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Koko Be Good
Koko's always got a new project cooking, even though they usually end in total disaster. This time will be different, Koko promises herself. This time, she's decided to Be Good. But how can a girl whose greatest talent is causing trouble get her act cleaned up? If she's being honest with herself, Koko isn't even sure what "being good" means.
Jon knows what being good means, and that's why he's going to Peru to support his girlfriend's humanitarian mission. That's good, all right, but is it what he wants? Jon has a promising future as a musician. Is he ready to give that up—maybe forever?
Two very different people, both struggling for direction, find their way into each other's lives in Jen Wang's first graphic novel. Honest, wrenching, and incredibly funny, Koko Be Good is a tour-de-force debut about human nature and the inhuman efforts we make to find ourselves.
Jon knows what being good means, and that's why he's going to Peru to support his girlfriend's humanitarian mission. That's good, all right, but is it what he wants? Jon has a promising future as a musician. Is he ready to give that up—maybe forever?
Two very different people, both struggling for direction, find their way into each other's lives in Jen Wang's first graphic novel. Honest, wrenching, and incredibly funny, Koko Be Good is a tour-de-force debut about human nature and the inhuman efforts we make to find ourselves.
300 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2010
21 people are currently reading
2132 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
November 3, 2014
This graphic novel made me feel like all old curmudgeon. The young people, what a bunch of shallow, boring assholes! They're so dumb, so selfish, their bars are so boring and so is their conversation!
Koko is not Bad in a way that is entertainingly naughty; she's a completely selfish, manipulative, lawless horrible person who gets by taking advantage of the kindness of others and then screwing them over or ruining things not even for some personal advantage but just because she doesn't give a crap about anyone else.
This book pretty much reaffirmed my tendency to avoid graphic novels about "normal" life.
Koko is not Bad in a way that is entertainingly naughty; she's a completely selfish, manipulative, lawless horrible person who gets by taking advantage of the kindness of others and then screwing them over or ruining things not even for some personal advantage but just because she doesn't give a crap about anyone else.
This book pretty much reaffirmed my tendency to avoid graphic novels about "normal" life.
January 19, 2018
This is the first First Second story that has let me down. Everything else was great.
The art work is 3 colors, black, white, brown. It does help set the tone of overall blah-ness happening. This is a coming of age story.
I'll be honest, I had a hard time following everything that was going on. There wasn't great connections happening and I mostly followed. Koko wants to be good and it makes her angry how difficult that is for her. She ends up giving away all her stuff for charity thinking this is the answer. Jon is in love - he doesn't know what to do with his life either. As long as he can be with his girlfriend in Peru, his life will be ok. That's really all I got from this story.
I can't recommend it.
The art work is 3 colors, black, white, brown. It does help set the tone of overall blah-ness happening. This is a coming of age story.
I'll be honest, I had a hard time following everything that was going on. There wasn't great connections happening and I mostly followed. Koko wants to be good and it makes her angry how difficult that is for her. She ends up giving away all her stuff for charity thinking this is the answer. Jon is in love - he doesn't know what to do with his life either. As long as he can be with his girlfriend in Peru, his life will be ok. That's really all I got from this story.
I can't recommend it.
July 27, 2010
From start to finish this graphic novel needs a lot of fine tuning. The beginning was hard to follow, with a lot of jumping around and not a lot of dialogue it was hard to tell what characters were important, and what was even going on. The book settled into itself about two-thirds of the way through and became much easier to follow which was a welcome relief.
The characters seemed very superficial and the story lacked depth. I felt as though the major life decisions that Koko, and Jon were making were snap decisions based merely on a comment or two from a peer. The author failed to let us into the deeper aspects of the characters leaving me feeling cheated.
On another note, the watercolor images were interesting to look at. The color was subdued and made for a pleasurable reading experience. I love a graphic novel with full color, and Koko Be Good had an excellent look to it overall.
What could have been a great story fell short in more ways than one and the art doesn't make up for the lack of character development. I give this book a pass.
The characters seemed very superficial and the story lacked depth. I felt as though the major life decisions that Koko, and Jon were making were snap decisions based merely on a comment or two from a peer. The author failed to let us into the deeper aspects of the characters leaving me feeling cheated.
