, because we obviously are all mature enough to handle it, but I've found that in the beginning of the class when we first started coming across these things I was a little uncomfortable talking about them in front of alot of people, but now I feel im sort of desensitized from it. I don't know if thats a good thing or a bad thing, but I like the fact that we are viewed as adults who are capable of talking about incest and sexuality and homosexuality in a group manner in a mature way. Because whether we admit it or not it is something that mostly everyone likes to talk about or is interested in, so why not pick readings like this that will keep our interest and help the reading go by faster. Back to David, though, his character in this book is very unpredictable. He seems just like a shady sort of character, like in the beginning how he had this creepy book of naked women and then he started stalking wanda because she met his physical standards. Maybe he is the way he is because of his father dying and leaving them and then maybe that's why he resents his mother. Maybe she did something to make him leave, maybe we will find that out later. But I am interested in knowing more about David and what is going to come of him in the end.

Will Good --wgood, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:06:11 -0500 reply
I thought this story was a little boring. It had a tolerable plot but the whole thing was kind of dreary. It started of sort of explaining the characters. They all seemed sort of depressed. The main character David Boring is a guy from the country that moved to the city to escape his mother. I think the author gave him the last name boring to describe his life and personality. The first of several sex sscenes made sex seem very boring. He kept saying that he thought the girl was going to get up and leave in the middle of the act. The main character just seemed very dismal and weird to me. He kept a book of drawings of naked ladies he had slept with. I thought this was kind of wierd as well. Next character i thought had a depressing aura was the roomate Dot. She was a synnical lesbian roomatee that seemed to not enjoy life. The kind of person that always looks for the negative side of things. The third character the brought in was whitey. Althought he didnt last long i thiought he was imortant. He was Davids inspiration.. David even said he went after women he thought whitey would aprove of. Then first introduction whitey has he seems to be more normal and friendly than the first two. He tries to make conversation with Dot and immediatley picks up a women and goes home with her. Whitey is than mysteriously killed. It grabbed my attention and made me wonder what sort of crazy thing took place in order for someone to kill Whitey. the next Character was the love of Daavids life. She seemed kind of strange to me too. for example when she flipped on David for touching her butt the second time. At that point they had already had sex and she told david she wasnt his little whore. Next thing was when she found Davids book of naked ladies and wanted to keep it. Most women probably wouldnt want something like that. There were several other Characters throughout the book that i could talk about but i think these were the ones that set the stage for the book. The story just made the life of David Boring seem very depressing.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:23:20 -0500 reply
This book was definitly eye-catching at first. Just glancing through it I was not quite sure what to expect. I saw so many graphic pictures and had no clue what I was in for. I began reading though, and suddenly it happened, I begin to get hooked. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. I especially enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of certain reaccuring things in the book, such as the lucky penny or David's Dad's cartoons. The penny is passed through many of the charactar's hands through out the book, but somehow always ends up in the hand's of David. David always gives his penny to a women he cares for, what meaning does this have towards the penny? Is it a coincidence that everyone who has had the penny at sometime has something terrible happen to them? These are all questions that run through my mind as I read this comic book. It is by far one of my favorite comic books, and the only other comic I ever really liked was Peanuts. The strong sexual content of the book did not offend me in any way and I feel the visuals helped to make the story more powerful. The only part that kinda wierded me out was when David started talking about how his first romantic experience was with his cousin. This one through me for a loop. I was also very suprised when David hooked up with his mother's cousin. David's relationship with his mother is also a very important part of the story. His dad left when he was very young, and him and his mother did not have a very strong relationship. Could this be why David slept around so much, he was afraid to make a real bond. This is a great comic book and I would suggest it to anyone. Although very dark at times, the small humor kept me having a positive outlook on the book.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:23:34 -0500 reply
This book was definitly eye-catching at first. Just glancing through it I was not quite sure what to expect. I saw so many graphic pictures and had no clue what I was in for. I began reading though, and suddenly it happened, I begin to get hooked. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. I especially enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of certain reaccuring things in the book, such as the lucky penny or David's Dad's cartoons. The penny is passed through many of the charactar's hands through out the book, but somehow always ends up in the hand's of David. David always gives his penny to a women he cares for, what meaning does this have towards the penny? Is it a coincidence that everyone who has had the penny at sometime has something terrible happen to them? These are all questions that run through my mind as I read this comic book. It is by far one of my favorite comic books, and the only other comic I ever really liked was Peanuts. The strong sexual content of the book did not offend me in any way and I feel the visuals helped to make the story more powerful. The only part that kinda wierded me out was when David started talking about how his first romantic experience was with his cousin. This one through me for a loop. I was also very suprised when David hooked up with his mother's cousin. David's relationship with his mother is also a very important part of the story. His dad left when he was very young, and him and his mother did not have a very strong relationship. Could this be why David slept around so much, he was afraid to make a real bond. This is a great comic book and I would suggest it to anyone. Although very dark at times, the small humor kept me having a positive outlook on the book.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:23:38 -0500 reply
This book was definitly eye-catching at first. Just glancing through it I was not quite sure what to expect. I saw so many graphic pictures and had no clue what I was in for. I began reading though, and suddenly it happened, I begin to get hooked. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. I especially enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of certain reaccuring things in the book, such as the lucky penny or David's Dad's cartoons. The penny is passed through many of the charactar's hands through out the book, but somehow always ends up in the hand's of David. David always gives his penny to a women he cares for, what meaning does this have towards the penny? Is it a coincidence that everyone who has had the penny at sometime has something terrible happen to them? These are all questions that run through my mind as I read this comic book. It is by far one of my favorite comic books, and the only other comic I ever really liked was Peanuts. The strong sexual content of the book did not offend me in any way and I feel the visuals helped to make the story more powerful. The only part that kinda wierded me out was when David started talking about how his first romantic experience was with his cousin. This one through me for a loop. I was also very suprised when David hooked up with his mother's cousin. David's relationship with his mother is also a very important part of the story. His dad left when he was very young, and him and his mother did not have a very strong relationship. Could this be why David slept around so much, he was afraid to make a real bond. This is a great comic book and I would suggest it to anyone. Although very dark at times, the small humor kept me having a positive outlook on the book.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:23:42 -0500 reply
