Perhaps the most interesting comic I read over the break was Asterios Polyp. As well as telling a solid story about a well developed, interesting character, this book pushed the storytelling-through-art element of comics to a level not often seen.
One of the things I loved about the book was that the way in which the characters interacted and felt about the world changed how it was drawn. As they retreated into themselves, the world simplified into the style associated with their inner world. The main character, as an architect, sees the world in geometric shapes, in clean, simple, mathematical lines. His wife, an artist, has a style of her own. When they get along, these styles meld. When they don’t, each retreats into the world as they see it, and the world is divided by color and art style.
If you’re a fan of comics and want to see how the boundaries can be pushed and tested while still telling a coherent, human story, I highly recommend this book. I will be going back again and again not just to enjoy the story but to study how David Mazzucchelli used the limited color pallet and different styles of art to reflect the inner worlds of the characters and to bring the reader along with them. I suspect that there will be new discoveries with each additional reading.
Overall, it’s a thoughtful, well produced book that gives us a wonderful example of how far comics can go beyond the stereotypes that so often dismiss them as immature and good only as a stepping stone to real, mature literature. This is an example of comics doing something that prose can’t, and using those strengths to every advantage. I highly recommend it.
Keep checking tumblr for February sketches! There’ll be at least one more media review blog post, but it might be a week or so since I plan on finishing the series before I gush over how wonderful it is. I have a couple other things I might blog about in the meantime, and remember, if there’s something you want to see sketched this February, let me know!