Reviews

American Elf, Book Two, January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005: The Collected Sketchbook Diaries of James Kochalka, Vol. 2 by James Kochalka

deepfreezebatman's review against another edition

5.0

Loved this collection! Made me an instant Kochalka fan.

Can I submit a video for my review?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_mChILDyVA

heyep's review

3.0

I cannot get enough of James Kochalka's silly, sentimental, surreal take on everyday life. It is 100% endearing.

shea_proulx's review against another edition

5.0

These slice-of-life comics are so balanced between punk-rock grunginess and cute homey whimsy, they're really like nothing else out there.

colophonphile's review against another edition

Several things, among them Kochalka being named poet laureate in his native Vermont earlier this year, led me to revisit this great volume of serial quotidian serendipity. Another thing was parenthood. Kochalka's kid's-eye-view on the world may not have an inherent plot, but it does have themes (nature, music, creativity, love, food, and cats among them, often overlapping) and even a climax, when the eternal kid has a kid of his own.

lfagundes's review

2.0

this guy drinks his wife's breast milk during sex and it kinda grossed me out. that is ALL i can remember of reading this book. and that he draws cutely

tiamatq's review against another edition

5.0

I was introduced to American Elf by a friend and have kept reading the daily strips for more than a year now. I really wanted to go back and read the comic from the start, though, and this book is the best way to do it (unless you have many, many hours to spend at your computer). I read this first volume on my lunch breaks, on and off, and it was always such a pick-me-up. I also would find myself thinking about strips later in the day, reflecting on them. I don't know if this is "deep" material, but it's hard not to feel a connection to James Kochalka and his family. He doesn't shy away from certain topics, which makes it all the more fun and wonderful... though it does make for an interesting glance by coworkers in the lunch room. Reading this is a lot like talking to a friend about what's happening in your life, when maybe you think your life is strange and maybe your relationships aren't working out and you're just not getting it, and then that friend says "yeah, me too!" Okay, it's not quite like that, but that's the feeling I got. I'm happy to be catching up to present day American Elf!