Bertozzi, Nick – The Masochists

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The Masochists

I’ve heard a lot of talk about this book, ranging from it being the best thing ever to unreadable. I’m going to take the middle ground on this one, as there are parts of it that are incredible. The book is split up into three parts. The first one deals with a boy who trades in his nerdy cards to “get the girl”, but he’s also forced to choose between his friends and this new girl. I thought this part was kind of a mess, frankly. There was a good underlying theme there somewhere but it was hard to find. The second part dealt with making music and selling out. Also a bit of a mess, but better. It made a few good points without getting preachy, which can be tough to do. The third part is the reason that people should at least borrow this book from a friend. It’s the story of an overweight girl who’s leading a miserable, nothing life. I felt sick after reading the ending, if that tells you anything. Truly disturbing. So, $14.95 is a bit much fun one story, but what a story! And, honestly, the other stories might grow on me after a few reads, I’m just giving you a first impression here. He has a very unique artistic style. Give him a few years to get the hang of the storytelling aspect of comics and he could be a major talent.