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Our Expanding Universe
Alex Robinson returns with a spiritual sequel to his Eisner-winning debut Box Office Poison! It's been 15 years since the young cast of that beloved drama has graced the stage. Now, Our Expanding Universe introduces another Robinson ensemble to explore how time can transform a group of friends. Marriage, children, affairs, divorce and that's just the beginning!
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 24, 2015
About the author
Alex Robinson
33 books204 followersAlex Robinson was born in the Bronx on 8 August. He grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York where he graduated high school in 1987. His first job upon graduation was washing dishes in a gourmet deli and it was while working there he decided that maybe college was a pretty good idea afterall.
He spent one year at SUNY Brockport and then transferred to an art school in New York City, where he majored in cartooning. Among his teachers were Will Eisner, Andre LeBlanc, Sal Amendola and Gahan Wilson. In his sophomore year he got a job at a bookstore, where he continued to work for seven long years.
After graduating from art school, Alex began doing mini comics (small print run comics xeroxed and stapled by himself). He soon started working on the story that would become his first graphic novel, Box Office Poison.
In 1996, Antarctic Press started publishing the serialized version of Box Office Poison. The series ran for twenty-one issues, and once the story was complete, Top Shelf Productions published the entire thing in one 608 page book. Shortly after the book was published, Alex won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Although Box Office Poison was nominated for several awards (a Harvey, an Eisner, an Ignatz and the Firecracker book award) it failed to take home a single prize. Pathetic. Alex bitterly got to work on a second book.
2005 got off to a great start when the French translation of Box Office Poison won the prestigious Prix du Premier Album award in Angouleme, France. August finally saw the release of Tricked, which Top Shelf announced was going to a second printing in November.
In 2006, Tricked lost the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, but managed to win a Harvey and Ignatz Award. This year also so Astiberri in Spain release both of his graphic novels in handsome, one volume editions.
Alex has expanded his storytelling to include fantasy, with the release of Alex Robinson's LOWER REGIONS (2007) and time travel/high school in TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN (2008).
He currently lives in New York City with his wife Kristen and their pets, Krimpet and Wrigley.
He spent one year at SUNY Brockport and then transferred to an art school in New York City, where he majored in cartooning. Among his teachers were Will Eisner, Andre LeBlanc, Sal Amendola and Gahan Wilson. In his sophomore year he got a job at a bookstore, where he continued to work for seven long years.
After graduating from art school, Alex began doing mini comics (small print run comics xeroxed and stapled by himself). He soon started working on the story that would become his first graphic novel, Box Office Poison.
In 1996, Antarctic Press started publishing the serialized version of Box Office Poison. The series ran for twenty-one issues, and once the story was complete, Top Shelf Productions published the entire thing in one 608 page book. Shortly after the book was published, Alex won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Although Box Office Poison was nominated for several awards (a Harvey, an Eisner, an Ignatz and the Firecracker book award) it failed to take home a single prize. Pathetic. Alex bitterly got to work on a second book.
2005 got off to a great start when the French translation of Box Office Poison won the prestigious Prix du Premier Album award in Angouleme, France. August finally saw the release of Tricked, which Top Shelf announced was going to a second printing in November.
In 2006, Tricked lost the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, but managed to win a Harvey and Ignatz Award. This year also so Astiberri in Spain release both of his graphic novels in handsome, one volume editions.
Alex has expanded his storytelling to include fantasy, with the release of Alex Robinson's LOWER REGIONS (2007) and time travel/high school in TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN (2008).
He currently lives in New York City with his wife Kristen and their pets, Krimpet and Wrigley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
November 6, 2015
Alex Robinson’s best known book, the unbearably long and outdated Box Office Poison, featured a group of boring people talking about their boring lives – hey, it was the ‘90s when that sorta thing was hip and fresh! Years later and Robinson’s back with a (thankfully) much shorter book about boring older people talking about their boring lives in Our Expanding Universe.
