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Monologues
Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes
Rare book
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
5 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Anders Nilsen
75 books227 followersAnders Nilsen is an American illustration and comics artist. He is the author of ten books including Big Questions, The End, and Poetry is Useless as well as the coloring book A Walk in Eden. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Poetry Magazine, Kramer's Ergot, Pitchfork, Medium and elsewhere. His comics have been translated into several languages overseas and his painting and drawing have been exhibited internationally. Nilsen's work has received three Ignatz awards as well as the Lynd Ward Prize for the Graphic Novel and Big Questions was listed as a New York Times Notable Book in 2011. Nilsen grew up in Minneapolis and Northern New Hampshire. He studied art in New Mexico and lived in Chicago for over a decade. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
February 9, 2009
i actually like all the the backtracking and repetition and messiness. but now its time to wrap up big questions, please...
February 8, 2009
At one point the author says, "I don't know what people have against artsy endurance contests anyway." This could be an apt description of the book. I can see someone really disliking this. The drawings are generally only crude shapes, their is little story and it's all kind of disjointed when there is a story. Then there are the asides that come out of nowhere, and on top of all that there is a certain kind of humor that could be described as pretentious. I mean how many people like to make or listen to jokes about existential philosophers?
That said I love this book. Everything that could be wrong with the book makes it great. Anders Nilsen can draw better than what is here, but the drawing style works really well for the material. The non-linear bordering on absurdity thread of a narrative is hilarious and thought provoking. As a whole the book is a great satire (maybe not the right word) of modern society, and the silly scariness of all that passes for life.
More please!
That said I love this book. Everything that could be wrong with the book makes it great. Anders Nilsen can draw better than what is here, but the drawing style works really well for the material. The non-linear bordering on absurdity thread of a narrative is hilarious and thought provoking. As a whole the book is a great satire (maybe not the right word) of modern society, and the silly scariness of all that passes for life.
More please!
July 20, 2009
I could see my 17-year-old self really loving this. but today, i see this as a prime example of hipster lit where disjointed references to religion, philosophy, pop culture, social problems and current events are cobbled together with an ironic flair without actually meaning anything or saying anything in the hopes that these broad references will be interpreted as profundity by someone smarter than the author.
this is not to say that i didn't enjoy this work. maybe that means i'm becoming a hipster.
this is not to say that i didn't enjoy this work. maybe that means i'm becoming a hipster.
September 22, 2015
This is a collection of mostly existential gags, which were often (to me, anyway) very funny, and also thoughtful, but he's light here, trying to have fun, largely, maybe kind of in a Beckett Waiting for Godot sort of way. . . But he's never arty-pretentious, to me, though many of my graphic novels students kind of seem to shrug at the "monologues" work... Or rather, students who just take the class for fun, expecting typical comic work, THEY seem to shrug at this work, mystified, wondering what it adds up to. . . to which Nilsen would probably say, "Exactly!" with a wink. My more serious gn/comics devotees think they get what he is doing and appreciate his Buster Keaton-like asides... and maybe they do, who knows. Do I know? Probably not, because he performs sort of slight of hand when it comes to what he may really be about. He's playful, and that's good.
At the moment, I'm thinking of Chicago's rag, The Journal of Ordinary Thought, where folks on Chicago's south and west sides produce poetry in local libraries... and (RIP) Hal Adams thought the work they were doing was easily as important and interesting as stuff in stuffy academic "Journals," so he found the money to publish them in lovely perfect bound volumes. Working class art, regular people ruminations. This work by Nilsen does not seek or attain that kind of social activism, that's not what he's about, but in the title and various pieces he pokes fun at academic philosophizing in a way Adams (and I, an academic, too) would surely appreciate. His art and monologues with himself, inner dialogues, may be him saying: I'm just a regular guy contemplating existence, in unpretentious ways, and trying to laugh; is Shakespeare a great writer and thinker, with his showy and sometimes bombastic poetic language? Sure, of course, but regular folks, simple, with few words, EVERYONE matters, Nilsen tells me... Beckett was said to be inspired by Laurel and Hardy for Waiting for Godot, and he loved Keaton, Chaplin, and all those who faced the Great Depression and terrible wars with a smile. Maybe these comedians are Nilsen's muse, too, in our own dark times...
