About the Book
-
Author:
- Scott McCloud
- Genres:
- Fantasy
- Graphic Novels
- Voices:
- Cis Boy
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: I Made You Out of…Brick?
BFF Charm: Sassy Gay Friend
Talky Talk: Straight Up
Arty Art: Drained and Detailed
Bonus Factors: Deal With the Devil, Superpowers
Relationship Status: Certain Heartbreak
Cover Story: I Made You Out of…Brick?
Why is this guy hugging a girl made out of brick, what crazypants sort of graphic novel is this?, you wonder – which is exactly the sort of cover that will pull you in and make you pick the book up off the shelf.
The Deal
David Smith is a sculptor and in his eyes, a failure. He can’t pay rent, no one understands his art, his family is dead, and he’s driving all of his friends away. What would he give to be able to sculpt anything – anything at all – with his bare hands and show everyone what he’s made of? Thanks to a deal with the devil, he gets to do just that – until his certain death 200 days later.
There are only two problems now: he doesn’t know what to sculpt, and he meets the love of his life.
Clocking in at 490 pages and over 2 pounds (yes, I weighed it), this graphic novel is epic in scope and size.
BFF Charm: Sassy Gay Friend
David is in SERIOUS need of Sassy Gay Friend’s “look at your life, look at your choices” spiel. (Ironically, he sort of has one, but the message doesn’t really get through.) You can’t discount his battle with depression and failure, of course, yet he still treats everyone around him like crap and makes terrible decisions.
This doesn’t discount the beauty and craftsmanship of the book, however. David’s depression and desperation are what causes him to make the deal with death; a more well-adjusted person would likely not go to such great lengths. He might not get my BFF charm, but I read the hell out of his story.
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
David definitely has a touch of the Nice Guy ™ syndrome, along with a healthy dose of seeing his new lady love as a manic pixie dream girl. When the outer layers are stripped away, there are a few really lovely moments.
Talky Talk: Straight Up
David might be an artist, but his language is as solid as his sculptures. He’s blunt and straightforward, whether he’s talking about how he feels like a failure, how he wishes he could make an impact on the art world, or how much he loves a lady.
Arty Art: Drained and Detailed
The illustrations in The Sculptor are often detailed and gorgeous (especially a few large, sweeping frames at the very end of the story), but the entire book is in a bluish greyscale. This had the effect of emphasizing David’s angst and depression. Even the happiest scenes in the book are drained of color, casting a foreboding shadow over the rest of the book.
Bonus Factor: Deal With the Devil
I’m such a sucker for any book that features making a deal with the devil (or in this case, death). You KNOW it’s not going to turn out well, but they do it anyway!
Bonus Factor: Superpowers
The ability to sculpt anything (ANYTHING) with your bare hands is a pretty sweet superpower.
Relationship Status: Certain Heartbreak
Oh book, I like-like you, but you just had to go break my heart. I knew going in that this wasn’t going to end well, but at least the way you did it was downright beautiful.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a free review copy from First Second Books. I received neither money nor a pet unicorn for writing this review, despite how hard I wished for one. The Sculptor is available now.
