Steven Weissman
"Don't Call Me Stupid": A "Yikes" Collection (2001)
Author: Steven Weissman
Genre: Graphic Novel (Humor/Fantasy)
Plot Summary:
Steven Weissman's collection "Don't Call Me Stupid!" is a whimsical exploration of childhood angst. In a twist on the Peanuts-esque classic group of kids, Weissman's gaggle of ghoulish rugrats are either undead or characterized by some sort of unbelievable physical abnormality. Lil' Bloody is a classic vampire; Pull-a-part boy is Frankenstein-style creation whose limbs are constantly in flux; Kid Medusa is the tomgirl with snakes for hair; Dead Boy is the, well, undead; Ex-ray-spence is the nosy kid with x-ray eyes; and there's "Sweet" Chubby Cheeks who is alternately sweet to the adults and sour to all the other kids. "Don't Call Me Stupid" is the first book of Weissman's "Yikes!" series. It follows his signature group of kids through a series of misadventures centered around one neighborhood and the its characters. None of the stories are thick with plot, more they are merely "a day in the life" sketches that will look familiar to anyone whose childhood included the neighborhood-gang. In the title story, the kids decide to ransack Chubby's room and leave him a note from a ghost claiming ownership of the wreckage. Chubby later brags to the kids about getting on TV with his phantom story. The kids laugh at Chubby and he cries. Other stories are similarly executed with the humorous bent of revenge, bullying, and good clean childhood fun.
Geographical Setting: Anywhere, Middle America
Time Period: Timeless (childhood)
Series: First "Yikes" collection by Steven Weissman.
Appeal Characteristics:
Weissman's story is very childlike. It is characterized by the seeming pointlessness of childhood but it is very much for the adult reader. The language is given in a sort of quasi-child-speak where Weissman spells out words and sounds often used by children as well as slang and mispronunciations. The drawing style gives a deliberate sketched feel resembling the printmaking etching technique. The drawings are simple, but the faces are incredibly expressive and the characters are well drawn both figuratively and literally. The story in not explicit in all instances and leaves a lot of room for the reader to draw their own conclusions about the action. A very good book for a reader who holds a bemused but nostalgic view of childhood and enjoys macabre imagery and themes.
Read-alikes: Weissman’s gaggle of pranksters are included in many of his other books, most recently the collection entitled Chewing Gum in Church, a full color exploration of Lil’ Bloody and the gang’s adventures. Weissman’s stories focus on a fantastical group of kids and their mishaps and adventures independent of the adults in their lives. For this reason, his style has been compared to the Peanuts series by Charles Schultz. Fantagraphics, Weissman’s publisher, has begun the effort to release the Peanuts comics in book form and they already have several released. The first one is The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 which includes an introduction by Garrison Keillor. Modern graphic novels that would serve readers who enjoyed Weissman’s stories and style would enjoy Brian Ralph’s Cave-In, a wordless exploration of a fantastical underworld that draws on the same macabre themes as Weissman’s book. Readers who enjoyed the emotive quality of Weissman’s book would enjoy Jordan Crane’s The Last Lonely Saturday for its fusion of realism and fantasy in approaching everyday situations. Ted Stearn’s Fuzz and Pluck is another book of stories where cuteness is not what it seems. Stearn creates a macabre, but humorous, world in which a teddy bear escapes an abusive childhood and a plucked Rooster runs from his factory job only to end up in a city where slavery has replaced prisons.
Red Flags: Images and themes are macabre.
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