My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

Published in 2017, this mystery graphic novel follows a young girl named Karen Reyes living in 1960s Chicago who investigates the murder of her upstairs neighbor. The story is presented as a fictionalized diary drawn in the style of B-movie monster magazines. Karen navigates her own coming-of-age as a queer youth while uncovering dark secrets tied to the Holocaust and the Chicago mob.

Author and illustrator Emil Ferris spent roughly five years writing and drawing the graphic novel, famously working on it at night while recovering from West Nile virus. The intensely detailed artwork was rendered entirely using Bic ballpoint pens and Steinbach colored pencils. The massive effort paid off, earning her multiple Eisner Awards for the debut volume.

Yes, the story was always planned as a two-part series, with Volume Two serving as the conclusion to Karen's mystery. The first volume ends on a cliffhanger regarding the investigation into Anka Silverberg's murder. Ferris signed a deal to release the second volume, though the exact release timeline has faced publishing delays.

Karen idolizes monsters, particularly B-movie creatures like the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster, because she feels alienated from her peers due to her heritage and queer identity. She uses the imagery of monsters to process the trauma and violence in her environment. In her mind, monsters are misunderstood outcasts rather than terrifying villains.