The book is about three middle-aged friends living in New Yawk and dealing with adulthood. One of them is a father with another kid on the way, one is a soon-to-be dad, and another is happily divorced and childless. Watch in awestruck boredom as Robinson spins out an unremarkable non-story featuring these three dull men as they play box-court basketball (whatever that is) and blather on with their boring wives and boring friends about nothing!
Along the way they’ll learn about letting go of their youth (or something forced and banal like that) and embracing the responsibility of fatherhood. One of them won’t. Occasionally someone will pop up to remark on the wonders of the universe. Still awake? Try reading this book to remedy that!
It’s like a Woody Allen movie without the wit. Actually it’s more like a soap opera without the drama but with all the bad dialogue. Punctuating the characters’ speech with “uh” every few words isn’t realistic, it’s annoying. The art isn’t bad but the pages are crammed with far too much dreary talking so it’s a super-slow read - and all the extra “uh, uh, blah blah!” doesn’t add anything to the “story”! There's no original insight or clever commentary into the subject matter to make this endeavour feel worthwhile.
Such a monotonous comic, guys - to the one or two of you possibly contemplating it, don’t bother!
The book is about three middle-aged friends living in New Yawk and dealing with adulthood. One of them is a father with another kid on the way, one is a soon-to-be dad, and another is happily divorced and childless. Watch in awestruck boredom as Robinson spins out an unremarkable non-story featuring these three dull men as they play box-court basketball (whatever that is) and blather on with their boring wives and boring friends about nothing!
Along the way they’ll learn about letting go of their youth (or something forced and banal like that) and embracing the responsibility of fatherhood. One of them won’t. Occasionally someone will pop up to remark on the wonders of the universe. Still awake? Try reading this book to remedy that!
It’s like a Woody Allen movie without the wit. Actually it’s more like a soap opera without the drama but with all the bad dialogue. Punctuating the characters’ speech with “uh” every few words isn’t realistic, it’s annoying. The art isn’t bad but the pages are crammed with far too much dreary talking so it’s a super-slow read - and all the extra “uh, uh, blah blah!” doesn’t add anything to the “story”! There's no original insight or clever commentary into the subject matter to make this endeavour feel worthwhile.
Such a monotonous comic, guys - to the one or two of you possibly contemplating it, don’t bother!
August 12, 2017
Une bonne BD sur la vie de couple, même si elle est plutôt déprimante : la monotonie du couple et du mariage, la routine, le mari qui va voir ailleurs parce que sa femme ne ressemble plus à rien et fait passer le bébé avant tout, la sexualité du couple qui devient inexistante... bref, c'est la joie !
October 12, 2021
About five months ago, a child moved into my home.
For the first time in my adult life, I could not accurately be described as "child-free."
I am a third parent in this arrangement - while they spend some time most weeks with other family members (including their father), I am one of the two adults living with them in their primary residence.
This is new.
This story examines this phenomenon. Not the specifics of my situation, at all. But of becoming a parent. Of inviting a child into your life. Of allowing your life to change. In ways that are not entirely comfortable or fun.
Let me be clearer: It's not about parenting - it's about deciding whether to parent, or embracing that decision once it's been made.
In the case of this book, it's an adult heterosexual cismale, living in the city, who is struggling with the decision to conceive a child with his partner. He's also watching his friends, one of whom is a divorced single guy living alone, another who has kid(s), and is struggling with his marriage. Does our hero want to follow in the footsteps of dissatisfied guy? Or let it all come crashing down and curse himself to be lonely alone guy?
It's a whole lot of white whine/angsty privilege/men who hurt, it's true.
But there's a piece of me that seriously gets it. Our protagonist has choices, and that's a challenge all its own.
Robinson's work feels like a long, more serious and jaded episode of How I Met Your Mother. A geek version.
He doesn't need color for his stories - these people are the point, not the images of them. I do love his layouts, though.
These aren't likeable people, so don't look here for that. But there's a level of realness to them that is special.
I intend to keep reading everything he puts out.
For the first time in my adult life, I could not accurately be described as "child-free."
