Stories Without Words: A Bibliography with Annotations

(Comics Stuff #7)

7/25/2003

 

A bunch of stories that are Wordless, Mute, Silent, Dumb and Pantomime.  In other words... all comics!

 

compiled by

Mike Rhode (mrhode@hotmail.com),

Tom Furtwangler

& David Wybenga

 

with the assistance of the Comix@ list, the Comix-scholars list, Kristen L. Abbey, Andres Accorsi, Will Allred, Ron Atkins, David Bachman, Jerry Bails, Neil Ballantyne, Bob Beerbohm, Blake Bell, Steven M. Bergson, David Beronä, Steve Bolhafner, Desmond Brice, Glenn Carnegy, Tom Devlin, Alfred Eichholtz, Mark Evanier, Ron Evry, Harry Fluks and the I.N.D.U.C.K.S. Disney Comics database, Bob Ford, Jochen Garcke, Michael T. Gilbert, Mike Gold, Paul Gravett, Thierry Guitard,  R.C. Harvey, Charles Hatfield, Bob Heer, Allan Holtz' Stripper's Guide Index to US Comic Strips and Cartoon Panels, Gene Kannenberg, Jr., Michel Kempeneers, Andy Konky Kru, Roger Langridge, Tristan Lapoussiere, Ken Lemons, Darko Macan, Matt Madden, Jean-Francois Masse, Albert Monteys, Mark Nevins, Nick Nguyen, Rick Norwood, Igor Prassel, Joel Ricker, Leonard Rifas, Trina Robbins, Steve Rowe, Jamie Salomon, Bill Schelly, Jared Smith, Robin Snyder, Zack Soto, David Southwood, Rob Stolzer, Tim Stroup, Juhani Tolvanen, Michael J. Vassallo, Brett Warnock, Doug Wheeler, Steve Whitaker, Craig Yoe, Randy Scott and the Michican State University Comic Arts Collection, and the Grand Comics Database.

 

This project was begun in 1997 by Furtwangler, continued by Rhode, then Wybenga, and is currently by Rhode again. Uncredited annotations are usually by Rhode, except for those of Wybenga in section 3. This is a work in progress with some citations incomplete; therefore additions and corrections are welcome and should be sent to Rhode at mrhode@hotmail.com.   Version has been published in APA-I #88 and the International Journal of Comic Art 2:2. Updates are online at http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rhode/wordless.htm. As of January 2001, Andy Konku Kru has a webpage Cartoonists Specialising in Silent Comics at http://bugpowder.com/andy/silentcartoonists.html. In July 2003, Randy Scott of Michigan State University's Comic Art Collection added a Stories without Words genre heading to the index at http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rri/srri/storiesw.htm. 

 

New additions made after the version published in the International Journal of Comic Art 2:2 are marked with *. Comics Stuff is an occasional publication showcasing aspects of comics collecting and indexing beyond the comic book and toy price guides.

 

Table of Contents (each section arranged by author);

 

1. Comic Books and Graphic Novels

            *a.  Marvel's 'Nuff Said (December 2001 silent comic books)

2. Comic Strips (one-time and serialized strips in newspaper and magazines)

3. Woodcut Novels (woodcuts, wood engravings and linocuts)

4. Picture and Children's Books

5. Cartoons (one panel)

6. Mini Comics (usually self-published and distributed)

7. Bibliography of secondary sources

 

+++

 

Comic Books and Graphic Novels:

 

Andersson, Oskar. Mannen som gr vad som faller honom, ca. 1902‑1906, reprinted in  Oskar Andersson's BSTA, Beyronds, 1976, (ISBN 91 500 0339 9). 

            "One of world's all time greatest wordless comics" -- Juhani Tolvanen

 

Aragones, Sergio. Buzz and Bell, Space Cadets, Platinum Comics.

 

Aragones, Sergio. "Early Uno Morning" in Groo 116, Marvel Comics.

            Aragones frequently has wordless strips starring Groo's dog Rufferto on the back cover of all the Groo comic book series.

 

Aragones, Sergio. "The Harpooner" in Oni Double Feature #12, Oni Comics, May 1999.

 

Aragones, Sergio. Louder Than Words #1-4 and collected edition, Dark Horse Comics, 1998.

 

*Aragones, Sergio. Sergio Aragones Action Speaks #1-6, Dark Horse Comics, January-June 2001.

 

Aragones, Sergio. Mad Pantomimes, New York: Warner Books, 1987 and More Mad Pantomimes, New York: Warner Books, 1988.

 

*Aragones, Sergio. Viva Mad!, New York: Signet Books, 1968

 

Aragones, Sergio. Marginalia and The Shadow Knows in Mad Magazine, EC Comics, 1963-present.

            Marginalia are the little cartoons in the margins of Mad. The Shadow Knows is the cartoon showing people interacting while their shadows show how they really feel. Many collections of Marginalia are available.

            "...Aragones' first issue of MAD, #76 (Jan 1963) includes Marginals by Aragones, as well as his two page 'A Mad Look at the U.S. Space Effort,' which is also wordless (except for the title and the usual long‑winded Mad introduction which no one reads anyway." -- Bob Heer

 

Aragones, Sergio. Pantomine in Dark Horse Extra, Dark Horse Comics, 1998‑1999.

            A strip in Dark Horse's giveaway tabloid.

 

Aragones, Sergio. Smokehouse 5, Platinum Comics.

 

*Aragones, Sergio. "Space Circuits," Space Circus #1, Dark Horse Comics, July 2000.

            Back cover gag about alien juggler.

*Arcudi, John, Simon Bisley and Chris Chalenor. "Reapers," Dark Horse Presents: Aliens Platinum Edition, Dark Horse Comics, 1992.

            Reprinted from DHP Fifth Anniversary Special.

 

Arnon, J. M. Buzz Buzz A Gogo, Stakhano, 199?

            Ordering info: Stakhano; Chemin du Moulin, la Pinette; F-13122 Ventabren, FRANCE

 

Avril and Petit-Roulet. Soirs de Paris, Les Humanoides, 1989.

            "A wordless journey through a Paris evening through several short vignettes, drawn in an avante-garde, slick cartoonish style. Visit the lovers' capital with the right dose of irony, distance and intelligence." -- Bud Plant's Incredible Catalogue, Winter 1999-2000, p. 240.

 

*Avril and Petit-Roulet. "63, Rue de la Grange aux Belles," Drawn & Quarterly 2:1, Autumn 1994.

            Reprint of a story from Soirs de Paris.

 

Ayroles, François. Jean qui rit et Jean qui pleure, L'Association, 199?

 

*Azzarello, Brian and Brian Stelfreeze. "Apple Read" in Wildstorm Summer Special, Wildstorm Productions / DC Comics, 2001.

 

Berardi and Milazzo. "Il respiro e il sogno" in Ken Parker #?, Italy: Bonelli, 19??

                "There's a great book from the Ken Parker series (if you are looking for the best Bonelli had to offer, my vote goes to Ken Parker) by Berardi and Milazzo. It's 4 times 20 pages (4 seasons) in line and watercolor called 'Il respiro e il sogno' and it's a great virus for wanting more Parkers." -- Darko Macan

 

Blanquet, Stephane. Viande froide et Cie, L'Association, 199?

 

Blanquet, Stephane. Le Fantome des autres, Switzerland: Drozophile.

            "Sixth volume of the Drozophile collection. A 20 page silkscreened silent masterpiece. Drozophile, 150 Rue de Geneve, CH-1226 Thonex, Suisse; http://www.drozophile.ch." -- Igor Prassel

 

*Blaylock, Josh and Mike Zeck. G.I. Joe #21, Image Comics, 2003.

 

Blutch. Mitchum #1

 

Boira, Paz. "Veuillex agreer mesdames..." in Cheval sans Tete 1:2, 1996.

 

*Bosshart, Daniel. Geteilter Traum, Edition Moderne, 2000, ISBN: 3907055330

            "The comic won the Max‑und‑Moritz‑Award for Best German‑language comic ‑ locally-produced." --Jochen Garcke 

 

Braun, Eric (ed.) 106 U #6, Montreal: Eric Theriault Press, 2000.

            " ...another anthology with several of the same contributors as Cyclope (Swiz, D.Bilos, Siris, Domique Galarneau, Billy Mavreas, Suicide), plus Rick Trembles, Olivier Morrissette, Henriette Valium, Eric Braun (editor and publisher) and other Montrealers, plus some Europeans (Killofer, Ott, Remi - all reprints though) Colour section in the center with paintings by Valium (!!!!!!!!!!), Suicide, Braun, D. Bilos, sculptures & more. Almost entirely wordless (except for Valium - in heavy slangy Quebecois french). 80 pages." -- Jamie Salomon

            "Writers and artists names: Braun, Olivier Morisette, Rujiter, Henriette Valium, Siris, Killoffer, Pouliot, Gummbah, Billy Mavreas, Alex Lafleur, Jean-Claude Amyot, Richard Suicide, Matt Konture, Thomas Ott, Rick Trembles, Eric Theriault, Guim, D.Bilos, Mr. Swiz, Frdrk, Quesnel, Juliette Prestone, Remi and Legron.

                Synopsis: A 90 page wordless anthology featuring cartoonists from around the world. 80 pages of black + white art and a 10 pages full-color section created by Montreal's finest and world renowned talents from Germany, France, Switzerland and Holland. Exploration of the medium through silent sarcastic sequences and experimental graphic episodes. A wide stylistic range unified by a thread of daring irreverence aimed at globalizing artistic subversion in the landmark tradition of RAW and Comix 2000." -- Eric Braun (http://veena.ctw.cc/site106U.html).

 

Breccia, Alberto. Dracula: Dracul, Vlad?, Bah... Les Humandoides, 1997.

            "A wordless graphic retelling of the classic story, with a twist. The author reflects the political realities of the role played by the United States in the years of the South American dictatorships (you'll find Superman here, and Edgar Allan Poe!). Fully painted in a dark, humorous style like Gahan Wilson. Breccia died in 1993 but not before leaving a distinct mark on many international comics artists." -- Bud Plant's Incredible Catalogue, Winter 1999-2000, p. 239.

 

Brown, Patrick. "Communication," Superstate Funnies - a sampler of UK and European comic art, UK: Caption, 1997.

            Also available online at http://www.geocities.com/patrickbrown40/; this story is about a possible office romance.

 

Bruno. Mais Ques Fait La Police?, La Chose, 1999.

            "In sum, it's a sort of noirish story of prizefighting, two-timing, theft, revenge, murder, and corruption. Two fighters square off in the ring; one wins, one loses; the loser's lover defects to the winner; shots are fired; meanwhile, the winner's manager runs afoul of an armed thief, etc... And someone gets away with all the lettuce at the end.

