A review by saidtheraina
The Beats: A Graphic History by Paul M. Buhle

2.0

I should have REALLY liked this. The Beats were a movement that I identify with the counterculture of the sixties. I liked [b:On the Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21E8H3D1JSL._SL75_.jpg|3355573]. Pekar is supposed to be one of the greats of the comic world. I LOVE graphic novels. But it fell flat for me. Pekar has a distinct style - matter-of-fact, not glossing over any of the ugliness, ungraceful. And that's how this book felt. I didn't identify with any of the primary movers and shakers of the movement - they came off as assholes. The only portions I enjoyed (I even skipped some of it) were the sections on the Beat Chicks. But that portion made me that much more mad at the guys. I think I like my gns a little more smooth.