On another note, the watercolor images were interesting to look at. The color was subdued and made for a pleasurable reading experience. I love a graphic novel with full color, and Koko Be Good had an excellent look to it overall.
What could have been a great story fell short in more ways than one and the art doesn't make up for the lack of character development. I give this book a pass.
April 20, 2024
I think I expected too much from this book. I had fallen in love with a couple of Jen Wang’s other books and I just had to read this one too. So my hopes were just too high. I thought this was rather confusing and I didn’t care about the characters. At all. Makes for a boring book if you don’t care what’s going on.
The plot seemed like it was all over the place and I had trouble following along with the storyline. Maybe it was just me, because I wanted this to be different. I wanted to love it. Oh well, they can’t all be winners!!
I personally don’t recommend this, but I’m sure some people will enjoy it!!
The plot seemed like it was all over the place and I had trouble following along with the storyline. Maybe it was just me, because I wanted this to be different. I wanted to love it. Oh well, they can’t all be winners!!
I personally don’t recommend this, but I’m sure some people will enjoy it!!
September 2, 2012
As usual with anything that posits itself within the world of "indie" and "hipster" sensibilities, I am of two minds about this comic. On the one, admittedly superficial level, I was put off by indie/hipster conceits of people leading impossibly cool lives that, quite frankly, have nothing in common with real life as I've observed it. But the comic surprised me. It actually touches upon how empty such "cool" lives can be. Most importantly, it deals with identity, with indecision, fear, and standing at a crossroads in life, unsure of who you are or where you're going. As I am currently standing at one such crossroad [degree in hand, meaningful-work-I-envisioned frustratingly hard to find], this comic came at the right time for me to identify with its message and with the confused and conflicted Jon, a young man trying to convince himself that he honestly wants to move to Peru to "do good." It's Jon who keeps this comic grounded. The titular character--Koko, who becomes fixated on being a "good" person via community service--is too hip, too funky, too maniacal to feel real [she has no job and no money, but her scooter always has gas]. As off-putting as I found some aspects of Koko to be, though, I did eventually warm up to her. Both she and Jon think they've got both themselves and their future figured out at the beginning of this story--yet find, in the end, that life is much more complex and open and uncertain. This comic has no pat, tidy ending [it also has no forced romance, always a plus for me], and that feels real.
August 25, 2011
Koko Be Good is a coming of age graphic novel about two young people Jon and Koko whose paths cross. After recently entering the real world, Jon is about to give up his life to follow his much older girlfriend to Peru for her dreams. The story follows Jon through the process of him giving up all his interests and opportunities for that of another. He runs into a young girl Koko at a party who is just trying to get by in life. Jon's story causes her to struggle with what type of person she should become, and she sets out on making a new life for herself in order to "be good".
The drawings are superbly done, in a rich color palette of browns and yellows. Jen Wang's incredible ability as an artist is clearly displayed in all 300 pages of the graphic novel. The story line jumps around quite a bit, and at times it could be confusing to follow, but it was an entertaining read and flew by in a flash. Graphic novels are becoming more popular in fiction, and this was an excellent one in the adult graphic novel genre.
The drawings are superbly done, in a rich color palette of browns and yellows. Jen Wang's incredible ability as an artist is clearly displayed in all 300 pages of the graphic novel. The story line jumps around quite a bit, and at times it could be confusing to follow, but it was an entertaining read and flew by in a flash. Graphic novels are becoming more popular in fiction, and this was an excellent one in the adult graphic novel genre.
August 19, 2010
Wang's beautiful tonal and expressive watercolors illustrate 3 lives intersecting at turning points for each. Wild child, drop-out, unapologetic Koko literally runs into recent graduate Jon at an afterwork party and shatters his certainty in self-sacrificial romance. While each begins to take a page from the other's life, underage Faron is caught in the lost lives of the adults surrounding him, while dreaming of a future that seems beyond his grasp. Wang beautifully captures the multicultural neighborhoods and college bull speech of San Francisco, with this coming of multiple age soul searching, humorous and poignant story. Koko's explorations in altruism offer some pretty great moments. enjoy. Due to be released Sept 14, 2010.
