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The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln
The debut graphic novel from Noah Van Sciver follows the twentysomething Abraham Lincoln as he loses everything, long before becoming our most beloved president. Lincoln is a rising Whig in the state's legislature as he arrives in Springfield, IL to practice law. With all of his possessions under his arms in two saddlebags, he is quickly given a place to stay by a womanizing young bachelor who becomes his friend and close confidant. Lincoln builds a life and begins friendships with the town's top lawyers and politicians. He attends elegant dances and meets an independent-minded young woman from a high-society Kentucky family, and after a brisk courtship, becomes engaged. But, as time passes and uncertainty creeps in, young Lincoln is forced to battle a dark cloud of depression brought on by a chain of defeats and failures culminating into a nervous breakdown that threatens his life and sanity. This cloud of dark depression Lincoln calls "The Hypo." Dense crosshatching and an attention to detail help bring together this completely original telling of a man driven by an irrepressible desire to pull himself up by his bootstraps, overcome all obstacles, and become the person he strives to be. All the while, unknowingly laying the foundation of character he would use as one of America's greatest presidents.
188 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2012
3 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Noah Van Sciver
90 books210 followers[copied from: http://nvansciver.wordpress.com/about/]
I am THE one and only Noah Van Sciver, cartoonist/comic strip artist and illustrator. I’m best known for my alternative comic book series Blammo and my weekly comic strip 4 Questions which appears every week in the alternative newspaper Westword. My work has appeared in The Best American comics 2011, Mad magazine, Sunstone, The Comics Journal, MOME and numerous comics anthologies. I’m currently hard at work on my first graphic novel The Hypo which will be published by Fantagraphics books upon its completion. I’m a cancer and I hate seafood, and adventure.
I am THE one and only Noah Van Sciver, cartoonist/comic strip artist and illustrator. I’m best known for my alternative comic book series Blammo and my weekly comic strip 4 Questions which appears every week in the alternative newspaper Westword. My work has appeared in The Best American comics 2011, Mad magazine, Sunstone, The Comics Journal, MOME and numerous comics anthologies. I’m currently hard at work on my first graphic novel The Hypo which will be published by Fantagraphics books upon its completion. I’m a cancer and I hate seafood, and adventure.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
April 28, 2018
4/27/18: Since I recently read George Saunders's Lincoln in the Bardo, I decide to reread this fine comics biography focused on the early Lincoln's life. Both books focus on Lincoln's struggles with depression, triggered sometimes by life trauma, but the Saunders book deals with a couple days during the first year of the Civil War when his 11-year-old son Willie died. It doesn't deal much with mother Mary, though we learn her grief at this death made her so despondent that she was never fully functional as wife or mother after that.
The Hypo deals with Lincoln's initial break with Mary Todd, his subsequent breakdown, and their eventual marriage, without much reference to Todd's mental illness. But because I had just the Bardo, I liked The Hypo even more than I initially had.
6/25/15 (original review, edited a tad):
I recently read Van Sciver's kinda experimental comics short story collection, Youth Is Wasted, which would seem to be a kind of exploration of form, mainly, but the focus in the narratives themselves is on angry, sad, punkish, twenty or thirty-something losers, such as his longer, single-storied volume, Saint Cole, about a thirty-something drunk loser, and I just happened to like them very much. But because of the dark nature of the first two I read, and the alternative feel of the narratives, I was sort of surprised by the relatively conventional feel of the structure of this comics biography.
What fits is that now I see a link between the three books: bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, or what Lincoln and Mary Todd called "the hypo" which is a little known or discussed aspect of Lincoln's life. All three of these books would seem to be explorations of mental illness, though I had not thought of that specifically in reading the first two works. Initially I had just thought the guys he depicts are assholes, and that Van Sciver was merely being caustically realistic in describing these guys. But take all three books and set them side to side and you can see all three books as different ways of unsentimentally illustrating this variety of craziness, which often can lead to relationship problems, drugs/alcohol, job problems, and so on. And can lead to shallow people like me calling these characters losers!
And you know, in none of the three books is he being "merely" realistic in his depiction of characters, as his compassion for these characters comes through in some way. Yes, even in Saint Cole where Joe makes every bad decision possible. We know he is primarily at fault throughout, but we still feel sorry for him. Or I do feel sorry for him more now, having read The Hypo? Joe seems like he has the hypo!
Lincoln suffered all his life from what people also called melancholy, and his wife also suffered from mental illness. And of course all the Lincoln biographies are about his great speeches, his great acts, his rise to power from poverty. His greatness. And that's useful, of course, and inspirational, and as it should be. So most historians would probably dismiss this comic biography for focusing on his weirdness so much, but it is nevertheless pretty meticulous in style and research. And the slightly exaggerated style of drawing characters and the sometimes weird dark backgrounds fit the (melancholy/crazy) content. It's so different than his other books, in ways, but also carefully and beautifully done. The language is right. His characterization of Lincoln seems right to me. And as with Saint Cole, brutally honest. We make these historical figures into saints, but they are vulnerable, they have problems, they fall apart. Just as most of us do. It makes Lincoln's accomplishments all the more impressive if we think he had so much to overcome. Depression shaped Lincoln and was part of his greatness! And what about Van Sciver? I don't know him, but have my suspicions that he may be exploring this stuff for personal reasons.
I am reminded of Chester Brown's Louis Riel, a serious biography about a great and crazy Canadian politician, which we can put next to some of his more "alternative" memoir work such as I Never Liked You, in which Brown comes off as fragile, isolated, and pretty crazy, too. As with The Hypo, both Brown and Riel are a little crazy, and Brown is unflinchingly honest in depicting himself and Riel.
A friend of mine once told me that all scholarly work is essentially autobiographical. You write out of your own life, your obsessions, your own needs. These comics/graphic histories would seem to be in this mode, as in part working out details of the artists' own craziness, coming to understand themselves as much as craziness itself.
I found The Hypo accomplished, and ultimately humane, empathetic. I really think it is memorable, even though most people may just find it odd. But why talk of Lincoln's greatness and not talk of his mental health? Why do that with Van Gogh and not Lincoln? This is a valuable contribution to history, biography and mental health studies.
Oh, and you know what I forgot? It is also essentially a romance, the story of how odd Mary and odd Abraham get together, and manage to commit to each other. But the terms are clear for both of them. They have problems. And they choose each other, anyway. Or because they recognize each other's vulnerability and love each other for it! There's a kind of sweetness and appropriateness to all that.
The Hypo deals with Lincoln's initial break with Mary Todd, his subsequent breakdown, and their eventual marriage, without much reference to Todd's mental illness. But because I had just the Bardo, I liked The Hypo even more than I initially had.
