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November #1
November, Volume I: The Girl on the Roof
In this new sequence of three graphic novellas by Matt Fraction and Elsa Charretier, with colors by Matt Hollingsworth and exquisitely crafted lettering by cartoonist Kurt Ankeny, November follows the lives of three women intersecting in a dark criminal underground. As fire and violence tears through their city on a single day and night, they discover their lives are bound together by a mysterious man that seems to be the cause of it all.
One night. One city. Three women. November.
One night. One city. Three women. November.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 2019
17 people are currently reading
2573 people want to read
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,223 books1,867 followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
November 19, 2020
A very elliptical and noirish comics turn for the usually cleverly humorous Matt Fraction, trying his best to channel Frank Miller, with a dash of pomo Matt Kindt thrown in. Very "spare," and short first (of three) volumes focused on three separate stories of women in a nameless urban landscape: Dee, an addict, approached by a guy to do some job involving being a go-between involving electronic transmissions, in exchange for a lot of money; a woman coming home to her apartment who finds a gun; and Kowalski, an overworked night-shift 911 dispatcher at a busy police precinct. Random violence seems to happen everywhere, unsettling us as it will.
Matt Hollingsworth's oddly off-kilter coloring contributes to the unease, as do the sketchy, cramped stylings of Elsa Charretier, with a bit of Darwyn Cooke sixties retro feel to the art. I'm not a huge fan of the cursive lettering, which I had trouble making out in places, but I get the purpose: Intimacy, kind of a journal feel, we are there.
The story? No idea what is happening, really, it's all fragments and innuendo so far, those transmissions, the gun, the 911 call, but it's a mystery, first of three volumes, so take a breath, but the three women we expect will connect in ways I hope will be interesting. I like the team so I lean to liking it, but it could go south quickly, or come together beautifully. I'm hopeful.
Matt Hollingsworth's oddly off-kilter coloring contributes to the unease, as do the sketchy, cramped stylings of Elsa Charretier, with a bit of Darwyn Cooke sixties retro feel to the art. I'm not a huge fan of the cursive lettering, which I had trouble making out in places, but I get the purpose: Intimacy, kind of a journal feel, we are there.
The story? No idea what is happening, really, it's all fragments and innuendo so far, those transmissions, the gun, the 911 call, but it's a mystery, first of three volumes, so take a breath, but the three women we expect will connect in ways I hope will be interesting. I like the team so I lean to liking it, but it could go south quickly, or come together beautifully. I'm hopeful.
June 1, 2020
Dee is a disabled ex-junkie night owl who is paid vast sums of money to decipher code from a newspaper and broadcast it from a radio on her rooftop. Coming back from a grocery shop, a lady finds a gun in a puddle. An alcoholic 911 operator goes back to the bottle after a stressful shift. A fat cop rises through the ranks to a position of power where he hires Dee to do what she does. Whuzzit all mean?!
I’ve enjoyed a lot of Matt Fraction’s comics over the years but the first volume (of three) of November is among those of his, along with Satellite Sam and ODY-C, that aren’t very good. I guess the mysterious nature of Dee’s job is somewhat intriguing and I liked how some of the story is told - the original and compelling style of storytelling was something I really liked about Fraction’s Hawkeye run and some of that is evident here too.
Mostly though I was so bored reading this. Never mind not knowing how and why anything is happening - although that is part of why I was so unengaged with the story - the characters themselves just aren’t that interesting. Some lady finds a gun in a puddle and there’s maybe corrupt cops? Uh huh - yawners. An even duller 911 operator’s life. Awful! I wasn’t a fan either of Elsa Charretier’s Paul Pope/Wes Craig-type art.
November, Volume 1: The Girl on the Roof is dreary arthouse faux-noir - short but definitely not sweet.
I’ve enjoyed a lot of Matt Fraction’s comics over the years but the first volume (of three) of November is among those of his, along with Satellite Sam and ODY-C, that aren’t very good. I guess the mysterious nature of Dee’s job is somewhat intriguing and I liked how some of the story is told - the original and compelling style of storytelling was something I really liked about Fraction’s Hawkeye run and some of that is evident here too.
