In Reza Farazmand's irreverent, read-it-in-one-sitting graphic novel, City Monster, a young forest monster relocates to the city so he can become the titular creature.
Finding purpose in the city has him stymied, but he becomes fast friends with others also facing a quest for self-discovery. His apartment comes with a marijuana-smoking ghost struggling to recall who he was as a human and the cause of his demise. Kim, City Monster's neighbor, is an introspective vampire. They often get together for coffee and wander the city discussing career options. During one outing, the two friends are taunted by Demon Bird, a self-proclaimed reflection of City Monster's inner critic, and a judgmental cat Kim swears is stalking her. Just as Kim is about to reveal the one big regret of her immortal life, she and City Monster spy Ghost entering a museum and follow him. They find Ghost floating near a painting of a famous Spanish king, which Ghost thinks is himself. The three are galvanized to discover the full story of Ghost's past, hoping that doing so will help them find their own paths.
City Monster's world is populated with absurdity so infectious that giggling and even snorting laughter may occur during reading. The pastel artwork is flat and quirky, showcasing unexpected details, and words are all caps. Narration floats freely within each frame, but dialogue settles nicely into word balloons. Profanity and drug mentions keep Monster from claiming a place as a preteen novel about finding one's way in life, so adults might care to keep it on a high shelf for themselves. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer