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papertraildiary's review against another edition
5.0
Profound! Hilarious! Charming! I've always wanted to see what it would be like inside a creative person's head, and this is IT.
stormagedon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
5.0
“…I truly believe that for every imaginary problem, there is an imaginary solution.” (pg 23)
Theo Ellsworth’s CAPACITY is far too artful and magical to be adequately described in some layperson’s social media review. Yet here I am, the quintessential poster child for the dull and unimaginative, giving it a go.
“I created another version of myself, then abandoned him.” (pg 78)
The Artwork: Ellsworth draws as though ink is abundant and paper is scarce. There is very little (if any) unused space in his art. Every nook and cranny holds part of the story. There are details within details within details; it would be maddeningly overwhelming were it not so brilliantly put together.
“The Pudding of Obligation (placed upon the Doily of Resentment)” (pg 118)
The Dialogue: The author is largely having a stream of consciousness discussion with himself, and you—dear reader—are along for the ride. His anxieties and aspirations are a conversational subtext for all that he puts on a page.
“This is an imaginary outfit that I wear over my everyday clothes every Tuesday. I highly recommend doing this as a weekly practice. It has changed my life. Imaginary Outfit Tuesdays (IOT): see you there!” (pg 259)
I know my description makes this sounds like madness, and maybe it is, but it is an ordered madness. This is the coherent chaos of a lucid daydream and now I want to just sit here and ruminate on this experience for a while.
“Every thought I’ve ever had is all part of this big invisible project that I’ll keep working on until I die.” (pg 314)
Theo Ellsworth’s CAPACITY is far too artful and magical to be adequately described in some layperson’s social media review. Yet here I am, the quintessential poster child for the dull and unimaginative, giving it a go.
“I created another version of myself, then abandoned him.” (pg 78)
The Artwork: Ellsworth draws as though ink is abundant and paper is scarce. There is very little (if any) unused space in his art. Every nook and cranny holds part of the story. There are details within details within details; it would be maddeningly overwhelming were it not so brilliantly put together.
“The Pudding of Obligation (placed upon the Doily of Resentment)” (pg 118)
The Dialogue: The author is largely having a stream of consciousness discussion with himself, and you—dear reader—are along for the ride. His anxieties and aspirations are a conversational subtext for all that he puts on a page.
“This is an imaginary outfit that I wear over my everyday clothes every Tuesday. I highly recommend doing this as a weekly practice. It has changed my life. Imaginary Outfit Tuesdays (IOT): see you there!” (pg 259)
I know my description makes this sounds like madness, and maybe it is, but it is an ordered madness. This is the coherent chaos of a lucid daydream and now I want to just sit here and ruminate on this experience for a while.
“Every thought I’ve ever had is all part of this big invisible project that I’ll keep working on until I die.” (pg 314)
gigglesbanana's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful illustrations and a sweet story about an artist's journey. Adorable!
trapdoor's review against another edition
3.0
interesting. lot of good quotes here
my favorite chapter was easily capacity #4
honestly the artstyle freaked me out a lil.
“princess zezebon the orange is showering you with miracle particles. This isn’t something she’d do for just anyone”
my favorite chapter was easily capacity #4
honestly the artstyle freaked me out a lil.
“princess zezebon the orange is showering you with miracle particles. This isn’t something she’d do for just anyone”
600bars's review against another edition
3.0
I’m making an effort to stop doing this, but I often speed through graphic novels and then feel guilty bc the artist spent so much time drawing them only for me to look at it for 1 second! For this book I spent a lot of time looking at the drawings because they were so intricate and detailed. The more you look the more you see some little frog guy peeking out of a window or something. I loved all the textures. They looked fun to draw. I remember when I was a kid I loved drawing tiny tiny circles for a super long time. Looking at these drawings I can just imagine how good it feels to hyperfixate on drawing the lines on the floorboards for hours and hours. He is so lucky he can draw his imagination so well. There are lots of trains/paths going in and out of buildings, lots of monsters, lots of dangling baubles off of tree branches or antlers.
Part of why I spent so much time looking at the drawings is that the narrative left something to be desired. This book is a collection of work over a period of 5 years. There is a linking between them all where Ellsworth goes over the things going on in his personal life while he made whatever it is we are about to see. I thought the memoir portions were stronger than the comics in between. By nature of this, the quality of the comics were variable, which he explains by showing what creative period/slump he was in at that time in his life. Ellsworth is clearly aware of his own weaknesses, like the inability to follow through on a narrative. Some of the rhymes were a bit childish/trite and I thought he might be better off making children’s content. There was one negative comment he gets from a publisher in the story that says the drawings are stunning but the writing is lacking, and I agreed with them :(. However, this was made in 2008 and there’s so much time for growth and I loved the drawings so much that I really want to read his newer stuff. I really liked him as a person while reading this, which tbh is rare when you are reading something memoir adjacent. An extremely charming book.
Part of why I spent so much time looking at the drawings is that the narrative left something to be desired. This book is a collection of work over a period of 5 years. There is a linking between them all where Ellsworth goes over the things going on in his personal life while he made whatever it is we are about to see. I thought the memoir portions were stronger than the comics in between. By nature of this, the quality of the comics were variable, which he explains by showing what creative period/slump he was in at that time in his life. Ellsworth is clearly aware of his own weaknesses, like the inability to follow through on a narrative. Some of the rhymes were a bit childish/trite and I thought he might be better off making children’s content. There was one negative comment he gets from a publisher in the story that says the drawings are stunning but the writing is lacking, and I agreed with them :(. However, this was made in 2008 and there’s so much time for growth and I loved the drawings so much that I really want to read his newer stuff. I really liked him as a person while reading this, which tbh is rare when you are reading something memoir adjacent. An extremely charming book.
jainabee's review against another edition
5.0
If I could spread sparkles all over this review, it still wouldn't convey the thrills (literally!) this book gives me. Even if you aren't a fan of "graphic novels" (or whatever the kids are calling it these days), the introduction alone is such a spine-tinglingly spot-on description of the creative process that anyone could appreciate it. The rest of the book is a guided tour of where Theo's creative journey has taken him— deep into the deepest, strangest lands of the imagination! As I finished this book, my eyes filled with tears. Amazing. Phenomenal.
ecstaticlistening's review against another edition
5.0
Intricate & fantastical drawings, creatures I love to study, and a story about writing and drawing stories. Love love love it.
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