After outselling the Amazon sales of early December, Building Stories created by Chicago comic legend Chris Ware, became the ultimate Christmas gift of 2012 for any avid comic reader.

Presented in a 12×17 inch dimensional box, it opens into a captivating collection of strips, pamphlets, booklets and magazines that captivate the essence of Ware’s sporadic work over the past 10 years.

With a front  cover etched reminiscent of the late twentieth century – Building Stories, no matter how you put it together, is nothing like your everyday back issue or paperback, and it is not framed like a film. It’s minimized down to Ware’s beautiful, patient, focused line work that always looks both elegant and established. As such, it requires us to slow down and deal with the people in it, with their aches and pains. The tales of Building Stories imply themes of social isolation, anxiety and depression through vivid strips that are drawn as a meticulous cartoon. Ware strives to draw comics about real life, with a rhythm that relies on the paneling structure more so than words. For example, an untitled piece printed on both sides of a long strip of paper illustrates the story of a woman who wants to bury herself in the snow. Using a strong paneling technique, the story is readable no matter which side you start on, and then repeats itself over and over in a never-ending fashion. The sequences of images arrange a visual tempo that reinforces a personal philosophy, illustrated as glimpses of the characters’ inner torments and desires.

“I’ve tiresomely called it for years the ‘music’ of comics – essentially the sound one hears when reading that can’t really be put into words, and seem to harness some odd, primal energy of emotion and action.” – Ware, C 2012, NYC Graphic Novelists, New York

Chris Ware’s recent output of work is with no question his most impressive; in Building Stories you will find little treasures such as portions that appeared in the New York Times, to the first episode of “Branford: The Best Bee In The World”. My personal favorite is titled Acme Novelty Library #18, a comic of a woman with one prosthetic leg and a case of excruciating loneliness. Ware really shows every aspect of the protagonist he creates. He doesn’t hold back and leave out the humiliating sex scenes, or how the narrator shaves her leg in the shower – it all comes together to form such a real person, not just a drawing on a page. You learn to know the microcosm world that Ware has built, just as you do with people in real life. My one concern for this review is that Chris Ware targets towards a very precise audience.
If you are accustom to comics with just a few pictures on each page, this is not for you – Ware’s work often gets quite congested and busy.
If your books must be kick ass and action packed or else you find yourself ‘sleep reading’ – this is also not for you.
If you are an enthusiastic fan of short stories, psychology, design and don’t mind a lil’ bit of heartbreak, then I confidently recommend this package to you.

By chance you would like to pick up your very own copy of Building Stories, well then readers, you are in luck! After high demand, Amazon has restocked this masterpiece and can also be purchased at Barnes & Noble! But be quick, you never know if they may run out again, or even discontinue.

That aside – whether you are interested in more of Chris Ware’s books, I highly approve of Ware’s graphic novel “Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth” and that you should with no doubt add it to your readers list. Published in 1995, the story traces an outcasted character with a deadbeat father who abandoned him years before. Relying heavily on memory and periodical interruptions, Ware presents that identity is an ongoing journey that is filled with errors and corrections. He expresses this deeply perceptive idea by using in my mind, one of the most unique design techniques I’ve ever come across in comic books.Panel boxes can be read in different directions, each pattern resulting in a different meaning – a truly revolutionary reading experience. Ware also writes a cheeky fake Superman cameo. He wittily corrects the spelling of the character’s name, by putting the hyphen in Super-man.  I love the campy jokes such as Super-man taking off for flight from the top of a building! …. but body flops onto the ground.

End note: Chris Ware is the Einstein for all those who are a connoisseur of comics. Building Stories is confronting, challenging, mature and genuinely special. Get this book for a reading experience you will never forget.