The Sculptor

This was a pretty heavy graphic novel, and by that I don't just mean that this is the longest one I've read so far. Although, that is absolutely true. This thing is a tome. What's inside it though, is a story with a lot of emotion. The Sculptor doesn't take itself lightly and, if this is on your reading list, you'll want to be prepared.

David Smith, a man with a name that could get lost in a crowd of similarly named people, simply wants to show his art to the world. There's a lot of good stuff in here about creating art, who it is created for, and whether it matters how much of an impact it makes on the world. This is the portrait of an artist who feels he has failed. Who knows that he has the capability, and wants his shot so badly that he's willing to give up everything. Even his life.

Cue our female lead, and the reason that David's whole planned out deal falls into disarray. Meg is the exact opposite of David. Compulsive, carefree, and living life with her whole heart on her sleeve. What ends up happening between them isn't always pretty. It's real life, and that's why it's so important to see that on a page. We love romance, we love happy endings, but sometimes we forget the things that happen in between all of that,

These panels are perfection, too. The art that David creates comes to life on the page. His city, the one filled with thousands of nameless people, stretches across full page spreads and looms over everything. I admit I'm pretty biased, because I love Scott McCloud, but that doesn't change the fact that this graphic novel is excellent.