Pair Happyface with Drawing a Blank by Daniel Ehrenhaft for two examples of stories enriched by illustration without being graphic novels. Happyface is an intriguing, unreliable narrator, and his coming-of-age story will strike a chord with many readers. The storytelling is layered, with illustrations and plot twists keeping the story from becoming predictable.

The family turmoil he experienced gradually reveals itself, and shows how the main character is more affected by this drama than he first let on. Can he keep smiling and remain Happyface, even when his life completely sucks?ĭesigned as a journal, complete with sketches and homemade comic strips, Happyface shows one boy grappling with several issues. But his desperation just leads to his friends drifting away, including Gretchen. Slowly, though, his past starts to interfere with his new life, and Happyface grows desperate to hold on to what he has. Stephen Emond is the creator of Emo Boy, which ran for twelve issues and two collections with Slave Labor Graphics. At his new school, his smiles and positive outlook leads to relative popularity, a group of new friends, and even a possible girlfriend in Gretchen. Comic Book Guy with a seemingly hopeless crush on his friend Chloe, he's now Happyface. Summary: Forced to change schools due to his family falling apart, the nameless narrator decides to reinvent himself. The best exhibit hints of all of the above. Just like Happyface’s writing, they can be whimsical, thoughtful, boyishly sarcastic, off-the-cuff, or achingly beautiful. The illustrations range from comics to more fleshed-out drawings. First love meets first fights in this timely, honest, and heartbreaking story about race and relationships by acclaimed author Stephen Emond (Happyface). By the time his sketchbook’s full, readers will have a palpable sense of how much he’s grown and how painful-but worthwhile-the process was. Throughout, Happyface shares his grievances and hopes, but also feelings too scary to write about (illustrations come easier). As in Happyface and Winter Town, illustrations share part of the storytelling weight Emond’s stark b&w imagery, mostly cityscapes and neighborhood scenes, dovetails with Walter’s interest in comic books and noir films, while underscoring his idea of the city as a mood ring, reflecting what one brings to it. He makes a group of eclectic friends, including a possible love interest, but Happyface has skeletons in his closet: his parents’ collapsed relationship, how his former crush broke his heart, and the reason he switched schools-a gruesome secret readers don’t learn about until Happyface is emotionally able to write about it. The narrator-an introverted, artistically talented sophomore-is trying an “everything goes” personality at his new school (he gets the nickname Happyface). ) pens an endearing and self-deprecatingly witty debut novel à la illustrated diary that manifests the insecurities, longings, and trials of a recognizable brand of teenage male.

Happyface by Stephen Emond