PS: Inside, I found a slip of paper; was it Nilsen that put it there? Is one slipped into every copy? "DUE TO PRODUCT DESIGN OR MATERIALS, WE WERE UNABLE TO ATTACH ALL VALUE ADDED COMPONENTS REQUESTED. THEY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED UNATTACHED." Okay, so this was somebody's bookmark, sure, but it is the kind of deadpan, obscure joke that would make him smile... It made ME smile, anyway.
At the moment, I'm thinking of Chicago's rag, The Journal of Ordinary Thought, where folks on Chicago's south and west sides produce poetry in local libraries... and (RIP) Hal Adams thought the work they were doing was easily as important and interesting as stuff in stuffy academic "Journals," so he found the money to publish them in lovely perfect bound volumes. Working class art, regular people ruminations. This work by Nilsen does not seek or attain that kind of social activism, that's not what he's about, but in the title and various pieces he pokes fun at academic philosophizing in a way Adams (and I, an academic, too) would surely appreciate. His art and monologues with himself, inner dialogues, may be him saying: I'm just a regular guy contemplating existence, in unpretentious ways, and trying to laugh; is Shakespeare a great writer and thinker, with his showy and sometimes bombastic poetic language? Sure, of course, but regular folks, simple, with few words, EVERYONE matters, Nilsen tells me... Beckett was said to be inspired by Laurel and Hardy for Waiting for Godot, and he loved Keaton, Chaplin, and all those who faced the Great Depression and terrible wars with a smile. Maybe these comedians are Nilsen's muse, too, in our own dark times...
PS: Inside, I found a slip of paper; was it Nilsen that put it there? Is one slipped into every copy? "DUE TO PRODUCT DESIGN OR MATERIALS, WE WERE UNABLE TO ATTACH ALL VALUE ADDED COMPONENTS REQUESTED. THEY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED UNATTACHED." Okay, so this was somebody's bookmark, sure, but it is the kind of deadpan, obscure joke that would make him smile... It made ME smile, anyway.
April 17, 2015
Disappointing - especially after the engaging and beautifully strange Big Questions. Here, the weirdness seemed forced and self-involved - like the author was hitting me over the head and being willfully obscure at the same time. Big Ideas are explored in painfully cliche forms - God and devil make appearances of course and they are joined by killer robots. The attempts at quirky/black existential humor just fell flat to me. The author seemed to be working out issues of identity (his own, someone else's?) but in a way that was self-indulgent and distancing. There's also a lot of meta-humor based on 4th-wall-breaking asides about how the book is going nowhere and sucks - but, to me, this fell flat because all that was essentially true.
March 16, 2018
Short, abstract comic. The artwork is intentionally simplistic, but it's still often nice. Some of the jokes are pretty funny or clever.
Unfortunately, there's just not much in the way of structure across the comic - and it's just long enough that that's a problem. I think it would have worked better if it were more carefully structured as a series of short stories.
I picked it up at random at the library & I don't regret the time I spent with it, but I wouldn't seek it out.
Unfortunately, there's just not much in the way of structure across the comic - and it's just long enough that that's a problem. I think it would have worked better if it were more carefully structured as a series of short stories.
I picked it up at random at the library & I don't regret the time I spent with it, but I wouldn't seek it out.
January 16, 2015
Well that was odd.
May 14, 2015
crappy drawings + robots + weird musings = quirky brilliance
It feels like your peaking inside someone else's head. More a collection of gags or loosely related pieces than a narrative.
It feels like your peaking inside someone else's head. More a collection of gags or loosely related pieces than a narrative.
August 15, 2020
Thought I wrote this review, but seems to have vanished. Rambling and odd, with some good moments, but felt pretty slapdash in the end.
February 16, 2020
The more I read books by Anders Nilsen, the more I realize he's hands down one of my favorite graphic novel authors of all time.
A lot a of people don't like this author's books, and I completely disagree.
Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes is extremely similar to his other books Poetry Is Useless and Big Questions. They're books that have loose plots and mainly focus on themes of life and the human experience. A lot of this graphic novel is very random and strange, but the author's writing and themes behind these random pages connect with me really well.