                I say 'noirish,' but the art is notable for its near-absence of solid blacks: thin, stylized linework and open fields of white are distinguishing qualities; features are stylized in a faintly cubistic kind of way; the work is streamlined, diagrammatic, extreme. (Punches turn faces into little bursts of lines; forced angles exaggerate characters; superfluous details simply don't exist.) Lovely B&W linework w/in simple red matte covers.

                The most notable thing in the work is its use of ideograms for dialogue, an experiment comparable to Cartier or Avril & Petit-Roulet (as pervasive as either). Commonplace symbols, received bits of "clip art," and even a few xeroxed bits of comics, end up in word balloons. There are some real surprises in the way this technique is used (to say anything else would spoil them)." - - Charles Hatfield

 

Byrne, John. "Critical Error," The Art of John Byrne, Vol. 1, Brooklyn: S.Q. Productions, 1980, reprinted in color as Critical Error, Dark Horse, July 1992.

            "The only differences are, 1) [the reprint's] in color, 2) the text piece about how the story came about, and 3) the girl is wearing a loin cloth to cover up the lower half of her body and in the original she is nude." -- Ron Atkins

 

Byrne, John (w), Jim Aparo (p) and Mike DeCarlo (i). "Chapter One: Period of Mourning," Batman #433, part 1 of "The Many Deaths of the Batman," DC Comics, May 1989.

            "Almost wordless - has one word in the last panel." -- Darko Macan

 

Byrne, John (w/p) and Andy Kubert (i). "Silent Knight," Christmas with the Superheroes #2, DC Comics, 1989.

            An Enemy Ace story.

 

Cartier, Eric. Flip in Paradise, Paris: Rackham, 1990.

 

Cartier, Eric. Flip - Mekong King, Stakhano, 1993.

 

Cartier, Eric. Flip - Sing Sing Song, Stakhano, 1994.

 

Cartier, Eric. Anagraphis, Stakhano, 199?

 

Castree, Fidele.  Lait Frappe, Montreal: Oie de Cravan, 2000.

            "...new 40 page book by Fidele Castree.  Wordless. Amazing. This kid is going far. Get this now as it will be highly sought after in years to come." -- Jamie Salomon

 

Clement, Pierre. Les Souris.

            "...format fetishists take note: this is a story about mice (of course) told in three tall volumes with stunning production values." -- Mark Nevins

 

Clement, Pierre. Tralalahaha.

            "...more Clement imaginative wanderings‑‑hard to describe the work overall, but there's an Egyptian theme." -- Mark Nevins

 

Comix 2000, L'Association, 2000.

            2000 pages of silent comics from around the world for the millennium at $75.

 

*Crosa, Riccardo. No Words #2: Kira, Bologna, Italy: Phoenix, 1999

 

*Crosa, Riccardo. No Words #6: Kira #2, Bologna, Italy: Phoenix, 2000

 

*Czekaj, Jef and Brian Ralph. "Aquaman: The Man Who Cried Fish," Bizarro Comics, New York: DC Comics, 2001.

 

Davis, Jack. [untitled Frankenstein strip], Panic, EC Comics, May 1959.

 

Delgado, Ricardo. Age of Reptiles #1-4, Dark Horse Comics, 1993-1994.

 

Delgado, Ricardo. Age of Reptiles: The Hunt #1-5, Dark Horse Comics, 1996.

 

Delisle, Guy. Aline et les autres, L'Association, 1999.

 

Dieck, Martin Tom. L'oud silencieux, L'Association, 199?

 

Dieck, Martin Tom. Hundert Ansichten der Speicherstadt, Arrache Coeur.

 

*Ditko, Steve. "The Silver‑Tip Outlaw," Rocky Lane's Black Jack #27, Charlton Comics, May 1959.

 

*Ditko, Steve. "Death Vs. Love‑Song," Comic Crusader Storybook, reprinted in Ditko Collection #2, August 1986.

            Mr. A story.

 

*Dixon, Chuck and Russ Heath.  "A Christmas Carol," DCU Holiday Bash II, New York: DC Comics, 1998.

            Sgt. Rock story.

 

*Doherty, Catherine. Can of Worms, Fantagraphics, 2000.

 

Dorgathen, Hendrik. Spacedog, UK: Andre Deutsch; Germany: Rowohlt.

 

Edith and Riff. My Name is Dog, Stakhano, 199?

 

*Eisner, Will.  "Moment of Glory," Dark Horse Maverick 2001, July 2001.

 

*Eisner, Will. "The Casualty," Last Day in Vietnam: A Memory, Dark Horse Comics, 2000.

 

Eisner, Will. story in The Spirit #?

 

*Eisner, Will. story in Will Eisner's Quarterly.

            "It contrasts 2 pursuit stories told simultaneously - 1 involving cavemen & a dinosaur, the other involving 2 crooks and a cop.Naturallly, the cavemen are more civilized." -- Steven M. Bergson

 

Emerson, Hunt. Original Hot Jazz, Stakhano, 199?

 

Fabio. Du plomb dans l'aile, Seuil.

 

Fabio. L'oeil du chat, Seuil.

 

Fabio. Morte saison pour les poissons, Seuil.

 

Fabio. Au Coeur Du Monde, L'Association, 199?

 

Faraci, Tito and Siulvia Ziche. No Words #3: Inferno!, Bologna, Italy: Phoenix, 1999.

 

*Follender, Greg-Michael and Rick J. Bryant (inks). "The Pugilist," Heavy Metal, May 2001.

 

Fortemps, Vincent. Cimes.

*Foss, Langdon. "War," Heavy Metal, May 2001.

 

*Fowler, Tom.  "Adventure #206," Oni Press Color Special, June 2001.

 

Fraipont, C. and P. Bially. Lea, Brussels: Enigma, 1998.

            “A 22 pages dumb love story" (as in silent).... A mini roughly the size of the Patte de Mouches, its 22 pages present the story of a man given an ugly gift plant by his girl, and the sequence of events through which the gift ultimately brings them closer together. It's a cute little romp... in a numbered edition of 450." -- Tom Furtwangler

 

Gerner, Jochen. Boîte de vitesse et viande en boîte, L'Association, 199?

 

Ghermandi, Francesca. No Words #1: Pastil, Bologna, Italy: Phoenix, 1998.

            "...the first in a new series from the Italian Phoenix featuring wordless comic albums in B&W. This is just lovely - some gorgeous pencil shading from Francesca ([1998]'s Lucca Festival starlet)." -- Paul Gravett

 

Ghermandi, Francesca. No Words #4: Pastil #2, Bologna, Italy: Phoenix, 1999.

 

Gilbert, Michael T. "Tiny Terror Tales #2," Cerebus #43, Oct. 1982.

 

Gilbert, Michael T. and Raoul Vezina. "Tiny Terror Tales #1," Cerebus #42, Sept. 1982.

 

*Guitard, Thierry. Concubins, France: Esprit Livre, 2003.

            Information online at http://celm.free.fr/

 

*Gold Key Club Minicomics

            Half‑page silent gag strips run in Gold Key comics in the late 1960s. An example can be seen in Tarzan 185. Another of a chicken eating cement and turning into a statue is in Mickey Mouse #119, Gold Key, November 1968. Fairly uninteresting.

 

Grist, Paul. Kane #5?

            One word in story.

 

*Gross, Milt. He Done Her Wrong, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc, 1930; reprinted as Hearts of Gold, New York: Abbeville, 1983.

            "It's a melodrama about love, the wintry wilderness, a cunning villain, and a hero." -- Denise Voskuil.

            "Hearts of Gold does indeed reprint He Done Her Wrong. I have a copy of each, but never bothered to compare the two to see if anything had been edited out.... Why it would be necessary to edit anything out is beyond me, but I don't have a corporate mind. I did notice that it had been reformatted to place more panels per page, thus cutting down on the printing bill. He Done Her Wrong is a hard book to find (especially, I would imagine, in Europe). In several years of (successful) searching for pre-1935 comics, the copy I own is the only one I've ever seen." -- Doug Wheeler

 

Gursel. Grin and Bare It, Vol. 4, NBM, 1999.

            European sex cartoons.

 

Hama, Larry (w). G.I. Joe #22, Marvel Comics, April 1984.

 

*Haspiel, Dean. "Volcano Girl," Boy in my Pocket: The Billy Dogma Experience, Top Shelf Productions, 2000.

 

*Henderson, Sam. "Eyes Capades," Measles #7, Fantagraphics Books, New Year 2001.

 

*Holstrop, Bernhard (Willem). "Jerusalem," in The New Comix Anthology ed. by Bob Callahan, New York: Collier Books, 1991.

            "The story is only 6 pages (which  reduced to 3 81/2 X 11 pages). Personally and as a comix scholar, I found this comic story troubling. It does have a chronological order, but I am not really sure what message(s) Holstrop was trying to send. Maybe I'm supposed to feel that way. ;)

                The first image is a view of a silhouetted concentration camp (front view) from the railroad tracks. The final panel looks like a scientific institute with a smiling(?), hands on the sides of her face female Israeli soldier inset. In between are lots of images ‑‑ like a Middle East slideshow: the Israelis are good, the Israelis are bad, the Arabs are good and the Arabs are bad." -- Steven M. Bergson

 

Ilic, Mirko and Les Lilley. Survival.

            "A lot of strips done by the Croatian Novi Kvadrat in the late 1970s were silent one or multi‑pagers. The most famous at the time was Mirko Ilic's "Survival" written by Les Lilley (of Searchers and Tinseltown... Fame?). Some of the Novi Kvadrat members continued doing silents from time to time so Igor Kordey's Wall was recently (last couple of years) published in Heavy Metal." -- Darko Macan.

 

*Jason. Mjau Mjau #5-10, Oslo: Jippi Vorlag, 1999-2002.

            "These Norwegian comic books are almost entirely wordless, and terrific examples of pantomime storytelling. At slightly larger than US comic book size, and 48 pp. per, each issue is filling... The featured characters appear to be anthropomorphic birds and dogs. They're really people, though, in the sense that they are seldom treated as animals. There are other character types too: horror movie monsters, a certain Lucasfilm character, angels and devils, and skeletons.

                This may sound merely cute, but Jason has wit and style and a gift for stinging irony. The work is generally high-spirited, not mean or satiric, yet it can be ribald and, better yet, touching. Stories range from single-page gags to (in issue 6) a complex 20-page fable. Some of the pieces are Quiet Observations; others, Silly Gags. A few are genuine Stories and merit rereading. Both issues offer a pleasing variety of stuff.