I am a third parent in this arrangement - while they spend some time most weeks with other family members (including their father), I am one of the two adults living with them in their primary residence.
This is new.
This story examines this phenomenon. Not the specifics of my situation, at all. But of becoming a parent. Of inviting a child into your life. Of allowing your life to change. In ways that are not entirely comfortable or fun.
Let me be clearer: It's not about parenting - it's about deciding whether to parent, or embracing that decision once it's been made.
In the case of this book, it's an adult heterosexual cismale, living in the city, who is struggling with the decision to conceive a child with his partner. He's also watching his friends, one of whom is a divorced single guy living alone, another who has kid(s), and is struggling with his marriage. Does our hero want to follow in the footsteps of dissatisfied guy? Or let it all come crashing down and curse himself to be lonely alone guy?
It's a whole lot of white whine/angsty privilege/men who hurt, it's true.
But there's a piece of me that seriously gets it. Our protagonist has choices, and that's a challenge all its own.
Robinson's work feels like a long, more serious and jaded episode of How I Met Your Mother. A geek version.
He doesn't need color for his stories - these people are the point, not the images of them. I do love his layouts, though.
These aren't likeable people, so don't look here for that. But there's a level of realness to them that is special.
I intend to keep reading everything he puts out.
December 23, 2015
Alex Robinson is a writer I have admired for years now, and I was excited to hear that Our Expanding Universe would be coming out later this year. It's been quite a while since we got Too Cool to Be Forgotten, his last book...and a relatively short, contained narrative at that (at least compared to his previous books). In some ways, one could read this as follow up, of sorts, to Box Office Poison. It deals with completely new characters, but it focuses on an ensemble cast a number of years after the earlier interlocked ensemble. If Box Office Poison was a narrative written by and about someone in his 20s, then Our Expanding Universe is a middle-age equivalent. I recently interviewed Alex Robinson on The Comics Alternative podcast: http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a....
September 26, 2016
Picked this up because my significant other has recently really got into graphic novels in general and Alex Robinson's ones in particular. This seems to be his latest, the book still has the new book smell, which for a library copy is something of a miracle. Beyond the smell, can't say I'm that impressed. It's a perfectly decent story with quaint fairly basic black and white art, all to do with 30something adults dealing with present or impending parenthood. I don't think I have the breeder mentality that would allow me to relate to the characters, though I appreciated some aspects of aging, meeting societal expectations, etc. This was basically a book equivalent of a mumblecore indie film, so if you like one, you might like the other. Didn't wow, but passed the time adequately enough.
December 5, 2015
'Our Expanding Universe' by Alex Robinson is a slice of life graphic novel about growing up, changing and making room in your life for what's important.
The book follows three men named Scotty, Billy and Brownie. Billy is our main character and he's got trepidations about having a child with his wife. Scotty is about to have his second kid, but he's got some other secrets that he's keeping, even from his friends. Brownie is divorced without kids and happy in his life of video games and pot smoking. We get to know the women also, and the stories evolve and change. Throughout the comics are themes of cosmic events which show how how small our lives are and how life goes on. There is a sequence in a planetarium that I just loved.
It's a slow moving story, and I wasn't sure aboutit at first, but as the story progressed, it hooked me in. It's probably not that original, but Alex Robinson's cartoon style was really great. It's probably not for everyone, but I found myself really liking it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
The book follows three men named Scotty, Billy and Brownie. Billy is our main character and he's got trepidations about having a child with his wife. Scotty is about to have his second kid, but he's got some other secrets that he's keeping, even from his friends. Brownie is divorced without kids and happy in his life of video games and pot smoking. We get to know the women also, and the stories evolve and change. Throughout the comics are themes of cosmic events which show how how small our lives are and how life goes on. There is a sequence in a planetarium that I just loved.
