Customer Reviews

Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts (Library of America, Nos. 210 & 211)

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4 star:		(1)
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This is possibly the first American graphic novel. You can argue that comic strips like Little Nemo created more graphically and textually ambitious stories earlier, but as far as I know in my limited knowledge this is the first 'comic' intended to be read as a single volume in standalone format. Or six of them.

There are six woodcut illustrated stories, completely devoid of words. If you're familiar with KMFDM covers you know how powerful this can be. First, realize that the negative space is just as important as the positive space. Only the right pages of the book are used, and often only 1/3 of the right page depending on the aspect ratio of the print. But this the right choice - forcing your eyes to scan would be counterproductive. These are powerful, completely wordless fables which rely on the power of stark monochrome. Which means...

You need to read this twice. The first time skip the introductions and the artist's comments on his works at the end of the book. Spiegelman is a smart man, but he reads things into the narrative that do not entirely match my interpretation, and I think my opinions are just as justified as his on re-reading. That's part of the raw power of such a stark wordless medium. For now just look at each page long enough to comprehend what is going on, then turn the page. Dive in. Do not dissect the art or think too hard about anything right now. You can absorb the atmosphere, such as when the sun is dark and when it's light, or when the prints are red and black, but don't think too long. At this point you will realize that using only the right pages was the correct presentation - this demands a flow of consciousness and scanning would disrupt that.

You should find this easy on the first story, 'God's Man', which is almost too facile but works well as a warmup. Do not blame yourself if you have trouble with the second story, 'Madman's Drum'. Frankly, Ward got a bit overambitious here, and the story exceeded his grasp. Stark, wordless illustrations are powerful, but necessarily limit your precision, and he failed to grasp that at this point in his career - A classic sophomore slump. So just enjoy the art, and if you are willing to spend some time later you can make sense of what's going on. But with the third story ('Wild Pilgrimage') he has learned from his mistakes and is increasingly confident. It's a pleasure to read again.

Once you've read all six, then go back and read the introduction by Spiegelman (the same in both books) and Ward's comments on the stories at the end, and see how they compare to your interpretations. Now re-read the stories carefully. Take as much time as you need. I'm not a fan of deconstruction, but I do feel your understanding of the story is equally valid - Spiegelman is an (admittedly very well educated) fan just like you, and the artist's own comments are as interesting for what he tried to convey and failed to as anything else. He's not a completely reliable narrator either since the narrative can reveal things he doesn't even consciously understand. But you will have some context for the religious overtones.

Really, the only complaint I have with this is that I would much rather have an 8x11 inch version with softcover than this smaller version with hardcover and case. But I'm not going to knock off a star for it - this is definitely a great work of love by everyone involved and I'm glad I bought it.

This is a book you will read again and again if you love the Depression era. I've sometimes found myself contemplating these woodcuts for long periods. You will continue to find different meaning in them each time, as well as appreciation for an almost unknown genre of novel. Quite worth the money and the time.

This set has all six novels, which were very difficult and costly to find before it's publication. It also includes commentaries by Ward about each novel. Each print is on one page with the facing page blank making it very easy to concentrate on the composition of the print. Some of Wards visual perspectives are very interesting. The stories are haunting.

-to have this reissue of Ward's books I remember from my pre-comic book days. I have an original copy of Gods Man as well as several books that Ward illustrated, including Frankenstein and A Book of Hours, I agree with others that the size of the reprints are too small, and was sorry to see that the one red print seems to be missing from Mad Man's Drum. Nevertheless. this boxed set is wonderful for me to have and treasure, and a bargain, to boot.

These 6 novels comprise one of the most amazing and enduring works of literary effort in American cultural history. I use the word literary, though there is not a word in them, because Ward's incredible drawings evoke from the reader whatever ties to literature and literary metaphor the reader brings to these books. The intricate composition of the drawings - the foreshortening, the dramatic light coupled with faces and figures of his characters burning with obsession or destiny - all of it is simply breathtaking. The story telling in the novels is both unhurried and yet because of the George Grosz quality of the drawings is also menacing. The stories of the novels have the flavor of myth and almost every character suffers a kind of retributive predestination. Both the stories and the drawings though are thrilling. Like the reviewer above, I too wished the publishers had crafted the books so that the pages could have been laid flat to better enjoy the drawings. But this is a small quibble. Hopefully with this publishing event by the non profit org who publishes these books - Library of America - more people will become acquainted with the extraordinary work of Lynd Ward

I purchased this item as a gift for my older brother. He's a self-taught artist and he focuses on producing what he calls "comix" at Unlike Comix. He's always been interested in American craft and 'zines, but he's recently developed an interest in early graphic novels. He unwrapped it and leafed through it and I could tell the quality of the binding was good. The art is produced one piece to a page-pair so that the reader can examine it with great depth before moving on to the next panel. I think this'll be something he'll display proudly.

This is a must for anyone who collects or covets woodcuts. The presentation is unique. The subjects may seem unsettling, but that is actually part of the charm.