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Asterios Polyp Discussion Guide: Home
David Mazzucchelli
Articles, Interviews, and Reviews
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Bold, Experimental 'Asterios' Expands Graphic GenreNPR, July 15, 2011.
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Shades of MeaningThe New York Times, July 23, 2009.
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Comics ReliefNew York Magazine, January 25, 2005.
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TCJ 300 Conversations: David Mazzucchelli & Dash ShawThe Comics Journal, December 16, 2009.
Other Works by David Mazzucchelli
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City of Glass by
ISBN: 9780312423605 -
Videos
Discussion Questions
(From the Association of College and Research Libraries - Residency Interest Group)
- Which aspects of Asterios’ personality are redeemable? Which are irredeemable? Is there some kind of theme here? For example, how might this tie into the notion of duality?
- What did you think of the artwork? His use of color? What is conveyed by both his style and use of color, if anything?
- In what way does his style deviate from others you’re familiar with? In what ways is his style similar to others you’re familiar with?
- Would you say Mazzucchelli favored style over content? If so, how does this fit with the many metaphors in the book? Or doesn’t it?
- Asterios is a “paper architect” - a designer and not a builder. Is this a metaphor for something? Could we apply this as a metaphor to other aspects of Asterios’ life?
- What is the dynamic between Hana and Asterios? In what ways does their relationship work? In what ways doesn’t it?
- You could spend quite a bit of time trying to tease out all of the metaphor, symbolism, and references to other works in this book. What did you notice?
Reserve a copy
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Asterios Polyp by
ISBN: 9780307377326
Suggestions for further reading
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The Sculptor by
ISBN: 9781596435735Publication Date: 2015-02-03David Smith is giving his life for his art—literally. Thanks to a deal with Death, the young sculptor gets his childhood wish: to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. But now that he only has 200 days to live, deciding what to create is harder than he thought, and discovering the love of his life at the 11th hour isn't making it any easier! -
Building Stories by
ISBN: 9780375424335With the increasing electronic incorporeality of existence, sometimes it's reassuring--perhaps even necessary--to have something to hold on to. Thus within this colorful keepsake box the purchaser will find a fully-apportioned variety of reading material ready to address virtually any imaginable artistic or poetic taste, from the corrosive sarcasm of youth to the sickening earnestness of maturity--while discovering a protagonist wondering if she'll ever move from the rented close quarters of lonely young adulthood to the mortgaged expanse of love and marriage. -
BodyWorld by
ISBN: 9780307378422From the astonishing imagination of Dash Shaw comes a darkly fantastical graphic novel about a small town, a lowlife botanist, and a mysterious plant with strange powers.