Asterios Polyp discussion

A few months back, we ran David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp for our Graphic Novel Bookclub. Like all of our meetings so far, it was an awesome time. None of our members are comics readers and Asterios Polyp was, for several members, only the second graphic novel ever experienced. The questions I created were designed both to spark conversation about the work and to underscore its depth. In addition to including the questions I asked, I've attached some interesting notes on the book's subject matter.

Discussion Questions
1) Asterios Polyp is a thoroughly designed book, in that everything seems to have been done to an end or purpose. What are some conscious design decisions (visual or otherwise) you noticed and how do you think they inform Mazzucchelli's storytelling?

2) There are several recurrent themes that govern the story. Which did you notice and did you think them well-placed?

3) By story's end, Asterios has completed his character arc and found redemption. What do you think of his passage? How and why was he able to make the journey?

4) Did you notice anything noteworthy about the story's structure?

5) There is, within the story, a lot of name-dropping. Did you think this was important and do you think this pays off?

6) There are a lot of ideas discussed by Asterios, Ursula, Hana, Ignazio, etc. Did you run across any that resonated with you?

7) The ending. Evaluate and discuss.

8) Asterios Polyp is a fairly complex work. Were there any parts you didn't quite get?


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CHARACTERS
• Asterios Polyp
   Asterios - asterism, asteroid, a-stereo
   Polyp - cancer, 1/2 Polyphemus (the cyclops)

• Hana Sonnenschein
   Flower Sunshine
   —Earnest Sunshine (father)
   —Asterios' car runs on Sonnenschein

• Eugenios - good birth
• Aglia Olio - Aglia E Olio
• Stiff Major - backwards euphemism
• Ursula Major - the Great Bear, points to Polestar, constellation (in opposition to asterism)
• Running Dog - Zôu Gôu (communist slur)
• Geronimo Pinque - Communist and Revolutionary
• Mañana - Tomorrow
• Willy Illium - Willy = childish ref. to penis. Illium = largest bone in pelvis. Big dick.
• Ignazio - means fiery/ignition.
• Noguchi - name of prominent Japanese American artist and landscape architect, his furniture designs reflect Asterios apartment tastes
• Spotty Drizzle (Steven) - predicts doom

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THEMES
• Mythology
   —Odysseus:
      Ithica, Polyphemus, Sirens, 20 years and 7 years
   —Orpheus
• Astronomical
   —Asterios, asteroids, Ursula, crater, Polestar, orbits, Zodiac, fate
• Pairs
• Yin and Yang
• Dreams
• What is memory?
• Fictional v. Factual
• Truthfulness
• System v. Reality

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CHAPTERS and COLOURS
  (B is blue and Y is yellow)
  Blue/Magenta is past and reminiscence, Yellow/Purple is present and dream

1) Drops (B 'til lightning)
2) Asterios (B)
3) Rain (Twin Ziggurats) (Y)
4) 16 Apples (B)
5) Parthenon (Y - Dream)
6) Spotlight Hana (B)
7) Mosquito (Y)
8) Two in One (B)
9) Sleep (Y - Dream)
10) Terracota (B)
11) Monument (Y - Dream)
12) St. Francis (B)
13) Radniks (Y)
14) Noguchi (B)
15) Architects (Y - Dream)
16) Finite Space (B)
17) Blister (Y flips to B)
18) Orpheus Underground (Purple)
19) One-Eye Jack (Y)
20) Clock (B)
21) Road Goes Ever Ever On (Y - Dream - to CMYK)
22) Treehouse (Y)

Thanks! These are really good notes, although I think question 4 is a bit too open-ended .

Yeah, you're probably right. When I ran this one for a book club, I did have to prompt a couple possible directions for #4. Once that got the ball rolling, participants took the question in a number of directions.

I thought as much. After all, these questions are usually highly dependent on the person leading the discussion, and on his/her ability to stimulate the thoughts of people. :)

Just heard that my (International Baccalaureate) A1 English teacher decided to throw in Asterios Polyp to his B-language class' booklist for next term after looking at your questions and reading the book.

Keep up the good work :)

Hey, that's awesome! Thanks for letting me know!

great, interesting book; Mazzuchelli's a big Comic name; ie. Batman.. book had great panels, great storytelling flow, great use of flashback;

I know this thread is old but I caught onto this book late.

One thing I appreciated was the contrasting styles between his simpler small-town life and the Manhattan years, as well as the expressionistic contrast between how Hana and Asterios were rendered during their fights, although I'd be interested to see such a thing done with less conventional gendering tropes (i.e. Male=firm, formal vs Female=indistinct, expressive) but I won't bore you with more here as I already did it elsewhere.

So... When asterious got hit in the eye from the tire iron it was his brother ignacio? I thought he was still born?

I thought it was a dream but his eye was actually damaged. I'm confused

No, he got a bottle smashed over his face by the drunk townie, which caused him to lose his eye. It makes sense since his name, Polyp, is most likely half of Polyphemus (he mentions that when his family moved to America, they chopped the last name in half) Most of the time Asterios is presented profile, making him seem one-eyed. In the end, Asterios literally becomes a cyclops. I think this is to signify Asterios short-sighted way of looking at the world.

Jonas wrote: "No, he got a bottle smashed over his face by the drunk townie, which caused him to lose his eye. It makes sense since his name, Polyp, is most likely half of Polyphemus (he mentions that when his f..."I agree but I thought your 'town drunk' was the guy on the bus who he gave his lighter to, but that makes no sense unless.... his past caught up with him