September 2, 2010
I cannot help but compare this to Solanin by Inio Asano. I just can't. They're very simliar, but work differently. I feel like this one may've aimed for more complexity (although perhaps I just didn't recognize or now don't remember the social issues touched on in Solanin), but it does so very broadly, and I'm not sure of its resulting success as a story. It definitely had, for me, less emotional impact. A few good moments, but...
Faron was the best character. <3
Throughout the book, I couldn't quite decide whether I liked it. Sometimes I had trouble following (as is fairly typical for me and graphic novels). A few times I paused to appreciate. I feel like Wang has her heart in the right place and used some good techniques to tell her story (visually and verbally), but I just still don't know that it all came together and worked.
Of course, maybe it's actually brilliant that some of the social issues are vague, because Wang's point is that we get focused on doing good in one way (or just living our lives, period), but there's always a lot going on around us, a lot of opportunities to get involved (and be less self-involved) and make a difference. For example, Jon is planning a trip to be with Emily helping people in Peru but is only marginally aware of the local immigration issues that Faron's sister marches for... Faron's sister is vocal on those issues, but she spent a long time with a boyfriend who mistreats her and her brother. Etc. Life and people are complex and often see only part of the bigger picture, and readers will get that impression from the book--that we're seeing only bits and pieces of what's going on.
EDIT: Forgot to mention the art. The art is what drew me into reading this book. I enjoy watercolors. I liked the browny tones, but I suspect they do convey more drabness than the author might've intended. I tend to agree with another reviewer that use of color variants could've better enhanced the characters' growth or moods, but oh well. Everybody's a little weird-looking (not in a bad way, just distinct) and fairly expressive....although perhaps the same few expressions. I had some trouble recognizing characters a few times, but I probably just wasn't looking closely enough. Overall, I liked Wang's art style. Note: I just looked at the back cover, and it's kind of clever and interesting.
Overall, I think I wanted to like this book more than I actually did.
Faron was the best character. <3
Throughout the book, I couldn't quite decide whether I liked it. Sometimes I had trouble following (as is fairly typical for me and graphic novels). A few times I paused to appreciate. I feel like Wang has her heart in the right place and used some good techniques to tell her story (visually and verbally), but I just still don't know that it all came together and worked.
Of course, maybe it's actually brilliant that some of the social issues are vague, because Wang's point is that we get focused on doing good in one way (or just living our lives, period), but there's always a lot going on around us, a lot of opportunities to get involved (and be less self-involved) and make a difference. For example, Jon is planning a trip to be with Emily helping people in Peru but is only marginally aware of the local immigration issues that Faron's sister marches for... Faron's sister is vocal on those issues, but she spent a long time with a boyfriend who mistreats her and her brother. Etc. Life and people are complex and often see only part of the bigger picture, and readers will get that impression from the book--that we're seeing only bits and pieces of what's going on.
EDIT: Forgot to mention the art. The art is what drew me into reading this book. I enjoy watercolors. I liked the browny tones, but I suspect they do convey more drabness than the author might've intended. I tend to agree with another reviewer that use of color variants could've better enhanced the characters' growth or moods, but oh well. Everybody's a little weird-looking (not in a bad way, just distinct) and fairly expressive....although perhaps the same few expressions. I had some trouble recognizing characters a few times, but I probably just wasn't looking closely enough. Overall, I liked Wang's art style. Note: I just looked at the back cover, and it's kind of clever and interesting.
Overall, I think I wanted to like this book more than I actually did.
March 24, 2010
Jen Wang's astonishing debut is an assured and heartfelt story of people searching for their place in their world. The fundamental question of "What do you want to be when you grow up?" doesn't end when you actually have grown up, it only becomes more pronounced and real. Wang's characters have passed the precipice of adulthood, but they are still confused about what they want out of life. Jon has abandoned his dreams of making music to follow his older girlfriend to Peru, where she will work in an orphanage and be a force of positive change. Doubts linger in Jon's mind that maybe he's just a tag-along in someone else's existence, a suspicion that is only emboldened when he meets the strange and wonderful Koko.
At one time Koko would have been called a "free spirit," but that has since been co-opted to mean hippy-dippy kookiness. In Wang's hands, Koko is much more than that. She is the rarest of creations, a social gadfly who behaves with the caprice of childhood who doesn't come off as either damaged or obnoxious. She can be a jerk, sure, but she is easy to forgive. She is like a flower trying to break out of the shell of its seed.