                Jason's style is wonderfully spare, and he knows how to wring an emotional payoff from really minimal, low-affect drawings. His characters do not visibly "emote" (at least not very often), but he can still tackle subjects like love, death, and grieving very effectively. The circuitous approach to feeling reminds me of Spiegelman's cartoon minimalism, but Jason's drawings are more facile, more fluid, and the work depends less on words (obviously) and more on juggling comic stereotypes. It isn't necessarily "deep" work, in the sense that it lacks the dimensions that words could bring, but it is charming and memorable and occasionally wickedly funny.

                For people who enjoy, say, Trondheim's mute gags, or Woodring's, or something like Dorgathen's Space Dog, I think Jason's work will be very welcome." -- Charles Hatfield

 

*Jason. Sshhhh!, Fantagraphics, 2002.

            "Jason's follow‑up to the acclaimed "Hey Wait," a cycle of  short stories that delineate an entire lifetime. And not a single word is spoken!" --

 

Joan. La Petite Lucy - Road Movie, Stakhano, 1993.

 

Joan. Lucie Horror Picture Show, Stakhano, 1994.

 

"Jughead Dipsy Doodles," reprinted in Betty & Veronica Double Digest Magazine #1, Archie Comics, June 1987.

            In the late 1960s and early 1970s, one page wordless strips starring Jughead as a painter who's work comes to life were published in Pep Comics.

 

Kalberkamp, Peter. Mea Culpa: Murder The American Way, New York: Four Wall Eight Windows, 1990.

            "...a fine pen and ink wordless novel in 1990, prior to Eric Drooker..." -- David Beronä.

            "...isn't strictly wordless, but except for two place-setting captions, all the words are inside the pictures (like the cover of "Crime and Punishment" or a close-up of a note). I liked it." -- Steve Bolhafner

 

Kanigher, Robert and Joe Kubert. [untitled], Ragman #4, DC Comics, February-March, 1977.

 

Killofer. La clef des champs, L'Association, 199?

 

*Kobayashi, Makoto. "The Ribbon," What's Michael? Vol. VI: A Hard Day's Life, Dark Horse Comics, 2002.

 

Koch, Alain. Poilala, Stakhano, 199?

 

Koch, Edith, Riff, Joan and Eric Cartier. All Different All Equal, Stakhano, 199?

            Anti-racism book for Council of Europe with stories by each creator.

 

Kordey, Igor. “Wall,” Heavy Metal, 199?

 

Kolyer, John. Both Ends CD-rom.

            "One notable artist is John Kolyer who has done a number of unusual black and white wordless books that he has on a CD as well called BOTH ENDS." -- David Beronä.

 

*Kriek, Erik. Gutsman #2-4, Amsterdam: Oog & Blick, 1998-2000.

            #1 was self-published in 1994 in an edition of 2000 copies.  See www.gutsman.nl.

                "...these are wordless comics from Oog en Blik, featuring a cartoonist, and two superheroes he draws. The cartoonist loves his female creation, but she only has eyes for the mindless musclebound clod. It's very funny stuff."  -- Bart Beaty.

 

Kubert, Joe. "Foodchain," Tor #1, New York: Epic Comics, 1993.

 

*Kundig, Andreas.  La Parthenogeneige, Switzerland, 2001

 

Kuper, Peter. Eye of the Beholder, New York: NBM, 1996.

 

Kuper, Peter. Mind's Eye: An Eye of the Beholder Collection, New York: NBM, 2000.

Kuper, Peter. "Chains," Gangland #1, New York: DC Comics, June 1998, reprinted in Gangland collection, 2000.

 

Kuper, Peter. Spy vs. Spy, in Mad Magazine #356-present, New York: DC Comics, 1997‑

            Kuper took over the strip shortly before Prohias' death.

 

Kuper, Peter. The System #1-4, and collected edition, DC Comics, 199?

            "...it's 'silent' save for 'in context' words, a newspaper headline, signage, a missing person notice, etc. I liked it a lot, mostly for color and cinematic narrative." - Kristen L. Abbey

 

*Kuper, Peter. [story], Bleeding Heart #2.

 

Kuper, Peter. Speechless, Top Shelf Productions, 2000.

            "From Peter Kuper, creator of the critically acclaimed DC/Vertigo graphic novel THE SYSTEM and illustrator of Mad Magazine's SPY VS. SPY, comes a FULL-COLOR collection of over a dozen wordless strips that stare into the underbelly of our world and occasionally cough out a belly laugh. Punctuating each tale will be an array of award-winning illustrations that have found their way onto the covers of Time,Newsweek and the Village Voice, among others, and will include sketches tracking the development of the covers with commentary by the artist.

                A 96-Page, Full-Color, Deluxe-Format Graphic Novel SPEECHLESS -- Coming from Top Shelf Productions in August 2000." -- Top Shelf Productions press release.

 

Kurtzman, Harvey and Wally Wood. "Sound Effects," Mad #20, EC Comics, February 1955.

            "If you can include 'sound effects' as wordless, then I recommend reading the MAD masterpiece, "Sound Effects," which contained no dialogue, but many sound effects in every single panel." -- Ron Evry

            "There was a short story by Kurtzman and Wood, IIRC again, about a private eye on the case that was done with the emphasis on sound effects. It's not technically a silent story but it's a speechless one." -- Darko Macan

 

Lambe, Eric. "Nature morte aux poissons," in Cheval sans Tete 1:2, 1996.

 

Lambe, Eric. Ophelie et les directeurs des resources humaines, Brussels: Freon, 2000.

            Eric Lambe's "mostly silent" new book has one or two word balloons (that say "on vous ecrira" = "we will write you") along with some panels that have diagetic text (journal entries by some characters, and newspaper clips). In total, there are probably 5 panels that have French text. The rest is mute." -- Nick Nguyen

 

Lanier, Chris. Combustion: A Story Without Words, Fantagraphics, 1999.

 

Lapin #25, 2000.

 

*Lash, Batton. "Words Don't Do It Justice" in Supernatural Law #35, Exhibit A Press, July 2002.

 

*Laugh Comics Digest Magazine #58, "Pat the Brat: Cuttin' Up" and "Jughead in Cap Flap," Archie Comics, January 1985.

            Pat the Brat cuts the sports section of the newspaper up before his father reads it.  Jughead's hat blows onto the grass which has a "Keep Off" sign so he climbs a tree to get it.

 

Lécroart, Etienne. Et C'est Comme Ça Que Je Me Suis Enruhmé, Seuil.

 

*Lee, Paul. "The Lone Gunmen: Generations" in Dark Horse Extra #34, Dark Horse Comics, April 2001.

            The Gunmen (from the X-Files television show) argue over Kirk Vs. Picard from Star Trek and the story told by using pictures of characters in the word balloons.

 

*Lethcoe, Jason.  "The Apocalypse" in Zoom: The Academy for the Supergifted #2, Astonish Comics, 2001.

            Six pages of 3-panel wordless gag strips featuring death as a character.

 

*Lish, Dan. "Child Story" in Heavy Metal, May 2002.

            Three strips about a child's world views.

 

*Loriot. Wahre Geschichten erlogen von Loriot, Diogenes, 1959.

 

Lunacek, Izar. "Without title," Stripburger #21, pp. 72-74.

            Ordering info: Stripburger, Forum Ljubljana, Metelkova 6/I, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, tel.: +386 61 319662, 1344094, fax: +386 61 1338074, http://www.ljudmila.org/stripcore/com.htm.

 

*Madden, Matt. [untitled story about buying beer and meeting a girl in Mexico], Alternative Comics #1, 2003.

 

Maester. Raven, Stakhano, 199?

 

Marchesi and Tacconi. No Words #5: Hollywood Bau, Bologna, Italy: Phoenix, 1998.

 

*Matticchio, Franco. "The Pillow," Drawn & Quarterly 3:1, 2000.

 

Mattioli, Lorenzo. Squeak the Mouse vol 1 and 2 New York: Catalan.

                "Two volumes of Mattioli's Squeak the Mouse were published in the US by Catalan, and you can still find them occasionally. Squeak is trippy stuff, not for the faint of heart, weak of stomach, or prudish of sensibility, but it's great fun and executed in a brilliant cartoony style. I think it's a blast. You'll never watch Tom and Jerry the same again after reading this." -- Mark Nevins

 

Mattotti, Lorenzo. L'Arbre du penseur.

 

Matulay, Laszlo. Then and Now: A Novel as Told in 112 Original Drawings.

 

Matsumoto Taiyo. 100.

 

Mavreas, Billy. [story in], Cyclope, Montreal: Zone Covective/Mille Iles, 2000.

Mayer, Sheldon. "Write your own," Sugar & Spike #1, 9, 11‑15, 17‑47, 49, 51‑54, 56‑78, 87, 91‑98, DC Comics, 1956-?

                "In Sugar & Spike Sheldon Mayer used to do a write‑your‑own comic feature in almost every issue, where the word balloons were empty. The gags made perfect sense without any words, of course. The 'write your own' pages in Sugar & Spike usually featured two unnamed characters who didn't appear in other stories, though I recall at least one with Bernie the Brain and Little Arthur, and the ones for the Rudolph books featured Rudolph or the supporting characters." -- ??

 

Mayer, Sheldon. "Write your own," Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (Limited Collectors' Edition C‑42), DC Comics, 197?

 

Mayer, Sheldon. "Write your own," The Comics, Robin Snyder, December 1994.

            Previously unpublished story starring Winky and Blinky (intended for Rudolph the Red‑nosed Reindeer, 1978)

 

*Menu, J.C. Omelette, L'Association, 199?.  Reprinted by Reprodukt, 2000.

 

Menu, J.C., Lewis Trondheim, David B., Killofer, Stanislas and Matt Konture. Le Rab 2000, L'Association, 2000.

            "...this year's 'free gift' to subscribers is the Rab 2000, a little 16 page hardback, in the same format and finish as Comix 2000, with a 12-page silent story, told two pages each by all six founders." -- Paul Gravett

 

Metzger, George. Beyond Time and Again, Kyle & Wheary, 1976.

            "Beyond Time and Again had only sound effects. This book keeps coming up as an answer to a lot of questions: first graphic novel, first hardback comic book, and now silent comic book." -- Rick Norwood

 

*MGM's Spike and Tyke #24, "Homing Pup" and "Hide 'n' Seek," Dell, Dec-Feb 1961.

                2 silent strips.

 

Miller, Frank. Sin City: Silent Night, Dark Horse Comics, 1995.

            One word in story.

 

Moebius (Jean Giraud). Arzach, New York: Heavy Metal, 1977; Paris: Humanoides Associes, 1976; Copenhagen: Carlsen, 1989; Dark Horse, 1996.