This book was definitly eye-catching at first. Just glancing through it I was not quite sure what to expect. I saw so many graphic pictures and had no clue what I was in for. I began reading though, and suddenly it happened, I begin to get hooked. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. I especially enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of certain reaccuring things in the book, such as the lucky penny or David's Dad's cartoons. The penny is passed through many of the charactar's hands through out the book, but somehow always ends up in the hand's of David. David always gives his penny to a women he cares for, what meaning does this have towards the penny? Is it a coincidence that everyone who has had the penny at sometime has something terrible happen to them? These are all questions that run through my mind as I read this comic book. It is by far one of my favorite comic books, and the only other comic I ever really liked was Peanuts. The strong sexual content of the book did not offend me in any way and I feel the visuals helped to make the story more powerful. The only part that kinda wierded me out was when David started talking about how his first romantic experience was with his cousin. This one through me for a loop. I was also very suprised when David hooked up with his mother's cousin. David's relationship with his mother is also a very important part of the story. His dad left when he was very young, and him and his mother did not have a very strong relationship. Could this be why David slept around so much, he was afraid to make a real bond. This is a great comic book and I would suggest it to anyone. Although very dark at times, the small humor kept me having a positive outlook on the book.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:23:45 -0500 reply
This book was definitly eye-catching at first. Just glancing through it I was not quite sure what to expect. I saw so many graphic pictures and had no clue what I was in for. I began reading though, and suddenly it happened, I begin to get hooked. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. I especially enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of certain reaccuring things in the book, such as the lucky penny or David's Dad's cartoons. The penny is passed through many of the charactar's hands through out the book, but somehow always ends up in the hand's of David. David always gives his penny to a women he cares for, what meaning does this have towards the penny? Is it a coincidence that everyone who has had the penny at sometime has something terrible happen to them? These are all questions that run through my mind as I read this comic book. It is by far one of my favorite comic books, and the only other comic I ever really liked was Peanuts. The strong sexual content of the book did not offend me in any way and I feel the visuals helped to make the story more powerful. The only part that kinda wierded me out was when David started talking about how his first romantic experience was with his cousin. This one through me for a loop. I was also very suprised when David hooked up with his mother's cousin. David's relationship with his mother is also a very important part of the story. His dad left when he was very young, and him and his mother did not have a very strong relationship. Could this be why David slept around so much, he was afraid to make a real bond. This is a great comic book and I would suggest it to anyone. Although very dark at times, the small humor kept me having a positive outlook on the book.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:23:48 -0500 reply
This book was definitly eye-catching at first. Just glancing through it I was not quite sure what to expect. I saw so many graphic pictures and had no clue what I was in for. I began reading though, and suddenly it happened, I begin to get hooked. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. I especially enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of certain reaccuring things in the book, such as the lucky penny or David's Dad's cartoons. The penny is passed through many of the charactar's hands through out the book, but somehow always ends up in the hand's of David. David always gives his penny to a women he cares for, what meaning does this have towards the penny? Is it a coincidence that everyone who has had the penny at sometime has something terrible happen to them? These are all questions that run through my mind as I read this comic book. It is by far one of my favorite comic books, and the only other comic I ever really liked was Peanuts. The strong sexual content of the book did not offend me in any way and I feel the visuals helped to make the story more powerful. The only part that kinda wierded me out was when David started talking about how his first romantic experience was with his cousin. This one through me for a loop. I was also very suprised when David hooked up with his mother's cousin. David's relationship with his mother is also a very important part of the story. His dad left when he was very young, and him and his mother did not have a very strong relationship. Could this be why David slept around so much, he was afraid to make a real bond. This is a great comic book and I would suggest it to anyone. Although very dark at times, the small humor kept me having a positive outlook on the book.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:23:53 -0500 reply
This book was definitly eye-catching at first. Just glancing through it I was not quite sure what to expect. I saw so many graphic pictures and had no clue what I was in for. I began reading though, and suddenly it happened, I begin to get hooked. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. I especially enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of certain reaccuring things in the book, such as the lucky penny or David's Dad's cartoons. The penny is passed through many of the charactar's hands through out the book, but somehow always ends up in the hand's of David. David always gives his penny to a women he cares for, what meaning does this have towards the penny? Is it a coincidence that everyone who has had the penny at sometime has something terrible happen to them? These are all questions that run through my mind as I read this comic book. It is by far one of my favorite comic books, and the only other comic I ever really liked was Peanuts. The strong sexual content of the book did not offend me in any way and I feel the visuals helped to make the story more powerful. The only part that kinda wierded me out was when David started talking about how his first romantic experience was with his cousin. This one through me for a loop. I was also very suprised when David hooked up with his mother's cousin. David's relationship with his mother is also a very important part of the story. His dad left when he was very young, and him and his mother did not have a very strong relationship. Could this be why David slept around so much, he was afraid to make a real bond. This is a great comic book and I would suggest it to anyone. Although very dark at times, the small humor kept me having a positive outlook on the book.