Mostly though I was so bored reading this. Never mind not knowing how and why anything is happening - although that is part of why I was so unengaged with the story - the characters themselves just aren’t that interesting. Some lady finds a gun in a puddle and there’s maybe corrupt cops? Uh huh - yawners. An even duller 911 operator’s life. Awful! I wasn’t a fan either of Elsa Charretier’s Paul Pope/Wes Craig-type art.
November, Volume 1: The Girl on the Roof is dreary arthouse faux-noir - short but definitely not sweet.
October 23, 2019
I was so disappointed in this. I typically love Fraction's writing but this was incomprehensible. Each issue switches to a different character that doesn't fit together until almost the end of the arc. The storytelling is disjointed and confusing. The cover blurb makes note of the groundbreaking lettering. I found this to be some of the worst lettering I've seen in a comic. Cursive in comics is always problematic and this was the case here. I couldn't read half of it. The art was very sketchy, often with too many panels. They were too tiny to portray the story. Even the coloring by Matt Hollingsworth felt off, giving everyone blue skin tones. To say I was disappointed in this is an understatement.
Received a review copy from Image and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Image and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
December 8, 2019
3.5 stars
"We're all parts of a machine we cannot see. A system. All of us have our function." - the mysterious 'Mister Mann,' page 72
I am familiar with writer Matt Fraction from his excellent Hawkeye series earlier in this decade, so when I spotted his November, Vol. 1: Girl on the Roof on my library's new release shelf - and tagged as 'crime/mystery/noir' plus a 'Rated M for Mature' warning (yes!) - so I figured "What the hell . . ."
Well, "What the hell?" indeed. Although the story exactly doesn't gel in an comprehensible fashion, I'll chalk that up in part to the subsequent volumes arriving in 2020. The plot, set in a nameless but depressed urban landscape in the style of Gotham City, follows three dissimilar women in this order - a crippled, drug-addicted nighthawk named Dee; an unidentified Good Samaritan who stumbles upon a discarded pistol in a foreboding alley by her apartment building; and Kowalski, a diligent but overworked and disrespected night-shift 911 dispatcher at a busy police precinct. Even though it did not all quite make sense just yet the gritty style glosses over the lack of substance. It was also quietly amazing how colorist Matt Hollingsworth was able to stretch a limited palette (largely just copper and blue hues, though red makes an appearance) to provide an appropriately unsettling look.
"We're all parts of a machine we cannot see. A system. All of us have our function." - the mysterious 'Mister Mann,' page 72
I am familiar with writer Matt Fraction from his excellent Hawkeye series earlier in this decade, so when I spotted his November, Vol. 1: Girl on the Roof on my library's new release shelf - and tagged as 'crime/mystery/noir' plus a 'Rated M for Mature' warning (yes!) - so I figured "What the hell . . ."
Well, "What the hell?" indeed. Although the story exactly doesn't gel in an comprehensible fashion, I'll chalk that up in part to the subsequent volumes arriving in 2020. The plot, set in a nameless but depressed urban landscape in the style of Gotham City, follows three dissimilar women in this order - a crippled, drug-addicted nighthawk named Dee; an unidentified Good Samaritan who stumbles upon a discarded pistol in a foreboding alley by her apartment building; and Kowalski, a diligent but overworked and disrespected night-shift 911 dispatcher at a busy police precinct. Even though it did not all quite make sense just yet the gritty style glosses over the lack of substance. It was also quietly amazing how colorist Matt Hollingsworth was able to stretch a limited palette (largely just copper and blue hues, though red makes an appearance) to provide an appropriately unsettling look.
November 8, 2019
Fantastic, exquisitely crafted, expertly told story. Fraction channels his best David Lynch here, with a dash of noir storytelling style of Frank Miller and Ed Brubaker. Elsa Charretier's artwork is perfect, and Matt Hollingsworth's colouring is as much part of the story here as Fraction's script or Charretier's art. Same goes for Kurt Ankeny's brilliant hand-written lettering, which almost tells an entire story of its own. November is the kind of book where the more you pay attention to the details, the more it rewards you. I'll definitely be re-reading the entire thing once volumes 2 and 3 are out. Boy, am I glad Fraction is writing comics again, proving that he's still one of the absolute best writers in the business. This was a masterpiece, and surely one of the best comics of the year.
March 5, 2021
The art is good but the lettering makes it difficult to read in places. The story moved too slowly and there wasn't enough payoff for me to continue the series. Your mileage may vary.