It's Koko who challenges herself to be good, which in turn becomes a metaphor for being true to oneself, to one's friends, to whatever passion gave you purpose enough to get this far in life. The joy of Koko's discoveries is the joy of creation itself, and we see it in every page. Jen Wang has clearly put a lot of herself into every panel, and though she masterfully controls the lines of her lively figures, she isn't afraid to let the world around them be loose and shimmery. Her watercolored tones and her easygoing layouts give the book a natural feeling, even though her art has a cartoony flourish. She uses more inventive and complex page construction sparingly, when the scene needs to go flashy or better yet, when an emotional epiphany must occur, such as the double-page spread where Jon's girlfriend realizes he is in a different space than he thinks he is. Her narrative flows naturally, and even when she takes a detour into something more experimental, it doesn't seem forced or gimmicky. The pages turn instinctually.
As a fan of Jen's short work, I am pleased that KOKO BE GOOD has delivered on the promise of those smaller slices. Quite possibly the debut of 2010, if not a contender for the book of the year across the board.
At one time Koko would have been called a "free spirit," but that has since been co-opted to mean hippy-dippy kookiness. In Wang's hands, Koko is much more than that. She is the rarest of creations, a social gadfly who behaves with the caprice of childhood who doesn't come off as either damaged or obnoxious. She can be a jerk, sure, but she is easy to forgive. She is like a flower trying to break out of the shell of its seed.
It's Koko who challenges herself to be good, which in turn becomes a metaphor for being true to oneself, to one's friends, to whatever passion gave you purpose enough to get this far in life. The joy of Koko's discoveries is the joy of creation itself, and we see it in every page. Jen Wang has clearly put a lot of herself into every panel, and though she masterfully controls the lines of her lively figures, she isn't afraid to let the world around them be loose and shimmery. Her watercolored tones and her easygoing layouts give the book a natural feeling, even though her art has a cartoony flourish. She uses more inventive and complex page construction sparingly, when the scene needs to go flashy or better yet, when an emotional epiphany must occur, such as the double-page spread where Jon's girlfriend realizes he is in a different space than he thinks he is. Her narrative flows naturally, and even when she takes a detour into something more experimental, it doesn't seem forced or gimmicky. The pages turn instinctually.
As a fan of Jen's short work, I am pleased that KOKO BE GOOD has delivered on the promise of those smaller slices. Quite possibly the debut of 2010, if not a contender for the book of the year across the board.
September 6, 2021
9/2021:
Still enjoyed it the second time around, although if I compare it to The Prince and the Dressmaker and Stargazing, it can't compare to those two!
10/2013:
Enjoyed it and the drawing style was energetic. Although at some times Koko looked to have a receding hairline...
Still enjoyed it the second time around, although if I compare it to The Prince and the Dressmaker and Stargazing, it can't compare to those two!
10/2013:
Enjoyed it and the drawing style was energetic. Although at some times Koko looked to have a receding hairline...
June 7, 2017
Odd little graphic novel about a girl who is trying to be good, and some other people who don't know what they're doing. You'd think I would relate, right? Not really. The story is not particularly interesting or memorable; I wish it had made me feel something.
November 4, 2024
No tengo muy claro qué acabo de leer
Read
April 24, 2023Després de llegir-me tots els còmics juvenils de la Jen Wang, ha sigut tota una experiència llegir-me aquest per adults: més fosc, menys vitalitat i més drama, però m'ha agradat igual. És molt bona aquesta noia.
August 10, 2016
I was into the art more than the story.
November 14, 2023
todos somos un poco koko y jon 💗 crecer es complicado y n saber ser un adulto es lo normal
March 23, 2018
Pastiche review (quilted of quotes from other GR reviews of the book)
(I captioned the quotes and chose the images)
Existential questions
What do we live for? Beauty? Truth? Making the world a better place? What does it mean to live a good life--making others happy, or ourselves? Is this an either/or proposition?
-Karla
Who’s who
[Koko Be Good] follows three characters- the titular Koko (an energetic girl who seems to want more), Jon (a 20 something who just wants to move to Peru to be with his girl), & Faron (Koko's sidekick).
