Graphic Witness: Five Wordless Graphic Novels by Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward, Giacomo Patri, Erich Glas and Laurence Hyde

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Product Description "If you care about graphic novels, you need this book." -- New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman Graphic Witness features rare wordless novels by five great twentieth century woodcut artists from Europe and North America. The stories they tell reflect the political and social issues of their times as well as the broader issues that are still relevant today. Frans Masereel (1899-1972) was born in Belgium and is considered the father of the wordless graphic novel. Graphic Witness includes the first reprint of his classic work The Passion of a Man since its 1918 publication in Munich. American Lynd Ward (1905-85), author of the provocative Wild Pilgrimage, is considered among the most important of wordless novelists. Giacomo Patri (1898-1978) was born in Italy and lived in the United States. His White Collar featured an introduction by Rockwell Kent and was used a promotional piece by the labor movement. Erich Glas's (1897-1973) haunting wordless novel Leilot, created in 1942, foreshadows the Holocaust, which was not widely known about at the time. Southern Cross by Canadian Laurence Hyde (1914-87) was controversial for its criticism of U.S. H-bomb testing in the South Pacific. Author George A. Walker draws on his expertise as a woodcut artist to provide insight into the tools and techniques used to create these works of art. As well, he examines the importance of the role of artists as witnesses and critics of their times, and the influence of the genre on the emergence of comics and the modern graphic novel. This newly expanded edition of Graphic Witness, which features an afterword by cartoonist Seth, will appeal to readers interested in social issues, printmaking, art history and contemporary culture. Review [Review of previous edition:] [A] treasure trove ... In collecting these rare and seminal works, Walker and Firefly Press [sic] have done an invaluable service exposing newer readers to the form in its infancy. In a market glutted with pituitary cases in spandex, the reintroduction of real life concerns is a necessary tonic. ( www.latereviews.blogspot.com) [Review of previous edition:] Walker makes the point that these artists were figures of suspicion to J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and other arms of the US government in the first half of the twentieth century. Nothing could speak better of them. (George Fetherling Seven Oaks 2007-12-19) [Review of previous edition:] Themes of social justice predominate, but it is the passion and craft of the artwork that makes the greatest impact. Anyone who is interested in today's graphic novels will find it particularly worth a look, though the appeal of such work is universal. (Alex Good The Guelph Mercury 2007-10-13) [Review of previous edition:] While the stories are all tragic, the art is spectacular. (Annie Boulanger The Recofd (New Westminster BC) 2007-12-15) [Review of previous edition:] Beautiful and large-format collection ... Themes of social justice predominate, but it is the passion and craft of the artwork that makes the greatest impact. Anyone who is interested in today's graphic novels will find it particularly worth a look, though the appeal of such work is universal. (Alex Good The Record 2007-10-13) [Review of previous edition:] Graphic Witness is a collection of novels ... that say eloquently in pictures what words often struggle to convey. (Ken Simmons The Telegram (St. Johns, NF) 2007-09-30) [Review of previous edition:] There you have your classic wordless graphic novel -- a high-minded, serious art form that transcends the barriers of language while still telling a story, a visual treat that doesn't get too arty, a political message that packs a punch. No wonder interest in the form is on the rise. (Philip Marchand The Toronto Star 2007-08-19) [Review of previous edition:] Regardless of place or time, these artists speak in a silent way through pure imagery against the oppression of the weak by the strong, and offer s