Comic Review: OCTOPUS PIE Vol. 1

Eve Ning is many things: sour, surly, sarcastic…and an absolute delight.

In Meredith Gran’s award-winning webcomic titled OCTOPUS PIE, Eve Ning takes on a new roommate in the form of an old friend, and hilarity ensues. Eve is a twenty-something with a chip on her shoulder the size of the borough she lives in. Her new roomie, Hanna, is an old schoolmate with a penchant for pot–something Eve herself is adamantly against.

Set in Brooklyn in the early to mid 2000s, OCTOPUS PIE Vol. 1 takes us through Eve’s journey as she learns about life and love and the mystery that is real friendship. Gran tackles a range of topics, from childhood rivalry to exes to the fickle nature of today’s society, and she pulls no punches. The comic is peppered with profanity and partial frontal cartoon nudity, but Gran writes and draws with such skill that it reads as the work of art that it is.

Eve as a character is quite relatable. She has faults and flaws, just like anyone, and I’m sure we’ve all felt as awkward and unsure at some point in our lives. Eve is the spirit of a generation, and her roommate Hanna is a breath of fresh air as the high-flying hemp baker who shoots about as straight as you can get with her blunt commentary and surprisingly astute observations. At first the relationship between the two flatmates is tenuous, but throughout the book they gradually grow into a friendly bond as they experience life in Brooklyn together.

This comic volume is an exceptional read with a depth and maturity that is rare to find in the comic strip world. The characters’ expressions convey the range of emotions perfectly, and when you look at Eve you can feel yourself right there with her, through the good times and, as is more common in some lives, the bad.

I highly recommend OCTOPUS PIE Vol. 1 for any comic strip fan that is looking for a more adult spin on life. OCTOPUS PIE pulls no punches and delivers a sophisticated spin on a crass world.