When Jon meets Koko & Faron at a party, he can't help but become captivated by [Koko], only to then see her vanish into the night after an ugly scene. Jon later discovers Faron at work in a local diner & convinces him to introduce the two of them.
What follows is a voyage of self discovery as Jon tries to figure out what he really wants, Koko tries to gain more meaning into her life, & Faron just tries to get by.
-Chibineko
How they meet.
After having stolen and reluctantly returned his Walkman tape player, free-spirited, street urchin Koko latches onto Jon, a recent college grad…His selflessness humbles and inspires Koko, but each attempt she makes at bettering herself (especially volunteering in a nursing home) ends more disastrously than the next.
-Karla
Koko is such a bizarre, flighty character, she almost seems to inhabit a different world than Jon. But moments of humility bring her back down to earth, revealing her humanity and hidden flaws and insecurities. I liked Koko because she was funny (definitely the comic relief in an otherwise somber tale) and because her personality is such an interesting, seemingly contradictory, combination of naivete, cynicism, street-smarts, and optimism.
-Penelope
What is Faron's story?
I do wish that Faron had been fleshed out a little more as a character--he seemed to have an interesting story (which is somewhat explained), and in the end his friendship with Koko proves to be an important part of her "change." I was also kind of confused about the ages of both Faron and Koko...visually they look about 14 or 15 but based on their actions and how they fit into the plot, it seems like they should be about 17 or 18.
-Penelope
Life in fragments
Life and people are complex and often see only part of the bigger picture, and readers will get that impression from the book--that we're seeing only bits and pieces of what's going on.
-Beck
Wang might have intended for the reader to fill in the blanks with their own interpretations, but it would have been nice for a little more story & character definition.
-Chibineko
The Art
Wang's beautiful tonal and expressive watercolors illustrate 3 lives intersecting at turning points for each…
-Sarah
Jen Wang has clearly put a lot of herself into every panel, and though she masterfully controls the lines of her lively figures, she isn't afraid to let the world around them be loose and shimmery. Her watercolored tones and her easygoing layouts give the book a natural feeling, even though her art has a cartoony flourish….
-Jamie
Down sides
It's long, meandering, and incomprehensible much of the time.
-Katrina
Although I read over 200 pages of this book, I struggled throughout to keep everyone, (and the timeline!) straight. The present of the story is Jon waiting for Emily's return and preparing to leave with her, and Koko's life, and her friend Faron... but there are flashbacks that aren't always readily apparent.
-Beth
Back to the existential stuff
Koko is more like a trickster figure than anything. She's initially presented as a loose cannon who's a fraud and doesn't pay her rent. Over time you learn that those parts may have been true but, as always, there's more to the story…
-Victoria
Most importantly, it deals with identity, with indecision, fear, and standing at a crossroads in life, unsure of who you are or where you're going.
-M Bonet
(I captioned the quotes and chose the images)
Existential questions
What do we live for? Beauty? Truth? Making the world a better place? What does it mean to live a good life--making others happy, or ourselves? Is this an either/or proposition?
-Karla
Who’s who
[Koko Be Good] follows three characters- the titular Koko (an energetic girl who seems to want more), Jon (a 20 something who just wants to move to Peru to be with his girl), & Faron (Koko's sidekick).
When Jon meets Koko & Faron at a party, he can't help but become captivated by [Koko], only to then see her vanish into the night after an ugly scene. Jon later discovers Faron at work in a local diner & convinces him to introduce the two of them.
What follows is a voyage of self discovery as Jon tries to figure out what he really wants, Koko tries to gain more meaning into her life, & Faron just tries to get by.
-Chibineko
How they meet.
After having stolen and reluctantly returned his Walkman tape player, free-spirited, street urchin Koko latches onto Jon, a recent college grad…His selflessness humbles and inspires Koko, but each attempt she makes at bettering herself (especially volunteering in a nursing home) ends more disastrously than the next.
-Karla
Koko is such a bizarre, flighty character, she almost seems to inhabit a different world than Jon. But moments of humility bring her back down to earth, revealing her humanity and hidden flaws and insecurities. I liked Koko because she was funny (definitely the comic relief in an otherwise somber tale) and because her personality is such an interesting, seemingly contradictory, combination of naivete, cynicism, street-smarts, and optimism.