December 6, 2020
UPDATE 12/4/2020 - I re-read this prior to jumping into volumes 2 and 3 for the conclusion, and it still holds up. I''m eager to see what happens next.
ORIGINAL REVIEW - 12/31/2019
A super pilot for a crime thriller. It's twisty and a bit hard to follow, but I love the art, and I'm totally addicted to finding out what happens next.
Note to self: Definitely re-read this volume before reading volume 2, whenever it is published.
ORIGINAL REVIEW - 12/31/2019
A super pilot for a crime thriller. It's twisty and a bit hard to follow, but I love the art, and I'm totally addicted to finding out what happens next.
Note to self: Definitely re-read this volume before reading volume 2, whenever it is published.
February 6, 2022
I don't mind a bit of mystery in my continued comics, but when you charge $16.99 for an opening chapter, and the art is muddled, the captions are all in hard to decipher cursive, and you don't give your readers a clue who anyone is or what the fuck they're doing....that's a lot to ask.
June 16, 2020
Wow, I have no idea what I just read.
Is it a brilliantly interconnected series of stories that will dovetail into something beautiful? Or, is it a chaotic mess that only makes sense in the mad artist's mind? I dunno, there's not enough in this brief first volume to really figure it out.
Which means I really regret reading this before all three volumes were out, because this is something that's going to take a read of everything to make sense of it all (if there's sense to be made).
Is it a brilliantly interconnected series of stories that will dovetail into something beautiful? Or, is it a chaotic mess that only makes sense in the mad artist's mind? I dunno, there's not enough in this brief first volume to really figure it out.
Which means I really regret reading this before all three volumes were out, because this is something that's going to take a read of everything to make sense of it all (if there's sense to be made).
December 27, 2022
Nesta HQ editada pelos queridos amigos da Risco Editora e traduzida pelo ótimo Erico Assis, Matt Fraction tenta fazer uma história policial daquele jeitinho dele de inventar a narrativa dos quadrinhos. Se formos ler cada volume da HQ em separado, certamente ele atinge a sua meta, mas não consegue dobrar a meta quando entendemos a história como um todo. Eu, pelo menos, não consegui ter uma dimensão de todo do que está acontecendo na narrativa. Quem sabe no segundo volume? Por outro lado, preciso elogiar muito a narrativa visual desse quadrinho. Não saberia dizer se o mérito desssa conquista é de Fraction e sua orientação de roteiro ou da liberdade de Elsa Charretier, a desenhista, para compor o layout e as cenas como bem lhe aprouve. Por fim, é preciso elogiar também a narrativa de cores de Matt Hollingsworth, que com uma paleta reduzida de pigmentos faz a magia atmosférica do crime acontecer. Dessa feita, acredito que Novembro seja uma quadrinho mais de narrativa do que de narração e espero que o segundo volume entregue beeem mais da trama que este primeiro, porque neste quesito deixou a desejar...
November 12, 2019
I'm generally a huge fan of Matt Fraction's writing, but the style of weaving the story between characters and timelines just makes this a confusing as hell, frustrating read. Maybe when all three volumes are published it will be a worthwhile read, but after finishing this, I don't feel any anticipation for what comes next.
December 27, 2020
A crime noir where three lives intersect over a mysterious room: a crooked cop, a dispatcher, and a grungy puzzler. Fair characterization and a curious mystery drive the plot, and the sketchy illustrations are great and on tone.
December 25, 2023
I actually read this twice in 2023, but I am only going to count it once because even after most of the year away from the book and a second reading, I am really not sure what is going on in November.
Part of the is Matt Fraction's writing, which I tend to love. He is often quite sparing with his dialogue and detail, but that is okay because the action he writes is usually translated beautifully by his artist(s) so that meanings become clear. But his writing, if the art doesn't rise to the challenge, can be gappy and scattered. So it was here.
Which is not to say that the art of Elsa Charretier is bad. Not a bit, but her artwork, too, has a tendency to require much work from its readers. It is sparing, especially in November, to the point of being almost aloof, and it becomes far too difficult to work one's way through the details that should unlock the meaning of Fraction's work.