jamie green --jamieallison, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 19:15:07 -0500 reply
I was a little worried about reading yet another comic book, but David Boring turned out to be pretty good. Well at least so far. I have not yet finished the book but I was shocked at what I had read already. I was shocked when I was reading and there was just so much sex, from the, “butt book,” to the actual characters having sex. Maybe because it is a comic book I just did not expect that at all but I was so shocked when I began to read the book and it is about sex. The book is actually very funny. David and his lesbian roommate made me laugh, especially with her random comments. The book seemed to really flow as I read on. In the past, especially with comic books I usually would find myself stopping and going back to reread or to read and look at the picture and try to understand what the author was trying to say. With this book I felt like I understand what was going on and I also felt that I was able to read and look at the pictures at the same time without any problems. David seems to be a very messed up individual. Maybe he is messed up because his father the comic book writer left when he was younger and he was left with his mother who he does not have a good relationship with. But it seems like David is an unhappy person and fills the void of his unhappy childhood and unhappy life with sex. He has sex with random woman and then does not speak to them again. People who do this usually have deep rooted problems and they use the sex to fill voids in their lives and to feel loved. Other than his roommate it does not seem like David is close with anyone else. He did not even seem to be close or comfortable with his good friend growing up Whitey. The book says that his roommate is his only true friend and I think that is why he is not happy and has random sex. Whitey was supposed to be his good friend but when he died it did not seem to affect David very much. If someone I was close to growing up died I think I would have reacted with a little more feeling. He was even hesitant to go to Whitey’s funeral out of fear that he might run into his mother. That is just not normal. Though, all in all I am really enjoying this book so far. Even though David seems messed up and kind of boring I think the book is funny.

scole --scole, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 19:19:46 -0500 reply
I truely enjoyed Daniel Clowes book David Boring The main character David reminds me of myslef and many other of my friends who like a really nice ass on a girl I mean there are even some people who i know where the ass is more important then the face or any other part of the body it makes me wonder if men have always liked the looks of a nice round and plump ass or if it is a taste the has just surfaced in the decade or two.I would think that it is probably a fetish that has just recently surfaced becuase ive heatd stories of back in the day men liked women of girth that liked alot of meat on there women because it ment you were well feed and that you were rich but there were probably other reasons as well like the types of lovers they were too i can only speculate. Im not sure how i feel about his scrapbook at first it strikes you as kind of odd, it makes me think of people who cut out pictures of famous people or really good looking people and paste them to his there walls well David has done something similar but he happenes to like the butt above all other things. I wonder why he has all these pictures in the book and not on a wall, is he trying to keep them to himself, he is deffinetly embarassed to let other people see them. I wonder if Daniel Clowes is a butt like David or at least likes a nice butt i would say he i ans because its pretty the focus of the story and great deal of the pictures are of butts .