-Penelope
What is Faron's story?
I do wish that Faron had been fleshed out a little more as a character--he seemed to have an interesting story (which is somewhat explained), and in the end his friendship with Koko proves to be an important part of her "change." I was also kind of confused about the ages of both Faron and Koko...visually they look about 14 or 15 but based on their actions and how they fit into the plot, it seems like they should be about 17 or 18.
-Penelope
Life in fragments
Life and people are complex and often see only part of the bigger picture, and readers will get that impression from the book--that we're seeing only bits and pieces of what's going on.
-Beck
Wang might have intended for the reader to fill in the blanks with their own interpretations, but it would have been nice for a little more story & character definition.
-Chibineko
The Art
Wang's beautiful tonal and expressive watercolors illustrate 3 lives intersecting at turning points for each…
-Sarah
Jen Wang has clearly put a lot of herself into every panel, and though she masterfully controls the lines of her lively figures, she isn't afraid to let the world around them be loose and shimmery. Her watercolored tones and her easygoing layouts give the book a natural feeling, even though her art has a cartoony flourish….
-Jamie
Down sides
It's long, meandering, and incomprehensible much of the time.
-Katrina
Although I read over 200 pages of this book, I struggled throughout to keep everyone, (and the timeline!) straight. The present of the story is Jon waiting for Emily's return and preparing to leave with her, and Koko's life, and her friend Faron... but there are flashbacks that aren't always readily apparent.
-Beth
Back to the existential stuff
Koko is more like a trickster figure than anything. She's initially presented as a loose cannon who's a fraud and doesn't pay her rent. Over time you learn that those parts may have been true but, as always, there's more to the story…
-Victoria
Most importantly, it deals with identity, with indecision, fear, and standing at a crossroads in life, unsure of who you are or where you're going.
-M Bonet
March 28, 2018
Hmmm, how do I put this? I really enjoyed this from a character and slice of life point of view.
The overall narrative and any meaning that the author meant to convey is a little harder to wrap my head around. I think in a talk, Jen Wang said this was one of her first attempts to telling a narrative, so I don't want to be too harsh. I'd like to see how she would have written this story after her experience working on IRL and The Prince and the Dressmaker.
It's a fun read. Koko, Jon, and Faron are interesting characters, but I wish there were more connective tissue between the different stories.
The art is great and expressive as always.
The overall narrative and any meaning that the author meant to convey is a little harder to wrap my head around. I think in a talk, Jen Wang said this was one of her first attempts to telling a narrative, so I don't want to be too harsh. I'd like to see how she would have written this story after her experience working on IRL and The Prince and the Dressmaker.
It's a fun read. Koko, Jon, and Faron are interesting characters, but I wish there were more connective tissue between the different stories.
The art is great and expressive as always.
March 9, 2019
The illustrations are amazing, but I found the story to be kind of all over the place and didn't really enjoy it.
March 4, 2024
3.5 Stars ✨
February 22, 2025
Tiene una calificación malísima y no se la merece. Me ha dejado el corazón calentito.
December 1, 2021
The story was disjointed, the characters underdeveloped. Cute art. Wanted to like it, but couldn't.
September 3, 2011
To say that I am a fan of Jen Wang would be an understatement. I want to draw JUST LIKE HER. Simple. Her art is very cartoony, which I know puts some people off, to their detriment I suppose as the art style, which undoubtedly they consider childish by virtue of its being cartoon and not realist depiction, makes them believe that the content must be of course for a young audience. But you could not be farther from the truth if you tried. This is very much not an all-ages book. It isn't adult in nature it is just that the book deals with the heady themes of self-discovery, love, identity, the battle between being what is perceived by the world at large as 'good' and what we feel we are. Yeah, no silly talking animals or cutesy romances for the tween set here.
At the core is the love story of one of the protagonists, whose life is suddenly changed when he finds and friends another lost soul like him named Koko, the heroine of the story. I will admit at first that the title threw me off, and I thought it was weak and perhaps a little silly but in truth it fits the story rather better than well. It is the title it needed to be.
