The Arrival

In this day and age of copious amounts of digital disposable imagery, this graphic novel was a breath of fresh air. First off all, it is rare that I come across such an in depth collection of images, especially one that is printed on paper. Being a child of the digital age print is something that is a rarity to me. Physical existence means there is no way to escape it unlike its digital counterpart. I can't click away after a few seconds or even if I put the book down, it will always be there. The permanence of this media adds validity and importance to me, something that I really respect.

I really enjoyed how each frame was filled with emotional content, this really went well with the dramatic black and white illustration. The lack of words never seems to take away from the story; instead its silent imagery adds to the open/conceptual ideas of the book, meaning our own emotions are free to run wild and add emphasis on emotion.

The main storyline of being out of your element and in a new world alone matches perfectly with this wordless medium; the main characters experiences become relatable. Immigrants often experience a difficult time transitioning into a different world, often one where they struggle to fit in and are unwelcome.

The addition of words would make the novel lose its openness to interpretation which is something that is critical for this storyline.

Max Ernst

Max Ernst:

Panel I: The rooster is something that really sticks out to me. It sits perfectly next to a dark being, almost unrealistic, on the egg.

Panel II: I notice that the rooster is establishing itself as a main element of these panels.

Panel III: More avian elements are becoming prominent in this panel. The main beings feathers have evolved to become more substantial.

Panel IV: The feathers here are becoming angelic

Panel V: I see that the winged being is gone; instead there are two roosters. There also seems to be a continuation of death.

Panel VI: The mood of this feels slightly lighter, I feel optimism in the mans posture and in the womans facial expression.