            Arzach was first published in Métal hurlant in #1-5 (1975). Album version was published in 1976. Les humanoïdes associés was the publisher in both cases." -- Jean-Francois Masse

 

Moebius (Jean Giraud). "Harzack," Moebius 0, Milwaukie, OR: Dark Dark Horse Comics, 1990.

 

Moebius (Jean Giraud). "Metamorphosis," Moebius 0, Milwaukie, OR: Dark Dark Horse Comics, 1990.

 

*Moebius (Jean Giraud). "Les Reparateurs (The Repairmen)," Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated #1:2, Summer 1998.

*Moebius (Jean Giraud). 40 Days dans le desert B, Paris:  Stardom, 1999, ISBN: 2‑908766‑40‑x

 

Moore, Alan et. al. The Worm, London: Slab-o-Concrete and the Cartoon Art Trust, 2000.

                "Somewhat like Spiegelman and Sikoryak's Narrative Corpse, this jam (completed in 1991 to benefit the London Cartoon Centre) collects the work of a ton of cartoonists, most doing one panel of a "script" by Alan Moore. It tells the story of, let's see, a worm, a cartoonist, and the human race, up through a fanciful utopia in which comics is accorded the status of not simply Art (as we all know it Should Be) but Life Itself. Ultimately, it's all a bit over the top, but then, the concept itself--to create the World's Longest Comic Strip--is over the top anyway.

                There are a lot of familiar names in the credits, as well as a great many I do not recognise; given that the work itself was done in 1991, who knows how many of these folks are still even practicing cartoonists. Art styles and abilities shift rapidly from panel to panel, but as I knew the nature of the project going in, this hodge-podge nature only added to the book's charm.

                The story is itself primarily (though not exclusively) worldess... and the main character a hapless cartoonist with aspirations and talent (a cipher with whom I'm sure the cartoonists who worked on this project were able to identify much moreso than the Narrative Corpse's match man). The plot moves across time in a deliberate if neblous fashion; I enjoyed seeing what visual cues would be chosen to represent various cultures and times. The Bayeaux Tapestry and other proto/pseudo/pre-comics crop up as the history of the (comic) (art) world

unfolds over the book's first three (of five) chapters.

                The packaging of the book makes it a keeper, as well as an intelligent publishing decision. All of the textual material in the book is presented in English, French, and Swedish (the book project received assistance from The Swedish Council for Cultural Affairs)--that includes the (obligatory?) Neil Gaiman preface, Steve Merchant's contextual introduction, and the afterword which contains Alan Moore's initial overview of what he envisioned the story to be, dictated into a tape recorder and transcribed here. What text there is in the comic proper is included in English (visibly pasted down onto the artwork) and again in added French and Swedish captions which, while they do break up the panel compositions a bit, usually add more than they (necessarily) obscure.

                To open up a book like this to three language markets is a smart move, especially since the comic's mostly wordless nature makes it a natural for international distribution. Note the similar, though much more exhaustive, treatment of the textual material in Comix 2000...

                All in all, I like The Worm quite a lot. It's a clever experiment, not really a grand statement; that it strives for, and even succeeds a bit, in making any sort of Statements at all is a testament to the work which can be done by a large group of people all dedicated to a common cause." -- Gene Kannenberg, Jr.

 

*Moore, Alan and Jaime Hernandez. "Tesla Time," Tom Strong's Terrific Tales #1, America's Best Comics, January 2002.

 

Moran, George. Fresh Eggs, Lake Isle Press, 1997.

            A funny wordless comic strip about eggs.

 

Otomo, Katsuhiro. Flower.

 

Otomo, Katsuhiro. Watermelon.

 

Ott, Thomas. Exit, Paris: Delcourt, 1997.

            "His stories are almost always wordless, and they blend a quirky sense of irony with a gallows‑humor take on the old horror genre (see EC comics)... His masterpiece is a re‑working of the European folktale that Chaucer used for "The Pardoner's Tale" which can be found in the Autrement collection L'argent roi. His works have appeared in many periodicals (Boxer, Strapazin, Lapin), and apparently Delcourt has collected in one volume his three Swiss‑published albums: Tales of Error, Hellville, and Dead End." -- Mark Nevins

 

Ott, Thomas. La Bete a Cinq Doigts, Paris: L'Association, 1996.

 

Ott, Thomas. La Douane, Paris: L'Association, 1996.

 

Ott, Thomas. Greetings from Hellville, Zurich: Edition Moderne, 1995.

 

Ott, Thomas. Dead End.

 

Ott, Thomas. Tales of Error.

 

Ozkan, Tayyar. "Original Gangster" in Gangland #3, New York: DC Comics, August 1998, reprinted in Gangland collection, 2000.

 

Ozkan, Tayyar. Caveman: Evolution, Heck!, NBM, 1997.

            "Glowing introduction by Sergio Aragones. This collection of silent gag strips presents situations starting with cavemen and ending with ourselves in our supposedly 'modern' times. We create megalopolises and fancy technology, but, as Ozkan shows us, we're still just a bunch o' grunting beasts. Non-verbal tales from two to four pages each. Nicely drawn with lots of detail. Ironic, poignant storytelling." -- Bud Plant's Comic Art Update #148, May-June 1999, p. 39.

 

Ozkan, Tayyar. Fleshpot, Eros, 1997.

            "A hot, pierced honey gets it on with her studly lover, taking him every which way before a few guests join in, followed by a dreamily surreal sex fantasia. No dialogue, entirely in full-page drawings." -- Bud Plant's Comic Art Update #148, May-June 1999, p. 69.

 

*Ozkan, Tayyar. "Caveman - Obsession," Heavy Metal, May 2003.

            Two-page story about a man looking at erotic art rather than his girlfriend.

 

*Ozkan, Tayyar. "Caveman," Heavy Metal, July 2003.

            Two-page story about an acrobat.

 

Pini, Wendy and Richard? Elfquest #?

 

Plunkett, Kilian. "The Particklers," Scatterbrain #2, Dark Horse Comics, August 1998.

 

*Ponti, Claude. "The Enchanted Pumpkin," Little Lit: Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies, New York: HarperCollins, 2000.

 

Prohias, Antonio. Spy vs. Spy, Mad Magazine, EC Comics, 1961-1997?.

            Paperback reprints include Mad's Spy vs Spy (1965), Mad's Spy vs Spy Follow‑Up File (1968), Third Mad Dossier of Spy vs Spy (1972), The Fourth Mad Declassified Papers on Spy vs. Spy (1974), Mad's Big Book of Spy vs. Spy Capers and Other Surprises (1982), Spy vs. Spy: the updated files (1989).

Ptiluc. Fahrenheit 452, Stakhano, 199?

            "Take the convention of the talk balloon itself and play with it, having his characters steal punctuation marks out of them, take down the balloon (and even use it to roll a joint), and then even climb through the hole it left in the sky/panel." -- Denise Voskuil

 

Qwak, Arthur. Hollywood Kid, Stakhano, 199?

 

Ralph, Brian. "Shitstorm," Non #3, Red Ink, 1998.

 

Ralph, Brian. Cave-in, Highwater Books, 1999.

            This is a new work and different from his minicomics of the same name.

 

Remuzat. Grosso Modo, Stakhano, 199?

            See also listing under part 2, comic strips.

 

Riff. Love Song, Stakhano, 199?

 

Robin, Thierry. La Teigne.

 

Ruijters, Marcel. Troglodytes. Oog & Blik, 1999.

            "Fantastical creatures in an invented world, strange tales of sex and death in an intense, poetic drawing style. One of the most accomplished artists working in comics today, a masterpiece. Ordering info: Oog & Blik ‑ http://www.oogenblik.nl." - - Andy Konky Kru.

 

Russell, P. Craig. "The Avatar and the Chimera," Imagine #2, reprinted in StarReach Classics #3.

                "... a gorgeous 16‑pager..." -- David Southwood

 

Sim, Dave. "His First Fifth," Epic Illustrated, Marvel Comics.

 

Sim, Dave. "A Friendly Reminder," Epic Illustrated, Marvel Comics.

            "Cerebus as a tax collector beating someone bloody with caption on last page: Next Year, Pay Early" -- Steve Bolhafner

 

Sim, Dave. "The Girl Next Door," Epic Illustrated, Marvel Comics.

            "Surprise! she looks just like young Jaka." -- Steve Bolhafner

 

Sim, Dave. "A Night On The Town," Swords of Cerebus #6, Aardvark-Vanaheim Press, Fall 1984. Reprinted in The Best Comics of the Decade: 1980-1990, Vol. 1, Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1990.

            "'A Night On the Town' was actually a reprint when it appeared in Swords #6, I believe. I know for sure that Dave Sim and Gerhard did several wordless stories for Epic Magazine, and I thought this was one of them, but I may be wrong. All of them were wordless or nearly so, and some of them were in color. Most of them had 'word' balloons with images inside them instead of words, indicating the general topic of dialogue. I remember three, but I'm pretty sure there were five." -- Steve Bolhafner

 

Sim, Dave. [?], Aardvark‑Vanaheim Presents AV in 3D, Kitchener, Ont.: Aardvark‑Vanaheim, 1984.

 

Sim, Dave and Joe Rubenstein (i). "The Morning After," Swords of Cerebus #2.

            "It had no captions or word balloons, but it did have sound effects." -- Bob Ford

 

*Simonson, Walt.  "Day of Wrath," Orion #5, DC Comics, October 2000.

            Mostly wordless fight.

 

Sommer, Anna. Honigmond, Arrache Coeur, 1998?

            "...a beautiful full-color (a stylistic shift that works quite well--beautiful flat colors and no ink lines--which is astounding given that Sommer is an artist whose work has thus far has had its greatest impact from its stunning use of etching-like lines), fully silk-screened book--one panel per page, entirely wordless, about 24 pages -- recounting one of those daydream/nightmares of sexual dysfunction like only Sommer can. Limited to 600 copies, even at DM70... This one may be 'for Sommer completists only,' but you can count me as one of those--her work is just stunning, and this is a gem." -- Mark Nevins

 

Sommer, Anna. Remue‑Menage. L'Association.

            "Remue-Menage is the French reprinting of the original German book called Damen Dramen (publisher probably Reprodukt?). I think, however, that the L'Asso book might have a few extra pages." -- Mark Nevins

 

Tanaka, Masashi. Gon, 1992-present.

                "Published in Japan as: Gon Vol 1 ‑ March 1992: #1 Gon Eats and Sleeps, #2 Gon Goes Hunting, #3 Gon Builds a Mansion, #4 Gon Goes Flying; Gon Vol 2 ‑ November 1992: #5 Gon Plays With a Giant Shark, #6 Gon Struggles Against Tick, #7 Gon Gets Angry at the Forest, #8 Gon Lives With Penguins; Gon Vol 3 ‑ February 1994: # 9 Gon Goes Down the Big River, #10 Gon Glares, #11 Gon Goes Mushroom Hunting, #12 Gon Fights With Wolf Brothers; Gon Vol 4 ‑ August 1996: #13 Gon Becomes a Turtle, #14 Gon Journeys into the Desert, #15 Gon and His Posse; Gon Vol 5 ‑ November 1998: #16 Gon Goes Through the Underground." -- David Wybenga.

