Same Difference & Other Stories

by Derek Kirk Kim

After selling through the self-published run of Same Difference and Other Stories in just a few short months, Derek Kirk Kim proudly moves his debut collection to Top Shelf! Through a series of sensitive -- and often hilarious -- short stories, Kim deftly explores the not-so-average twenty-something's quarter-life crisis, romantic neurosis, and a refreshing slice of Korean-American life.

Same difference --
Hurdles --
Puling --
Super unleaded --
Interview with a human --
Emo Rock Hyung --
Oliver Pikk --
Valentine's Day --
My Sistine Chapel --
Shaft --
Ungrateful appreciation --
Sound --
Island

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Short Stories, Fiction, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Sequential Art

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Derek Kirk Kim is an award-winning Korean-American cartoonist. He won both major industry awards in 2004, the Eisner and the Harvey, for his debut graphic novel Same Difference and Other Stories, which was originally serialized on his website Lowbright (formerly known as "Small Stories"). He also won the Ignatz Award for promising new talent, in 2003, for the same graphic novel (which was originally published with the help of a 2002 Xeric Award).

Kim came to the United States when he was eight. He considers himself fortunate to have received formal training in the visual arts and in the craft of writing. Much of his early highly acclaimed work was done while living with his parents in Pacifica, California. He now lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Anto Tilio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me tardé bastante en leerlo porque de colgada no le di bola cuando llegué a la mitad.
Pero ahora que ya lo terminé puedo decir que me gustó mucho el debut del autor.
La misma diferencia es la historia principal y la más larga, dos amigos coreanoamericanos filosofan sobre diversos temas y se cuentan historias personales. Éstas los terminan llevando a un viaje en el que descubren ese otro lado de sus historias, se enfrentan a ellas y descubren lo relacionadas que están en cierta forma.
Las otras historias cortas que incluye el ejemplar son metafóricas, críticas y autobiográficas. Tienen mucho de cotidianas y te hacen acordar cosas de tu propia vida.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diverse offerings in this collection of a novella and short stories mark a young man in his twenties and another in his teens. The novella spotlights on two friends and the upshots of untruthfulness in romantic relationships, creating a saga of yearning, lament, and absolution. Derek Kirk Kim's Korean background and his standpoint of moving to the United States and living in an incorporated family—with a white father—inform this graphic novel, predominantly the story "Hurdles."

[Traci Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story in this book was good, though a bit of a disappointment at the end, but the rest of the stories were just kind of "meh".

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these stories were decent, although falling into the not-fault of being the literary fiction-y sorts of stories that I don't love where the end arrives suddenly and pointlessly, but I couldn't do it with all the suicide jokes and the various uncomfortable unfunny humor.

Cw for suicide, rape, ableism, racism, gore

[John Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it, it’s one longer story and a bunch of short stories. ‘Same difference’ (the longer story) is well told, funny, and full of heart. Could have done without the odd bit of religion bashing, but can’t have everything I guess.

[Pablo Palet Araneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

La primera historia es buena, cotidiana, diferente. Pero el final es ahí no más. El resto no me gustó tanto.

[Tiamatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really, really good. All the stories were good. The bulk of the volume is Same Difference, about a 20-something guy who feels like his life is going nowhere and who's filled with guilt over how he treated a girl back in high school. So, the sort of thing that a lot of intelligent but unambitious people go through in their 20s, really. It's a story about that time of a person's life. It's also hilarious. The characters are realistic, and have realistic conversations, meaning they're often really stupid. But very funny. There's also some touches on what it's like to be Korean-American. The most blatant example is a guy assuming the main character speaks Chinese, but there's also a few conversations between the two main characters about the fact that one of them doesn't like Pho or raw Ramen.

The other short stories are all good, too. One is about a high-school track student facing blatant racism from a coach. Another is about a guy going through a break-up with his long-distance girlfriend, and dealing with it with his friend. Another is a snapshot of a family drifting apart. It's very effective, capturing the experience really well, which makes it pretty tragic. There's also a series of one-page comics detailing the life of Oliver Pikk, which are hilarious. And there are also some really funny autobiographical comics.

As a whole, the book is excellent. Kim's a talented writer and artist. I laughed a lot, and he also made me think a lot. The art's nice. A good indie style. Cartoonish in a pleasant way, and nicely expressive. Very solid work.

