Monster: A Graphic Novel

This powerful graphic novel follows Steve Harmon, a 16-year-old on trial for murder. Told through his own screenplay-style journal, we watch Steve struggle with his identity and fear as he’s labeled a “monster” in court. The illustrations bring his emotions and the courtroom tension to life in a vivid, unforgettable way.

Monster: A Graphic Novel is set in Harlem and follows the trial and personal life of Steve Harmon. Steve Harmon is on trial for Felony Murder, and the intricate black and white pictures of the graphic novel tell the events of the trial in a captivating way by making the character vividly come alive on each page. Out of the courtroom, it comes to light that Steven is telling this story in the form of a film, as he was invested in film before the case began. Steven's ability to treat his trial as a film allows emotional points of interiority in which he struggles to maintain the border between feeling human, or like a monster. Myers successfully creates the complexity of the middle line between human and monster, and has the audience on a show more journey to figure out where Steve and themselves fall in relation to those two categories. show less

I enjoyed Monster mostly because of how well the artwork was done. As for the actual story, I found it a little hard to follow. The plot is based on a court case to prove whether or not Steve Harmon is guilty in the murder of a store owner. While that is an interesting enough plot, some aspects were strange. For instance, there are multiple scenes where the book depicts the entire story as a movie being shot scene for scene. While an interesting take on the telling the story, i found it somewhat distracting to the overall plot. That being said, the story fleshes out Steve as a human being instead of the monster that the prosecutors are trying to paint him as. The author does an excellent job on giving his readers a different side of the show more story not typically seen. By that, I mean the author is giving readers the defendants side of the story, he is humanizing what would be looked at as a monster. I truly did enjoy the story, despite some of the unusual elements to tell it. show less

The art style is really beautiful, and it does give a brutally blunt picture of some negative aspects of the judicial system. I have not read the original novel, but I'm betting pretty heavily that the novel format suits the narrative better than this adaptation does. The graphic novel definitely has its strengths and portrays a difficult narrative style better than I thought it would, but it does not feel nearly as inductive for discussion as the novel is reputed to be.

I really enjoyed Monster, and reading the graphic novel was a lot different for me than what I am used to reading. One of my favorite aspects about the book was how real the dialogue of the characters felt. I really felt like I was in the shoes of Steve Harmon, and I was really able to relate to him because of this. The pictures enhance the story greatly too. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I actually wasn't expecting the ending.

I love the way this particular story is betrayed. The back and forth of the trial and the way humans handle the stress of situations like jail and trials is perfectly portrayed with the pictures. The animations help me truly feel how Harmon does, and I enjoy the fact that the book is animated since Harmon is relating is trial to a film he is directing. I also love how stereotypes of young black men, and the stereotypes in the judicial system are approached. I have about twenty more pages and I cannot wait to finish it.

This story is full of emotion that I found compelling. It brought a disturbing image of the justice system to my mind. It is an unforgettable story. Although this story can relate directly to young African American males, I found that I could relate to the story as well. As soon as I picked up the book, I was hooked. The graphic novel format helped create a clear image in my mind of this scared young man and the tense courtroom drama. The ending is wonderful! You are left to ponder and determine for yourself what really happened.