scole --scole, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 19:22:03 -0500 reply
I truely enjoyed Daniel Clowes book David Boring The main character David reminds me of myslef and many other of my friends who like a really nice ass on a girl I mean there are even some people who i know where the ass is more important then the face or any other part of the body it makes me wonder if men have always liked the looks of a nice round and plump ass or if it is a taste the has just surfaced in the decade or two.I would think that it is probably a fetish that has just recently surfaced becuase ive heatd stories of back in the day men liked women of girth that liked alot of meat on there women because it ment you were well feed and that you were rich but there were probably other reasons as well like the types of lovers they were too i can only speculate. Im not sure how i feel about his scrapbook at first it strikes you as kind of odd, it makes me think of people who cut out pictures of famous people or really good looking people and paste them to his there walls well David has done something similar but he happenes to like the butt above all other things. I wonder why he has all these pictures in the book and not on a wall, is he trying to keep them to himself, he is deffinetly embarassed to let other people see them. I wonder if Daniel Clowes is a butt like David or at least likes a nice butt i would say he i ans because its pretty the focus of the story and great deal of the pictures are of butts .

scole --scole, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 19:22:28 -0500 reply
I truely enjoyed Daniel Clowes book David Boring The main character David reminds me of myslef and many other of my friends who like a really nice ass on a girl I mean there are even some people who i know where the ass is more important then the face or any other part of the body it makes me wonder if men have always liked the looks of a nice round and plump ass or if it is a taste the has just surfaced in the decade or two.I would think that it is probably a fetish that has just recently surfaced becuase ive heatd stories of back in the day men liked women of girth that liked alot of meat on there women because it ment you were well feed and that you were rich but there were probably other reasons as well like the types of lovers they were too i can only speculate. Im not sure how i feel about his scrapbook at first it strikes you as kind of odd, it makes me think of people who cut out pictures of famous people or really good looking people and paste them to his there walls well David has done something similar but he happenes to like the butt above all other things. I wonder why he has all these pictures in the book and not on a wall, is he trying to keep them to himself, he is deffinetly embarassed to let other people see them. I wonder if Daniel Clowes is a butt like David or at least likes a nice butt i would say he i ans because its pretty the focus of the story and great deal of the pictures are of butts .

scole --scole, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 19:22:44 -0500 reply
I truely enjoyed Daniel Clowes book David Boring The main character David reminds me of myslef and many other of my friends who like a really nice ass on a girl I mean there are even some people who i know where the ass is more important then the face or any other part of the body it makes me wonder if men have always liked the looks of a nice round and plump ass or if it is a taste the has just surfaced in the decade or two.I would think that it is probably a fetish that has just recently surfaced becuase ive heatd stories of back in the day men liked women of girth that liked alot of meat on there women because it ment you were well feed and that you were rich but there were probably other reasons as well like the types of lovers they were too i can only speculate. Im not sure how i feel about his scrapbook at first it strikes you as kind of odd, it makes me think of people who cut out pictures of famous people or really good looking people and paste them to his there walls well David has done something similar but he happenes to like the butt above all other things. I wonder why he has all these pictures in the book and not on a wall, is he trying to keep them to himself, he is deffinetly embarassed to let other people see them. I wonder if Daniel Clowes is a butt like David or at least likes a nice butt i would say he i ans because its pretty the focus of the story and great deal of the pictures are of butts .

David Boring Response --kamos, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:57:58 -0500 reply
I must say that it seems many people are obsessed with David Boring’s incestuous relationships. From my point of view, David was attracted to these women because they were familiar to him and he knew them fairly well. He also, perhaps, is interested in being close with them due to his own distant relationship with his mother, how ever Freudian that may be. David’s relationship with his mother also raises another point I’d like to make about the way in which she takes Man under her wing. In Act Two, we learn that Man never had a mother figure in his life until Mrs. Capon came along, and with David, although he has a mother, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her. In the end of Act Two, when Mrs. Capon is gone and David’s mother feels betrayed by him, she takes Manfred and leaves the island. I’m not really sure what to make of that situation, but I’m sure it’s important somehow.

Another thing I found interesting about this graphic novel were the sexual relationships and roles that are portrayed (other than incest). For example, out of the so called lesbians in the novel, Dot, Ginger, and Iris, only one of them seems to truly want to be with women. The other two seem to go along with the way society thinks they should be. In juxtaposition to Iris and Ginger, there is David’s obsession with butts, and Wanda’s strange ‘sex with God’ group. These details are far from what mainstream society would chose to accept and are details that shouldn’t be ignored.

