THE SILENCE
Haven't heard a lot about Bruce Mutard's new graphic novel, THE SILENCE (Allen and Unwin 2009) in the couple of months since it's been out, but it's a terrific book that deserves attention.
While on a business trip to procure some artwork, gallery manager Choosy and her artist boyfriend Dmitri discover an amazing new artist. As they search for the mysterious artist's identity they are confronted with the age old questions of art versus commerce and the nature of art itself.
If you're looking for exploding monster trucks, this isn't the book for you (see me after class, I have one of those for you). If you're interested in a serious attempt to solve a difficult philosophical question, rendered with staggering aplomb in Mutard's polished, realist style, you need to check it out.
What is perhaps most impressive to me is that Mutard is willing to tackle the big philosophical questions ("What is art?") without resorting to action blockbuster theatrics or ceding the argument to a despairing 'it's all too hard.' He operationalizes the problem with a pair of interesting and well-realized characters and uses them to demonstrate his Zappa-esque conclusion in no uncertain terms. But, over and above all of that, Mutard uses comics to frame the problem in a way that no other medium could have.
This book actually predates Mutard's prior offering, THE SACRIFICE, although it has changed publishers and undergone a substantial reconfiguration since it was first completed. The illustration looks just about as polished as SACRIFICE, although I don't think the dialogue is as natural in the first half. But that's just a quibble. This is a classy and intellectually rigorous book and I'm looking forward to reading it a second time.
It's not available in the direct market, because Allen and Unwin don't play that way, but you can find it in bookstores Australia-wide. It's also available on amazon.com, or you can buy direct from A&U.
-- JF