We take a look at an H.G. Wells inspired tale. What is it like to be invisible?
The Nobody
Publisher: Vertigo
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Jeff Lemire
Release: July 2009
$19.99 │HC Graphic Novel│B&W
Premise: The Nobody is the haunting tale of a bandaged stranger who seeks to escape his tragic past. A twist on the timeless character from H.G. Wells’ classic “The Invisible Man,” Lemire’s high concept uses the bandaged stranger as a cipher to explore themes of identity, isolation, insanity, loneliness, fear, paranoia and the dark side of rural life.
Set in the small, quiet North Canadian fishing community of Large Mouth, John Griffen’s arrival creates a stir. However, he makes friends with the daughter of the owner of the local diner. As the residents grow more suspicious of his activities, or lack there of, Griffen becomes more unstable, and what is meant to be a place of solace and respite becomes much, much more.
Review: Being a bit of a comic-book snob for the last few years, I highly doubt that I would have added The Nobody to my pull list. The sad truth is that in the past books with simple illustrations and lack of color would have to work extra hard to sustain my attention. But don’t throw me under the bus just yet. Any of you who follow my comic coverage here at GEN know that I am continuing to reform, and books like The Nobody make me glad I am.
An easy read, The Nobody has many strengths. There are likeable characters, good dialogue and a story that keeps you guessing. However, after finishing the last page I can easily say that the story as a whole is better than any individual page. Why? On the very first panel a claim is made, boasting that after Griffen stepped foot into the town of Large Mouth everything changed forever. With such a grandiose claim I expected equally dramatic events to unfold. But they didn’t.
Without a doubt, Griffen’s origins and condition are extraordinary in nature. But the majority of conflict in the graphic novel is self-inflicted by the small town. At the end of the novel the total ramifications of Griffen’s actions would easily go unnoticed in a big city, or sum up to casual dinner conversation in your average suburb.
And this is where the true gem found in The Nobody rests. Aside from the central characters, the town members are selfish, distrusting and quick to judge. Instead of connecting to them, I connected to the town as a whole – as a living entity that needed to be in context to be understood. Similar to the Luna Brothers’ Girls, The Nobody illustrates what would happen when extraordinary events shake up small communities.
And that truth is how Griffen ends up in such deep trouble. Covered from head to toe in bandages – with goggles concealing his eyes – Griffen is an anomaly from the moment he checks into Big Mouth’s small motel. It’s immediately apparent that he has suffered some great tragedy in his life. At first this buys him a degree of leniency, but when he confines himself to his room without apparent need for food or water the rumors start to fly. Accepting friendship from the diner owner’s daughter, Griffen’s plight slowly unravels – as does he. And as does the town. Soon they begin to blame him for everything, including their own shortcomings. With only a single soul to aid him, Griffen unintentionally becomes pitted against everyone and everything he wanted to avoid. All he wanted was to be left alone.
As mentioned, the art didn’t pull me in at first, but by the end I found it a bit endearing. The simplicity coupled with the artist’s affinity for exaggerated features made each town resident unique.
All and all The Nobody is an enjoyable read. The balance of the extraordinary circumstances and the very ordinary and predictable nature of humankind, coupled with fitting pacing and enjoyable dialogue warrant The Nobody a second glance for fans of good stories.
February 7th, 2009 at 4:48 am
Argh, black and white! Is this from the 1600’s?
February 7th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I think so William.
February 8th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
hey now, some of the best comics are in black and white.
i’ve read Lemire before and i like his work. i’ll have to seek out this book now.
February 8th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I don’t normally go for B&W comics—I like color, damnit!—but yes, B&W comics can be very awesome, I must admit. It’s also very interesting to see the artwork itself sans the color. The level of detail is much easier to see, so it can be pretty impressive.
February 9th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I don’t really find that to be true. If they can afford color, then they can probably afford a worthwhile artist. B/W art tends to be… lacking. Ironically, colored work like Michael Turner’s or similar often looks much better *before* it gets colored, IMO.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
I agree in some respects. Sometimes black and white leaves me aching for more, while other times (like in the Walking Dead), it suits the mood perfectly. I am always a bit turned off by the idea at first (I live for color), but after I get into the story, I can’t visualize it any other way.
February 10th, 2009 at 1:57 am
I remember there was a fan-made color version of the first issue of The Walking Dead; while it looked decent, some of the horror and atmosphere of the original was lost. But The Walking Dead is the only b/w comic that *ever* held my attention, so it gets a pass.
February 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I think it depends on the comic as most of you already stated. I also agree with William about Turner. When a particular comic is always full-color, it becomes a bit of a treat to see the bare bones.
I legitimately did come to enjoy the art in this book though - I couldn’t find a fantastic screen, but the stylized faces on some of the characters were priceless!
February 17th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
yeah, black and white is something that either looks great or looks lacking. it really depends on the artist’s sense of line value, contrast, and depth. there are some comics where i would never want to see them colorized, Sin City, Maus, Persepholis; and some where adding color was an improvement, such as the original Tick series. naturally some works are in the middle, Bone looks great in both the original black and white and in color.