Awkwood

by Jase Harper (Author/Illustrator)

Stuck in a boring office job. Living with a deadbeat flatmate. Surviving from payday to payday. Relentlessly pursued by giant monsters. Liam's got the talent to take his musical ambition further and escape everything, if only he could gain the confidence to stare down his inner Bad. When his psychedelic therapy visions burst forth into flesh, Liam must face them, and himself, before more than just his dreams are stomped flat...

After ten years working days in animation, and nights on the mini-comix and gig poster scene, 'Awkwood' is Jase Harper's long awaited feature length graphic novel debut.

Genres: Young Adult, Humor, Fantasy

102 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2014

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

While trying to kick a drink and drugs habit on island retreat Awkwood Rehab, wannabe-pro-musician Liam unwittingly releases his “Inner Bad” (angry, resentful memories of being bullied as a teen) which manifests itself in his reality as a giant angry kid that smashes stuff! Shy Liam must stand up to his fears once and for all to defeat the Inner Bad.

Jase Harper’s Awkwood is a decent but flawed comic. His art style is very polished and looks great if a little cartoonish, ie. appealing to a younger audience. Which is fine and the style suits some of the comic’s lighter scenes but it’s at odds with its more serious themes of substance addiction and deep-seated emotional pain.

Basically Harper has half a great book. Liam is an interesting character, working jobs he doesn’t care about to get by but also not actively pursuing his real passion: music. Seeing him work through his psychological and procrastination issues could’ve been good if done in a more grounded way - except Harper goes for the shallower approach.

Liam’s problems are turned into a giant monster child who stomps around his town like Godzilla and the story really lost me once it became this crap action/monster movie complete with car chases and quipping sidekicks. The “face your fears” theme becomes Liam literally facing a monster down – it’s a bit disappointing that this is as far as Harper is willing to explore his themes.

Confront your fears and believe in yourself may not be the most original messages and do come off as a bit mawkish but they’re still laudable sentiments. I liked the slice-of-life moments of the comic while the magical realist/fantastical parts didn’t really click with me. I’d still say Awkwood’s worth a look for indie comics fans.

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this novel to be kinda interesting because of the different layers to the story. I stumbled upon this book in a torrent site. It is quite a short graphic novel but it had a lot of content despite its size. The story follows a struggling musician who works a boring job and struggles with inner fears and demons that one day comes to life and try to take him down. I did like the artwork and the amount of text the author used was not overpowering.

Story: 4/5
Art: 3/5

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Quirky Read!
Full Review: http://louiseereads.blogspot.com.au/2...
3 Stars!

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick read and full of interesting imagery and twisted characters. Found this at my local library and enjoyed it enough to recommend it to people. Can't wait to see where the next book or story goes.

[Michael Daaboul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper does a great job engaging the reader with rather familiar themes, especially the inner bad, the self-doubt inside of us manifesting in a monstrous way holding us back. There's a lot of fun to be had, even though Awkwood touches on sensitive topics; that's what makes the short read an enjoyable ride.

There's not much mystery to the story (much is fed to the reader) and ends in a somewhat predictable fashion without being spectacular. But this doesn't stop the reader wondering about where the story could possibly go.

With that said, it's still a strong offering that does enough to grab your attention.

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[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, fun, funny and beautiful book, with a great plot and awesome characters. Loved it!

I wrote up a longer review on my blog for the curious http://thebookreviewofbooks.wordpress...