The lucky penny is also an important token which we discussed in class. The way I see it, perhaps we, the readers are supposed to think there is something significant about the penny and who it goes to and the things that happen to them. But, on page 104, there is a key panel in which David says that God has his own agenda, and to me, that says that the penny means nothing and that God is really the one making everything happen.

A few other things I enjoyed about the novel were the way David’s father’s comics were placed throughout the novel, and how the ghost of the Yellow Streak was almost meant to represent his father’s presence in his life. In the colored comic segments, the ghost is always trying to warn Testor about something and in a way, perhaps that’s the way David sees his father – as part of his subconscious, or floating off somewhere just out of reach. I also thought that the fact that the words didn’t always match up with or describe what was happening in the pictures was very effective. It was almost like you were in David Boring’s mind and could see what he was doing while he was thinking certain thoughts.

Christopher Glover: David Boring --cglover, Thu, 01 Dec 2005 21:57:57 -0500 reply
When I began reading this book, I was pretty uninterested. It seemed too disjointed and too explicit in its material considering that I didn’t see any sort of a plot developing. When I finished the first act, I wasn’t that interested in finishing book, with the exception of wanting to know who had shot David Boring. Yet, as I began to read the second act, my interest picked up quickly as the plot began to play out. I found I couldn’t stop reading until I knew how it would all end. One reason I didn’t really care for the first act was the random interruptions throughout the text. There would be these strange frames that seemed to come out of nowhere and didn’t make any sense. Yet, as I kept reading the book, they began to make more sense as the author revealed their meanings. An example would be on page 25 when the act goes from David and Wanda speaking to four gentlemen, who have yet to be introduced, talking about passionate impulses. This seems very disconnected at first, despite that the actual conversation does relate with David’s sexual impulses. Yet, when you continue reading you find that Karkes is one of the gentlemen at the table, and that explains why he would be so connected to a scene dealing with Wanda and passionate impulses, such as his impulse to leave his wife for Wanda. Another example of this is the random frames which resort back to his father’s comic book. This doesn’t seem to make sense at first because you don’t know what his relation is to the comic and it just seems to keep playing out as an interruption to the story. Yet you do discover that this was a comic his father had written and why he kept relating the story to the comic makes more sense. I do like how when he is having the discussion with the man in the diner (whom appears to be Karkes) on page 36, the man states that he hates all forms of narrative disruption, which is exactly what Clowes had been doing throughout the first act.

Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was how Clowes laid the book out like a movie. The book is composed of three acts, like a movie is composed of acts, and at the end of the book he has a page devoted to characters in the book, almost like how a movie lists the cast and crew at the end. It also works well in the idea that David Boring, the main character, wants to be a filmmaker and speaks of it frequently throughout the story. He is always looking for that great idea that has never been told, yet his own life story plays out like a story I have never even thought about. It has the romantic interest(s), murder, terrorism, suspense, mystery, and even a suicide attempt. I just feel that Clowes did an excellent job of connecting the film interest of the character to a fictionally remarkable story, with such an essence of normal people’s lives.

Charlotte Harris --charris3, Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:37:30 -0500 reply
The graphic novel of David Boring was a bit more graphic then what I would have thought I might have read in an English class. When I first skimmed the book and read the title I thought it was kind of neat with his name being a plain American name of David Boring of having it in black and white cause people classify something boring as being in black and white. Once I started reading the book I really sort of started to enjoy it. It was an easy reading book to read. I found that the parts from his fathers comic book the Yellow Streak was in color every panel from that comic had the color yellow in it. IT was also helpful to know when he used those panels in color so we could tell which were from what he was doing and which ones were from the other comic book. The other thing that I found interesting was that David gave away the lucky penny was to Wanda and then Judy. Both of them sister’s and after giving it to them one and they returned them he was shot in the forehead. He was able to survive both of the shots that he took. Part of it was that he did have the lucky penny that he was able to survive the shots. Not many people could have be able to do that. But after each time he was shot he ended up with Dot at the estate known as Hulligan’s Wharf. He also then fell in love with his cousin Pamela. Although they say it is a lucky penny it is not lucky for all the people most of the other characters died or had something horrible happen to them after they had the penny. I just found it funny that he had the 3 acts but then did a number of things in 2. Like he loved 2 sisters Wanda and Judy. Was shot in the head twice. Went to the house at Hulligian’s Wharf twice each time after being shot. Was able to give away the penny twice. He also only read to of his father’s comic panels each day. The ending kind of surprised me a little bit. He did say he found the end of his fathers, which he apparently wasn’t any good at doing. But it just seemed like it got so far and then it was David, Dot, Pamela and the baby stayed at the house. The end. That kind of ending didn’t quite go for me cause I now just start thinking about random endings when I go back and look through the book. Trying to see what happened next as if there should have been a act 4 or a new book out or something like that. Overall I did enjoy this book more then what I thought I was going to at first.