                Collected by DC Comics through 1998 as Gon; Gon Again!; Here Today, Gon Tomorrow!; Going, Going, Gon; Gon Swimmin' and Gon Color Spectacular; new stories as Gon On Safari (2000). The adventures of an aggressive midget dinosaur.

 

Tanquerelle. La ballade du petit pendu, L'Association, 199?

 

Thurber, James. The Last Flower: A Parable in Pictures, New York: Harper & Bros, 1939.

 

*Tom and Jerry #169, "Big Spike and Little Tyke," Dell, August 1958.

            Gag about using a reclining chair as a slide.

 

*Tom and Jerry #171, "Droopy," Dell, October 1958.

            Half-page gag about a jack in the box.

 

*Tom and Jerry #173, "Droopy," Dell, December 1958.

                Gag about using snow shovels as a doghouse.

 

*Trillo, Carlos and Domingo Mandrafina. "The Door," Heavy Metal Fantasy Special, Fall 2000.

*Trillo, Carlos and Domingo Mandrafina. "The Fireman," Heavy Metal, January 2001.

 

*Trillo, Carlos and Domingo Mandrafina. "The Mailman," Heavy Metal, March 2001.

 

*Trillo, Carlos and Domingo Mandrafina. "The Ballerina," Heavy Metal, September 2001.

 

*Trondheim, Lewis. Mister O, Fantagraphics, 2002.

                "Forty‑four hilarious one‑page wordless strips by Lewis Trondheim in a snappy full‑color hardcover ‑‑ minimalist, exquisitely inventive (endless variations of the same simple premise ‑‑ think Road‑Runner) and perfectly timed."

 

*Trondheim, Lewis. La Mouche, Seuil.  Reprinted as Die Fliege, Reprodukt, 1998.

 

*Trondheim, Lewis. Diablotus, L'Association, 199?.  Reprinted by Reprodukt, 2000.

 

Trondheim, Lewis. Non, non, non, L'Association, 199?

 

Trondheim, Lewis and Thierry Robin. Petit Pere Noel (Li'l Santa), Spirou 3214 -?, 1999-?. Collected as Bonjour, Petit Pere Noel, Dupuis, 2000.

            "...the first installment made me laugh out loud. A book will undoubtedly follow. Recommended." -- Darko Macan

 

*Trondheim, Lewis and Thierry Robin. Joyeux Halloween, Petit Pere Noel, Spirou ?-December 2000.

 

*Trondheim, Lewis and Thierry Robin. Petit Pere Noel contre le docteur mechant ("Li'l Santa vs Mad Scientist),  Spirou ?-3381-?, December 2001.

 

*Trondheim, Lewis and Thierry Robin. On a vole le courrier de Petit Pere Noel (They Stole Li'l Santa's Mail), Spirou December 2002?

            "Recent SPIROUs serialize two huge disappointments: the fourth LI'L SANTA by Trondheim and Robin ...is a further descent into a superhero hell: now the Mad Scientist from the last issue (think Doc Oc) returns with a new mastermind scheme to ... I forgot. Yawn! Trondheim is definitively doing more work than is healthy for him." -- Darko Macan

 

*Valley, Robert. "Massive Swerve," Heavy Metal, May 2003.

 

*van Dinther, Stefan and Tobias Tycho Schalken. Eiland #2, Netherlands: Bries, 1998.

 

*van Hasselt, Thierry. Brutalis, Fremok, 2003?

                "Fremok is the new combo of what was once Freon and Amok. This new monster from TVH is wordless and based on a dance by Karine Ponties. Can't make this shit up!" -- Bart Beaty

 

Waid, Mark and Barry Kitson. "Empire: A Walk in the Park," Shock Rockets #1, Gorilla Comics and Image Comics, April 2000.

Waldman, Myron. Eve, New York: Stephen Daye, 1943.

                "Same height/width as a magazine. Paper cover, bound on the side with the same kind of red cloth tape found on American comic strip reprint books from about 1902 to 1935. Color (limited) cover, b&w interior. Art style is sufficiently Milt Gross-like that had the artist not been credited, I would be wondering (but uncertain) if

it was Gross.

                I personally have never heard of the artist before. No mention of serialization is given, and from its nature I doubt it would make much sense broken into parts. (Your question now makes me wonder if a wordless work, unless extremely powerful, can function serialized -- readers need to be able to pick up where they left off a week or a month ago, and, without words, only the most powerful images would have staying power in one's memory. Worse, without words I think picking up on the story in the middle [for those who missed prior issues] would be damn near impossible. I can see continuing characters in a daily silent strip, where each individual strip is a different story and the readers have collectively picked up on the character's quirks over time, but that's it).

                Back to Eve -- on the cover, she appears as a plump nude female (looking an awful lot like that cute plump, nude, sexless couple that appeared on buttons and book covers in the U.S. in the 1970's, though I doubt there's any direct relationship).

                The interior story is mildly entertaining but I wouldn't call great, nor up to the level of Gross' He Done Her Wrong. Still, it surprised me to find any graphic novels in the period between the mid-1930s and the late 1970s. (Especially given that most U.S. fans still debate whether the first graphic novel was Silver Surfer (not the comic format version) or Sabre. Again, I personally believe that Topffer created the first graphic novels.) The story is about a single working woman (secretary -- this is the 1940s) who laments not being married as she witnesses the other secretaries in the office finding husbands and watches longingly other couples. She finally meets someone on a Caribbean/Florida (it's not exactly clear) vacation; she gets back to her job, berates & hits the office's towel boy/bathroom attendant without noticing behind all the towels that it's her love, goes home broken hearted (at first I thought because she found out what his job was, but it turns out she's broken hearted because she feels she blew it by hitting him). He approaches her again, they make up, and get married.

                It's a lesser work than He Done Her Wrong, and probably harder to find (due both to its paperback construction versus Wrong's hardback, plus it's likely lower print run). Though your competition to find it is virtual nil compared to any Milt Gross work." -- Doug Wheeler

 

*Walt Disney's Goofy Scoutmaster #12-208-211, "Inside Job", "The Long Trek," and "Noise Boy," Dell, Sept-Nov. 1962.

            3 one-page gag strips.

 

Way, Paul. Cybersexation #1, Venus Comics / Antarctic Press, March 1997.

 

Williams, J.R. "Raging Skinboy," The Best Comics of the Decade: 1980-1990, Vol. 1, Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1990.

 

*Williams, J.R. "Skinboy in Sisyphus Revisted," Dark Horse Maverick 2001, July 2001.

 

Windsor-Smith, Barry. "Cerebus Dreams," Swords of Cerebus #5, Aardvark-Vanaheim Press.

            "This book is the only place, except for a single cover by Neal Adams for Anything Goes (#2? #3?), where Dave Sim has ever authorized anyone else to draw Cerebus." -- Steve Bolhafner

 

Woodring, Jim. Frank #1-5, Frank in the River, and Frank vol. 1 and 2, Seattle: Fantagraphic Books.

                "Everyone should own the Woodring TPB: this stuff is pure magic. The TPB also

makes a great Christmas present, if you're looking for ideas." -- Mark Nevins

 

Woodring, Jim. Jim #2:1-6, Seattle: Fantagraphic Books.

            Mostly silent.

 

*Woody Woodpecker #32, "Bubble Gum Contest," Dell, August-September 1955.

            1 page strip on back cover.

 

*Xalabarder, Ferran. "The Key to Valhalla," Heavy Metal, June 2002.

 

Yakin, Erez. The Silent City, Kitchen Sink, 1990.

            "An oversized, brooding graphic novel told without any dialogue or words, by a Russian creator. '...a deeply disturbing look at a brutalized world that I suspect few of us raised in Western democracies will every fully comprehend.' - Mark Schultz. '...remarkable for its horrific portrayals of unbridled, demonic power...Erez Yakin is a virtuoso image maker, a gifted artist at the beginning of what might well be a brilliant career.' Steve Heller, NY Times Book Review." -- Bud Plant's Comic Art Update #148, May-June 1999, p. 9.

 

Yeh, Phil. Flying Tiger, Lompoc, CA: IHAC, 1993.

            Introductions by Moebius and Wendy Pini.

 

 

*a.  Marvel's 'Nuff Said (December 2001)

 

Descriptions are from Marvel's website, Marvel.com; descriptions can also be found in Previews XI: 10, October 2001).

 

Sometimes a picture tells a 1,000 words, and this month we've challenged our writers and pencilers to tell a story using art only! The result: amazing visuals that will make you say 'Nuff Said!

 

Amazing Spider‑Man #38

Cover By Kaare Andrews

J. Michael Straczynski/John Romita Jr./Scott Hanna

 

THE SCOOP: 'Nuff Said! Okay, so we all know that J. Michael Straczynski can tell an awesome story... but can he do it without words?! Time for John Romita, Jr. to cut loose!

THE STORY: In December, no one can hear you go Thwip!

 

Avengers #49

Cover by Kieron Dwyer

Kurt Busiek/Kieron Dwyer

 

THE SCOOP: The loudest 'Nuff Said issue you'll read all month!

THE STORY: The unthinkable happens as Kang arrives in Washington DC to wreak retribution for the Avengers' attack on Damocles Base! And when the dust settles, Earth's war against the Conqueror will have entered its final phase! For readers who think nothing important can happen in a silent issue, here's where we show you how wrong you are ‑‑ in a story so shattering, it will make you say, "What the heck are they going to do in #50?"

 

Black Panther #39

Cover By Steve Uy

Christopher Priest/Sal Velluto/Bob Almond

 

It's Black Panther vs. Iron Fist in 'Nuff Said combat! The karate king of K'un L'un is back, but he's not quite the Iron Fist you remember! Black Panther battles a murderously unhinged Danny Rand while time runs out for Everett K. Ross and, quite possibly, the world! It's super silent fisticuffs between two of the greatest fighters of the Marvel Universe! "If you're looking for an intelligent book that's constantly surprising, respects its readership's IQ, and never fails to deliver, this is the comic for you." ‑ComicBookGalaxy.com

 

 

Cable #100

Cover By Igor Kordey

David Tischman/Igor Kordey

 

THE SCOOP: The one‑man army known as Cable celebrates his 100th issue with the explosive conclusion of the first story arc by the amazing new team of David Tischman and Igor Kordey ‑‑ plus a special 16‑page 'Nuff Said silent story!

