Libby's Dad

by Eleanor Davis

"Libby's mom told everyone that Libby's dad said he was gonna shoot her."

"With his gun."

A lushly colored story of youth and rumor, by New York Times bestselling creator Eleanor Davis.

Eleanor Davis is a cartoonist and illustrator who lives in Athens, Georgia. Her works include How To Be Happy (Fantagraphics Books), Stinky (Toon Books), and The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook (Bloomsbury) and Flop to the Top (Toon Books), both of which she created with her husband Drew Weing.

40 color pages, 7x8.5 inches (178x216 mm) saddle stitched comic book

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Short Stories, Adult

40 pages

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

My name is Eleanor Davis. I’m a cartoonist and illustrator. A collection of my short comics for adults, How To Be Happy, is out now from Fantagraphics Books. I have two graphic novels for kids: The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook (2009) which I created with my husband Drew Weing, and the easy-reader Stinky (2008). I live in Athens, Georgia.

Clients include: The New Yorker, The New York Times, Google, The Wall Street Journal, Plansponser, MIT Tech Review, Lucky Peach, Nautilus, Time Magazine, Telerama, Slate, BusinessWeek, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Oxford American, Nobrow Press, BUST Magazine, Charlex NYC, Fantagraphics Books, Dutton, TOON Books, First Second Books, Houghton Mifflin, Workman Publishing, and Bloomsbury Books.

Awards and recognition include: Society of Illustrators – Gold and Silver; Eisner Nominee (Secret Science Alliance); Print Magazine’s New Visual Artists 2009; Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor (Stinky); Russ Manning Award (Stinky); Best American Comics 2008 + cover & Best American Comics 2013. In nursery school I got a ribbon for “Best Fine Motor Skills.”

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been eager to read more works from Eleanor Davis ever since I finished (and completely loved) her collection, How To Be Happy. So I went into this short graphic novel expecting the same stunning artwork as with the previous - especially with that gorgeous cover on the front - but was quite quickly proven wrong.


Libby's Dad is lushly colored story of youth and rumor, by New York Times bestselling creator Eleanor Davis. And I was for the most part feeling underwhelmed, to say the least. It's a rather quick read but with little to no impact, unfortunately.

I also went into this expecting the discussion of what is truth and what is lie to be explored, but closed the book without being really given a concrete answer. So I think it's probably for the best if I don't try to overthink or read too much into the story.

And as I mentioned previously, I was anticipating the art style to look differently according to that vibrant cover, but it didn't quite match my expectations:









All in all: while Libby's Dad didn't really live up to my expectations, I'm still eager to pick up any future works by the talented Eleanor Davis.

2.5/5 stars

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This review and more can be found on my blog.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short comic, part of the Retrofit minicomics lineup (this is #55).

It looks like Davis used pencil crayons, there's no panel borders with most pages being 1 or 2 panels.

It's a story of a group of young girls having a pool party and a slumber party at Libby's Dad's new place. Recently divorced, Libby's Mom warned the girls that the dad has a gun and is going to shoot Libby. One of the kids spills red nail polish on the carpet and they're all worried Libby's Dad is going to shoot Libby.

It's nice enough for a short comic book. I think this would be a good chapter in a longer anthology style book that Davis could publish in the future.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is a perfect little comic that really captures teenage gossip. A group of friends is having a slumber party at the newly purchase house of their friend's divorced dad. So much happens in these 40 pages and it's so subtle but absolutely incredible. As always Eleanor Davis' art is phenomenal, and she continues to be my favorite artist/illustrator/person who makes comics/person.

[Jesús · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a tightly constructed short-story in prose, this short comic is remarkably efficient and elegant in how it tells a complex story about girlhood, gaslighting, and repression. Eleanor Davis continues to demonstrate her seemingly nonchalant brilliance, and I hope she never stops working in comics.

[Gabriel Infierno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so beautiful in a delicate way that is just perfect. Love Eleanor Davis work.

[J.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An almost perfect comic. Gorgeous and unfussy colored pencil drawings with slightly abstracted but recognizable figures in free-flowing panel-less environments. I don't want to give away the plot since it's a fairly short story, but I will say that the dialogue between the pre-teen girls is pitch perfect, and there's just enough menace to keep their pool-party/sleepover engaging.

Retrofit/Big Planet Comics is killing it with just about every release this year.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really admire Davis' mastery of colour palettes here, as well as each of her characters each having their own unique facial expressions and body shapes.

Don't think the story was executed quite well, but would return for that good illustration.

[Arantxa Orig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and suspenseful 😁 Felt myself panic alongside Libby's friends as they attempt to clean up the red nail polish 💅 The art is gorgeous and makes it seem that you're reading from a sketchbook. How I wish I can write comics like Eleanor Davis 😩

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I like Eleanor Davis.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the one hand, this was a great critique of how cruel and nonsensical girlhood adolescence can be. On the other, I didn't feel like it added much.

[RND · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, sharp little short. Gorgeous art.

[Avery Guess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the art, but I felt as though the story wasn't well-developed. I was disappointed by the tidy wrap-up/conclusion made at the end.

[miha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se začne kot čist navadna zgodba, punce veselo skaačejo v bazen in se pogovarjajo, si nagajajo,... potem se začnejo pogovarjat zakaj ene njihove prjatlce ni več zraven in o Libbynem očetu in se čist napsihirajo kaj da jim bo storu, pa se na koncu izkaže da so samo zelo zelo pretiravale in da je čisto navaden in čisto vredu človek...

V bistvu zgodba o veliko dima in nič ognja - ampak je blo zanimivo dokler nism vedu konca :)

[elstaffe]

This felt like a very real moment in the characters' lives that we got to eavesdrop on. After reading so much middle grade and kids' stuff recently that has more clear "and this was the right thing to do" messages, it was unsettling but also grounding to read a story where there was no clear moral good takeaway/improvement for the protagonist. Instead, it's just ("just") a snapshot of how kids decide who to trust and what stories to believe.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, evocative, beautiful work. I'm almost taking this quality for granted with her now, especially at this short comic length. It's less a story, more of a vignette of those revelatory moments one has in adolescence. Bittersweet, with a caustic undertone. The art is so fully in service to the story, it elevates the work by magnitudes.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read packed with the unsettling and unsaid. Eleanor Davis is an amazing storyteller who knows how to leave space so the complex emotions and themes can breathe and intertwine with her beautiful illustrations. Highly recommend!!

[Alex Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astoundingly succinct but also a great study in voice.

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd little short story, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.

[King]

Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't argue with Eleanor Davis, the art here is as beautiful as one expects.

[Ayacchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I uh... expected more.

[Luke Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleanor Davis is an actual genius. Gutting

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeously drawn colored-pencil comic that's breathtaking in its power to go straight to the core of feeling young and looking at grown-ups yet also being old and looking at kids; like putting your finger on a beating heart.

[Marina Vidal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleonor Davis es actualmente una de mis dibujantes favoritas. Todo lo que leo suyo me encanta. Y su estilo me enamora. Sabe contar historias de una forma super personal. Y Libby's dad es un claro ejemplo. Ojalá se edite más de ella en español para que mucha más gente pueda maravillarse.

[Comics Alternative · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://comicsalternative.com/episode-...

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yup: another well-crafted, graphically excellent, psychologically astute Eleanor Davis comic!

[Jessie Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authentic slice of life story. Great illustrations.

[Elizabeth]

Beautiful. Unnerving.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a middle school teacher, I have seen this gossipy illogical mania firsthand! Davis captures it perfectly with lush, layered colored pencil.