One Hundred Demons By Lynda Barry
MARIE BUNKER
QUESTION 2
Lynda Barry got the idea for her book, One Hundred Demons, from a hand-scroll painted by a Zen monk in the 16th century. The script was created by a painting exercise called “One Hundred Demons,” hence the name of the book. Lynda began to practice this painting exercise and the demons started coming, leading to the start of her book. The book is divided in to 17 short comics based on the demons in her life. She considers her work autobifictionalography because parts of her story are true and others not, which makes it even more interesting. The stories are told by Lynda; a red haired, confused, and unpopular girl who has a Filipino background. Her 17 different “demons” range throughout her childhood years into adulthood; dealing with hate, drugs, insecurities, and even the 2000 Presidential Election. The stories aren’t cliché and talk about how she overcomes her demons, but rather how they changed her life and how she dealt with them.
QUESTION 3
When a reader looks through the book the first thing they notice is the wide variety of color used. Every page is different, even the margins are filled with color. The book seems like it was made with ink and either marker or water color, however collages were used in the book also. They can be found on the title pages for each demon. The books images look realistic, due to its based on parts of her life, but the drawings are indeed simplified creating an iconic feel to the book. The lines she uses to create these drawings are flowy and consistent.
QUESTION 4
I believe Lynda wrote this book to put a new spin on an often seen genre (autobiographical with fictional parts). She wanted to experiment and create something no one has seen before, while at the same time exposing herself as an author to her readers. By doing this she shows the reader that everyone encounters challenging parts in their life and that they have to deal with them in some form.
QUESTION 5
I feel the biggest strength of One Hundred Demons was the artwork. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the array of colors and well put together collages. The reader can find something new on the pages every time they read the book, definitely not a bore. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. The book was also easy to read with the panels flowing clearly into one another.
QUESTION 6
The biggest problem I found with the book was how the 17 stories were arranged. They stories jumped back and forth between childhood and adulthood, which made it slightly hard to follow. My constructive criticism for Lynda would be that she should have put the stories in chronological order. That’s really the only problem I had with this book, everything else I enjoyed.
QUESTION 7
I would recommend this book to older teens and up. Even though it’s a comic and has a very cartoon appeal to it, the content isn’t appropriate for younger viewers. Lynda talks about her demons; which include drugs, abusive relationships, and other miscellaneous adult fitting demons. The book may also specialize towards people who are going through rough times; possibly helping them conquer their own “demons”.
QUESTION 8
If you enjoyed One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry you might also enjoy her other books including; Girls and Boys, Big Ideas, The Good Times are Killing Me. A full listing of her work can be found on her Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Lynda-Barry/e/B000AP9C0Y.
QUESTION 9
I would give Lynda Barry 5/5 stars!