It's a slow moving story, and I wasn't sure aboutit at first, but as the story progressed, it hooked me in. It's probably not that original, but Alex Robinson's cartoon style was really great. It's probably not for everyone, but I found myself really liking it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
December 13, 2015
I'm in my mid-thirties with 2 kids, and I feel like this book was made for me. It's incredibly insightful, and it deals with not only "growing up" but the fears of being a new father and the difficulties of long term relationships. It's about a group of friends at different stages of life and the complexities of their relationships.
I was very impressed with the art. Robinson is clearly at the top of his game using varied, exciting page layouts, detailed line work to make even the clothing visually interesting, and incredible inking. He makes each page count.
The dialogue is well written and realistic. I really liked the effect achieved where in group scenes it reads like people talking over each other, just like real life. This avoids the stilted way some comics read. Sometimes there were multiple separate conversations happening simultaneously (usually divided by gender just as usually happens in groups), but it's all easy to follow.
The book also has some fun Easter eggs for longtime fans.
All in all a fantastic read, and worth the wait!
I was very impressed with the art. Robinson is clearly at the top of his game using varied, exciting page layouts, detailed line work to make even the clothing visually interesting, and incredible inking. He makes each page count.
The dialogue is well written and realistic. I really liked the effect achieved where in group scenes it reads like people talking over each other, just like real life. This avoids the stilted way some comics read. Sometimes there were multiple separate conversations happening simultaneously (usually divided by gender just as usually happens in groups), but it's all easy to follow.
The book also has some fun Easter eggs for longtime fans.
All in all a fantastic read, and worth the wait!
May 13, 2016
I was trying to describe this book to my partner last night, and his response was, "That sounds incredibly depressing. Why on earth are you reading it?" I think it says a lot about Alex Robinson's skills as a creator that despite the nature of the book making for uncomfortable reading I found myself committed to seeing how its characters would fare. And while I felt that Robinson's characters were a little more distant than how well I got to know ones in books like Box Office Poison or Tricked (and perhaps because of the more prickly nature of the characters here), it was ultimately a ride I'm glad I went on.
July 16, 2016
I really liked this! It's a slice-of-life story. Three friends, Scotty, Billy, Brownie, are all in their thirties, living in New York City. Scotty and Billy are both married, Brownie divorced. The story is about the dynamic between everyone, the ups and downs, relationships beginning and ending, children being born. Everyone deals with change in their own way, and their reactions reveal aspects of their character. Robinson has a keen eye for social interaction, the easy banter between people who have been friends for a long time. It's a joy to spend time reading about them. Recommended!
November 26, 2015
Another terrific effort from Alex Robinson, whose great strength as a writer has always been his ability to write multiple characters with wildly different points of view. This time he gives us three different archetypes of late 30s angst: the perpetually exhausted parent, the immature man-child who only wants to talk about TV and video games, and the comfortable couple terrified of the changes that having a baby will bring. Robinson writes all three with utter conviction.
January 7, 2016
I found myself rolling my eyes every few pages at the general misogyny, objectification, and general stupidity of the men in this book. I suppose it was an accurate portrayal of these characters, but it still fell short of anything great.
September 14, 2016
Super meh and I hated everyone
September 18, 2017
Costumbrismo al estilo Robinson con mayúsculas.
La novela gráfica habla de tres treintañeros: un padre experimentado que va a tener su segundo hijo, otro que está a punto de ser padre por primera vez y un tercero al que no se le espera descendencia alguna a medio plazo, y cuyo estilo de vida hace la procreacion poco menos que imposible.
A partir de este punto de partida, la estructura de 'Nuestro universo en expansión' es sencilla, sólo acompañeremos a estos tres amigos viendo cómo su vida va cambiando a medida que se expanden (o no) los horizontes de su particular universo, pero es tremendamente efectiva.
Especialmente, si tú también eres un treintañero que alguna vez ha pasado por este tipo de situaciones.
La novela gráfica habla de tres treintañeros: un padre experimentado que va a tener su segundo hijo, otro que está a punto de ser padre por primera vez y un tercero al que no se le espera descendencia alguna a medio plazo, y cuyo estilo de vida hace la procreacion poco menos que imposible.
