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Gregory #1-2
A Gregory Treasury - Volume 1
Combining dark humor with heartwarming tales, A GREGORY TREASURY VOL. 1 is a hilariously entertaining book that chronicles the non-adventures of an instituionalized child living in an asylum. Insane and happy, young Gregory has formed his own world within his tiny cell. Befriended by a rat that continually gets reincarnated as himself, the adolescent lunatic lives an incoherent life in which the smallest of occurrences can lead to the grandest of consequences. But the true lunacy in the tiny mental patient's life doesn't occur until the psychiatrists and therapists try to cure Gregory and introduce him to a world that he doesn't understand or desire to be part of. SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS.
174 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
28 people want to read
About the author
Marc Hempel
108 books10 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Marc Hempel is an American cartoonist/comics artist best known for his work on The Sandman with Neil Gaiman.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Marc Hempel is an American cartoonist/comics artist best known for his work on The Sandman with Neil Gaiman.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 27, 2023
I guess I don't get it? A "lovable lunatic" who is committed as a tender child who can only barely enunciate a handful of sounds, much less words. I had figured I would give any book a chance, at the blowout price of $1, but I didn't even get halfway in before I had to stop from the sheer wall of I Don't Get It.
I mean, I understand the general concept. In fact, it reminds me a bit of Ranking of Kings, in that a child who can only make some gutteral sounds befriends a dark creature who is the only one who can understand the boy. In Gregory, that's Herman Vermin. Actually, had there been more of their interactions, this might be more readable.
Unfortunately, the parts I read included a misguided attempt to let Gregory pet a cat, and the cat instead decided to maul Gregory to pieces (off-camera), to the horror of the custodians and oblivious delight of the cat's owner (she thinks they're "wrasslin'").
I guess this is good for readers who enjoy dark humour? It's just... really not my scene. I felt quite a bit gross reading this, like I'm supposed to be laughing at (rather than "with") this poor mentally challenged child who has been put in a straitjacket and locked away in a cell rather than nurtured by a licensed caregiver. (He has one, but she is ridiculously short-tempered, which also doesn't seem very funny.)
I mean, I understand the general concept. In fact, it reminds me a bit of Ranking of Kings, in that a child who can only make some gutteral sounds befriends a dark creature who is the only one who can understand the boy. In Gregory, that's Herman Vermin. Actually, had there been more of their interactions, this might be more readable.
Unfortunately, the parts I read included a misguided attempt to let Gregory pet a cat, and the cat instead decided to maul Gregory to pieces (off-camera), to the horror of the custodians and oblivious delight of the cat's owner (she thinks they're "wrasslin'").
I guess this is good for readers who enjoy dark humour? It's just... really not my scene. I felt quite a bit gross reading this, like I'm supposed to be laughing at (rather than "with") this poor mentally challenged child who has been put in a straitjacket and locked away in a cell rather than nurtured by a licensed caregiver. (He has one, but she is ridiculously short-tempered, which also doesn't seem very funny.)
January 8, 2022
Hempel is a joy to read, his art is simple and fun and his page layouts are so unique and expressive. I had a great time tearing through this, and Gregory is a really cute little guy. Loved it, I'll have to get the next volume.
April 22, 2023
Gregory for President!
June 2, 2017
This charming set of stories about an emotionally disturbed boy in a padded cell, his eponymous cockroach buddy, and his rat friend Herman Vermin brings back a lot of memories of college -- some good, and some bad. It was college, and we were all experimenting, and the less said about that the better.
The artwork is excellent, with the bold, slightly shaky lines reflecting Gregory's bold and somewhat shaky grasp on reality. Gregory is a hopeful, kind-hearted figure, who will doubtless warm your heart.
The comics do not portray a particularly (or even remotely) accurate understanding of childhood mental illness, or the treatment of mentally ill children at the time. He's locked in a cell, and he wears a straight jacket, but he's happy that way.
The artwork is excellent, with the bold, slightly shaky lines reflecting Gregory's bold and somewhat shaky grasp on reality. Gregory is a hopeful, kind-hearted figure, who will doubtless warm your heart.
The comics do not portray a particularly (or even remotely) accurate understanding of childhood mental illness, or the treatment of mentally ill children at the time. He's locked in a cell, and he wears a straight jacket, but he's happy that way.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews