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Weathercraft (2010)

by Jim Woodring(Favorite Author)

4.15 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1606993402 (ISBN13: 9781606993408)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Fantagraphics

review 1: The first "novel" in the Frank series. The central character this time, however, isn't the purple gormless chuckbuster as usual, but instead his repulsive foil Manhog who, upon the arrival of two bird-legged witches who can manipulate the weather among other things, is forced to endure a gauntlet of torment and physical pain before he can begin a personal transformation which rectifies the divided parts of his personality, allows him to transcend his previous iniquity & gain an almost quantum-like power to manipulate space and time. This story is dense with (sometimes oblique, but usually comprehensible) symbolism and seems to reflect some of Woodring's own life experiences (not least of which is the reference to Salvia Divinorum). The artwork is also great, having improve... mored even since the last Frank comic before this, and the book itself is beautiful - the paper & printing, the elegant backing, the witty back-cover copy, every aspect of it is carefully thought out. And there's not a word of dialogue in it, still! (though you can find a sanskrit "om" hidden on each page)It has to be read to be believed, but it's fantastic. I think you can still find a video of Jim giving a "reading" (explication, really) of this book online, which is worth watching.
review 2: Welcome To The UnifactorSince the early nineties Jim Woodring has been keeping a record of the daily life of Frank, a 'generalized anthropomorph', his cartoonish physiognymy a hybrid: a cat, a chipmunk, and an otter, could, perhaps, be found playing in his genepool. His tubular limbs and three fingered hands, always hidden by familiar white gloves, betray the part of his genealogy contributed by Disney and Winsor McCay and countless other Master Cartoonists. Frank and his world, The Unifactor, are essentially psychic real estate located in the dreaming mind of Woodring. The silent misadventures of Frank, his loyal pet godling Pupshaw, the repulsive and unpredictable Manhog, and diabolical slaver Whim, operate under rules of logic and causality that are understood only vaguely at first. It's as if we are slowly recollecting a childhood trip to a circus or local fair. Woodring is forcing the reader to approach his gorgeously rendered world, shifting from painted candy-colored palaces to forests of undulating black and white tones, as if we were dreaming it, not reading it. There are very few artists who understand the culture of the sleeping world like Woodring; David Lynch comes close, at times. Fellow cartoonists Charles Burns and Daniel Clowes are his stiffest competition. The comics page is better suited to relating dreams and nightmares than any other medium, including film. 'Weathercraft' was the first book-length Frank tale, but like all Frank stories, it can be read without any previous exposure. The black and white artwork is beautiful, and the story is a dense, baffling adventure that is just as great the second time around. Woodring followed 'Weathercraft' with 'Congress of the Animals', which is just as highly recommended; both volumes share a matching format and design scheme that is gorgeous. 'The Frank Book' remains the Woodring essential, however, a 350+ page oversized hardcover that includes the first decade or more of Frank stories, many of which are executed in the fully-painted glory for which he is famous... or should be famous. Whether working with ink, paint, charcoal or prose, Jim Woodring is one of the world's greatest living artists. less

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