6/25/15 (original review, edited a tad):
I recently read Van Sciver's kinda experimental comics short story collection, Youth Is Wasted, which would seem to be a kind of exploration of form, mainly, but the focus in the narratives themselves is on angry, sad, punkish, twenty or thirty-something losers, such as his longer, single-storied volume, Saint Cole, about a thirty-something drunk loser, and I just happened to like them very much. But because of the dark nature of the first two I read, and the alternative feel of the narratives, I was sort of surprised by the relatively conventional feel of the structure of this comics biography.
What fits is that now I see a link between the three books: bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, or what Lincoln and Mary Todd called "the hypo" which is a little known or discussed aspect of Lincoln's life. All three of these books would seem to be explorations of mental illness, though I had not thought of that specifically in reading the first two works. Initially I had just thought the guys he depicts are assholes, and that Van Sciver was merely being caustically realistic in describing these guys. But take all three books and set them side to side and you can see all three books as different ways of unsentimentally illustrating this variety of craziness, which often can lead to relationship problems, drugs/alcohol, job problems, and so on. And can lead to shallow people like me calling these characters losers!
And you know, in none of the three books is he being "merely" realistic in his depiction of characters, as his compassion for these characters comes through in some way. Yes, even in Saint Cole where Joe makes every bad decision possible. We know he is primarily at fault throughout, but we still feel sorry for him. Or I do feel sorry for him more now, having read The Hypo? Joe seems like he has the hypo!
Lincoln suffered all his life from what people also called melancholy, and his wife also suffered from mental illness. And of course all the Lincoln biographies are about his great speeches, his great acts, his rise to power from poverty. His greatness. And that's useful, of course, and inspirational, and as it should be. So most historians would probably dismiss this comic biography for focusing on his weirdness so much, but it is nevertheless pretty meticulous in style and research. And the slightly exaggerated style of drawing characters and the sometimes weird dark backgrounds fit the (melancholy/crazy) content. It's so different than his other books, in ways, but also carefully and beautifully done. The language is right. His characterization of Lincoln seems right to me. And as with Saint Cole, brutally honest. We make these historical figures into saints, but they are vulnerable, they have problems, they fall apart. Just as most of us do. It makes Lincoln's accomplishments all the more impressive if we think he had so much to overcome. Depression shaped Lincoln and was part of his greatness! And what about Van Sciver? I don't know him, but have my suspicions that he may be exploring this stuff for personal reasons.
I am reminded of Chester Brown's Louis Riel, a serious biography about a great and crazy Canadian politician, which we can put next to some of his more "alternative" memoir work such as I Never Liked You, in which Brown comes off as fragile, isolated, and pretty crazy, too. As with The Hypo, both Brown and Riel are a little crazy, and Brown is unflinchingly honest in depicting himself and Riel.
A friend of mine once told me that all scholarly work is essentially autobiographical. You write out of your own life, your obsessions, your own needs. These comics/graphic histories would seem to be in this mode, as in part working out details of the artists' own craziness, coming to understand themselves as much as craziness itself.
I found The Hypo accomplished, and ultimately humane, empathetic. I really think it is memorable, even though most people may just find it odd. But why talk of Lincoln's greatness and not talk of his mental health? Why do that with Van Gogh and not Lincoln? This is a valuable contribution to history, biography and mental health studies.
Oh, and you know what I forgot? It is also essentially a romance, the story of how odd Mary and odd Abraham get together, and manage to commit to each other. But the terms are clear for both of them. They have problems. And they choose each other, anyway. Or because they recognize each other's vulnerability and love each other for it! There's a kind of sweetness and appropriateness to all that.
November 5, 2015
Thankfully, Noah Van Sciver's The Hypo makes no attempt to provide yet another sweeping, larger-than-life portrayal of the 16th President of the United States. Instead, it focuses on a brief, usually neglected, decidedly unglamorous period in the future President's life, following a twentysomething Lincoln who desperately tries to establish himself professionally and socially while struggling with poverty and the "hypo" - a form of mental illness that was labeled melancholy at the time and has since then become known as manic depression or, more recently, bipolar disorder.
The results are spellbinding. Van Sciver's gritty street-level approach not only humanizes the legendary president but also undermines the stigma attached to mental illness, highlighting the fact that even one of America's most admired politicians suffered from it. The terrifyingly realistic depiction of his emotional turmoil - supported by strange pacing and a claustrophobic, almost manic drawing style - is truly gut-wrenching and reminds me of Lynda Barry at her bleakest. Great attention to detail, well-selected and -integrated quotations, and a rigid, from today’s perspective stilted and awkward narrative style brilliantly evoke both the period's restricting social mores and Lincoln’s personal demons.
Highly recommended to anybody interested in alternative comics or the topic of mental illness!
The results are spellbinding. Van Sciver's gritty street-level approach not only humanizes the legendary president but also undermines the stigma attached to mental illness, highlighting the fact that even one of America's most admired politicians suffered from it. The terrifyingly realistic depiction of his emotional turmoil - supported by strange pacing and a claustrophobic, almost manic drawing style - is truly gut-wrenching and reminds me of Lynda Barry at her bleakest. Great attention to detail, well-selected and -integrated quotations, and a rigid, from today’s perspective stilted and awkward narrative style brilliantly evoke both the period's restricting social mores and Lincoln’s personal demons.
Highly recommended to anybody interested in alternative comics or the topic of mental illness!
December 20, 2015
“The Hypo” was a nineteenth century term for clinical depression and top hat enthusiast Abraham Lincoln was a lifelong sufferer of the illness. Noah van Sciver takes a look at a (relatively) little-known part of Lincoln’s life: his late 20s/early 30s, long before he became president. Lincoln was struggling with his burgeoning political career and law practice amidst mental problems and heartache from the troubled courtship of his future wife, Mary Todd.
I’ll get my complaints about the book out at the top of the review, and they’re not many as this was a great comic. Van Sciver’s character designs were a bit lacking. Too many of his male characters looked alike, particularly Lincoln and his best friend, Joshua Speed, while the women had this warped, cartoonish look to them, not dissimilar from Peter Bagge’s style but less so. Also, I’m not sure why the book had to end in a duel besides traditional narrative convention demands an action finale.
Otherwise: what a brilliant book The Hypo was!
It’s part psychological examination/historical retelling, part romance, and, though I’m not much interested in romantic themes, Lincoln and Mary Todd’s scenes were especially cute. They were intellectual equals and Mary took a keen interest in politics, advising Lincoln and no doubt helping him on his path to presidency (behind every great man, etc.). She also suffered from mental illness herself though this is only briefly touched upon. It was a difficult courtship though as Mary’s guardians believed Lincoln wasn’t good enough for her, his family being poor frontier farmers.