A partir de este punto de partida, la estructura de 'Nuestro universo en expansión' es sencilla, sólo acompañeremos a estos tres amigos viendo cómo su vida va cambiando a medida que se expanden (o no) los horizontes de su particular universo, pero es tremendamente efectiva.
Especialmente, si tú también eres un treintañero que alguna vez ha pasado por este tipo de situaciones.
January 1, 2016
I've liked all of Alex Robinson's previous graphic novels, but had mixed feelings about this one. It struck me as an extremely well-crafted version of a story that I've seen many times before. The book revolves around three men, longtime friends, who are struggling with the onset of adult responsibilities. They get together to drink and play video games, wax nostalgic over their freewheeling youth, and stress out over their marriages and children. Many complications ensue, and they learn to cope (or not) with life's challenges. The guys come across as so immature and selfish and irresponsible that I found it hard to care about whether they could turn themselves around. There's certainly some truth to the cliche of the overgrown man-child who struggles to become a functional adult, but it's a trope that's been run into the ground lately, and I didn't feel like Robinson had much new to add.
On the other hand, on a purely technical level, the book is a masterpiece of storytelling. It's 250 pages of nothing but conversations, but there's not a visually dull moment in it. There's all kinds of clever and imaginative staging, and the characters are really well "acted" -- their body language and expressions reveal as much as their dialogue. Robinson's eye for background detail really brings the Brooklyn setting to life. So I definitely enjoyed it on that level, even if the storyline didn't grab me.
I would say, if you're interested in a really well-drawn slice-of-life story, and aren't completely burned out on tales of "Peter Pan Syndrome", then the book is definitely worth picking up.
On the other hand, on a purely technical level, the book is a masterpiece of storytelling. It's 250 pages of nothing but conversations, but there's not a visually dull moment in it. There's all kinds of clever and imaginative staging, and the characters are really well "acted" -- their body language and expressions reveal as much as their dialogue. Robinson's eye for background detail really brings the Brooklyn setting to life. So I definitely enjoyed it on that level, even if the storyline didn't grab me.
I would say, if you're interested in a really well-drawn slice-of-life story, and aren't completely burned out on tales of "Peter Pan Syndrome", then the book is definitely worth picking up.
March 28, 2016
How does time change friendships? Masterful graphic novelist Alex Robinson explores the tension that drives transformation in Our Expanding Universe.
Fluid lines and natural-sounding dialogue unfolds the challenges of five thirtysomething New Yorkers navigating growing families, affairs, and relationships strained by increasingly disparate life values. Scotty, Billy, and Brownie have been friends for years, but their lives have begun to diverge. Unhappily married Scotty is expecting his second child. Billy is about to become a father, and isn't ready for the responsibilities of parenthood. Brownie, meanwhile, avoids growing up altogether by openly disdaining marriage and children. When Billy and Brownie discover a secret about Scotty, each man is forced to make choices that have deep ramifications for their friendship. Between chapters, Robinson inserts plain-language discourse about cosmic evolution that develops a context for the personal and interpersonal changes facing the characters. The end result is a slice-of-life graphic novel filled with honesty and depth.
Fluid lines and natural-sounding dialogue unfolds the challenges of five thirtysomething New Yorkers navigating growing families, affairs, and relationships strained by increasingly disparate life values. Scotty, Billy, and Brownie have been friends for years, but their lives have begun to diverge. Unhappily married Scotty is expecting his second child. Billy is about to become a father, and isn't ready for the responsibilities of parenthood. Brownie, meanwhile, avoids growing up altogether by openly disdaining marriage and children. When Billy and Brownie discover a secret about Scotty, each man is forced to make choices that have deep ramifications for their friendship. Between chapters, Robinson inserts plain-language discourse about cosmic evolution that develops a context for the personal and interpersonal changes facing the characters. The end result is a slice-of-life graphic novel filled with honesty and depth.