sarah haas --shaas1, Fri, 02 Dec 2005 06:13:25 -0500 reply
There are a few things I want to comment on with this graphic novel. I enjoyed this one more than some of the others, but it left me thinking and pondering at the end. Sometimes, as I was reading, I felt as though I missed something and went back and re-read only to find that I did not overlook anything. Sometimes Clowes just left a little bit of room for our own interpretation, and I liked that. For example, after page seven, when David has sex with the lady he met that night, it just skips right ahead and we don’t know how things ended with her. Did they exchange numbers? Did they both enjoy the night? Did she leave in a state of awkwardness? Each reader can really make up his or her own mind about what happened. Another sexual scene that doesn’t get fully laid out and explained for the reader is the first time David and Wanda have sex. We see the slides progress, first some touching, and that leads to other things, and then Clowes jumps ahead and shows David walking home. While the author does explain that they had had sex, the reader is left to fill in the blanks about how Wanda felt about it and exactly what went on after. However, we see that the next time the two of them start kissing and becoming passionate, Wanda makes the comment, “I’m not your little whore, David”. We also find out that was the only time they had sex together. And soon after, she leaves him. All these things lead me to believe that maybe their sexual experience wasn’t a very good one, for whatever reason. David didn’t seem to have any bad thoughts about it as he was walking home, the only thing we learn from him is “Yes, my friends, it was absolutely real; the act having taken place between 3:30 and 4:00 pm on Memorial Day, 1998 during what my records indicate to have been our 13th date.” It seems that David seems more concerned about the actual act then Wanda’s feelings. This is only an idea formulating in my head, but it could explain why she eventually leaves him. Another thing I want to discuss is how his name, David Boring, might go along with the plot. To me, his life really doesn’t seem all that boring. He seems to have enough drama in his life to make it interesting everyday. Now I understand that it might just appear this way because it is a story and obviously only highlighting the important parts, but I think all the people he interacts with throughout the story make his life anything but boring. Perhaps it is ‘boring’ because although it appears fun, he is actually bored with the women he dates and wishes he was with his cousin. Maybe his life isn’t so ‘boring’ once he actually ends up with what he has been searching and longing for the whole story. Again, these are just some ideas that have started to formulate in my head and I wanted to get them down on paper as complete as possible..

sarah haas --shaas1, Fri, 02 Dec 2005 06:14:12 -0500 reply
There are a few things I want to comment on with this graphic novel. I enjoyed this one more than some of the others, but it left me thinking and pondering at the end. Sometimes, as I was reading, I felt as though I missed something and went back and re-read only to find that I did not overlook anything. Sometimes Clowes just left a little bit of room for our own interpretation, and I liked that. For example, after page seven, when David has sex with the lady he met that night, it just skips right ahead and we don’t know how things ended with her. Did they exchange numbers? Did they both enjoy the night? Did she leave in a state of awkwardness? Each reader can really make up his or her own mind about what happened. Another sexual scene that doesn’t get fully laid out and explained for the reader is the first time David and Wanda have sex. We see the slides progress, first some touching, and that leads to other things, and then Clowes jumps ahead and shows David walking home. While the author does explain that they had had sex, the reader is left to fill in the blanks about how Wanda felt about it and exactly what went on after. However, we see that the next time the two of them start kissing and becoming passionate, Wanda makes the comment, “I’m not your little whore, David”. We also find out that was the only time they had sex together. And soon after, she leaves him. All these things lead me to believe that maybe their sexual experience wasn’t a very good one, for whatever reason. David didn’t seem to have any bad thoughts about it as he was walking home, the only thing we learn from him is “Yes, my friends, it was absolutely real; the act having taken place between 3:30 and 4:00 pm on Memorial Day, 1998 during what my records indicate to have been our 13th date.” It seems that David seems more concerned about the actual act then Wanda’s feelings. This is only an idea formulating in my head, but it could explain why she eventually leaves him. Another thing I want to discuss is how his name, David Boring, might go along with the plot. To me, his life really doesn’t seem all that boring. He seems to have enough drama in his life to make it interesting everyday. Now I understand that it might just appear this way because it is a story and obviously only highlighting the important parts, but I think all the people he interacts with throughout the story make his life anything but boring. Perhaps it is ‘boring’ because although it appears fun, he is actually bored with the women he dates and wishes he was with his cousin. Maybe his life isn’t so ‘boring’ once he actually ends up with what he has been searching and longing for the whole story. Again, these are just some ideas that have started to formulate in my head and I wanted to get them down on paper as complete as possible..

