The Beats: A Graphic History by Harvey Pekar

I found this graphic novel to be very uneven. The first half of the book contains brief biographies of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. Unfortunately for the reader, however, these bios are written in a simple, boring prose that is straight out of junior high school, while the artwork is ho-hum.

The second-half of the book, in contrast, is a lot more interesting, especially when it describes other members of the Beat Generation, such as Diane di Prima, Philip Lamantia and Gary Snyder. (The different art style for these stories also makes a huge difference). The brief history of City Lights Bookstore, as well as the account of some of the famous Beat women, are also quite good.

3 out of 5 stars