Lincoln was overly conscientious and he obligingly broke off the engagement leading to more heartache and stress, and, on top of his failing law firm and debt, caused him a breakdown. Throughout the book are black pages with white dashes to symbolise Lincoln’s low moods. As Lincoln’s problems mount up, bright white blotches, or “tears”, appear amidst the black and when he completely falls apart the page is totally white. It’s a clever and effective way to portray the illness.
I also liked how some scenes have word balloons just out of panel so you can’t read them but you know dialogue is being spoken. It shows Lincoln’s disconnection from the scenes and the reader is silent too, the voice in our heads switched off but we’re aware of characters talking. We also see how doctors treated “the hypo” way back then: bleeding the patient, alternately giving hot and cold baths, and giving mercury to make the patient puke!
Van Sciver keeps the attention on this period of Lincoln’s life though subtly alludes to things he’s more known for. The chapters are framed in a theatrical style, hinting at Ford’s Theatre, the site of Lincoln’s fatal shooting, and a couple of scenes feature slaves. Regarding the slaves though, Lincoln’s more interested in their upbeat moods in comparison to his own miserable one, rather than their barbaric treatment.
It’s a very human portrayal of a man who has since attained an almost mythical status. Here, Lincoln is a nervous young man, unsure and vulnerable. I laughed at the scene where he reluctantly heads out to a whorehouse muttering "I'm up to no good..." (he doesn’t go through with it as he doesn’t have the cash and the thought of debt makes his depression worse), and I like how he calls Mary “little lady” – these Lincoln-isms are endearing.
The book also goes some way to alleviating some of the stigma associated with mental illness by showing one of America's greatest icons as having had it. In focusing on this part of Lincoln’s life, Van Sciver is subtly showing the reader what made Lincoln such a great man. That he had to overcome enormous personal problems made him a stronger person and gave him the resolve that eventually led to the White House and the continued Union of the States. You could take it as an inspirational message too, that even the greatest among us had to deal with regular concerns of the head and the heart and that in doing so makes it possible for anyone to accomplish things beyond their perceived potential.
The Hypo is a very good comic about one of America’s greatest presidents and his struggle with depression. Noah van Sciver does it again!
I’ll get my complaints about the book out at the top of the review, and they’re not many as this was a great comic. Van Sciver’s character designs were a bit lacking. Too many of his male characters looked alike, particularly Lincoln and his best friend, Joshua Speed, while the women had this warped, cartoonish look to them, not dissimilar from Peter Bagge’s style but less so. Also, I’m not sure why the book had to end in a duel besides traditional narrative convention demands an action finale.
Otherwise: what a brilliant book The Hypo was!
It’s part psychological examination/historical retelling, part romance, and, though I’m not much interested in romantic themes, Lincoln and Mary Todd’s scenes were especially cute. They were intellectual equals and Mary took a keen interest in politics, advising Lincoln and no doubt helping him on his path to presidency (behind every great man, etc.). She also suffered from mental illness herself though this is only briefly touched upon. It was a difficult courtship though as Mary’s guardians believed Lincoln wasn’t good enough for her, his family being poor frontier farmers.
Lincoln was overly conscientious and he obligingly broke off the engagement leading to more heartache and stress, and, on top of his failing law firm and debt, caused him a breakdown. Throughout the book are black pages with white dashes to symbolise Lincoln’s low moods. As Lincoln’s problems mount up, bright white blotches, or “tears”, appear amidst the black and when he completely falls apart the page is totally white. It’s a clever and effective way to portray the illness.
I also liked how some scenes have word balloons just out of panel so you can’t read them but you know dialogue is being spoken. It shows Lincoln’s disconnection from the scenes and the reader is silent too, the voice in our heads switched off but we’re aware of characters talking. We also see how doctors treated “the hypo” way back then: bleeding the patient, alternately giving hot and cold baths, and giving mercury to make the patient puke!
Van Sciver keeps the attention on this period of Lincoln’s life though subtly alludes to things he’s more known for. The chapters are framed in a theatrical style, hinting at Ford’s Theatre, the site of Lincoln’s fatal shooting, and a couple of scenes feature slaves. Regarding the slaves though, Lincoln’s more interested in their upbeat moods in comparison to his own miserable one, rather than their barbaric treatment.
It’s a very human portrayal of a man who has since attained an almost mythical status. Here, Lincoln is a nervous young man, unsure and vulnerable. I laughed at the scene where he reluctantly heads out to a whorehouse muttering "I'm up to no good..." (he doesn’t go through with it as he doesn’t have the cash and the thought of debt makes his depression worse), and I like how he calls Mary “little lady” – these Lincoln-isms are endearing.
The book also goes some way to alleviating some of the stigma associated with mental illness by showing one of America's greatest icons as having had it. In focusing on this part of Lincoln’s life, Van Sciver is subtly showing the reader what made Lincoln such a great man. That he had to overcome enormous personal problems made him a stronger person and gave him the resolve that eventually led to the White House and the continued Union of the States. You could take it as an inspirational message too, that even the greatest among us had to deal with regular concerns of the head and the heart and that in doing so makes it possible for anyone to accomplish things beyond their perceived potential.
The Hypo is a very good comic about one of America’s greatest presidents and his struggle with depression. Noah van Sciver does it again!
January 5, 2016
Noah Van Sciver's graphic novel 'The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln' presents a really engaging view of Abraham Lincoln's life from 1837 to 1842.
It focuses on Lincoln's clinical depression (the titular 'hypo') and Sciver's cartooning really manages to portray the struggle of somebody living with this condition very well.
Recommended for history buffs, people looking for insight into clinical depression and fans of good storytelling.
A big thank you to Sam for supplying me with a copy of this book; it was a great post-Christmas present!
It focuses on Lincoln's clinical depression (the titular 'hypo') and Sciver's cartooning really manages to portray the struggle of somebody living with this condition very well.
Recommended for history buffs, people looking for insight into clinical depression and fans of good storytelling.
A big thank you to Sam for supplying me with a copy of this book; it was a great post-Christmas present!
October 16, 2012
You'd think it'd feel weird when a guy who's so good at old-school underground comics humor decides to do a realistic historical character piece; but it doesn't, because Van Sciver's strengths are all put to great use here.
