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adriancurcher's review against another edition
3.0
When I read this 10 odd years ago I thought it was one of the best things I've ever read. Was one of the books that sparked my love for "alternative" comics. It doesn't quite have the same punch reading it now, but is still a great little book beautifully illustrated.
itacuz's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
David may be boring, but we all need a lesbian best friend like Dot.
Kept waiting for more to happen, but it mostly stayed in the lane it started in. Certainly there was plot and action, but there was nothing aside from a little cousin incest that made this worth returning to. Even the big actiony act breaks were largely swept away as our daring hero continued to do nothing while the women in his life acted on his behalf for better or worse.
Cool that he could read a person's ass by looking at their face, wish that was played up as more than a weird party trick.
Kept waiting for more to happen, but it mostly stayed in the lane it started in. Certainly there was plot and action, but there was nothing aside from a little cousin incest that made this worth returning to. Even the big actiony act breaks were largely swept away as our daring hero continued to do nothing while the women in his life acted on his behalf for better or worse.
Cool that he could read a person's ass by looking at their face, wish that was played up as more than a weird party trick.
mobtownshank's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
trapdoor's review against another edition
3.0
i dont feel like i understand this book 😂
definitely a fun noir, but at some point i got lost and did not go back. wouldn’t be opposed to reading it again.
definitely a fun noir, but at some point i got lost and did not go back. wouldn’t be opposed to reading it again.
jekutree's review against another edition
4.0
Last book in my Clowes run and I’ve gotta say this is pretty good. I think the theme of the work is pretty clear, it covers male sexualization of the female body and how men view women as conquests not people. I think where David Boring falls short for me is in its story which is a bit all over the place. There’s a few plot threads that happen in act one that are dropped that Clowes brings back at the end of act three. It feels like they were shoehorned in because he forgot about them. The murder mystery element didn’t need to be included, it felt like it was introduced but as the story progressed Clowes covered other things that were far more interesting. The whole his father was a cartoonist doesn’t seem to go anywhere either, but I kind of enjoy Clowes doing the little bits of David’s father’s comic. It’s very possible I missed something though. With those flaws out of the way, I do have to say I think David is an interesting character. He seems like a more fleshed out version of the main character from Velvet Glove. I feel a lot of this book though has Velvet Glove in it, Clowes being a better storyteller probably felt he could revisit that world with a fresh set of eyes. I think this is an improvement on what he set out to do with that story.
His art though is of course impressive. This being his third graphic novel, within the context of his career up to this point I think it blends the visual elements of both Ghost World and Velvet Glove pretty well. It has the great figure drawing of Ghost World, the locations and aesthetic of Velvet Glove and a panel structure that falls between both. The visuals of this book are mesmerizing and I absolutely love the way Clowes got to tell his story.
I think David Boring is a cool piece in Clowes’s career. It was the last graphic novel he did like this before transitioning into the more comic strip influenced portion of his career (Death Ray, Wilson, Ice Haven, Mister Wonderful) and I think it serves as a great spiritual successor and improvement to Like a Velvet Glove Cast In Iron.
7.5/10
His art though is of course impressive. This being his third graphic novel, within the context of his career up to this point I think it blends the visual elements of both Ghost World and Velvet Glove pretty well. It has the great figure drawing of Ghost World, the locations and aesthetic of Velvet Glove and a panel structure that falls between both. The visuals of this book are mesmerizing and I absolutely love the way Clowes got to tell his story.
I think David Boring is a cool piece in Clowes’s career. It was the last graphic novel he did like this before transitioning into the more comic strip influenced portion of his career (Death Ray, Wilson, Ice Haven, Mister Wonderful) and I think it serves as a great spiritual successor and improvement to Like a Velvet Glove Cast In Iron.
7.5/10
nickdleblanc's review against another edition
5.0
Kind of a perfect read. Cool art, existential mystery, weird unlikable narrator (but in a good way). I know Velvet Glove is supposed to be his masterpiece but this is like the quieter more mature but also more fucked up sibling.
gladysreads's review against another edition
3.0
David Boring was confusing and messed up in so many ways.
tomhill's review against another edition
4.0
Another winner from Daniel Clowes, a really great indie comics artist.