There's this one specific scene added randomly where the character talks about how they are worried about death and nothing matter in life and the scene ends with him finally saying "Sometimes I worry that nothing matters, but then I figure if nothing matters, it doesn't matter so I keep worrying and it's fine." And it's something that really stuck with me. There are multiple well written moments like these that I enjoy.
I will say the author art style isn't the best but I enjoyed this anyways.
A lot a of people don't like this author's books, and I completely disagree.
Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes is extremely similar to his other books Poetry Is Useless and Big Questions. They're books that have loose plots and mainly focus on themes of life and the human experience. A lot of this graphic novel is very random and strange, but the author's writing and themes behind these random pages connect with me really well.
There's this one specific scene added randomly where the character talks about how they are worried about death and nothing matter in life and the scene ends with him finally saying "Sometimes I worry that nothing matters, but then I figure if nothing matters, it doesn't matter so I keep worrying and it's fine." And it's something that really stuck with me. There are multiple well written moments like these that I enjoy.
I will say the author art style isn't the best but I enjoyed this anyways.
June 6, 2021
আমার মনে হয় পথের একটা নিজস্ব গন্তব্য আছে৷ পথিকের গন্তব্যের চেয়ে ভীষণ রকম আলাদা। ফলে দেখা যায়, যে পথে হেঁটে যাচ্ছি একটা সুনির্দিষ্ট ঠিকানা নিয়ে, সে পথের সিথানে একদম অন্য বাড়ি- অন্য ঘর।
এদিকে পথে নেমে যে জেনে নেবো পথের গন্তব্য, হামেশাই তা আর হয়না৷ পথে নামলেই মনে হয় - যাই। পথ তো তার বুক পেতে দিয়েছে আমাদের গন্তব্যে! একমনে চলে গেলেই হয়।
এ এক ভীষণ ফাঁকি। পথ ও পথিকের মাঝে সুপ্ত অনতিক্রম্য দূরত্ব। এতদিনে বুঝি, যে পথে হেঁটে গেলে একটু আধটু করে দুরত্ব কমে যায়, সে পথেরও আছে নিজস্ব গন্তব্য। কিন্তু জানিনা, জানা হয়না। নিজেদের গন্তব্যে চোখ নিবদ্ধ রেখে রেখে, মানুষের মনে হয় তার চোখই শুধু আলোর খোঁয়াড়।
বাকী সব অন্ধ - জন্ম থেকে, জন্ম থেকে জন্মান্তরে।
November 21, 2018
Just like every other Anders Nilsen work I have read, I devoured this collection start to finish. It was a bit more humorous than the other works I have read by him, which I appreciated very much; the drawings and tone almost reminded me of Demetri Martin and his genius with simple drawings.
Even though this collection made me laugh a bunch, it also hit me hard in parts. He makes it a priority to depict a variety of mental illnesses and their effects on their inhabitants.
I look forward to being wowed by whatever Nilsen work I read next.
Even though this collection made me laugh a bunch, it also hit me hard in parts. He makes it a priority to depict a variety of mental illnesses and their effects on their inhabitants.
I look forward to being wowed by whatever Nilsen work I read next.
February 11, 2018
I didn't know what was going on while I read the book but I just couldn't put it down. I don't even understand why I let myself finish it or why I seem to have enjoyed being left so thoroughly confused at the end of this rambling monologue. Hmm. Maybe I'm just not smart enough yet to understand what it all meant or maybe it just didn't mean anything. Either way, it was a quick read and worth my time.
September 9, 2025
Like Monologues for the Coming Plague, Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes is a simplistic, abstract book with off-kilter jokes about everything from the CIA, mom, Oprah, Harvey Keitel, Jesus, etc.
There are some funny points here and there, but I found the majority of the book unfunny and a challenge to get through (400+ pages!).
There are some funny points here and there, but I found the majority of the book unfunny and a challenge to get through (400+ pages!).
April 4, 2020
An amusing collection of experimental monologues and dialogues in comic-strip form - some absurdism, some existentialism, some formal play. Interesting to take a dip in Nilsen's subconscious for a little while.
June 26, 2025
incomprehensible…
…but Not in a good way.
Incomprehensibility in a good way is ordinary existence without a worry in The world, like being born, then you’re 3 yrsold, with no regrets yet.
…but Not in a good way.