First, his dialogue is great-- economical, illuminating, and hilarious. This is a very funny book, and the humor is grounded in character. The most memorable example is an early scene where Lincoln (on his roommate's advice) slouches off to a brothel, feeling both sordid and curious, but at the last minute realizes he can't afford the $5 fee and makes the most awkward exit possible while still trying to be friendly. Another writer might have turned the anxiety up to 11 and made it into a joke about 19th-century sexual hangups, or had the woman's response be all nonplused impatience; but here it has a gentle tone that hints at the care and strength behind Lincoln's oddness, and the real joke is a timeless one: both romance and horniness have to take a rain check when you're broke. And then the joke, instead of closing the scene, is displaced by the kind of line whose odd wording sticks in your head for no obvious reason: "I actually forgot my hat."
Second, the goofy but textured visual style-- which owes something to Crumb and to Gahan Wilson-- works surprisingly well for drama, in the same way that an actor who's very good at comedy is often the best choice for a serious role: he knows how to communicate something real through precise exaggeration. His faces are expressive and tactile in a way that makes me want to grab them by the ears. And his female characters are clearly of the same species as the men-- something a lot of male humor cartoonists have trouble with (I think of it as the Bloom County/Howard the Duck effect: the male author-identified characters are midget animals or gangly bigfeet, while the female love interest is all smooth lines, pert of body and nose), but Van Sciver lets all the people be people, lumpy heads and all.
Third, he's honest about the dark side: when he did stories about depression and anxiety in Blammo, they were often funny but he wasn't kidding, and the parts of this book that deal with major depression are some of the most accurate I've ever seen. It's hard to express how inconsistent the experience can be. Lincoln becomes hideously non-functional, but when other people try to help him he passively accepts, while still being sure he's doomed. At a particularly joyless low, he proposes marriage to a stranger because maybe that'll help somehow. He's never sure whether this is something that's happening to him or something he's doing, or why it gets better when it does. Even though Lincoln mentions wanting to accomplish great things some day, it's not about how a great man's vision helps him overcome the darkness; he just manages to survive it, mostly because although he feels alone, he isn't.
My only problem with the book is that the pace feels a little off in the last third: Van Sciver spends a fair amount of time on Lincoln's half-assed duel with James Shields, which is a good story, but would've worked better for me if it were the middle of a longer book rather than the end of a medium-short one. If the whole thing were as well constructed as the first half it'd be one of the best books of the decade. As it is, it's just extremely good, unique, and full of heart.
First, his dialogue is great-- economical, illuminating, and hilarious. This is a very funny book, and the humor is grounded in character. The most memorable example is an early scene where Lincoln (on his roommate's advice) slouches off to a brothel, feeling both sordid and curious, but at the last minute realizes he can't afford the $5 fee and makes the most awkward exit possible while still trying to be friendly. Another writer might have turned the anxiety up to 11 and made it into a joke about 19th-century sexual hangups, or had the woman's response be all nonplused impatience; but here it has a gentle tone that hints at the care and strength behind Lincoln's oddness, and the real joke is a timeless one: both romance and horniness have to take a rain check when you're broke. And then the joke, instead of closing the scene, is displaced by the kind of line whose odd wording sticks in your head for no obvious reason: "I actually forgot my hat."
Second, the goofy but textured visual style-- which owes something to Crumb and to Gahan Wilson-- works surprisingly well for drama, in the same way that an actor who's very good at comedy is often the best choice for a serious role: he knows how to communicate something real through precise exaggeration. His faces are expressive and tactile in a way that makes me want to grab them by the ears. And his female characters are clearly of the same species as the men-- something a lot of male humor cartoonists have trouble with (I think of it as the Bloom County/Howard the Duck effect: the male author-identified characters are midget animals or gangly bigfeet, while the female love interest is all smooth lines, pert of body and nose), but Van Sciver lets all the people be people, lumpy heads and all.
Third, he's honest about the dark side: when he did stories about depression and anxiety in Blammo, they were often funny but he wasn't kidding, and the parts of this book that deal with major depression are some of the most accurate I've ever seen. It's hard to express how inconsistent the experience can be. Lincoln becomes hideously non-functional, but when other people try to help him he passively accepts, while still being sure he's doomed. At a particularly joyless low, he proposes marriage to a stranger because maybe that'll help somehow. He's never sure whether this is something that's happening to him or something he's doing, or why it gets better when it does. Even though Lincoln mentions wanting to accomplish great things some day, it's not about how a great man's vision helps him overcome the darkness; he just manages to survive it, mostly because although he feels alone, he isn't.
My only problem with the book is that the pace feels a little off in the last third: Van Sciver spends a fair amount of time on Lincoln's half-assed duel with James Shields, which is a good story, but would've worked better for me if it were the middle of a longer book rather than the end of a medium-short one. If the whole thing were as well constructed as the first half it'd be one of the best books of the decade. As it is, it's just extremely good, unique, and full of heart.
November 9, 2012
I just sat down with this and read it from start to finish, and it's even better than I was expecting it to be. It's witty, detailed, clever, honest, and highly, highly intelligent.
Van Sciver does a fantastic job with the story of Lincoln's "melancholy" years, starting with his dissolution of one engagement to a woman from Kentucky as he moves to Springfield, Illinois, in 1837, and ending with his marriage to Mary Todd five years later. I was familiar with the general outlines of this episode in Lincoln's life from reading other biographies, but I would have to say that The Hypo is now the new go-to reference for this period in Lincoln's life.
Van Sciver's storytelling skills renders the drama nearly transparent, by which I mean he has made the social mores of nineteenth century America a commonplace, and also pulled the reader (well, this reader, at any rate) into the vortex of Lincoln's "hypo" (or hypochondria--which isn't quite the same condition then as it is now).
The clear precedent to this wonderful book is Chester Brown's biography of Louis Riel--there is a similar flatness of effect in both, though in Brown's case Riel was so much more colorful a character, at least in his inner life, that Brown had a rich vein of material to mine for an illustrated story (particularly the way Brown chose to portray Riel's flights of madness). Van Sciver though manages to render in visual terms Lincoln's bouts with what we would now call manic depression in ways that are not dissimilar to Brown's inventions but still clearly Van Sciver's own.
I also enjoyed Van Sciver's pacing, his choice of quotations throughout the text, and his attention to detail.
I'm glad I bought this, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. And I am writing this on the eve of the debut of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, which I will probably see, but I cannot imagine that it would be even remotely as good as this book, Daniel Day Lewis notwithstanding. Go out and get it for yourself, and you'll see what I mean.
Van Sciver does a fantastic job with the story of Lincoln's "melancholy" years, starting with his dissolution of one engagement to a woman from Kentucky as he moves to Springfield, Illinois, in 1837, and ending with his marriage to Mary Todd five years later. I was familiar with the general outlines of this episode in Lincoln's life from reading other biographies, but I would have to say that The Hypo is now the new go-to reference for this period in Lincoln's life.
Van Sciver's storytelling skills renders the drama nearly transparent, by which I mean he has made the social mores of nineteenth century America a commonplace, and also pulled the reader (well, this reader, at any rate) into the vortex of Lincoln's "hypo" (or hypochondria--which isn't quite the same condition then as it is now).
The clear precedent to this wonderful book is Chester Brown's biography of Louis Riel--there is a similar flatness of effect in both, though in Brown's case Riel was so much more colorful a character, at least in his inner life, that Brown had a rich vein of material to mine for an illustrated story (particularly the way Brown chose to portray Riel's flights of madness). Van Sciver though manages to render in visual terms Lincoln's bouts with what we would now call manic depression in ways that are not dissimilar to Brown's inventions but still clearly Van Sciver's own.
I also enjoyed Van Sciver's pacing, his choice of quotations throughout the text, and his attention to detail.
I'm glad I bought this, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. And I am writing this on the eve of the debut of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, which I will probably see, but I cannot imagine that it would be even remotely as good as this book, Daniel Day Lewis notwithstanding. Go out and get it for yourself, and you'll see what I mean.
October 31, 2012
COOL STUFF.
Like, ok, I was all euhh hipster Lincoln blehhhh. But then I got into it, the use of Lincoln's letters, and the really dedicated focus to a very specific period in Lincoln's life -- that of his early time in Springfield, a broken engagement with Mary Todd, and a bout of deep depression, and also how the manic, claustrophobic, super-liney illustration style really captured emotional turmoil perfectly. And heck, I was won. This was pretty decent history and really good comicry, and really made me root for Abe and Mary. Probably cuz he calls her little lady. A love story for the ages, improbably, but happily. Read it!
Like, ok, I was all euhh hipster Lincoln blehhhh. But then I got into it, the use of Lincoln's letters, and the really dedicated focus to a very specific period in Lincoln's life -- that of his early time in Springfield, a broken engagement with Mary Todd, and a bout of deep depression, and also how the manic, claustrophobic, super-liney illustration style really captured emotional turmoil perfectly. And heck, I was won. This was pretty decent history and really good comicry, and really made me root for Abe and Mary. Probably cuz he calls her little lady. A love story for the ages, improbably, but happily. Read it!
November 15, 2015
I've been really excited to read this one and was not disappointed. The art was very suited to the text, a bit Crumb-y in its scratchy grotesqueness, which draws out the characters in sort of an anti-caricature caricature that makes me think "objects may appear closer than they are." HIs style sets the tone, which is, spare, awkward, uncomfortable. Not lush, but certainly detailed. Humor, a kind of light physical comedy, brings out the flavor of the serious inquiries driving the book, Lincoln's struggles with mental illness, money, reputation, work and love, and the seriousness gets drawn right back into the humor.
The pacing of the story is both steady and uneven. There isn't a grand narrative structure though there is a little dramatic tension building here and there. It's kind of like driving in a horse and buggy slow on a bumpy, unkempt road and taking in the scenery. The point isn't to get somewhere fast, we aren't being chased, there is just a desire to really absorb all the sights and sounds.
One goodreads reviewer is disappointed by the address of Speed and Lincoln's relationship, in that the seriousness and romance of it were not adequately described. I have not read other biographies of Lincoln, but she sounds like she knows what she's talking about. I think in "The Hypo" the story of Lincoln's friendship with Speed was in a strange way used for comic effect rather than seriously considered and explored, and in a book focusing on Lincoln's struggle with depression or melancholy or bipolar stuff, it would make sense to look more deeply into a relationship that brought him great comfort but might have also been a clue to some of his deep distress. That said, Sciver had a certain agenda and a certain perspective and he brings it to life very well. It is disappointing that he doesn't have end notes. It would have been nice to see some clarifying notes on Lincoln's relationship with Speed (and other things) addressed in some way. I've been very spoiled lately on some really great end-notes. I do hope another graphic artist will write a book focused more on Lincoln and Speed.
The pacing of the story is both steady and uneven. There isn't a grand narrative structure though there is a little dramatic tension building here and there. It's kind of like driving in a horse and buggy slow on a bumpy, unkempt road and taking in the scenery. The point isn't to get somewhere fast, we aren't being chased, there is just a desire to really absorb all the sights and sounds.
One goodreads reviewer is disappointed by the address of Speed and Lincoln's relationship, in that the seriousness and romance of it were not adequately described. I have not read other biographies of Lincoln, but she sounds like she knows what she's talking about. I think in "The Hypo" the story of Lincoln's friendship with Speed was in a strange way used for comic effect rather than seriously considered and explored, and in a book focusing on Lincoln's struggle with depression or melancholy or bipolar stuff, it would make sense to look more deeply into a relationship that brought him great comfort but might have also been a clue to some of his deep distress. That said, Sciver had a certain agenda and a certain perspective and he brings it to life very well. It is disappointing that he doesn't have end notes. It would have been nice to see some clarifying notes on Lincoln's relationship with Speed (and other things) addressed in some way. I've been very spoiled lately on some really great end-notes. I do hope another graphic artist will write a book focused more on Lincoln and Speed.
December 13, 2012
This was described to me as hipster Lincoln, and in the end I felt like it was interesting, but some parts just didn't work for me. First of all it completely ignores the homoerotic (if not actually homosexual) relationship between Lincoln and Joshua Speed. You'd think in all these quoted letters that Noah Van Sciver would have quoted one of the ones where Lincoln was writing about how he was fond of Joshua with all his heart and would never share his bed with anyone again etc. Instead Speed is shown as a wild womanizer...
In the end, this never came together for me. I found Lincoln kinda whiny, and apt to change course directly and out of nowhere. He didn't seem like a solid character and I didn't understand how he got elected, what he was doing in Springfield besides trying to get with Mary Todd and working, and how any of this tied in with his "Hypo" -- an even that despite the name, takes up less then 20 pages of the book and is never fully explained. I liked the art however, its a good style that suits the subject material. I just found the whole thing lacking.
In the end, this never came together for me. I found Lincoln kinda whiny, and apt to change course directly and out of nowhere. He didn't seem like a solid character and I didn't understand how he got elected, what he was doing in Springfield besides trying to get with Mary Todd and working, and how any of this tied in with his "Hypo" -- an even that despite the name, takes up less then 20 pages of the book and is never fully explained. I liked the art however, its a good style that suits the subject material. I just found the whole thing lacking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2022
This graphic novel was puzzling. Could not tell the characters apart, visually, so why not just make a prose piece? Lincoln's friend Joshua Speed and Lincoln himself are identical.
Drawing and lettering are not strengths here, sadly, given the potential of the format. So all we are left with story, and even that is a letdown. It is always a challenge to write about depression, and to do so in a manner that’s not too alienating or, um, depressing.