THE STORY: What happens when ideologues with super powers lose their belief? Houses explode and wealth is

redistributed as the telekinetic titan unleashes his own brand of justice! Prisoners will not be taken! And in this issue's second feature, Cable goes one‑on‑one with the recently‑mutated Techno‑Organic Virus! Can he free himself of the malady that's plagued his entire life, or does the virus have a plan of its own?

 

Captain America #50

Cover By Gene Ha

Dan Jurgens/Evan Dorkin/Brian Marshall/Jen

Vanmeter/Kathryn Kuder/Stuart Immonen/Dan Jurgens/Frank

Quitely/Stuart Immonen/Klaus Janson

 

THE SCOOP: A cavalcade of creators unite for a 96‑page, last‑issue blow‑out to send Cap to the Marvel Knights!

 THE STORY: There's no better way to usher the star‑spangled Super Soldier to his new beginning than to celebrate his spy‑smashing, shield‑slinging adventures! Featuring a 22‑page 'Nuff Said silent story by Dan Jurgens, a retrospective by Jurgens, and a variety of pinups and short stories by an all‑star list of creators including Frank Quitely, Stuart Immonen, Evan Dorkin and many more!

 

Captain Marvel #26

Cover By Udon

Peter Davi /Leonard Kirk/Robin Riggs

 

As 'Nuff Said hits, will Rick Jones commit suicide ‑‑ and bring Captain Marvel with him? A silent snow falls over a wintery holiday season and, unable to cope with his life as a prematurely aged one‑armed man, Rick Jones prepares to make the ultimate decision ‑‑ while Genis is stranded in the Microverse, powerless to intervene! "Peter David shows the rest of the world how to write mainstream comics. Pure brilliance." ‑Comics International

 

Daredevil #28

Cover By Alex Maleev

Brian Michael Bendis/Alex Maleev

 

THE SCOOP: It's a 'Nuff Said tie‑in to Elektra #6!

THE STORY: It's The Man Without Fear ‑‑ or words! There's a bounty on Daredevil's head, and everyone's out to kill him ‑‑ but only one person might be able to do the job. Plus: DD receives a message from his old flame, the sexy assassin known as Elektra! "Underboss," the new epic by the red‑hot creative team of Eisner and Wizard Fan Award‑Winner Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev (Superman Vs. Predator), continues with a silent twist!

 

Deadpool: Funeral For A Freak #1

Cover by Georges Jeanty

Frank Tieri/J. Calafiore/Jon Holdredge

 

THE SCOOP: 'Nuff Said! Can the Merc‑With‑A‑Mouth shut up?!

THE STORY: What could possibly keep Wade Wilson quiet for a whole entire issue? This story deals with the aftermath of the Deadpool: Agent Of Weapon X fiasco as well as thrusting him into his next story arc! It's like two whole issues in one! Except that Deadpool doesn't speak at all, believe it or not! If you missed out on what writer Frank Tieri did in Deadpool: Agent Of Weapon X, be there now as the chaos begins!

 

Defenders #12

Cover By Erik Larsen

Kurt Busiek/Erik Larsen/Erik Larsen/Ivan Rei

 

THE SCOOP: It's a double‑sized 'Nuff Said issue that ushers in a new direction for Earth's Most Reluctant Heroes!

THE STORY: The lead story, written, penciled and inked by Erik Larsen brings his run to a finish, as the Defenders are brought by the curse to a realm in which there is no sound. They can't get along when they can communicate ‑‑ so how will they cope in a world where they can't? In the second story, written by Kurt Busiek and Jo Duffy, and drawn by Ivan Reis, the Defenders have had enough of the curse, and travel into the bowels of the Earth to petition Gaea to release them ‑‑ and her response sends the team and the series in a radically new direction! Overlords: Defenders Against The Earth starts in February... but the action starts right here!

 

Elektra #6

Cover By Greg Horn

Brian Michael Bendis/Chuck Austen

 

THE SCOOP: It's a 'Nuff Said tie‑in to DAREDEVIL #28!

THE STORY: Elektra doesn't talk much normally ‑‑ but this month, she's even more quiet and deadly than ever! While delivering a message to Matt Murdock, Elektra encounters a very dangerous young woman. How will this new assassin affect the lives of Elektra and the Man Without Fear? For a different take on this story, check out Daredevil #28!

 

Exiles #7

Cover By Mike Mckone & Mark Mckenna

Judd Winick/Mike Mckone/Mark Mckenna

 

'Nuff Said! The Exiles find themselves pitted against their greatest adversary yet: their own minds! The time‑tossed team finally get a breather, but are their nightmares worse than their actual realities or will someone find happiness in the land of dreams? Plus: A surprise romantic encounter! Find out more than has ever been revealed about the Exiles as writer Judd Winick and penciler Mike McKone take us on a silent journey into the dreams, nightmares and secret desires of Marvel's reality‑hopping super group! "Another winner... Exiles is proving to be a top‑notch X‑book." ‑CaptainComics.Net

 

Fantastic Four #50

Cover By Barry Windsor‑Smith

Carlos Pacheco/Rafael Marin/Jeph Loeb/Fabian Nicieza/

Tom Grummett/Carlos Pacheco/Steve Rude/Udon/Mike Royer

 

THE SCOOP: A team of titanic talents celebrate the FF's 50th issue with a 64‑page extravaganza! 4 new stories for the Fantastic Four!

THE STORY: In our first fabulous tale ‑‑ which is also a 'Nuff Said story ‑‑ the team of writers Carlos Pacheco and Rafael Marin and penciler Tom Grummett explore the anniversary of the day the FF first received their cosmic ray‑spawned powers, as memories turn to those early days, when our four intrepid adventurers had to come to grips with how their lives had forever changed. Then, Fabian Nicieza and Steve Rude raffle off the Torch and the Thing at a charity bachelor auction! Up next, Udon (X‑Men: Evolution) explores the question of what gift you get for the couple who has everything! And if that's not enough, Pacheco and Jeph Loeb join forces on a tale that illustrates exactly how the Fantastic Four comic makes its way from their minds to your hands every month! The cherry on top? The new cover by Barry Windsor‑Smith!

 

Moment of Silence

Cover by Joe Quesada and Alex Ross

Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, Bill Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis (W) / Igor Kordey, John Romita Jr., Mark Bagley and Chuck Austen (P)

 

THE SCOOP: An all-star collection of creators craft four silent stories -- with all proceeds going to the victims of 9-11-01.

THE STORY: Inspired by the true events, four duos of titanic talent unite to remember the heroic sacrifices of 9-11-01.  And, in keeping with our 'Nuff Said event, all stories will be told with images only.  The creative teams include Kevin Smith and Igor Kordey; Marvel's EIC Joe Quesada and John Romita Jr.; Marvel Prez Bill Jemas and Mark Bagley ; and Brian Michael Bendis and Chuck Austen.  And it's all wrapped in a touching cover penciled by Quesada and painted by Alex Ross.  Best of all, Marvel will give all proceeds to the families that lost loved ones during the attack on America.  -- Previews XI: 11

 

New X‑Men #121

Cover by Frank Quitely

Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely

 

THE STORY: Professor X lies in a coma, on the edge of death! His powerful mutant brain has retreated into itself. In one last ditch attempt to free him from this state, Jean Grey and Emma Frost telepathically journey into the realm of Xavier's mind ‑‑ and the horrors they discover can truly not be described! Can the X‑Men's founder be saved ‑‑ or will Jean and Emma be consumed by his nightmares? Find out in "Silence: Psychic Rescue in Progress"!

 

Peter Parker, Spider‑Man #38

Cover by Humberto Ramos

Paul Jenkins/Mark Buckingham/Wayne Faucher

 

'Nuff Said! Spidey faces his fiercest ‑‑ and quietest ‑‑ foes: murderous Mimes! "Continuing to raise his game to compete with J. Michael Straczynski, Paul Jenkins offers an intense, character‑led story."

 

Punisher #7

Painted Cover By Tim Bradstreet

Steve Dillon/Jimmy Palmiotti

 

THE SCOOP: A 'Nuff Said silent but deadly saga!

THE STORY: Ever wonder what Frank Castle does between the stories told in his series? Acclaimed artist Steve Dillon writes and pencils this quiet look at a few dark days in the life of the Punisher!

 

Spider‑Girl #41

Cover By Pat Olliffe & Al Williamson

Tom Defalco /Pat Olliffe /Al Williamson

 

'Nuff Said! While Spider‑Girl tries to cope with last issue's startling death of a long‑time cast member, the new

Spider‑Man goes one‑on‑one with Canis! Plus: Peter Parker finally confronts Normie Osborn!

 

Thor #44

Painted Cover By Ariel Olivetti

Dan Jurgens /Stuart Immonen/Scott Koblish

 

'Nuff Said! Odin has died a warrior's death, and now it's time to give him a Viking Funeral to carry his spirit to Valhalla and beyond! As the pyre blazes, thoughts turn towards the past, and how the All‑Father's life touched that of the Thunder God and his fellow Asgardians. But here's the real question: how will Odin's death turn Thor's life upsidedown?

 

Thunderbolts #59

Cover by Patrick Zircher & Al Vey

Fabian Nicieza/Mark Bagley/Al Vey

 

'Nuff Said! Burton Canyon is silent in the aftermath of last month's cataclysm between the Thunderbolts and Graviton ‑‑ and the only two figures to emerge from the conflagration are Songbird and the mysterious Scream! What is the secret of this strange sonic being, and what effect will he have on the life of Melissa Gold? Featuring guest‑art by T‑Bolts co‑creator ‑‑ and Ultimate Spider‑Man penciler ‑‑ Mark Bagley!

 

Uncanny X‑Men #401

Cover By Ron Garney

Joe Casey/Ron Garney/Mark Morales

 

THE SCOOP: The arrival of new ongoing penciler Ron Garney! Plus it's 'Nuff Said month!

THE STORY: No dialogue. No sound effects. No Sonic scream. Nevertheless, Banshee is back! The question is, why are his current activities of great concern to the X‑Men? What does he have to do with the strange abductions of some familiar X‑villains? And if that weren't enough, the newest X‑Man's "extracurricular activities" are quickly becoming a distraction, to say the least! All this, and the debut of Ron Garney (JLA: Our Worlds At War) as the title's new artist!

 

Wolverine #171

Cover by Sean Chen & Norm Rapmund

Frank Tieri/Sean Chen/Norm Rapmund

 

'Nuff Said! Wolverine vs. Mauvais vs. the Wendigo! Logan's in a fight for his life against the macabre man who tore out his eye and the flesh‑eating man trapped in the body of an insatiable Canadian monster! This one could get really ugly! But why is Logan trying to save the Wendigo's life at the same time? Plus: What's Sabretooth up to? The action is so intense no one has time to breathe, much less to speak in this silent brawl‑for‑it‑all! The shocks and surprises never stop in Frank Tieri and Sean Chen's action‑packed take on Marvel's most popular mutant!