Now I have no doubt that those meanings will become clear to me by the time I reach Vol. 4, but by the end of Vol. 1 The Girl on the Roof -- twice -- I have only the most basic understanding of who is who and what is what. I am sure the failure is as much mine as it is Fraction's and Charretier's, but I look forward to figuring it all out as time goes on.
Part of the is Matt Fraction's writing, which I tend to love. He is often quite sparing with his dialogue and detail, but that is okay because the action he writes is usually translated beautifully by his artist(s) so that meanings become clear. But his writing, if the art doesn't rise to the challenge, can be gappy and scattered. So it was here.
Which is not to say that the art of Elsa Charretier is bad. Not a bit, but her artwork, too, has a tendency to require much work from its readers. It is sparing, especially in November, to the point of being almost aloof, and it becomes far too difficult to work one's way through the details that should unlock the meaning of Fraction's work.
Now I have no doubt that those meanings will become clear to me by the time I reach Vol. 4, but by the end of Vol. 1 The Girl on the Roof -- twice -- I have only the most basic understanding of who is who and what is what. I am sure the failure is as much mine as it is Fraction's and Charretier's, but I look forward to figuring it all out as time goes on.
October 8, 2021
Matt Fraction = solid writer. Elsa Charretier = wonderful artist. November's first volume = ehhhh, this is not a strong start.
We're introduced to a drug addict who sends radio codes from her rooftop for $500 a week. I guess why she's sending these codes is going to be the series' big mystery? Sure. We also meet a young woman who finds a gun and a haggard 911 operator who is having the roughest day. Plus, something fishy is going on with the evidence locker at the police station.
This first volume is short - too short to make much sense of all these plot threads. Charretier's art is rougher than usual and Fraction's storytelling unfocused. The lettering is almost unreadable in places. I'll continue on because this first volume took 15 minutes to read and I have the others on hand.
We're introduced to a drug addict who sends radio codes from her rooftop for $500 a week. I guess why she's sending these codes is going to be the series' big mystery? Sure. We also meet a young woman who finds a gun and a haggard 911 operator who is having the roughest day. Plus, something fishy is going on with the evidence locker at the police station.
This first volume is short - too short to make much sense of all these plot threads. Charretier's art is rougher than usual and Fraction's storytelling unfocused. The lettering is almost unreadable in places. I'll continue on because this first volume took 15 minutes to read and I have the others on hand.
July 11, 2020
November volume 1 is the type of graphic novel that is going to get a bunch of mixed reviews because it’s highly stylized and isn’t giving anything away. This book screams potential to me. The writing is solid and the art style seems perfect for the story. This volume is a little confusing at first but in a way that is intentional and that will hopefully pay off. The book looks and feels very intimate and like it might have a lot to say in the end so I’m looking forward to the next volumes. 4.5 out of 5.
June 27, 2022
Bah euuu j'ai pas compris grand chose, je pense que ça doit s'éclairer dans le tome 2 mais bon
March 22, 2020
I don’t read a ton of graphic novels so this could be a me problem. The illustrations were awesome. It was the stories that tripped me up. Part of the problem could also be my lack of focus during this crazy time. Anyway, it was okay.
December 9, 2019
Sparse writing that leaves a lot of open questions about plot and relationships and motivation. The mysteries are enticing, not cheaply manufactured like narrative mysteries sometimes feel. Loved the art; the drawing style and limited color pallette reminded me of Darwyn Cook's work in his Parker books. Excited for the next installment.
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October 6, 2019My normal problem with Matt Fraction books is that they can be so preoccupied with the smart pitch, the cool ideas and the nice moments that they don't quite work as stories. Whereas with this one, I don't remotely get yet where it's aimed or what it's trying to do, but I'm intrigued. Elsa Charretier draws, and though I know her stuff primarily from odd superhero issues, and Matt Hollingsworth's colours from Anglophone comics, there's something about the work they're doing here (and Kurt Ankeny's freestyle lettering, and the book's in-between length, closer to a BD album than either a US single or trade) that give the whole thing more of a European comics feel. And the story plays into that, following women in enigmatic predicaments not entirely explicable by what we see or what they say. There's a grubby, almost modern city, and sudden outbursts of criminality, and mysterious transmissions, and I'd definitely read a second volume just in the hope of some hint as to why, but also because they do seem so rounded and alive.
And yes, being me I'm obviously miffed that the expiry dates on Edelweiss ARCs mean I needed to read November before the end of October.
And yes, being me I'm obviously miffed that the expiry dates on Edelweiss ARCs mean I needed to read November before the end of October.
November 13, 2019
Beautifully weird little slices of grim life coming together to build the first part of a story.
September 5, 2019
I'm not positive I know what the hell is going on, but I'm here for it. Volume 2, please!
January 7, 2020
I reread the last few pages with the evidence officer- where those flashbacks?
I enjoyed it nonetheless.
I enjoyed it nonetheless.
March 4, 2021
Review vol. 1-3
Ak človek nezostane odradený prvým volume, kde je príbeh rozdelený do troch rôznych časových úsekov a miest s tromi ženami, kde sa poriadne nič nevysvetlí, tak za odmenu dostane v ďalších dvoch krásne prepletenie ich osudov. Vlastne všetky booky sú porozdelované aby ukázali, čo sa s hrdinkami dialo. Dobré je, že vôbec mi to neprišlo zmätočné, krásne do seba začalo všetko zapadať.
Ak niekoho odrádza kurzíva v komiksoch, tak tu je jej fakt veľa, a pri niektorých textoch je ťažšie zo začiatku rozoznať, či ide o F/L/1/I a podobne, ale po čase sa do toho človek dostane.. Kresba je dokonalá a skvele doplnená parádnymi farbami. Teším sa na pokračovanie, lebo tento krimi/mystery/noir ma fakt bavil.
Ak človek nezostane odradený prvým volume, kde je príbeh rozdelený do troch rôznych časových úsekov a miest s tromi ženami, kde sa poriadne nič nevysvetlí, tak za odmenu dostane v ďalších dvoch krásne prepletenie ich osudov. Vlastne všetky booky sú porozdelované aby ukázali, čo sa s hrdinkami dialo. Dobré je, že vôbec mi to neprišlo zmätočné, krásne do seba začalo všetko zapadať.
Ak niekoho odrádza kurzíva v komiksoch, tak tu je jej fakt veľa, a pri niektorých textoch je ťažšie zo začiatku rozoznať, či ide o F/L/1/I a podobne, ale po čase sa do toho človek dostane.. Kresba je dokonalá a skvele doplnená parádnymi farbami. Teším sa na pokračovanie, lebo tento krimi/mystery/noir ma fakt bavil.
November 7, 2024
This really didn’t work for me, which sucks because the concept sounded cool. It was needlessly confusing, choppy, and felt like it could have done with even the bare minimum of character development. I have no idea what’s going on, and am not sure if that’s intentional or not. Ideally, by the end of the first volume, I’d like to at least have some semblance of a plot - or.. anything at all to make me want to move to the next volume. The lettering was an absolute nightmare to try and read. I’ll check out the second volume, but only because I own it.
December 7, 2020
Meh. Muy misterioso todo pero poca chicha por ahora en esta historia noir con diferentes povs. Son 3 volúmenes: hubiera sido mejor todo en 1. No sé si leeré más o no. Muy buen dibujo. Horrible la tipografía cursiva usada: cuesta leerla y, parece mentira y no sé si la primera vez que me pasa en mi vida con un cómic, empeora la experiencia mucho.
October 11, 2020
Not for me...
Im not sure why but this one didn't do it for me. I typically like Fraction, and this one has a lot of different elements that I do like. But I had the same feeling when I finished Satellite Sam, just something missing. I think I will stick to his DC/MARVEL stuff.
Im not sure why but this one didn't do it for me. I typically like Fraction, and this one has a lot of different elements that I do like. But I had the same feeling when I finished Satellite Sam, just something missing. I think I will stick to his DC/MARVEL stuff.
July 13, 2020
Super disappointing, a bit confusing, even the great art couldn't save this book. Maybe once all three volumes are out I'll try and re-read them as one cohesive unit but... I don't know.
May 26, 2021
Ingen anelse om hvad jeg lige har læst, men stadig et eller andet over det der fænger. Måske mystikken i st man faktisk ikke aner hvad der foregår.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2022
la narrativa, espectacular; la historia, no tanto
February 25, 2025
I have absolutely no idea what is happening. I was super intrigued through the first half, but then, instead of getting answers, I had waaaaaay more questions. Do not recommend.
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