Incomprehensibility in a good way is ordinary existence without a worry in The world, like being born, then you’re 3 yrsold, with no regrets yet.
April 28, 2018
"Ive never heard god actually talk to me, but he does sometimes call me up and breath heavily into the phone."
September 29, 2018
wildly incoherent, but in the best possible way only nilsen has managed to perfect
October 2, 2018
i didn’t read the first one lol
March 21, 2017
About half the book is fairly witty, and the other half gets lost in (purposeful) meandering. If nothing else, it is relatively quick to read through. I was able to get plenty of inspiration from it (which may be a strength of the rambling it contains). I would still put most of Nilsen's work above this.
May 28, 2012
The first 25% of the book was maddening to get through but it was worth it once I got into the vibe in act 3/4/5/6. The humour is nonsensical, bordering on just randomly picking absurd Postmodern sit-com scenarios. At one point the authored lamented his work being an 'artsy endurance contest' like a David Lynch movie (that's the only joke that made sense to me). In terms of the illustration, the minimal 'bad cartoon' David Shrigley/Brian Chippendale figures work well but the most surprising element is probably the use of Google Earth photography as an existential stage. Consistent panel compositions help tie the 'narratives' (loosely defined) together as well without loosing the overall non-coherence. Given the title, I wonder if you can piece together a timeline from the individual fragments...A four star rating is probably too generous, I never know how to evaluate art books anyway.
March 18, 2011
Recently I have had several discussions regarding the poignancy of a certain television theme song, and thanks to Anders Nilsen, I feel completely validated that the opening sequence for Cheers makes everything better, indeed. Beyond that, I found Density of Black Holes to be an interesting and whimsical look at the esoteric. The drawing style is much more quick and loose than in some of Nilsen's other work, but it has its own charm and retains his strong originality. Nilsen balances his absurdity with lots of wry wit. I read this in about a half an hour, but I could probably discuss the ideas presented therein for days, as seriously or as irreverently as I'd like. Nilsen is a master at striking that balance. This work cements him as one of my favorites.
January 12, 2014
This wasn't my favorite book of his. I guess I'm not a big fan of esoteric "artsy endurance contests". I wouldn't even call it esoteric, though. That would imply that there's at least enough reason available to make minute sense. It seems like he put himself through an endurance test--much like he said, "Okay, I have sixty seconds to do each of the next ten panels". Although such a test can be admirable and well-done, these ones weren't quite memorable. I'll still continue to read his work.
August 22, 2016
Absolutely stunning. It's wonderful when you feel in tune with what an author is trying to do - even if you don't have a wholly accurate picture. The ideas in Nilsen's work are astounding and the "simplistic" art completely supports them.
When I read Big Questions a few years ago he was new to me and it was the only book I could find of his; looking for him again now I find I have another dozen or so to read through - it's going to be amazing!
When I read Big Questions a few years ago he was new to me and it was the only book I could find of his; looking for him again now I find I have another dozen or so to read through - it's going to be amazing!
August 27, 2009
This graphic novel was not necessarily bad, but it certainly fulfilled the stereotype that many hold of the genre: bad illustrations, meandering prose, and a non-cohesive plot.
It had a few spots of wit but, for the most part, its meta concepts ('I bet you're wondering when this novel is going to get anywhere! *snicker, snicker*) were trite.
It had a few spots of wit but, for the most part, its meta concepts ('I bet you're wondering when this novel is going to get anywhere! *snicker, snicker*) were trite.
June 3, 2011
If this was someone's doodle journal, it wouldn't suck. But it's not. It got published. These graphic novels are quite common nowadays and I assume are mostly the result of someone knowing someone in the industry. This one is a result of the author having published other actually good books previously. It's still pretentious out the ying.
July 29, 2012
I can't help loving Anders Nilsens monologues. This one, the second of his monologues books, was actually more entertaining than the first. These books are bizarre, but they're so quick to read that I'm willing to turn five pages to get through one cohesive thought. Can't get enough.
February 26, 2009
I liked this even better than Monologues for the Coming Plague. The right balance of coherence/fragmentation. More "epic."
November 10, 2009
Casually brilliant existential comedy.
December 31, 2009
Great stuff. Recommended for someone who read Monologues for the Coming Plague and wanted more, but slightly less charming and spontaneous.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews