Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
This loooong book can seem bit of a whine in most parts, but the heck – if you could pour all your problems with the world in a 600 long graphic novel, wouldn’t you?
“Box Office Poison” by Alex Robinson follows a group of 20-somethings bumbling through life, each trying to make it as a writer or a cartoonist—a tough path to tread. Again, it took me days to finish this since it’s just a meandering college drama seen through multiple point-of-views. Most of these characters aren’t exactly likable or even memorable, but reading about them feels like catching up with an old friend who gives you a lot of gossip about people you went to college with but weren’t friends with.
Sherman aspires to be a writer but instead spends all his free time at a part-time job he hates: working at a gigantic bookstore with an awful manager and a constant rush of clueless customers. He starts to date magazine writer Dorothy, who has some history with his current flatmates Stephen and Jane, who don’t like her at all. Sherman’s best friend, Ed, is a cartoonist stuck living and working for his parents. However, things change when he starts assisting Mr. Flavor, a down-on-his-luck crusty cartoonist who was kicked out by the biggest comic book publisher despite creating their best-selling character. Ed takes it upon himself to get Mr. Flavor justice and learns a thing or two about how big publications exploit artists.
The artwork in “Box Office Poison” is comic-book goodness. It’s black-and-white, with characters drawn like caricatures of real people but without excessive exaggerations. And even though there are dozens of characters that make their way through the graphic novel, Alex Robinson gives each person distinct personalities and features, so you never get confused about who is who. I’ve read comics and graphic novels with half the characters where I’d still mistake one for someone else. For instance, Sherman looks like a nerdy lanky American guy, somebody who’d get into the tech sector, while his flatmate Stephen, a history teacher, looks like a cross between Jesus Christ and Keanu Reeves.
The graphic novel casually explores the challenges of first-time relationships, the frustrations of being stuck in a job you hate, and the feeling of being trapped in a relationship without knowing whether to break up or make up. Its primary themes delve into the regular challenges of ordinary young adults navigating life in the big city. However, it sometimes randomly pivots to characters who have nothing to do with the primary set of friends. There are surprisingly many errors in the language, which I am willing to overlook, but the grammar-police kinda readers will be left seething over the typos.
I’ll have to say that Dorothy, who works for a Magazine called “Metro Chick”, reminded me a lot of someone I know – she is fun to hang out with, but once you get too close, you realize she is a whole lot of trouble. Dorothy is smart, cheerful when needs be, but exceedingly and sub-consciously self-centered, and a total slob. There’s a hilarious scene in the book, where Sherman walks into her flat for the first time, and damn, her place is so messy, if you had any sense, you’d run out the door and maybe pass her the number for a mental health practitioner. You’d perhaps find some other character relatable, since a lot of different personality types keep making their way into the book.
The balding rotund Ed, who wants to publish his own comic book series is probably the most likable person in “Box Office Poison”. He is 20-something, but still lives with his parents, forced to work at his father’s shop for extra cash. He is shy, and very insecure about the way he looks, convinced “no girl would want to date a fat guy” like him (in Ed’s own words okay, not mine). But he has a sunny personality, he is hardworking, and fails to see that he can be quite charming. Towards the end of the book, Ed takes over the narration, leading readers through updates of what his friends are doing in life and the story ends on a mostly happy note.
“Box Office Poison” can get challenging for readers expecting a coherent plot and takeaways from the graphic novel, but otherwise, it’s a pretty entertaining read for comic-book enthusiasts. I quite enjoyed reading this book over a couple of weeks, it’s just that kind of meandering story with often feels pointless, but can be amusing for some readers (like me).
Rating: 3.5 on 5. The book is also on Kindle Unlimited.
Read Next: 10 Books/Series To Read for Fantasy Fiction Fans
Also Read: Mother-Daughter Murder Night Book Review (Audio version below)