[Chris - Quarter Press Editor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful bit of a collection here. True, some of the shorts aren't the best, the titular graphic novella is well worth the read--especially if you're in the 25 to 30-year-old range, as it definitely brings up many things that seem to be relevant to that age group.

Both humorous and heartbreaking, the storytelling/pacing is spot on, and the art supports everything quite well.

Another fine book worth your time--especially as graphic novels take so little time to read. There's not excuse for you not to read this--unless of course, you can't get a hold of a copy of it.

[Shanu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more of a coming of age story more than a reflection on the double Asian/american heritage some people have as i expected.

This story can only please hard core comics fan who might see magic where i only see flatness.

- underwhelming ending
- feeling of an unfinished story (vignette style)
- nerdy, embarrassing, disgustingly real characters
- bunch of pointless and humorless side short stories.

Would not recommend.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love, love, loved the title story "Same Difference" which reminded me of a This American Life story. The rest of the comics are very short and not at all similar in theme or storytelling.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title story is a slice of life comic that's amazingly immersive. It's strange and not too eventful, but the characters are so vivid and the dialogue is completely believable. Some of the other comics are pretty good too, including some sad and snarky autobio comics. I appreciate that the book is full of Asian American characters who live in the Bay Area.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've read by Derek Kirk Kim and this book was no exception. This is a collection of semi and fully autobiographical short stories about high school, life, being alone and being Korean and being an artist. Kim straddles the line between oversharing indulgence and humorous self-deprecation. He's also an amazing and versatile artist and writer.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 4 out of 5]

His stories are refreshingly focused and straightforward:

->I measure S_O_L quality by how well I can imagine myself observing and/or interacting with the characters in and (especially) out of the situations.

->Often nose-puff-smile funny because his unambiguous presentation allows appreciation of the correlations to personal and/or observed life.

[gabbypabbywabbycus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at my library without knowing anything about it before. I really liked the main story of it. Some of the shorter stories were good, but most of them felt kind of just okay to me. It’s cool to read knowing that he went on to be the lead character designer for Adventure Time and to see some of his work.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most short story collections, they're hit and miss, but when they're miss at least they end quickly and when they're hit, they remind me how wonderful it is to catch a snapshot of someone else's existence in the form of a well-told story.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book when it first came out. It was a lovely thoughtful piece back then and is still interesting today (though a little more horrifying since I know more about dangerous stalkers), but not a book I've wanted to keep.

[Naia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creo que lo que menos me ha gustado es la poca cohesión entre las historias, pero cada una en su individualidad, son una maravilla.

[Joshua Sloan · Rating 3 out of 5]

To clarify, "Same Difference" itself is a full five-star story, no holds barred. Unfortunately, the other, shorter stories are mostly forgettable.

[p33€3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

me ha gustado mucho la misma diferencia, pero los otros relatos no han terminado de convencerme

[Annm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a graphic novel worth reading, although more a set of graphic novelettes.

[Leyre Alvarez · Rating 2 out of 5]

La primera historia estaba siendo interesante, pero ese final abierto no me gustó mucho. El resto de las historias me parecieron un poco sin sentido, pensamientos aleatorios del autor.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Same Difference is 5/5, most of the Other Stories were NOT my idea of a good time.

[Carlos Rioja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool style!

[Ven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found in the childrens' section at a used book sale. Definitely not for kids. Some stories were great. Others meh.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story I enjoyed the most, though there were moments of eh mainly because that joke or statement was something I didn't think was funny or related to. But those moments weren't many that by the end, I thought Same Difference was a great story. The rest of the stories in the book kind of do the same thing. It's funny, I laugh. It's supposed to be funny but I don't laugh. It's something that I can't relate to or agree with. And mainly, it's stories that I am beyond. Meaning if I would've read these stories when I was in my teens perhapes or early twenties to mid twenties, I may have reacted differently to them. But I didn't it, I read these stories now when I'm 28 and don't have the humor or shock or understanding for certain topics or emotional issues. However I think part of that isn't because of my age but because Kim writes from the perspective of first person narrator, so everything is personal, everything is in the moment, almost like mini diary entries. However where those stories come up empty handed is he goes from making a general theme or topic to digging in deeper and then stops. The stories that appear to me diariesque aren't pushed as far as they could be or should be. Not all the stories are like this, some stories hit that mark and other stories are not this personal narrative. But all the stories are heavy in topic or theme or concept and some of those concepts need to have been dug deeper, I believe, to make something stronger or more powerful. So that I was a 28 year old or as a 21 year old or as a 16 year old could read these stories and say: YEA MAN. As oppose to, wow that was a very insightful moment or have random laugh out moments. Overall Kim is a talented writer, and I would definitely take a look at other stories he's written. And Same Difference was such a good story that it made up for the ones that didn't reach their full potential.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books should, as well as having an emotional connection, i believe take you to certain places that don't necassarily exist. The Story Same Difference makes me think of warm summer days-not too hot-and the absense of too much noise. The story is sparse, but is pure story. You spend an afternoon with two characters acting like friends do. They rib each other, tease each other, comfort and challenge one another. The dialogue is smooth and life like and in parts actually out load funny. I'm a fan of comic books in general (i hate the term graphic novel. A name created to make it cool for adults to read picture books essentially.) Well i like books with pictures in them, whether they're for my supposed age group or not (Varmints by Helen Ward is a goergous book)
As much as i love Batman and the like (though i haven't purchased a Batman comic since the Hush story), it's the Capeless ones that i adore the most. Strangers in Paradise, Y: The Last Man, Blacksad, Blankets, Private Beach to name a few. Derek Kirk Kim deserves more books of his to be out here. But we don't get what we deserve do we. If we did, people would be on this site reviewing my books.

[Dani Shuping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cross posted from Amazon

Derek Kirk Kim is not only a pretty fantastic artist, but also a great writer as well. The bulk of the book is one story, "Same Difference." In the story we meet a group of friends discussing where they are in life and when one of them sees an old friend from High School, two of the friends set out on a journey back to home. Along the way they meet back up with old friends from High School and attempt to right a couple of wrongs. Strangely autobiographical, but brilliantly told and illustrated, Derek shows a brief glimpse of life with this story. Other stories included are often short, one or two pages, that seem to illustrate aspects of Derek's life. Sometimes amusing, sometimes a bit...graphic, but always insightful. Derek's artwork has matured over the years to where his current style, while stylized in some ways, accurately captures the many nuances of the human face.

This edition is out of print, but good news fans! They've got a new edition coming out this December.

[Kapila · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, I really wanted to like the entirety of this book. DANG there were some funny moments. And I absolutely loved the title story; I wished it could have developed more. I loved the fact that I was reading about Korean-American characters. The book's characters and stories really force the reader to invest emotionally, not surprisingly because at least one story is autobiographical in nature, but also because DKK, as author and illustrator, makes sure of it! DKK demonstrates a variety of illustrative styles in this book - another surprise I didn't expect, though a pleasant one. I think this was one of DKK's first paper-published works, and so that perhaps explains the "raw" feel of some of these stories. They don't feel vacuous or at all incomplete...just...very wistful and perhaps a little bit sad and DANG were there some funny moments. I did want to buy this for Sharon's birthday, but perhaps I'll try American Born Chinese instead...

[Hollowspine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories, featuring themes of awkwardness, the absurdity of American culture, coming-of-age, being different...being the same...and did I mention the awkwardness?

Even though the stories often made me remember my own awkward moments and cringe in embarrassment, I really enjoyed reading each story. His writing was very insightful (just as in the Eternal Smile) and goes beyond storytelling to ask readers to question and to remember and to connect with the characters in his work.

My favorite section, of course, was the autobio section, I could really sympathize with some parts, especially feeling as if "someone" was out to make everything go wrong and in Island, the question at the end is also one I might ask, being someone who prefers to be alone as well, is it that I like it or that I'm just trying to protect myself from pain by pretending I'm happier alone? I also do not know, I can't tell the difference.

I will definitely look forward to reading more!

[Ariel Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same Difference (the first story) was interesting, and I haven't read many like it - firstly, the non-romantic friendship between Nancy and Simon, secondly the premise: Nancy's been pretending to be the woman that a guy named Ben is writing letters to, and she wants to go see him (as in, spy a little). I liked it that the two characters are just a little bit out of high school, a little bit older - they provide an interesting look (for younger people) at what life might be like when they graduate. Nothing extraordinary, just keeping on.

The other stories are equally interesting and quirky: racism in Hurdles, relationships in Pulling, government refusal to address environmental concerns in Interview with a Human. I have to admit, Oliver Pikk didn't do much for me, and the 3rd to last story, Shaft, is unfortunately too far beyond PG for me to be able to take this book with me to any of the youth programs I visit. Alas, because Same Difference would be so good to take!