Steve Sinning: David Boring --ssinning, Fri, 02 Dec 2005 13:12:24 -0500 reply
Again, just like In the Shadow of No Towers, the idea of a graphic novel intrigues me. In this case however, I think Clowes’ artwork is more effective. As we discusses in class, In The Shadow of No Towers, wasn’t exactly a linear work. Spiegelman was trying to present a bunch of different points by providing the reader with many different kinds of comic strips. In David Boring, Clowes presents a much more linear narrative. Like Speigelman’s work, I was struck by Clowes illustrations. In this graphic novel, the pictures play a vital role. I believe that the pictures and the words work well together. He mentions in the beginning that this novel is like a three part movie. The obvious difference between a movie and a book is that you actually see the characters of a movie. In this unique case, Clowes provides the reader with detailed views of his characters. These pictures definitely increase the dialogue in the novel. Take for example, The Toughest Indian in the World. Although Alexi presents vivid character descriptions, everyone probably pictures the characters differently. Everyone has their own interpretation of what characters look like in books. Clowes actually present his readers with actual pictures. In my opinion, this makes the text easier to follow. Specfcially, his depictions of the sex scenes are quite unique. Every reader probably would picture something it a different way, but because he paints quite a vivid picture, he succeeds in his movie making quest. I think this is where Alexi might fail in his group of short stories. I still, not that I like to try, can’t think of two male Indians participating in sexual rituals. While the descriptions are there for us to read in Alexi’s short stories, pictureing the actions is diifcult to do. Of the three graphic novels we read so far this year, I like David Boring the best, because of how the text and pictures actually fit together.

BrieanneL? --Michelle, Fri, 02 Dec 2005 14:41:30 -0500 reply
I loved the story, Riding the Bullet. I thought that this story was very intense and exciting. It was one of those stories that no matter what you need to be doing; you just can’t put the book down. I liked the way that King leaves the reader in suspense for so long. I also liked the connection I felt with the story. King always chooses to write about fears that the majority of his audience can relate with. I often worry about something happening to my mother or any other close family member. Any time the phone rings late or with an odd number my stomach always drops to the floor. I always fear that its bad news on the other end of the line. I have also asked myself the same question that the ghost asked him. If I were given the choice between saving a family members life and losing mine would I do it? I would have to say yes, but he didn’t. Because of his decision he was taught a very valuable lesson. He learned that every decision you make would have to be lived with. He decided to tell the ghost George to take his mother instead of himself. He thought that she would be dead by the time he got there so he wouldn’t have to face her. He also thought that it would look natural so nobody would suspect anything. However it didn’t work out the way he had expected. His mother was in fact still alive when he got there. He realized that he was going to have to face her and live with the guilt of his decision for the rest of his life. He thought that since the ghost said she was going to die, it meant right then. George actually didn’t say exactly when it was going to happen; he only said that it definitely was going to. This story left me with several questions that I can’t seem to answer. I still don’t know why both he and his mother were worrying about that ride when they were unconscious. I know that they both were feeling some amount of guilt about that day. His mother said that she felt bad about smacking him when he didn’t get on the ride. He on the other hand, felt guilty that he made her wait in line all day and then didn’t get on the ride. I can’t figure out why these two reasons would cause them so much guilt that they would still be worrying about it that many years later. I also don’t know what the significance of repeating that he rode the Bullet four times was. I feel that the number four probably means something, I’m just not sure what. At the end of the story Alan says that everyone is waiting in line, and eventually rides the Bullet. He eventually came to the realization that everybody is going to die at some point it is just a question of when.

Amanda Goddard - David was a little Boring --agoddard, Sat, 03 Dec 2005 16:30:58 -0500 reply
I think that “David Boring” has a life that is anything but. David's life is crazy. There is one girl after another, one job after another, being shot in the head, and living, and lets not forget the crazy mother that he has, or the ongoing story of his long lost, comic book writing father. The first woman that we are introduced to is David's lesbian roommate; Dot. Dot has her own crazy story line going on throughout the book; she always comes back to David. They depend on one another. He's the one that's there to hold her when she's crying after an awful break-up, and she's the one that's there to shoot the policemen that are framing David for murder. A very unique friendship. Then some random girls come and go, making Mr. boring quite the ladies man, which I don't exactly understand, I would never go for a guy like him. For being such a ladies man, he doesn't show it at all, he is so melancholy, and bored the whole time. There were a lot of strips that I didn't quite understand, and mostly there were strips that I found to be out of place, for instance, on page 60. The very first square is a man grabbing a woman's butt, this seems out of place because the picture before this is of Dot almost drowning, and the picture afterwards is of David lying awake in his bed, alone. I was extremely confused on page 33. It starts off with David in agony over a splitting migraine, but the next picture is a penny factory (the mint), and then David is throwing a penny into the lake, to make a wish I would assume, and then we see that his wish was Wanda from the magazine when she still had blonde hair, and then randomly someone is pregnant, and crying? It was a very weird page for me. I'm sure that there is a very intelligent hidden message that Mr. Clowes is trying to tell us, but I feel dumb admitting that I really don't get it, and I am still baffled with the whole, true love for eternity, incest thing with his cousin. I found the book to have a very boring, and monotonous tone, and although I read it in one setting, I wasn't really impressed.

David Boring - craig joseph --cjoseph1, Tue, 06 Dec 2005 13:11:37 -0500 reply
This is definetly one of my favorites we've had in class. I like how, in comparison to the other graphic novels we've read (specifically Persepolis), the story isnt quite as linear; that there's a sense of continuity between the first and the last page. This is easily traced through the lucky penny, which I'm glad Miranda focused on in her presentation because after reading Boring I had lots of inquiry towards its purpose. The penny mirrors the plot; the idea of a lucky penny is a little far fetched. But just like the story, the penny kind of resembles an improvised story that is just plausible enough to accept. Symbolism can be seen through the circular design of a penny. A circle is continuous, never ending. David begins the story with memories of his cousin, and he fantasizes about her idealistic qualities when he is with other women. And of course he ends up with her in the end; sort of resembling how things should be, ending in the same place as it begins. While the penny leads to death and destruction, it also creates this sense of resolution. The circle is also found of course in the head of david (through the wound from the bullet), as well as in the hair style that all of his women wear (Bun's I think they're called?) Also interesting is teh series of women presented. As far as David's sexual interests, there is a series of women with a certain look. This leads me to wonder whether David actually has true love interest in any of these women, or whether he is just projecting his inner fetishes onto the women he encounters, which of course we almost be the antithesis of love. Along with these women, the idea of family and gender roles is presented. Specifically through the question of who you are supposed to be with/ who you want to be with. This is seen through the disrupted marriage of Dot and Man, when Dot leaves her uncaring and relatively stupid husband for a lesbian; Iris. Hmm what else... The scraps of paper that Wanda leaves him can kind of be coupled with the Dad in the sense that as the "garbage" piles up, meaning is found. The father disappeared without an ending, just as the world outside of the island supposively just abruptly disappeared without ending from terrorists. These are abrupt, forced endings. The father is sort of like a ghost in David's story; he is talked about, his comic is read but he is an invisible author who we never meet and dont know much about other than that David's mom considers the comic "garbage." I also like the animation throughout the novel. While Persepolis was animated, it was much more two dimensional and comparable to stick figures where as David Boring comes across as a true comic book feel.

David Boring --ctominac, Mon, 12 Dec 2005 22:34:36 -0500 reply
I certainly enjoyed this graphic novel; however, not as much as Persepolis. I must admit, though, that the illustrations in this novel are much more intriguing and graphic than those in Persepolis. The ones in this novel more closely relate to those in the Shadow of No Towers. But, in regards to the context, I decided to make not of the passage: Here, by some miracle of circumstance, I was, naked, about to have sexual intercourse with what the consensus of the day would have held as a perfectly beautiful woman. Her skin was smooth and elastic, dappled with girlish yellow fuzz, her trim athletic figure was blah blah, etc., etc...." And, yes, we all know that the "blah, blah, blahs" are coming from Boring himself, not me. From the very first Act of the story, Clowes shows his readers just what a boring life David is leading. For he seems to always act out his expected and anticipated life, yet never connects with it. Where is the emotion? Even when David is having sex, he describes the event as "blah, blah, blah." I also thought David's taste in women was interesting. But, later realized that it is part of a dual obsession that haunts his consciousness and prevents him from connecting with anything in his current life. This really is not an easy story to grasp. No matter how many times I read through a certain passage or Act, there still seems to be new perceptions and ideas that need to be considered or discovered. I was happy that David eventually found happiness--I believe that it is happiness that will resonate with many readers.