The Reader's Shelf: Worth a Thousand Words

Belgian artist Frans Masereel first coined the term romans in beelden (novels in pictures) during the 1920s, when he published socially conscious novels narrated in wordless black-and-white woodcuts. The American Lynd Ward completed six of his own "pictorial narratives"—which is what Ward preferred to call his adult picture books—during the 1930s. Other wordless graphic classics (now out of print but available through antiquarian book dealers) were also released—Otto Nuckel's Destiny (1930), Milt Gross's He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It—No Music Too! (1930), and Si Lewen's The Parade: A Story in 55 Drawings (1957)—but in general these were published only infrequently until the 1980s when the resurgence of comics and the growth in popularity of the graphic novel led to their publication in respectable numbers. Wordless graphic novels offer a variety of themes, presented without the restriction of language or aimed at a particular level of literacy. The following examples are guaranteed to whet the visual curiosity of adult readers. Keep in mind, though, that these are not picture books for children: many present realistic adult situations and Goya-like fantasy in explicit detail.

Originally published in 1919, Masereel's masterpiece, PASSIONATE JOURNEY: A NOVEL TOLD IN 165 WOODCUTS (City Lights. 1994. ISBN 0-87286-174-0. $14), portray the ills of capitalism in addition to the joys in the everyday life of a common man in the early 20th century. This is a truly remarkable book in its unabashed presentation of the scope and variety of human experience and the author's challenge to the reader to defy convention.

Perhaps no other artist has followed the tradition of Masereel better than Eric Drooker, whose FLOOD! A NOVEL IN PICTURES ( Dark Horse. 2002. ISBN 1-56971-821-0. pap. $14.95) won an American Book Award in 1994. Exploring the theme of alienation in contemporary society, Drooker's skillful scratchboards resemble Masereel's woodcuts and enhance the powerful story of urban decay. His recent BLOOD SONG: A SILENT BALLAD (Harcourt. 2002. ISBN 0-15-600884-X. pap. $20) continues his cynical view of American society with the addition of color to his pages.

Like Drooker, Chris Lanier's novel in scratchboards, COMBUSTION: A STORY WITHOUT WORDS (Fantagraphics. 1999. ISBN 1-56097-314-5. pap. $7.95), explores distrust among nations through the experiences of a soldier who discovers redemption in defiance of his country's military actions.

Another astute commentator on contemporary culture is Peter Kuper, whose fast-paced THE SYSTEM (DC Comics. 1997. ISBN 1-56389-322-3. pap. $12.95) focuses on the ills of contemporary society. A different example of Kuper's mastery of the mute strip is found in EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (NBM. 2000. ISBN 1-56163-262-7. $10.95). This is a collection of 45 different strips consisting of four panels on one page followed by a full-page panel that pulls together the four preceding panels into a surprise ending.

In addition to the socially conscious and humanistic focus of the above works, two other artists offer a wordless avenue into the purely fantastic. Brian Ralph presents a richly imaginative series of eight episodes in the life of a cave boy that invites not only thoughtful reflection but genuine entertainment in CAVE-IN (Highwater. 1999. ISBN 0-9665363-3-9. pap. $12.95). Jim Woodring, described as the "most important cartoonist of his generation," has combined all his Frank novels into THE FRANK BOOK (Fantagraphics. 2003. ISBN 1-56097-534-2. $39.95). As readers follow a cat named Frank through a surreal and spellbinding environment, they will sample Woodring's smorgasbord of ingenious visual delights.

There are many examples of the wordless graphic novel from Europe and Asia, including the Norwegian artist Jason, whose works SSHHHH! (Fantagraphics. 2002. ISBN 1-56097-497-4. pap. $14.95) and HEY, WAIT... (out-of-stock) describe a range of imaginative situations with characters from our popular culture (like Darth Vader) that shake up our logical assumptions about love and loneliness.

Thomas Ott, a Swiss-German cartoonist and a skilled scratchboard artist, has created one of the most frightening and violent books in the wordless horror genre. His works—T. OTT'S TALES OF ERROR (Fantagraphics. 2003. ISBN 1-56097-533-4. $13.95), DEAD END (Fantagraphics. 2003. ISBN 1-56097-509-1. $13.95), and GREETINGS FROM HELLVILLE (Fantagraphics. 2002. ISBN 1-56097-498-2. $13.95)—include a series of stories that contain elements of terror that are displayed in intricate and grizzly detail.

Greatly beloved by Japanese children and adults, Masashi Tanaka's adventuresome graphics tell the exploits of a 2'-tall Napoleonic dinosaur named Gon who protects the animal world from danger. Tanaka's personification of emotions in Gon and other animals is remarkable, and his stories of good vs. evil are heartfelt. This growing series includes GON (DC Comics. 2001. ISBN 1-56389-749-0. pap. $9.95) and GON UNDERGROUND (DC Comics. 1999. ISBN 1-56389-591-9. pap. $7.95). Unfortunately some of the older titles—Gon Wild; Gon Color Spectacular; Gon Swimmin'; Here Today, Gon Tomorrow; and Gon Again—are either out of stock or out of print.