Drawing and lettering are not strengths here, sadly, given the potential of the format. So all we are left with story, and even that is a letdown. It is always a challenge to write about depression, and to do so in a manner that’s not too alienating or, um, depressing.
May 26, 2013
Just not really up my alley.
Gotta say, Lincoln had a shit life. Or maybe everyone did back then.
At one point he's got a roommate, but way more than a roommate. They sleep in the same bed, and in fact the roommate uses the fact that he just had sex with some lady in the bed as a selling point because now it's nice and warm. Not as in warm, passion-wise, as in heat-wise.
I can't even imagine a roommate that said, "Dude, great news. I just banged some lady in our shared bed, so we won't even have to turn on the heating bill. Take that, Xcel energy!"
Also, at one point Lincoln narrowly avoids having a sword duel with some guy. They were both holding swords, ready to go at it, all because Lincoln wrote a bunch of letters to a newspaper basically pointing out that the dude is a shithead. I don't understand some people's concept of honor whatsoever. I mean, sure, if you call someone a shithead in the newspaper over and over, I would expect him to be pissed. I could even see a fistfight. But I don't really think that murdering the dude with a sword is a reasonable reaction. Again, I know this is looking at it through a modern lens, but let's imagine this conversation for a moment:
Me: "This guy keeps saying I'm insane in the newspaper."
My Friend: "What are you going to do about it?"
Me: "I don't know. Possibly kill him with a sword out in the woods somewhere."
Okay? So point proven? I'll show HIM who the real asshole is.
I mean, seriously, who wins in these duels? The guy who kept getting called an asshole and decided to stab his opponent? Or the guy who kept calling a guy an asshole in the newspaper and then killed him? Neither person seems to be behaving like any kind of adult here.
Don't get me wrong. I DO think that sometimes people deserve an ass-kicking. I really do. At the risk of sounding like Ted Nugent or something, I sometimes think that society has gone a little too far the other way. I can't tell you how many times I've been out jogging when people have screamed things at me or thrown shit out the window as they pass by. And when you flip them off or yell "Fuck you" they will often turn the car around or stop and want to fight. I am not kidding even a little bit, this has happened to me more than once. And the really unfortunate part is that the fists never fly. I say it's unfortunate because if you throw garbage at someone from your car, then stop when they yell at you to fuck off and act like them's fightin' words, I don't know how else you can be communicated with. When you feel that throwing garbage at a person from a passing car is an unassailable act, we aren't even in the same reality anymore.
I know I probably sound like a crazy person here, but I've been shot by paintball, hit with a glass bottle, and had a cup of urine thrown on me by random strangers for having the audacity to be on the sidewalk.
So on the one hand, I'm nostalgic for a time that may not exist when you would have to be prepared to deal with a pissed off dude if you attacked him, even politely. On the other, I don't think these people deserve to die.
I guess maybe that's why I hate olden times so much. Everything goes a little too far for my liking. A guy says your wife put on weight, you cleave him in half instead of going ahead and breaking his arm for him. Your roommate is a womanizer, you have to share his bed with him instead of hearing him through the wall all the time.
Gotta say, Lincoln had a shit life. Or maybe everyone did back then.
At one point he's got a roommate, but way more than a roommate. They sleep in the same bed, and in fact the roommate uses the fact that he just had sex with some lady in the bed as a selling point because now it's nice and warm. Not as in warm, passion-wise, as in heat-wise.
I can't even imagine a roommate that said, "Dude, great news. I just banged some lady in our shared bed, so we won't even have to turn on the heating bill. Take that, Xcel energy!"
Also, at one point Lincoln narrowly avoids having a sword duel with some guy. They were both holding swords, ready to go at it, all because Lincoln wrote a bunch of letters to a newspaper basically pointing out that the dude is a shithead. I don't understand some people's concept of honor whatsoever. I mean, sure, if you call someone a shithead in the newspaper over and over, I would expect him to be pissed. I could even see a fistfight. But I don't really think that murdering the dude with a sword is a reasonable reaction. Again, I know this is looking at it through a modern lens, but let's imagine this conversation for a moment:
Me: "This guy keeps saying I'm insane in the newspaper."
My Friend: "What are you going to do about it?"
Me: "I don't know. Possibly kill him with a sword out in the woods somewhere."
Okay? So point proven? I'll show HIM who the real asshole is.
I mean, seriously, who wins in these duels? The guy who kept getting called an asshole and decided to stab his opponent? Or the guy who kept calling a guy an asshole in the newspaper and then killed him? Neither person seems to be behaving like any kind of adult here.
Don't get me wrong. I DO think that sometimes people deserve an ass-kicking. I really do. At the risk of sounding like Ted Nugent or something, I sometimes think that society has gone a little too far the other way. I can't tell you how many times I've been out jogging when people have screamed things at me or thrown shit out the window as they pass by. And when you flip them off or yell "Fuck you" they will often turn the car around or stop and want to fight. I am not kidding even a little bit, this has happened to me more than once. And the really unfortunate part is that the fists never fly. I say it's unfortunate because if you throw garbage at someone from your car, then stop when they yell at you to fuck off and act like them's fightin' words, I don't know how else you can be communicated with. When you feel that throwing garbage at a person from a passing car is an unassailable act, we aren't even in the same reality anymore.
I know I probably sound like a crazy person here, but I've been shot by paintball, hit with a glass bottle, and had a cup of urine thrown on me by random strangers for having the audacity to be on the sidewalk.
So on the one hand, I'm nostalgic for a time that may not exist when you would have to be prepared to deal with a pissed off dude if you attacked him, even politely. On the other, I don't think these people deserve to die.
I guess maybe that's why I hate olden times so much. Everything goes a little too far for my liking. A guy says your wife put on weight, you cleave him in half instead of going ahead and breaking his arm for him. Your roommate is a womanizer, you have to share his bed with him instead of hearing him through the wall all the time.
September 30, 2024
6/10
It's Abraham Lincoln in between age 28 and 34. Melancholia is his basic mental state.
At the beginning of the tale his life is not that bad: . But then, At that point his state goes from melancholic to major depression and he experiences a serious breakdown. Then he gets better and goes back to . And then Lincoln marries his girlfriend. The end.
There you go, a plain straightforward review for a plain straightforward bio comic book. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I appreciate the honesty, but I would have preferred a more daring storytelling approach. Maybe the what-if suicidal appendix could have been anticipated before and integrated in some way in the main body of the book?
In his first effort to write a long story Van Sciver puts his typical colours away, replacing them with an infinity of hatching. It does the job. To mention a couple of beautiful spread pages where dense hatching is used to showcase horses and men under the rain.