April 27, 2016
via NYPL - Alex Robinson excels at this slice-of-life storytelling. This book focuses on three guy friends facing down parenthood in its various stages: one about to welcome his second kid and struggling with his marriage; another who fears disrupting his marriage with a child; and a third who remains centered on himself rather than relationships or children. Robinson explores the dynamics between each of the characters and the two wives, offers no pat answers, and leaves the characters right where he found them - farther along on the road of life, somewhat wiser, but still very unsure of what lies ahead. Solid art. Good dialogue. It's not overtly profound (it get a bit clumsy when another non-parent shows up to explain how parenthood is like a drug trip - not entirely wrongly - to the trio's committed bachelor), but it is overtly human.
January 7, 2016
I really like Alex Robinson. I have fond memories of discovering Box Office Poison for the first time after graduating college, so I was excited to see a new (to me, at least) title from Robinson. It's just as rich and complex as BOP, if a little more melancholy.
I didn't like it as much as BOP, though, but I think that's more to do with me than with the writing or art. It's a very realistic portrayal of the growing pains in adult friendships and relationships, and I think that I was looking for more of an escape than this particular volume offered. It's definitely worth reading once.
I didn't like it as much as BOP, though, but I think that's more to do with me than with the writing or art. It's a very realistic portrayal of the growing pains in adult friendships and relationships, and I think that I was looking for more of an escape than this particular volume offered. It's definitely worth reading once.
July 16, 2016
Si Malas Ventas se centraba en las relaciones de unos personajes entre los 20 y los 30, sus preocupaciones, su modo de vida, aquí Alex Robinson salta una década y enfoca su mirada sobre unos amigos a punto de llegar a la cuarentena enfrentados a la paternidad y la maternidad. Un cambio plasmado según cada uno y adecuadamente simbolizado al final de diversos capítulos con un símil cosmológico. Aunque su dibujo ha mejorado algo, el fuerte vuelve a estar en la manera de plasmar cada personaje, sus miedos e inseguridades y representar a través de ellos y sus vidas los estereotipos más comunes. Irregular pero globalmente satisfactorio.
April 9, 2017
This is somewhere between a 3-4 star book, so I am giving it the benefit of the doubt. The premise is ultimately pretty bleak, so I am not sure I would recommend this to anyone looking for something light, however it gets its bleakness across effectively so I can't say it is not well written (albeit from an essentially male perspective; I suspect female readers may feel somewhat less charitable as it is a fairly one-sided view of life).
December 28, 2015
A solid story about the lives of 5 thirty-something Brooklynites.
April 3, 2018
This is probably my favorite of Alex Robinson's works since Box Office Poison. BOP knocked me over when I read it almost 20 years ago, and while Robinson's works since have been good, it's telling that I can't even recall the names of characters in Tricked or Too Cool to Be Forgotten, whereas I can describe Sherman, Ed, Dorothy, and Stephen from BOP as if they were old friends. It almost works against Robinson at this point. Each new book is a dare to himself that he can make you care about these new guys as much as you loved his first characters, and in Our Expanding Universe, I feel he's gotten closest to that goal yet.
If I step back outside of my gut feeling for the characters, it's obvious how much Robinson's storytelling techniques have grown over the past two decades. Pages are masterfully composed and the tour-de-force centerpiece in a planetarium stuns. As his cast of New Yorkers inching towards middle age navigate the big questions in their lives, everyone's expressions strike the exact right indelible chord. I wanted to clip and frame so many of these perfect reaction panels.
I didn't know these people (and had a slight resistance to do so), but by the end, I really felt for everyone, even the kind of annoying blowhard friend, who I hoped would meet his comeuppance, but who turned out to be just muddling through life like everyone else.
If I step back outside of my gut feeling for the characters, it's obvious how much Robinson's storytelling techniques have grown over the past two decades. Pages are masterfully composed and the tour-de-force centerpiece in a planetarium stuns. As his cast of New Yorkers inching towards middle age navigate the big questions in their lives, everyone's expressions strike the exact right indelible chord. I wanted to clip and frame so many of these perfect reaction panels.