 

X‑Force #123

Cover by Mike Allred

Peter Milligan/Mike Allred

 

'Nuff Said! Don't tell Doop, but the X‑Force is about to embark on their quietest mission ever! Shhhhh! "Combine Mike Allred's fantastic stylings with Peter Milligan's words and counterculture readers will have a whole new reason to jump on the mutant bandwagon." ‑The Washington Times

 

X‑Treme X‑Men #8

Cover By Salvador Larroca & Joe Weems

Chris Claremont/Salvador Larroca

 

It's a silent 'Nuff Said conclusion to the X‑treme team's Godfather saga! Thanks to the influence of Lady Mastermind, Rogue believes her teammates have been brutally murdered ‑‑ and now she's out for blood! Meanwhile, Sebastian Shaw makes a move to assume a powerful mantle! Plus: Another glimpse of prospective new recruits Red Lotus and Lifeguard!

 

+++

 

Comic Strips:

 

While this section concentrates on strips that are predominantly silent, some examples of single strips are included for comparison purposes.

 

Amend, Bill. [Water pail on a door gag strip], Foxtrot,Universal Press Syndicate, May 28, 2000.

 

*Anderson, Carl et. al. Henry, King Features Syndicate, 1934-present.

            Reprinted from the Saturday Evening Post in Henry, Greenberg Publisher Inc., 1935.

 

Anywhere But Here [?]

Arnot, J.P.  Fables In Pantomime, San Francisco Chronicle, 1913.

 

Baker, George. The Sad Sack, Yank, 1942-1945; Bell Syndicate 1946-195?

            The eternally-put upon Army private. Reprinted in The Sad Sack, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1944.

 

*Basset, Brian. [strip on dogs in convertible cars], Red and Rover, Washington Post Writers Group, August 6, 2000.

 

Bateman, H.M. [wordless strips], Punch, 1915-?

            One of his most famous strips is "The Boy Who Breathed on the Glass at The British Museum," Punch, October 4, 1916, now in the British Museum. Reprinted in Punch 150th Anniversary Exhibition catalogue, 1991.

 

*Bechdel, Alison.  "Real World" Dykes to Watch Out For #374, Oct. 3, 2001.

            "Silent strip, showing the World Trade Center attack on a television set, and reactions to it, including hugging, anger, violence toward Arab Americans, American flags, the peace symbol, meditation and demonstration, unplugging the television coverage, and contemplating George W. Bush." -- Randy Scott, Michigan State University Comic Art Collection

 

Borkovic, Toso. Toso.

            Yugoslav daily strip.

 

*Brady, Pat. Rose is Rose, United Feature Syndicate, October 1, 2000.

 

Cartier, Eric. [untitled strip of drilling for oil to fill Stakhano trucks], Stakhano Newsletter #9, October 15, 1996.

 

Caran d'Ache (Emmanuel Poire). Histoires sans parole, in Le Chat Noir, 1886-?

            "Caran d'Ache is the greatest master of the art of telling a story in pictures, without words.... He combined the perfection of the droll story with superb draftmanship, and an astounding observation and knowledge of humanity. For me he defies criticism--I simply admire." -- H.M. Bateman

                "...master of the silent comic." - - Paul Gravett

 

*Caran d'Ache (Emmanuel Poire). Maestro, Musee de la Bande Dessines, 2001

 

Cartier, Eric and Joan. [introducing Stakhano], Stakhano Newsletter #7, January 24, 1996.

 

*Cho, Frank. Liberty Meadows, Creators Syndicate, November 5, 2000.

 

Crane, Jordan. "A Sweet Nothing," Pulse!, February 2000, p. 72.

 

*Davis, Jim. Garfield, Universal Press Syndicate, September 3, 2000; September 10, 2000; January 28, 2001.

 

Deix, André. Professor Nimbus, 1930s.

Dickenson, Steve and Todd Clark. [Old ladies on a park bench lifted by City Parks workers], Lola, Tribune Media Services, May 28, 2000.

 

Dobric, M. Ljuba Truba.

            Yugoslav daily strip.

 

Doty, Roy. Wordless Workshop, Popular Science Magazine, 197?-?

             Handyman strip which demonstrates simple projects for the home. Compilations include Wordless Workshop, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987 and The Wordless Workshop, Reader's Digest, 1996.

 

Dunkel, Courtney. Hannah, Mclure Syndicate, 1944-1947.

 

Emerson, Hunt. Citymouth, 1990s.

            "An odd idea for a cartoon character that probably came from a doodle, Citymouth developed into a series of comic strips without words which has been published in many countries, notably Britain ('Talking Turkey,' Galaxy Publications), France ('Psikopat,' Editions du Zebu) and Finland ('Myrkky,' Semic)." -- Hunt Emerson (http://www.largecow.demon.co.uk/boucheville/index.html).

 

Engel, Jim. [Pals?], The Comics Reader.

 

Fago, Vince. ?

            "Fago once wrote me and told me of a silent strip he was doing. Fago: terrific strip and comic book artist. Seemed like it had a bit of new age feel if I remember correctly." -- Craig Yoe

 

Frost, A.B. "Gentleman tires of raking the garden, enlists helper," Harper's Bazaar, October 1884.

            Online at http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/~ronan/Platinum/raking.jpg

 

*Frost, A.B. "A Tale of Two Tails" in The Bull Calf, 1893.

             Frost did MANY wordless strips." -- Craig Yoe.  Online at http://www.cnbdi.fr/coconinoworld/coconino6.html

 

Gardner, Jim. "At Sea," Graphic Story Magazine #8, 1968.

 

Gayo, James. Kingo.

            Tanzanian comic strip. An example can be seen in Packalén's International Journal of Comic Art article.

 

Get (Orla Getterman), Televiews, 1959?-?

 

Giles, Carl Ronald. Young Ernie, in Reynolds' News, 1940-1943.

 

Giovannetti, P.L. Max, New York: Macmillan, 1954

 

Giovannetti, P.L. Max Presents, New York: Macmillan, 1956.

 

Giovannetti, P.L. Nothing but Max, New York: Macmillan, 1959.

            Gag strips from Punch starring a humanized woodchuck.

 

Giovannetti, P.L. Birds without Words, New York: Macmillan, 1961.

 

Giovannetti, P.L. The Penguin Max, London: Penguin, 1962

 

Gross, Milt. Judge Magazine strips.

            "Milton Gross did tons of silent strips inside various magazines. He regularly did a five‑panel silent strip in the pages of the weekly (20th century) Judge Magazine, in which a sixth panel was left blank for readers to submit a final panel/end to each strip, in an ongoing contest (the winners & several runners‑up would have their panels printed near the new strip, along with a smaller‑sized reprinting of the strip they were finishing)." -- Doug Wheeler

 

Gross, Milt. "I Won't Say A Word About - William Faulkner's Novel 'The Wild Palms'," KEN, April 6, 1939: 61.

            Comic strip book review, online at http://cccw.adh.bton.ac.uk/schoolofdesign/MA.COURSE/LComics03.html

 

Hanan, Harry. Louie, Press Features / NY News, 1945-1976.

            British strip started in 1945, migrated to US in 1947. Had several syndicates.

 

Histoires sans paroles du Chat Noir, Angoulême, France: Musée de la bande dessinée, 1998.

            Contents:

                Bertrand et Raton, ou le deuxième larron (Marcel Capy - #487, 16.05.1891);

                Une idylle au champs (Lucien Pissarro - #385, 01.06.1889)

                Un procédé vraiment ingénieux pour capturer l’autruche (Gustave Verbeck - #600, 22.07.1893)

                Le portrait (Gustave Verbeck - #616, 11.11.1893)

                Voilà comme nous étions en 1808! (H. de Sta - #525, 06.02.1892)

                Chaud’ les marrons!! (Uzès - #205, 12.12.1885)

                Les patineurs (Uzès - #252, 06.11.1886)

                Dilemme (Uzès - #220, 27.03.1886)

                ... La Dame blanche vous regarde... (Caran d’Ache - #201, 14.11.1885)

                Des goûts et des couleurs (Caran d’Ache - #233, 26.06.1886)

                La brave petite vivandière (V.A. Poirson - #434, 10.05.1890)

                Divertissement d’été (V.A. Poirson - #456, 11.10.1890)

                Le mauvais accueil puni (V.A. Poirson - #448, 16.08.1890)

                Cas foudroyant (Godefroy - #392, 20.07.1889)

                Les suites de propos aigres-doux (Godefroy - #304, 05.11.1887)

                Le Major Von Giffle (Godefroy - #299, 01.10.1887)

                Le cœur révélateur (Godefroy - #282, 04.06.1887)

                Les bienfaits de la musique (Godefroy - #377, 06.04.1889)

                La guérite (Fernand Fau - #248, 09.10.1886)

                Un bon tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras (Fernand Fau - #370, 16.02.1889)

                Air de guitare (Fernand Fau - #266, 12.02.1887)

                Maigre recette (Fernand Fau - #261, 08.01.1887)

                La mort du Juste (Fernand Fau - #419, 25.01.1890)

                Courez pas sur la glace! (Döes - #380, 27.04.1889)

                Les précautions de M. Fouthmann de Berlin (Döes - #308, 03.12.1887)

                Comment se créent les nouvelles modes (Döes - #424, 01.03.1890)

                Terme d’avril (Döes - #430, 12.04.1890)

                Le placement d’une belle-mère (Döes - #358, 24.11.1888)

                Trop belle! (Döes - #334, 09.06.1888)

                La danse du ventre (Döes - #421, 08.02.1890)

                L’amour plus fort que la mort (Döes - #459, 01.11.1890)

                14, avenue Marigny (Döes - #328, 21.04.1888)

                Le chat et la grenouille (Steinlen - #141, 20.09.1884)

                Horrible fin d’un poisson rouge (Steinlen - #121, 03.05.1884)

                Idylle (Steinlen - #164, 28.02.1885)

                sans titre (Steinlen)

                Ce qu’il advint d’une petite fille (Steinlen - #161, 07.02.1885)

                Horrible fin de Bazouge ou les suites funestes de l’intempérance (Steinlen - #170, 11.04.1885)

                Le roman d’un peintre (Steinlen - #139, 06.09.1884)

                La pipe (Steinlen - #200, 07.11.1885)

                La recherche de la paternité (Steinlen - #449, 23.08.1890)

                Deux pages d’amour (Willette - #158, 17.01.1885)

                C’est un conte blanc, C’est un conte noir (Willette - #150, 22.11.1884)

                Le roman de la rose (Willette - #69, 05.05.1883)

                Pierrot chez le Bon Dieu (Willette - #51, 30.12.1882)

                --Michel Kempeneers

 

Henderson, Sam. Scene but not Heard, Nickelodeon Magazine, 1990s.

