Wally Gropius

by Tim Hensley

Superficially resembling 1960s teenage humor comics, Tim Hensley's graphic novel Wally Gropius is actually an acute satire of power, celebrityhood, and modern culture that tells the story of the titular character, who bears a closer resemblance to a teenaged Richie Rich or a classmate of Archie Andrews at Riverdale High than he does the famous Bauhaus architect whose name he shares.



Wally is the human Dow Jones, the heir to a vast petrochemical conglomerate. When the elder Thaddeus Gropius confronts Wally with the boilerplate plot ultimatum that he must marry "the saddest girl in the world" or be disinherited, a yarn unravels that is part screwball comedy and part unhinged parable on the lucrativeness of changing your identity.



Hensley's dialogue is witty, lyrical, sampled, dada, and elliptical--all in the service of a very bizarre mystery. There's sex, violence, rock and roll, intrigue, and betrayal--all brought home in Hensley's truly inimitable style.



Created during an era when another well-off "W" was stuffing the coffers of the morbidly solvent, Wally Gropius transforms futile daydreams and nightmares into the absurdity of capital.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, 21st Century, Comix, Fiction, Humor

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not 100% how I feel about this book...if you are looking or something different that will make you think then give this book a try. Some adult themes - kind of an 'anti' Archie character: may have to give this book a second read to make sure I was fair; kind of a creepy vibe - not really bad - just a little creepy.

[Mza · Rating 4 out of 5]

... has its own style of dislocation between pictures and words, wherein motives of characters are impossible to ascertain and therefore irrelevant.

... drawn in kids' comix shorthand, which is distancing in an expected way but also unexpectedly menacing in places -- inconsistently shifting background art suggests a world in which space and matter are at the mercy of a trickster god and his anarchic stagehands.

Don't expect an ending and you won't be disappointed

[Joshlynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The obvious comparisons to Richie Rich and Archie have also been noted. But this oversized, overwhelming tome also comes at us by way of Naked Lunch, with some random Hitchcockian elements and Maakies-ish suicide jokes. At times it also reminded me of Jean Genet or Chris Burden. In short, this shit is fucked up. You should read it twice.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever, goofy, playful, and with dark humor mixed in. I wanted to give this five stars, but this fell shy toward the end of the work. Still, it's definitely one of the better books I've read in the past couple years.

[Jaina Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew national anthems could be such an aphrodesiac.

[Dave-O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Demands multiple readings, preferably in the company of inebriated librarian expatriates.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

luscious.

[Markmisfit5000 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because many graphic "comic book" artists/authors have hailed this book as one of the best of the decade. I read this and was at first unsatisfied. Upon further reads, I was able to appreciate the absurdity of the whole thing, but I believe the depth that I missed on the first read was due to the extreme subtlety of the gags and plot. I'm not sure if this book is for everyone, but it's definitely worth borrowing from somebody.

[Amanda Baber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand why this isn't funnier. Parts of it are. On the whole, though, it's kind of irritating, like this is the first draft of an assignment he had to finish for graphic novel publishing class.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satirizing the old kids comics of the 50s and 60s the titular Wally Gropius is a teenage Richie Rich. He is vapid and vain and is being forced by his father to marry "the saddest girl in the world." It looks like an Archie comic but is actually absurdist humor that is quite deep and sometimes dark. The dialogue is witty, lyrical, sampled, dada, and elliptical--all in the service of a very bizarre mystery. There's sex, violence, rock and roll, intrigue, and betrayal Well worth looking up.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough because of Hensley's whip-smart humor and witty dialogue, though I found his Wally Gropius strips from "MOME" to be lacking in style compared to his other works. It's still pretty funny stuff and Hensley's ability to imitate tropes and formalisms from classic comic strips lends for interesting stuff.

[Max Lavergne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unsung modern classic. No one is funnier than Tim Hensley.

[Pinky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Darkly humorous comic about a Richie Rich-like "umpteen millionaire" without the social conscience and crime fighting. Old-style graphics are very cool and I like the oversize volume. Reminds me of Asterix or TinTin, but the subject matter is quite disturbing. Probably wouldn't have picked this up on my own, but it was on the Hottest Graphic Novels of Summer 2010 list, which I am slowly making my way through.

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got hung up on the bizarre panel of the father supposedly doing it with the daughter when it turns out they were a couple in disguise. Also, too much weirdness just to be weird. But the drawing was ok.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and fluffy.

[Spencer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just terrible. Much less clever than it thinks it is.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it to page 30 and couldn't take it anymore. Absolutely terrible.