I didn't know these people (and had a slight resistance to do so), but by the end, I really felt for everyone, even the kind of annoying blowhard friend, who I hoped would meet his comeuppance, but who turned out to be just muddling through life like everyone else.
May 4, 2018
BOP was (still is) one of my favorite comic books ever, and got me into the more realistic, "slice of life" style that I still love to this day. Since reading BOP I've gotten a wife and kiddo of my own, so can relate to the characters in this book as they get older and try to define (redefine) themselves and find their place in a somewhat indifferent universe. Really more a book about choices than anything else- the dudes, heading towards middle age, all in very different places in life and all making rather deliberate decisions which put them there. Taking place over the span of a few months instead of years, with a smaller cast of characters, this book foregoes the ensemble style of BOP and Tricked for a much more personalized touch. BOP casts a long shadow, so I'm not gonna say it's as good as that, but if you liked any of Mr. Robinson's work, you'll like this. Read it!
June 5, 2021
Alex Robinson's works have frequently connected with me on a personal level, with Box Office Poison being a highlight. With this being a spiritual sequel of sorts, I was already prepped to be favourable. Yet this exceeded even my expectations, Robinson seems to have an ability to speak to me personally about my own life (as well as all his other fans of course), and this book achieved this again with its exploration of the impact of parenthood on a group of friends. Well observed and recommended.
October 28, 2021
Ideally I would have rated this a 4.5, but I figured Id round up because I did really enjoy this book. I really enjoy slice of life stories like these, plus Alex Robinson’s page layouts are incredible. They’re super inventive and engaging, incredibly creative. The characters felt really fleshed out and real, and I felt invested in their problems. It felt bittersweet and melancholic at a lot of points, which usually reflects life. Idk, I’m starting to rant. Who cares, nobody reads these anyways. Point is: I enjoyed this book! I’m excited to see what Alex Robinson does next.
August 5, 2017
(This is a bit weaker than my usual 4-star but didn't quite fall to a 3). Fortunately it's not really about kids--and it puts all the usual claptrap into the mouths of various characters only to dispose of it. It's more of the interaction between kids and relationships. The greatest strength is capturing Alex's usual balance of optimism and realism.
There's a celebrity analogue that made me realize all his characters live in a VERY white New York; a bit disappointing.
There's a celebrity analogue that made me realize all his characters live in a VERY white New York; a bit disappointing.
July 25, 2017
At this point I think I would check out anything by Alex Robinson. "Box Office Poison" was a great coming of age story and in "Our Expanding Universe", Robinson takes on adulthood leading to middle age. His stories are about life circumstances that we can all relate to, and personalities that we have all encountered. Glad that he is creating.
October 26, 2017
Pretty good story about slackers having babies, the strains of trying to maintain pre-child friendships with an infidelity plot twist thrown in. I really enjoyed the Prologue at the end painting a wistful picture of the friends being happy before the first baby arrived. Never seen actual people playing box ball.
July 15, 2018
Sometimes the obvious things in life need noting. Which this does. Its horrible.
It's reminder about the mundanity of life and how it should be blown to smithereens now and again. It's just getting up off your arse and doing something about it. Changing the direction, adjusting the flow even if it's just for a moment.
It's reminder about the mundanity of life and how it should be blown to smithereens now and again. It's just getting up off your arse and doing something about it. Changing the direction, adjusting the flow even if it's just for a moment.
September 12, 2018
This isn’t going to be for everyone as it’s focused entirely on the feelings you have when you’re about to have kids. For those in that place or who have been there, there’s some truth to find, others may just get annoyed at the whiny characters. Fairly quick read with decent art but I think I liked Box Office Poison better.
November 9, 2019
This book is bad. I can't quite work out whether you are meant to empathise with the characters, be disgusted by their narrow misogyny or whether it's simply meant to be a mirror to middle-class, white, heterosexual relationships of people in their 30s but regardless this book is boring, infuriating and really has no broader message or redeeming features. Read Alison Bechdel comics instead.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews