Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

CBR Facebook Page. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Instagram. The CBR Tumblr CBR on Goodreads
  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started
    • FAQ
    • CBR Book Club
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Fan Mail
    • AlabamaPink’s Book Reviews
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • CBR Merchandise
    • How You Can Donate
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • Contact
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Follow Us

Howl: A Graphic Novel

Howl: A Graphic Novel by Allen Ginsberg

April 30, 2018 by BlackRaven 8 Comments

I first read Allen Ginsburg’s Howl: The Graphic Novel many years ago. I was familiar with the poem, of course, but every time I read it I find something else. I do not know how many times I have read it and even after all those readings, I still do not understand it. In fact, I think if you say you do understand Howl, you are not being truthful.  There are too many references the modern reader would not get. However, you get the jest: Sex. Drugs. And Rock-n-Roll. There is too much to really say what Ginsberg was thinking. Having heard him read a few years before his death, I am not sure if Ginsberg himself knew what he wrote. (This is all in my humble opinion and not based in science at all).

With all of that said, I am amazed that a poem written in the mid-1950s is still being read. Let alone being put into a graphic novel format or having movies made of it.

After that first reading, I watched the movie of the same name, starring James Franco. Putting aside recent events with Franco, this is a good movie. Franco captured the essence of Ginsberg. The movie tells you about the creation Howl and the aftermath. The graphic novel captures the poem as well. It picks up all the words, emotions and puts in a bit of modern thought, too. Ginsburg’s words are genius, obscene, nonsense. Eric Drooker’s illustrations brings it all together and the characters almost come alive on the page. Everything is dark and shadows. The light is strategically placed so you see the silhouette of the man in the car. The man stands in front of the woman’s crotch….as her legs are a full spread over two pages. The neck of the bottle going into the mouth of the man could not be more phallic unless it was a man’s member itself.

This second reading of the graphic novel reminds me why people think Ginsberg great. Why he was translated into many language (even Polish, which I used to have a copy of the poem in. Though, I could not read a word of it.) Ginsberg could turn a phrase. He could make something that seems like nothing into something. And like any poem, I think you just have to take from it what you take from it. Whatever that is.

Related

Filed Under: Fiction, Graphic Novel/Comic, Poetry Tagged With: Allen Ginsberg, Eric Drooker

Share the post "Howl: A Graphic Novel"

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • E-mail
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
4/30/2018 BlackRaven's CBR10 Review No:104 |
Rating:
| Tags: Allen Ginsberg, Eric Drooker | Category: Fiction, Graphic Novel/Comic, Poetry | 8 Comments

BlackRaven

Reading, writing and alligator wrestling are passions of mine. 2018 was my first year participating and looking forward to 2019. Can't wait to see what new finds I will be finding! (Always a fun & crazy kid!)

CBR11 participantCBR11 LevelsCBR10 participant

Recent Reviews:

  • Two can keep a secret when one is dead
  • Disney said it best: “What makes a Monster and what makes a Man?” (or in this case hero and villain)
  • Journey of a girl becoming a refugee
  • View all reviews by BlackRaven»

Related

Comments

  1. Malin says

    April 30, 2018 at 10:53 am

    Congratulations on your double Cannonball! Woo!

    Reply
    • BlackRaven says

      April 30, 2018 at 11:12 am

      Thanks! I just noticed that myself!

      Reply
  2. MsWas says

    May 1, 2018 at 5:12 am

    Congratulations, congratulations! A double Cannonball is tremendous – well done.

    Reply
    • BlackRaven says

      May 1, 2018 at 10:17 am

      Thank you! It has been fun getting there.

      Reply
  3. emmalita says

    May 3, 2018 at 11:09 am

    Happy double Cannonball! I’ve been enjoying your reviews and have used some of them to make recommendations.

    Reply
    • BlackRaven says

      May 4, 2018 at 11:58 am

      Thanks! I didn’t think I would have this much fun with a cannonball 🙂

      And I’m glad you are using the reviews for recommendations. (What a bookseller and reader wants to hear!)

      Reply
  4. Jen K says

    May 6, 2018 at 6:40 pm

    Happy Double Cannonball!

    Reply
    • BlackRaven says

      May 7, 2018 at 9:20 am

      Thanks! It’s fitting that the double came with this book!

      Reply

Leave a Reply to emmalita Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Search This Site

Recent Comments

  • Tracy on Diets Don’t WorkI'm glad it was helpful. There was also some info about exercise that stood out. For years I've joked that I don't have endorphins, and...
  • Alexis on would you say it’s time for our viewers to crack open each other’s skulls?I am impressed that you had the fortitude to read this. Assuredly I do not. Most of the bestselling nonfiction books now are political in...
  • narfna on Not Every Essay ResonatedI ended up not rating this one because it was so hard to get through in a way that was unrelated to the actual writing....
  • Scootsa1000 on The girl anchors the stage, sucks in the male gaze, and, depending on who she is, throws her own gaze back out into the audience.I’m in a Starbucks right now and Kool Thing is playing. Weird. How did I not know this existed? Buying on audible right now!
  • yesknopemaybe on “I wish his darkness lived outside of him, because you have to know it’s there to see it. Like all real monsters, he hides in plain sight.”That AJ Finn/Daniel Mallory stuff was WILD. What even in the world. Agree with you about the ending for this one. I wanted just a...
See More Recent Comments »

Support CBR

Give Today. Cannonball Read donates all profits from the site to the American Cancer Society. Help us fight cancer!
Donate Today »

Review Genres

  • Biography/Memoir
  • Book Club
  • Children's
  • Comedy/Humor
  • Cooking/Food
  • Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Graphic Novel/Comic
  • Health
  • History
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • News from MsWas
  • Non-Fiction
  • Poetry
  • Religion
  • Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Short Stories
  • Speculative Fiction
  • Sports
  • Suspense
  • Uncategorized
  • Western
  • Young Adult

Book Ratings


a favorite


a great book


a good book


an ok book


a book
you didn't like

Need Help?

Visit our FAQs to find out how to add stars, select genres, and more. Drop us a line if you can't find your answer.

Shop on Amazon and Support CBR

One of CBR11's #CannonBookClubs will be about Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett to coincide with the BBC Miniseries.
Buy it on Amazon today, get a head start, and help us stick it to cancer, one book at a time!

© 2019 Cannonball Read | Log in