Mail Order Bride: Mark Kalesniko

1.) Monty, a 39 year old virgin, orders a bride from Korea, Kyung, a woman with almost no accent. They live in a tiny town, Bandini, where Monty, overgrown man-child, runs a comic and toy shop, even though he keeps his most prized collections in his home. With little time getting to know one another, Monty and Kyung get married, in hopes that they will bond after the ceremony. The night of the wedding, Kyung consummate their marriage, with little or no help from Monty who is too awkward to make the first move. Kyung does this out of boredom and obligation to her new husband who paid her way from another country. From this moment everything goes downhill from there.
Monty has always wanted a beautiful Oriental woman to wait on him hand and foot in a traditional manner, fulfilling all the lustful fantasies of a stereotypical Asian wife. At first Kyung, is not sure of herself and she's not even sure what she wanted to get out of the marriage.
As time passes, the more Kyung learns about her husband Monty, the less she likes him. Kyung's life consists of wifely duties and listening to Monty's older companions complain about her health problems.
Later on Kyung tries to have her own life, and after meeting Eve, who's half-Chinese as quite outspoken, takes some classes at a local art school. In art, she discovers her own beauty and ability to express herself. Eve does not repress a single thought especially when it comes to Kyung's husband. Kyung finds herself with a new role model, and a friend. Monty is beside himself with the idea of losing his wife, and all of his stereotypical ideas of Asian women. Kyung tires to explain her interests, and her new found passions trying to involve Monty, but he wants to live his life on his terms. He doesn't want a better life; he wants his toys, his comics and his mail order bride.
Kyung realizes that her life with him will never improve. She responds by treating her husband with cruelty, and she does not pretend that she likes him or that she will tolerate Monty and his childish behavior. When Kyung and Eve decide to take a road trip, Kyung was going to run away from home, but when she is betrayed by Eve she returns back to her home. Upon arrival she destroys the toy shop, and as Monty returns home and discovers the damage, they fight while yelling profanities at each other. The story ends with a miserable Kyung, trapped in the life of a mail order bride, fulfilling all of her husband's wishes.


2.) Some main issues, themes or ideas addressed in Mail Order Bride are dealing with the stereotype of Asian women being submissive and obedient. Kalesniko dealt with many stereotypes, also including the geek which challenges the image of the successful business man, which Monty is, but does not illustrate many professional, business like qualities. The author deals with peoples insecurities and how they play out in real life. I think one of the central ideas in this graphic novel is the lack of communication between Kyung and Monty. There are many other themes and ideas, but these are the ones that stood out.

3.) The visual style used within the Mail Order Bride novel includes the use of simple drawings of the characters, in contrast his detailed surroundings gives a clear idea of the tone set and how important the complex details of the background play into the graphic novel. Also, Kalesniko uses two methods of his drawings, very thin delicate lines with detailed precision, and dark thick lines that make the images more abstract.