History ComicBook / AsteriosPolyp

%%* BreakTheHaughty

%%* DeathByChildbirth: Asterios twin brother Ignazio. And just for added discomfort he is also the narrator.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Asterios loses his eye after getting glassed by a drunk near the end of the story]].

* ShaggyDogEnding: [[spoiler:The story ends with Asterios trekking all the way to Minnesota to Hana where they reminisce and share a moment together before an asteroid crashes into her house]].

%%* EyeScream

A graphic novel that defies simple explanation, ''Asterios Polyp'' combines philosophy, psychology, and design theory into an expertly crafted story. Critically praised as David Mazzuchelli's ''magnum opus,'' ''Asterios Polyp'' is an ambitious work of MetaFiction a decade in the making.

* ArtStyleClash: One of the book's stylistic themes is how Asterios' rigid, blue-line architect way seeing the world would clash with his artist wife's fluid, etched view of the world. This was visually and tonally represented by having their art styles "split" when they fought, and meld into more beautiful combined art when they loved and understood each other.

* AnAesop: Multiple and Frequent
* BetaCouple: Stiff and Ursula.
* BreakTheHaughty
* ChekhovsArmoury: So many you'll need to reread it to get them all.
* DeathByChildbirth: Asterios twin brother Ignazio. And just for added discomfort he is also the narrator.
* EyeScream

* InsistentTerminology: Our protagonist can be a bit of a jerk about this.
* ItWasAGift:
* ItsAllAboutMe: Asterios just barely avoids falling into this all the time.
* ItsNotPornItsArt: One scene where Asterios is seen screwing one of his students. And also Hana had this happen to her a few times.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* {{Malaproper}}: Asterios's boss Stiff.

* MementoMacGuffin: Asterios's pocket knife and father's lighter.

* OddCouple: Frequently.

* ShoutOut: Frequently does with the Odyssey.
* ShrinkingViolet: Hana, in many ways.

The artistic aspect of the book is one of its most unique aspects. The style and artwork are not only used to tell the story but are facet of the story itself. Each of the characters dialogue is written in it own way. And the book will regularly switch art styles to convey its messages.

This work cannot be completely understood in one reading, or for that matter in twenty.

-->"What if reality (as perceived) were simply an extension of the self? Wouldn't this color the way each individual experiences the world? As one who doesn't exist, I'm entitled to ask these questions."

A comic that defies simple explanation. ''Asterios Polyp'' combines philosophy, psychology, and design theory into an expertly crafted story. Critically praised as David Mazzuchelli's ''magnum opus,'' ''Asterios Polyp'' is an ambitious work of MetaFiction a decade in the making.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartWarming: The Ending

* [[spoiler:EyeScream]]

* FatalFlaw: Aside from his arrogance, Asterios is ''obsessed'' with duology - to the point he figuratively ''cannot'' think of things outside of patterns of two. He even keeps a security camera running in his house 24/7, so that he and Hana will always have "doubles" copying their every move in a TV screen.

* MeaningfulName: The names of the twins may refer to the story's BookEnds -- "Ignazio" means "fiery" in Italian, while the Greek name "Asterios" [[spoiler:is pretty close to "asteroeidís" (asteroid)]]. Another interpretation is that the names aren't individually meaningful, but [[PropheticName predict]] the ending when combined ([[spoiler:ignazio aster(ios) = "fiery star"]]).

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A comic that defies simple explanation. ''Asterios Polyp'' combines philosophy, psychology, and design theory into an expertly crafted story. Critically praised David Mazzuchelli's ''magnum opus''. ''Asterios Polyp'' is an ambitious work of MetaFiction a decade in the making.

* FatalFlaw: Aside from his arrogance, Asterios is ''obsessed'' with duology - to the point he literally ''cannot'' think of things outside of patterns of two. He even keeps a security camera running in his house 24/7, so that he and Hana will always have "doubles" copying their every move in a TV screen.

* AnachronicOrder: The fashbacks to Asterios's marriage are non-chronological.

A comic that defies simple explanation. ''Asterios Polyp'' combines philosophy, psychology, and design theory into an expertly crafted story. Critically praised David Mazzuchelli's ''magnum opus''. AsteriosPolyp is an ambitious work of MetaFiction a decade in the making.

A comic that defies simple explanation. AsteriosPolyp combines philosophy, psychology, and design theory into an expertly crafted story. Critically praised David Mazzuchelli's ''magnum opus''. AsteriosPolyp is an ambitious work of MetaFiction a decade in the making.