The story is beautifully paced, filled with interesting scenes and back and forth between Koko and Jon. Together these two ironic people, the last people on earth you'd ever expect to spark a friendship do just that and its beautiful and meaningful without the typical Hollywood they have to fall in love with each other twist. Then there's Faron, the awesomest character in comics ever. A cute quiet kid, who I wish would get his own story told someday.
Somehow or another, Ms. Wang manages to intertwine their present stories, while giving us glimpses of the past, giving us very rounded characters and a very lovely story about finding ourselves, finding our purpose in life, and just plain living like we want to live. Its a story to make you think about finding yourself if you're young and lost, or if you're older and think you know yourself and what you truly want from life. Don't be so sure, you do.
Beautiful art, mixed with a beautiful story make for a gorgeous comic book reading experience. Painted in subtle sepia watercolors, my only criticism is that the book was not more brightly colored. It isn't a tragic story and I think it could have benefited from a more colorful palette but I imagine the length of the book would have required more time and expense. All I can say is, if this frees up Ms. Wang to make another graphic novel sooner, then all the better for us.
At the core is the love story of one of the protagonists, whose life is suddenly changed when he finds and friends another lost soul like him named Koko, the heroine of the story. I will admit at first that the title threw me off, and I thought it was weak and perhaps a little silly but in truth it fits the story rather better than well. It is the title it needed to be.
The story is beautifully paced, filled with interesting scenes and back and forth between Koko and Jon. Together these two ironic people, the last people on earth you'd ever expect to spark a friendship do just that and its beautiful and meaningful without the typical Hollywood they have to fall in love with each other twist. Then there's Faron, the awesomest character in comics ever. A cute quiet kid, who I wish would get his own story told someday.
Somehow or another, Ms. Wang manages to intertwine their present stories, while giving us glimpses of the past, giving us very rounded characters and a very lovely story about finding ourselves, finding our purpose in life, and just plain living like we want to live. Its a story to make you think about finding yourself if you're young and lost, or if you're older and think you know yourself and what you truly want from life. Don't be so sure, you do.
Beautiful art, mixed with a beautiful story make for a gorgeous comic book reading experience. Painted in subtle sepia watercolors, my only criticism is that the book was not more brightly colored. It isn't a tragic story and I think it could have benefited from a more colorful palette but I imagine the length of the book would have required more time and expense. All I can say is, if this frees up Ms. Wang to make another graphic novel sooner, then all the better for us.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2013
I love Jen Wang's art. LOVE IT! And you should, too, because it's amazing. It's so soft and playful and hits all the right emotional notes.
On top of that, she spins a good yarn, too. As I've noted before, I tend to have a lucky knack for picking random books that have been sitting on my shelf for awhile and reading them right when they'll work the best for me, and this one is no different. It's not so much about these characters finding themselves, but it's like a quote I recently saw in that these characters are becoming/creating themselves instead.
It's a subject that most folks tend to struggle with, at least, if they think about themselves for more than a few seconds at a time. Maybe it's just the inner narcissism showing through, but I know I worry about who I am, who I will become, and what I can do to put myself on a track that I like. That's what these characters are doing, and meanwhile, they find others that can help them along and will accept them for exactly who they are in that moment.
In short, it's a great story with gorgeous art, and it just may make you think twice about your recent life-changing decisions...
On top of that, she spins a good yarn, too. As I've noted before, I tend to have a lucky knack for picking random books that have been sitting on my shelf for awhile and reading them right when they'll work the best for me, and this one is no different. It's not so much about these characters finding themselves, but it's like a quote I recently saw in that these characters are becoming/creating themselves instead.
It's a subject that most folks tend to struggle with, at least, if they think about themselves for more than a few seconds at a time. Maybe it's just the inner narcissism showing through, but I know I worry about who I am, who I will become, and what I can do to put myself on a track that I like. That's what these characters are doing, and meanwhile, they find others that can help them along and will accept them for exactly who they are in that moment.
In short, it's a great story with gorgeous art, and it just may make you think twice about your recent life-changing decisions...
November 20, 2010
Jen Wang is a top tier cartoonist and her gifts for expressive faces and hands were on full display in this book. She managed to pack in a wide range of physiognomies while keeping things stylistically consistent, which made it a lot of fun to just inspect each page for all the weird smiles, grimaces, squints, etc. It was also fun to see so many places I know from San Francisco in comic form! BART stations, the dreaded Zeitgeist, Sutro Tower, the fog, the vertiginous hills.
