I bought this when I saw Seth in conversation with Douglas Coupland. He is a obsessed with comics. This is a quiet story that resonated with me because he talks about comics in the New Yorker and living in Toronto. I was intrigued by the way he showed panels of images unrelated to the thoughts of the character. And I was intrigued by his use of a highly simplified palette of tones and his elegant brush work. ( )

One thing that all readers should know about me is that though I love graphic novels, I am extremely picky. However, this graphic novel was perfection! It tells the story of Seth who is depressed and feels lost in the world until he discovers an obscure cartoonist named Kalo. Though there is little information on this man, Seth decides to devote years of his life to discovering the man's true identity. He even goes as far as to find Kalo's house in a small town and visits the man's family. As he does so, he also returns home to his mother and brother and find himself traveling to his childhood house. Though this is far from being a "coming of age tale" (I hate that phrase), Seth certainly does develop throughout the story. His search does not change his identity, but it does help him understand himself better.

Though the book is set in Canada, I felt that the scenes were familiar and could be found in any country. The pictures are drawn in shade of blue and black that help illustrate the dark and depressed mood of Seth. There are also numerous drawings of houses, landscapes, and cityscapes. I found these to be incredibly interesting. In many graphic novels, I feel as if the artist uses landscapes as filler pictures for when the action is stopped. However, in this book, I felt as if drawings of these scenes were photographs of the setting. Many were bleak or lonely which, of course, reitterated Seth's view of the world.

In many graphic novels, the art will override the text. However, this book was superb in the exquisite blending of the two. Seth's observations were philosophical and I felt that they pertained to all people at any point in life. His conversations with his friend Chet, were also enlightening to his character as well to how people interact in a friendship. Though Seth was not a completely likeable character, I did find myself enjoying his company, philosophies, and observations.

If you do decide to read this book, it is extremely important that you read the ENTIRE book. At the end of the book, there are cartoons that Kalo supposedly created as well as a picture of him. Lastly, there is an "about the author" with a photograph of Seth. In order to get the entire flavor of the book, you must read until you hit the back cover!

The reason for this is because Seth makes the reader believe that there really is a cartoonist named Kalo who drew these cartoons and is shown in the photograph at the end. However, this is not true! There is no cartoonist named Kalo. Though the story of him as a man, is probably true for other cartoonists, he is a completely fictional character. Still, Seth's mother and brother are true to life. In this way, the graphic novel is semi-autobiographical and the reader must discover what is true about the author and what is not.

Clearly, you can understand why I had trouble putting this book down and would read it into the early morning hours. The story is exquiste, the pictures are divine, and the relationship between truth and lies is always an interesting debate to struggle with in a tale. I recommend that everyone go out and request this book from your library. For those of you unsure of graphic novels, this is an easy read that will not confuse you. In fact, it reads a lot more like a novella than a graphic novel. For those of you who love graphic novels (like myself), you will be blown away by the text as well as the pictures. It really is the complete package! ( )

This is a book that can easily be seen as a self-absorbed spiral that's one-step shy of a badly kept diary, but we're lucky that Seth has actual talent.

This is that rare look into a life where the reader is all too aware of what Seth should know he has, while Seth is actually smart enough at times to know what he has, but at the same time he allows himself an obsession that will just keep him from really getting to the bottom of things.

In It's a Good Life, this obsession is Kalo. Kalo is presented as a gag comic writer of small note from the 40s and 50s with a mildly amusing New Yorker cartoon. Finding out more information about Kalo becomes Seth's overriding passion to the detriment of his personal relationships - not that Seth sees much of this during the hunt. Then again, when one is trying to make a paragraph of a footnote there's plenty of time to stop asking yourself questions in the name of your quest. ( )

http://12frogs.com/reading/reviews/20... ( )

one of my favorite graphic novels yet. it read quick, a great use of space. i didn't feel like it went on forever, kept me very interested. the artwork was great -- there has been a lot said about his representations of older buildings and other decaying urban scenes, and they really do make him stand out. it did end a tad abruptly tho, although that is okay. i liked that it was in chapters and had a linear narrative. a great read. ( )