I recently reviewed a favorite non-fiction comic by Scott McCloud, Reinventing Comics, and am currently reading his previous Understanding Comics. Having fallen in love with this guy’s work and mind, I thought I’d try the only graphic novel of his that my local library had available. The Sculptor it is!

This nearly 500-page work tells the story of David Smith, a young sculptor who’s lost his touch as an artist and whose work is on the verge of eternal unforgettableness. In the earliest pages, he meets someone who can turn all that around and he makes a deal that will change his life entirely.

Throughout the next several months, David’s works improves in ways he hadn’t imagined, yet he discovers that the work (and even fame) aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Along the way, he also meets a young actress, wild and at times unstable, with whom he develops a deep and intimate relationship and who ultimately serves as his muse.

Beyond failure and doubts about the meaning of life, David also experiences heartache, betrayal, fear, and fulfillment. It’s an intricate story with depth and heart, and McCloud certainly draws us into his world (pun intended) making even the strangest of elements believable.

As the story deals with life, death, and even implications of annihilation in the afterlife, it cuts across the grain of my own beliefs as a Christian, though obviously that’s not surprising. I expected it from the Faustian bargain Smith makes with his “uncle” in the earliest pages. This peek into the Godless world of McCloud’s creation offers the perspective that all non-believers have on the world: it’s a make-it-on-your-own proposition where love, acceptance, and legacy on this earth are all anyone has to look forward to. It leaves you feeling…cold.

McCloud’s choice to draft this entire novel in nothing but black, white, and shades of blue add to this chill. Having already learned from his other books McCloud’s insights about drawing style, pacing, panel selection, and use of blank space made this an extra-enjoyable book to view, because I know he made every choice carefully and with story-telling intent. It’s like a Master’s Class in comics and I enjoyed it immensely. Neil Gaiman even called it “The best graphic novel I’ve read in years.”

Of course I should mention that the book includes heavy language, adult situations, and even some nudity. Again, I’m not surprised., but reader beware.

I’m looking forward to delving more into the graphic novel scene, and this was good drama/action story to choose for starters. I’m building a small library of them as I go, but as of yet, I’m unfamiliar with the big names in the biz. 2023 might the year for me to start learning, and I’m glad for Scott McCloud to push me on towards it.

©2022 E.T.

Read More from Scott McCloud:

• Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (1993)
• Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud (2000)
• The Sculptor by Scott McCloud (2015)