All that said, the story was a bit forgettable. Koko was fun in a puckish way, but not terribly believable in the realist context of the book. The theme of 20-somethings searching for meaning as the structured world of school disintegrates is way too familiar to be of any interest to me, sadly. I like Faron, though.
All that said, the story was a bit forgettable. Koko was fun in a puckish way, but not terribly believable in the realist context of the book. The theme of 20-somethings searching for meaning as the structured world of school disintegrates is way too familiar to be of any interest to me, sadly. I like Faron, though.
March 10, 2013
After an intensely confusing start (for me), I grew to appreciate the wide and over-the-top facial expressions of the characters in this thickly bound graphic novel about young people's attempts to strive for Good (capital intended.) This is the kind of book where the author isn't going to bother to hold your hand. Except for a few moments of exact emotion (which were a bit of a relief from all the ambiguity), readers follow along with Koko, confirmed "bad" girl, and Jon, who has gotten it into his head that denying his true desire is the path to service. The conclusion of "follow your heart" may be an American-centric (or perhaps Western-centric) trope, but it follows appropriately for Koko and Jon, two friends who unwittingly help one another learn a complicated and not painless lesson.
November 9, 2010
The art here is just stunning. I LOVE Wang's illustration style, even down to her minimal color.
Unfortunately, I think this work needed more editing. The story is hard to follow. There are places where I feel that certain panels should be large while they are small, and others should be minimized. It made me feel that this is an immature work. It took a long time for me to get into the story, or even get a grip on the themes and characters. I want to see more from this author, but only the stunning art is keeping this up at three stars.
Unfortunately, I think this work needed more editing. The story is hard to follow. There are places where I feel that certain panels should be large while they are small, and others should be minimized. It made me feel that this is an immature work. It took a long time for me to get into the story, or even get a grip on the themes and characters. I want to see more from this author, but only the stunning art is keeping this up at three stars.
September 15, 2018
Koko, a girl who lives only for herself, meets Jon, a man who lives mostly for his girlfriend.
Ugh. I really didn't like this. I'm giving it a second star due to the artwork. Jen Wang does amazing expressions and uses the page space really well. But I hated the story. Koko is the type of person who makes me do a U-turn to avoid her. Yeah, I get that she's trying to become a good person but her way of going about it grates.
My biggest gripe is that I do not understand the ending. After hanging in there and finishing this, I'm still like - what happened in those last five pages???
I liked the author's "The Prince and the Dressmaker" a fair amount but really disliked this.
Ugh. I really didn't like this. I'm giving it a second star due to the artwork. Jen Wang does amazing expressions and uses the page space really well. But I hated the story. Koko is the type of person who makes me do a U-turn to avoid her. Yeah, I get that she's trying to become a good person but her way of going about it grates.
My biggest gripe is that I do not understand the ending. After hanging in there and finishing this, I'm still like - what happened in those last five pages???
I liked the author's "The Prince and the Dressmaker" a fair amount but really disliked this.
August 30, 2018
I've loved Jen Wang's more recent stuff, particularly The Prince and the Dressmaker, which should be read by all. But Koko Be Good is just baffling and, frankly, unenjoyable. The plot is all over the place, the characters are hard to read and impossible to root for. Everyone is making bad decisions for seemingly no reason. Is it a story of mental illness? Maybe I missed that explanation. I'll be honest: I skimmed the later half of the book. It's just too much and too little at the same time.
September 23, 2010
A beautiful young adult novel about finding one's path in life. Jen Wang's characters were over-the-top, but still managed to ring true (I have known a few Kokos in my time). And her watercolor illustrations were breathtaking. Her scenes in San Francisco were especially awesome and made me nostalgic for a city I already live in. Funny that.
April 6, 2024
No entendí muy bien el punto de partida, la pregunta que todo libro debe hacerse para después responderla. Aún así, disfruté mucho del dibujo tan definido y a la vez lleno de movimiento, con rostros infantiles y escenarios realistas. Volvía a pensar que un libro de ese tamaño entre manos, con tantas escenas a dibujo impreso en buen papel, es simplemente un lujo y un placer.
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