Humanity in Graphic Stories

The four graphic stories varied by their style and tone. The first story, that was untitled by Laurie Proud, was a bit peculiar and harrowing. The main character, “Aubrey” or what the neighborhood kids call him is drawn in such a disturbing style, and the purpose of this story is to maybe tell a “legend” of some sort; the type of horror story or strange tale that is infamous in the town. The fact that this “Aubrey” character is always depicted smiling is creepy and uncanny. On page nine, the author writes that they had a “dream about Aubrey” and the weird distorted skin coloring and limbs is disturbing. It gets even more frightening on page 10 when his arms are all spider-like in one panel, and he’s hovering in the corner of the room in another. It leaves the reader with a sense of curiosity, on the same page when the narrator’s father is mentioned to go crazy and “burned the shed down” (10). I had an unnerving, unsatisfied feeling at the end.

The second story, “Cat Sitter” by Scott Dessert had a completely different feel to it. It was illustrated mainly by collage, and that was fascinating to look at all the details. There is a lack of words or type fonts in the story, besides the clippings of words from magazines. It is also strange because there is a lot going on in the art. But its tone is more friendly and inviting than the first story, even comical at times. My favorite panel is on page 28 when the cat the protagonist is watching/feeding is seen wearing a suit and looking at “his” watch. The comic is absurd and interesting, all at the same time.

The third story, “Paint” by Vivien McDermid, was beautifully written and the art was fabulous! The only issue is the thick cursive is hard to decipher and read sometimes. Other than that, it is was an adorable love story, depicting places and experiences by the author. I like the image, “the water looks like coke” (50) because it is an unusual description of water, which is usually described as clear blue or murky green. I enjoyed the end with the family and their home. It vaguely reminded me of rooms in IKEA with the simple furniture and bright colors. The late panel on page 52 is great because the mother decides to paint the rest of the house with colorful paint with her daughter instead of getting mad at her for ruining the walls/furniture/etc. This story was upbeat and childish in a way, compared to the others. It had a cheerful tone and a more conventional graphic style.

The last (fourth) story, “In Room 208” by Stephen Collins, was my favorite out of the four graphic short stories. The style was more fluid and sophisticated, and it was drawn all in black-and-white, which elevated it in some way to me. Its tone was more languid and melancholy (towards the end) as well as being wholly surreal. There was a mystical element to it as well. The art reminded me of woodprints, where wood is carved out, and then black ink is brushed over the surface of the wood (inverse) and then the artist prints it on clean white or cream paper (preferably light color so the ink will contrast nicely). The idea of never getting out of bed can be seen as universal. It could also refer to depression, and the inability to find meaning in life anymore.

The author plays with this idea of what it means to be human. For example, on page 80 the couple somehow stays alive, while never getting out of bed, and the innkeepers install a glass window (viewing wall) where tourists could “watch” the lazy couple do nothing all day. On the next page (81) the last panel dives even further into magical realism, or surreal art where body parts and curling black body hair becomes displaced and almost non-human looking anymore. It is as if Collins has stripped his characters of their humanity, making them look like valleys and hills, rocks and grass. There’s an earthy quality to it. Could the steeple represent a tongue or tonsil, while surrounded by sparse teeth?