P.S.: English-native people. Stop quoting Shakespeare in your books. Unless the book is about Shakespeare. Please, have some pity. And maybe let Shakespeare rest in peace. PLEASE.
It's Abraham Lincoln in between age 28 and 34. Melancholia is his basic mental state.
At the beginning of the tale his life is not that bad: . But then, At that point his state goes from melancholic to major depression and he experiences a serious breakdown. Then he gets better and goes back to . And then Lincoln marries his girlfriend. The end.
There you go, a plain straightforward review for a plain straightforward bio comic book. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I appreciate the honesty, but I would have preferred a more daring storytelling approach. Maybe the what-if suicidal appendix could have been anticipated before and integrated in some way in the main body of the book?
In his first effort to write a long story Van Sciver puts his typical colours away, replacing them with an infinity of hatching. It does the job. To mention a couple of beautiful spread pages where dense hatching is used to showcase horses and men under the rain.
P.S.: English-native people. Stop quoting Shakespeare in your books. Unless the book is about Shakespeare. Please, have some pity. And maybe let Shakespeare rest in peace. PLEASE.
Read
October 17, 2025My first Noah Van Sciver book, so I don't know if it's representative of his style. But I really enjoyed it. Taking place from 1837 to 1842, when Abraham Lincoln was in his late 20s/early 30s, it deals with a melancholic period in his life. His career as a Springfield lawyer wasn't going well, he had to (temporarily) break off his relationship with Mary Todd, and his friend Joshua Speed left Springfield. Van Sciver tells the story in a straightforward way, using direct quotes when needed, and treating Lincoln's struggles with empathy and grace. He shows that even the best among us struggle mentally, sometimes seriously so.
The art reminds me a lot of Rick Geary, specifically his Victorian Murder comics. Both Van Sciver and Geary use cross-hatching and stark black-and-white to evoke the 1800s. My one complaint about Van Sciver's art is that some male characters are difficult to tell apart.
Re-read 2025: After recently finishing Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk (whose blurb adorns the cover), I decided to read this one again. And I loved it this time. A thoughtful and sincere portrait of a bleak time in Lincoln's life. I find Lincoln's perseverance inspiring. I was also very impressed on second read by Van Sciver's art, especially the silent splash pages.
The art reminds me a lot of Rick Geary, specifically his Victorian Murder comics. Both Van Sciver and Geary use cross-hatching and stark black-and-white to evoke the 1800s. My one complaint about Van Sciver's art is that some male characters are difficult to tell apart.
Re-read 2025: After recently finishing Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk (whose blurb adorns the cover), I decided to read this one again. And I loved it this time. A thoughtful and sincere portrait of a bleak time in Lincoln's life. I find Lincoln's perseverance inspiring. I was also very impressed on second read by Van Sciver's art, especially the silent splash pages.
June 1, 2017
A rather odd graphic novel that explores Lincoln's early political career, romantic challenges, and battles with depression. The stark black-and-white art, mostly line art with heavy cross-hatching, is sometimes beautiful, capturing scenes or expressions in wonderful detail; Lincoln's mood is well portrayed in pained expressions, a hunched posture, and the occasional pages of stark black or flashing lights that depict his internal struggle with his darker moods. Other times the illustration style is less successful, especially in distinguishing the male characters, who often look too much alike. (One small scene has a really oddly drawn baby, for example, that made me laugh unintentionally.)
My only other concern is the lack of sources or citations; there are a lot of disagreements about elements of Lincoln's life and psychology, such as the depth of his friendship/relationship with Joshua Speed, and I would have liked to know where Van Sciver's information and perspectives were researched and developed.
My only other concern is the lack of sources or citations; there are a lot of disagreements about elements of Lincoln's life and psychology, such as the depth of his friendship/relationship with Joshua Speed, and I would have liked to know where Van Sciver's information and perspectives were researched and developed.
May 16, 2017
I had no idea Lincoln went through a period like this in his life. It makes him somewhat more relatable and human, which is a nice thing, since the most iconic image we have of him is sitting in a giant chair overlooking a reflecting pool like some kind of ambivalent god. The Lincoln of this book would likely be horrified at his own monument. Apparently Van Sciver did quite a bit of research on the topic before creating the book. Here's an article from the Atlantic about this period in Lincoln's life: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
It's interesting that this was Van Sciver's first full-length GN but it fits in well thematically with his later stuff. I've loved pretty much everything by him I've read!
It's interesting that this was Van Sciver's first full-length GN but it fits in well thematically with his later stuff. I've loved pretty much everything by him I've read!
March 21, 2015
This book came out in 2012, and although I knew of it, I didn't read it until now. I wish I had picked it up sooner. Van Sciver has a distinct, detailed style that has often been compared to artists like Crumb or Chester Brown. But such comparisons aren't very useful, in that Van Scriver's art needs its own descriptors. The story here is evolved and determined, and one of the things I'm most curious about the choice of the subject matter. This is Van Sciver's fist long-form story, and I wonder why he chose Lincoln's melancholy in his first novelistic treatment.
April 11, 2020
Labor of love and devotion.
November 10, 2018
Even though I've always enjoyed Noah's work, I've always been hesitant to pick up this, his first graphic novel. It's mostly because I'm not that interested in Lincoln. However, I saw this at a really great price and took a chance, and boy am I glad. This book is great.
It really opened my eyes to some things I simply never knew about Lincoln. It kind of made me see him in new light.
Noah makes a lot of really great and interesting artistic choices in this book. I love a lot of his scene transitions. He will do something fun like show a garbage landed street with a dirty pig running around. Most cartoonist just go from one scene to the next. It was a really neat and refreshing.
Overall, it's a good story about a young man dealing with depression, finding his way, and trying to be the kind of man who can take care of the woman he loves.
It really opened my eyes to some things I simply never knew about Lincoln. It kind of made me see him in new light.
Noah makes a lot of really great and interesting artistic choices in this book. I love a lot of his scene transitions. He will do something fun like show a garbage landed street with a dirty pig running around. Most cartoonist just go from one scene to the next. It was a really neat and refreshing.
Overall, it's a good story about a young man dealing with depression, finding his way, and trying to be the kind of man who can take care of the woman he loves.
March 29, 2021
This book surprised me. Not only did it make Abraham Lincoln interesting to me (I’m not one for “saints lives” of politicians), but it also told a story that emphasized character and storytelling above biography or, worse, hagiography. This is a very good story about a surprisingly likable character.
Most striking of all are Noah van Sciver’s incredible splash pages. The craft, emotion, and depth that these full-page images summon are far bigger and better than even the story that they are a part of. The montage-like series of full-page images that closes the book was rad and was something I haven’t seen done before.
Most striking of all are Noah van Sciver’s incredible splash pages. The craft, emotion, and depth that these full-page images summon are far bigger and better than even the story that they are a part of. The montage-like series of full-page images that closes the book was rad and was something I haven’t seen done before.
May 27, 2019
I learned a lot about the infamous Lincoln that I didn’t know since I didn’t take American history in school. Now that famous writing makes more sense “If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth.”
I love the way Noah creates mood in his own strokes.
Overall, I don’t care for historical biographies, but this one was weird and interesting.
I love the way Noah creates mood in his own strokes.
Overall, I don’t care for historical biographies, but this one was weird and interesting.
August 12, 2019
Bizarre, funny graphic novel of pre-presidential Lincoln battling possibly his worst depressive episode.
Read
March 29, 2013We're so used to seeing Lincoln portrayed as a magisterial president, that we (or at least I) have trouble thinking about him as a person in development, as a youth struggling, as all youth must, to discover who he is. In The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, Noah Van Sciver gives us a fine portrait of that Lincoln-in-process by focusing on his private, internal struggles. "The Hypo" (Lincoln's term for his sometimes crippling depression) debilitates him, causing doubt and fear to sometimes rule his life. It's a portrait that any sufferer of depression will recognize.
Van Sciver's drawing is assured and highly detailed (backgrounds and environments are often rendered quite specifically, really grounding the story in its time and place), while remaining a bit "cartoony" - his is an engaging, highly readable style. My one complaint, visually, is that early on, Lincoln and his randy roommate, Joshua Speed, look so much alike that sometimes in conversation I became confused as to who was who.
Narratively, you can't help but empathize with young Lincoln in his struggles - his love life is a shambles, for example, although the book's happy ending reveals that he eventually (if perhaps only temporarily) overcame some of "The Hypo."
I understand the desire to focus on the details of Lincoln's personal life over those of his his professional career, but unfortunately this strategy at times makes for some confusing moments. References that other characters make in passing to Lincoln's growing political influence seem to come out of nowhere. I mean, of course we all know that Abraham Lincoln had a political career, but the Lincoln of The Hypo doesn't quite seem capable of sustaining one. We get a few small glimpses, but they're nowhere nearly as finely developed as are the more intimate moments in the young man's life. I would have appreciated a bit of a broader focus on Lincoln's life and work over the course of The Hypo - I can only imagine that in Van Sciver's hands, Lincoln's professional struggles would become as fascinating as his personal ones surely are here.
[originally published at http://one-sentence-reviews.blogspot.... ]
Van Sciver's drawing is assured and highly detailed (backgrounds and environments are often rendered quite specifically, really grounding the story in its time and place), while remaining a bit "cartoony" - his is an engaging, highly readable style. My one complaint, visually, is that early on, Lincoln and his randy roommate, Joshua Speed, look so much alike that sometimes in conversation I became confused as to who was who.
Narratively, you can't help but empathize with young Lincoln in his struggles - his love life is a shambles, for example, although the book's happy ending reveals that he eventually (if perhaps only temporarily) overcame some of "The Hypo."
I understand the desire to focus on the details of Lincoln's personal life over those of his his professional career, but unfortunately this strategy at times makes for some confusing moments. References that other characters make in passing to Lincoln's growing political influence seem to come out of nowhere. I mean, of course we all know that Abraham Lincoln had a political career, but the Lincoln of The Hypo doesn't quite seem capable of sustaining one. We get a few small glimpses, but they're nowhere nearly as finely developed as are the more intimate moments in the young man's life. I would have appreciated a bit of a broader focus on Lincoln's life and work over the course of The Hypo - I can only imagine that in Van Sciver's hands, Lincoln's professional struggles would become as fascinating as his personal ones surely are here.
[originally published at http://one-sentence-reviews.blogspot.... ]
October 4, 2014
There is nothing that Noah Van Sciver can't do. I've always loved the autobiographical and slice-of-life stories in his one-man anthology series, "Blammo," and recently he's been throwing in some folksier pieces. "The Hypo" is his first full length graphic novel and he goes for broke, crafting a tale that is historically accurate, engaging, and beautifully drawn.
The story of Abraham Lincoln has been endlessly told and retold yet, somehow, Noah is able to shed new light on this larger-than-life persona. Lincoln's struggles with insecurity and depression help humanize the future president in a way that "proper" biographies usually don't; it was wise of Van Sciver to focus on a short, transitional phase in Lincoln's life. Of course, since it's Noah's work, the book is absolutely gorgeous; his heavily rendered inks hit the sweet spot between old-school underground comix and the newer indie comics boom. In all facets, "The Hypo" is masterfully done.
Noah's newer, cleaner comics are showing a heavy influence from Chester Brown and Adrian Tomine so "The Hypo," with it's loose sketchy style, may be a record of an artist in transition. Either way, it's a great achievement by an artist who never stops evolving and creating; his passion for greatness is on par with Lincoln's.
The story of Abraham Lincoln has been endlessly told and retold yet, somehow, Noah is able to shed new light on this larger-than-life persona. Lincoln's struggles with insecurity and depression help humanize the future president in a way that "proper" biographies usually don't; it was wise of Van Sciver to focus on a short, transitional phase in Lincoln's life. Of course, since it's Noah's work, the book is absolutely gorgeous; his heavily rendered inks hit the sweet spot between old-school underground comix and the newer indie comics boom. In all facets, "The Hypo" is masterfully done.
Noah's newer, cleaner comics are showing a heavy influence from Chester Brown and Adrian Tomine so "The Hypo," with it's loose sketchy style, may be a record of an artist in transition. Either way, it's a great achievement by an artist who never stops evolving and creating; his passion for greatness is on par with Lincoln's.
March 18, 2013
I've had a healthy dose of Lincoln in this sesquicentennial year of the Emancipation Proclamation. But this book was a bit different: a slice of Lincoln's life that we often hear of only in hints and snippets, when he was more down and out than up and coming. Recommended, even if you're not much for the 'graphic novel' format.
July 20, 2012
My FAVORITE book of the year. Hands down.
June 16, 2015
I would like to buy this for someone about to turn 30 and feeling like they'll never amount to much.
July 7, 2016
Awesome story, storytelling, cartooning! I love how Lincoln is depicted as a tortured romantic hypochondriac. Fantagraphics is the best publisher for graphic novels hands down.
September 2, 2016
I like NVS's work I just don't give a fuck about Abraham Lincoln
September 4, 2016
Garbage. Super boring, and the art was so muddy that it was hard to tell who was supposed to be who, except with context clues.
December 23, 2016
One star for each finger!
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