Neil Gaiman's How to Talk to Girls At Parties

July 25, 2016
Gaiman’s Hugo-nominated short story gets a graphic adaptation ahead of a planned cinematic one, and Ba and Moon (Daytripper) deliver exquisite art that elevates the tale’s surprisingly mundane premise. Transparent author insert and clueless straight-coded teenager Enn accompanies his pal Vic to a house party, during the course of which he meets three young women. It’s clear that the women aren’t merely “tourists” in the terrestrial sense; they’re otherworldly and extra-dimensional, sent for various nebulous purposes to Earth. While Enn has his horizons (literally) broadened, Vic attempts to sleep with a fourth woman, only to have his amorous intentions (equally literally) blow up in his face. Gaiman works from a questionable, adolescent premise: what if women seem so alien because they’re really from another planet? With no resolution beyond Enn’s nice-guy stroll into the sunset and Vic’s punishment for cliché machismo, the real fun here is in the art: striking linework, breathtaking watercolors, and creative incorporation of text elevate the story considerably.

Starred review from October 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Two young men named Vic and Enn walk down the street, trying to find their friend's party, when they come across a house playing loud music that draws them in. Vic has always been popular, and he tries to give Enn advice on talking to pretty girls. Both start talking to different young women, but they soon discover that the girls and the party are not what they appear to be. This graphic novel is based on Gaiman's Locus Award-winning story, which was previously published in his Fragile Things and M Is For Magic anthologies. The graphic novel format works seamlessly with the narrative. The ink-and-watercolor artwork has a surreal, luminous quality that deftly captures glowing eyes, waves of music, lamp light, and the characters' emotional turmoil. Teens cannot help but notice this title's striking illustrations and think about which panels would look best framed on their walls. VERDICT For fans of surreal fantasy, inspired writing and artwork, and Gaiman.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 This graphic adaptation of Gaiman's short story, originally in Fragile Things (2006), toys with the notion that girls really are from another planet. Teenage boys Enn and Vic wander into a party bursting with gorgeous, ageless women. Suave Vic quickly pairs off with stunning Stella, leaving awkward Enn to stutter and stall his way through halting conversations. But in those deeply strange interactions, it becomes clear that not only are the girls not of this world, but their intentions might be sinister. Gaiman's particular brand of horror-tinged sci-fi is well matched by Moon and Ba's angular artwork. Beautiful faces and features subtly transform into exaggerated, vaguely alien expressions, and the atmospheric watercolor palette shifts to match the mood: sunny daylight tones move into fiery sunset colors and, finally, eerie twilight purples as the boys flee. Most enchanting, perhaps, is what's left outthere's only a hint of Vic's terrifying interaction with Stella and the merest suggestion of what the girls at the party really are. Hand to Gaiman fans or anyone who loves weird horror.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)