After even just a cursory flip through this great big book, you’ll understand why writer and artist Emil Ferris spent over six years working on it. Each page is a cross-hatched labor of love. It’s written as the heavily illustrated diary of a 10-year-old girl named Karen Reyes who’s obsessed with monsters (depicting herself as a wolfgirl), especially the undead sort, and longs for the day one finally pops out of the shadows to make her one of them. This singular story grabs you from page one with hairy, clawed hands and carries you along at a brisk pace as Karen investigates the suspicious death and mysterious life of her upstairs neighbor (drawing herself as a wolfgirl detective in a trenchcoat and fedora), navigates awkward friendships and gut-wrenching family issues, and discovers her own queerness. A Chicago native, Ferris set her tale in Chicago in late 60s. Having grown up there myself, I enjoyed recognizing city landmarks and it was a pleasure to explore the Art Institute of Chicago through Karen’s eyes, a place where I spent so much time myself. Karen’s voice and emotions feel so very real to me. For all the talk about and drawings of monsters, this is a very human story with wonderfully complex and well-realized characters. That combined with the numerous expressive drawings on each and every page (drawings that ought to be studied at length even though the story is a rapid page-turner), makes this an exceptional monster-girl coming-of-age story. I’m eager to read volume 2...