 

Jacobsson, Oscar, Henry Thol and Jeff Hayes. Adamson's Adventures, Consolidated News, 1922-1953.

            Swedish strip with three consecutive writer/artists.

 

Johnson, Crockett. The Little Man with the Eyes, Colliers Magazine, 1940‑1943.

                "Although the strip never had an official name, it became known as 'The Little Man with the Eyes' for its main character, a little man whose eyes communicate his thoughts to the reader and to others in the comic. I've seen about 95% of these strips and, in all of them, the little man speaks only with his eyes and not in words. Also, the 'joke' can be subtle; you may need to look closely. 'The Little Man with the Eyes' ran in Collier's from March 1940 to January 1943. -- Phil Nel in Crockett Johnson's Early Work (http://www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/purple/early.html#little_man)

 

*Johnston, Lynn. For Better or For Worse, United Features Syndicate, August 6, 2000; September 17, 2000; October 22, 2000; January 7, 2001, May 27, 2001, July 1, 2001.

            A strip that usually is not silent.

 

*Kaz. "Bloody Buddies," Underworld, published in Washington City Paper June 22, 2000.

            A self-syndicated strip that usually is not silent. This example shows two women meeting in a laundromat and comparing menstrual cycles.

 

*Kaz. [Boy walking dog on moon.] Underworld, published in Washington City Paper, October 27, 2000.

 

*Keane, Bil. Family Circus, King Features Syndicate, September 3, 2000,  July 1, 2001, October 21, 2001.

            A strip that usually is not silent.

 

*King, Frank. The Phoney Nickel, bottom strip of Gasoline Alley, 1930s?

            Frequently, but not always wordless.  See examples in Drawn & Quarterly, 3:1.

 

Kirchner, Paul. The Bus, Heavy Metal and alternative newspapers

            Reprinted in The Bus, New York: Ballantine, 1987.

 

*Kirkman and Scott.  Baby Blues, King Features Syndicate, June 30, 2000; May 20, 2001.

            Single wordless strip with pictures in thought balloons.

 

Liss, Norm (w) and Bernard Achiron (a). Busy Bea, Enterprise Features, 1951-1952.

 

McBride, Clifford (w/a); Margot McBride (w) and Roger Armstrong (a). Napoleon, 1932-1960.

            Two consecutive creators. Occasionally had word balloons. Continuation of earlier Clifford McBride variously-titled strip begun in 1925. Collected in Clifford McBride's Immortal Napoleon and Uncle Elby, Castle Press, 1932; Napoleon, Hyperion Press, 1977; Napoleon and Uncle Elby, Robert A. McBride, 1945; Napoleon and Uncle Elby, Saalfield, 1938.

 

*McDonnell, Patrick. [Mooch the cat carves a table], Mutts, King Features Syndicate, September 11, 2000.

 

McDougall, Walt and Mark Fenderson. [various panels], New York World, 1894-?

            Walt McDougall did various other page panels during the year 1893 -‑ but it was 28 Jan 1894 when the first sequence of comic pictures in a newspaper appeared in PANELS -‑ in the same format as our comic strips today. It was a full page cut up into 9 panels, and PANTOMINE, NO WORDS. Most people think that PANTOMINE or WORDLESS comics are a modern invention, but, the fact is the very first strip of panels or sequence of pictures in panels was pantomine or wordless -‑ only words were the title. This page was drawn by Mark Fenderson.

                 The second page to appear in PANELS was an 8 panel strip, also without words except for the title. This was a collaboration job byWalt McDougall and Mark Fenderson. From then on many full page color pages of strips appeared by Walt McDougall. Also MANY pages by Mark Fenderson. It was Walt McDougall and Mark Fenderson who were the first cartoonists to draw for the Sunday newspaper comic section." -- Bob Beerbohm quoting letters by Ernie McGee to Joe Campbell in the early 1960s

 

Miki, Tori (aka Mickey Bird). Anywhere But Here, vol 1-2, 199?

                "...a 9 panel wordless strip collection in 2 vols by the Japanese artist Miki Tori. It's filled with subtleties and unique Japanese cultural references. I don't think it crosses culture so well but it's fun and non‑Japanese could 'get' most of it. Still, his texted (sic) comics are even more puzzling because most of the keys for the narrative are hidden in the text which you can't read and so you're unable to create the narrative." -- David Wybenga

                "It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is engrossing, and funny in quiet, subtle, and sometimes very black ways. It follows a man who daydreams a lot, somewhat like an adult Calvin, and there are a lot of surreal and graphic design-y visual puns based on form, perspective, and chiaruscoro. It actually took me a little while to catch on that the surreal bits were supposed to be daydreams. As was mentioned with the European books, I can't always tell how much of my enjoyment of manga is due to cultural fascination (and frankly, they're all wordless to me ;-) but I liked this a lot..." -- Glenn Carnegy

 

Mikkelsen, Henning "Mik," Al Plastino, and Henrik Rehr. Ferd'nand, United Feature Syndicate, 1937-present.

            Strip with three consecutive writer/artists. Strip started in Holland in 1937, appeared in USA in 1947. Collected in Mikkelsen, Henning "Mik," Adventures of Ferd'nand, Graphic Books, 1955.

 

Miles, John. Perkins, Register and Tribune Syndicate, 1968-1980.

 

Morgenson, Jorgen (w) and Cosper Cornelius. Moco, Times-Mirror Syndicate, 1959-1961.

            Danish strip.

 

*Peirce, Lincoln. [Kissing in the dark strip], Big Nate, NEA Inc., September 24, 2000.

 

*Phillips, Irving. The Strange World of Mr. Mum, Publishers Syndicate, 1958-1974.

            Reprinted in The Strange World of Mr. Mum, Henry Holt, 1959, The Best of Mr. Mum, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1965, with an introduction by Herblock and No Comment by Mr. Mum, New York : Popular Library, 1971.

 

*Plauen, E.O. (Erich Ohser) Vater und Sohn (Father and Son), Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung, 1934-1937.

            "Three lovely books in one, even lovelier, slipcase. And it's all wordless. Except for the introduction booklet." -- Arthur Van Kruining

            "A few bits of text, but really a wordless series, from Germany. Don't know a German publisher, but there is a nice French edition (Pere et Fils) from Seuil, which may be of greater accessibility anyway." -- Andy Konky Kru.

            "... a current complete edition is published by Südverlag, ISBN 3878000154" -- Jochen Garcke

 

Pusey, J. Carver. Benny, 1929-194?

             "As I recall, it was almost totally silent, though I once had a WWII era daily where another character did comment on Benny not speaking. It was a strip which dealt with the 'Loose lips sink ships' theme of WWII. It did run until at least 1946, as I have one original from that date. It was being syndicated by a Philadelphia paper at that point." -- Rob Stolzer

 

Qwak, Arthur. [writer's block], Stakhano Newsletter #7, January 24, 1996.

 

Remuzat. "Grosso Modo," Stakhano Newsletter #11, May 6, 1997.

 

Rouson, John Henry. Little Sport, 1949-1976.

            "This was a 'tiny' strip, and its size‑‑about the size of Peanuts in the early days‑‑was supposed to be one of its selling points." -- R.C. Harvey

 

Rouson, John Henry. Boy and Girl, London Sunday Dispatch / General Features, 1955-1974.

 

*Schulz, Charles. Classic Peanuts, United Features Syndicate, September 14, 2000 [ reprinted from 1988]; October 29, 2000 [reprinted from 1974].

 

Sellers, Paul. Lancelittle, Hall Syndicate, 1964-1965.

 

Shirvanian, Vahan. No Comment, King Features Syndicate, 1979-1981.

 

Soglow, Otto. The Ambassador, King Features Syndicate, 1933-1934.

 

Soglow, Otto. The Little King, King Features Syndicate, 1934-1975.

            Continued in syndication from New Yorker cartoons. Reprinted in The Little King, New York: Farrar and Rinehardt, 1933.

 

Taliaferro, Al. Donald Duck, 1936-1940?

            These were frequently wordless and have been reprinted in the 1990s by Gladstone Comics in Donald Duck #280-307, reprinting 1936-1940 strips; Uncle Scrooge #309-316, reprinting 1940; and Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #623-631, reprinting 1940.

 

*Telnaes, Ann. [Fairy godmother at the grocery store,] Six Chix, King Features Syndicate, July 16, 2000.

            Not usually silent.

 

Tonra, Mark. Top of the World, United Media, 1998-present.

            His Sunday strips are frequently wordless. See http://www.comics.com/comics/topofworld/ab.html

 

*van der Born, Bob. Professor Pi volumes 1‑4, Amsterdam: Stripantikwariaat Lambiek presenteert, 1978.

            "...a surreal Dutch strip ... that one of the Amsterdam comic shops used to publish in collections. Recommended." -- Steve Whitaker

                "The newspaper strip started in 1955. An example: First panel: Pi (little bald man with glasses and whiskers, not unlike Tournesol in Tintin) is babysitting, he reads a book and rocks a babybed with one hand. Second panel: Pi looks bemused as the baby leans over the side and throws up." --  Andy Konky Kru

 

Walt Disney Productions, Mickey Mouse And His Friends, King Features Syndicate, 1958-1962.

            Produced by several writers and artists and aimed at an international audience.

 

White, Brian. Nipper, 1930s-1940s.

            "Nothing spectacularly original, but amusing enough British strip published during the1930s in the Daily Mail. 'Nipper' is a little boy, inspired by the artist's son John White. There is a 1995 reprint of a Nipper Annual ‑ 1940 (ISBN 0900804 31 9)." -- Andy Konky Kru

 

*Willem. Anal Symphonies, Editions Cornelius, 1996.

            Scatalogical silent cartoons.

 

Willem. Poignees D'Amour, Editions Cornelius, 1995.

*Wright, Doug.  Little Nipper / Doug Wright's Family, syndicated Canadian strip, 1948-1970?

 

Wyrauch, Howard. The Little General in The Army Times, 1948?

             Military cartoons about an ineffectual and incompetent general, much like Mort Walker's work. Compiled in The Little General, Washington, DC: Army Times, 1949?

 

Young, Chic. Colonel Potterby and the Duchess, 1934-1963.

            "And I seem to remember, but now I'm really reaching, that the characters in the Blondie

topper Colonel Potterby and the Duchess never spoke." -- Rick Norwood

 

 

+++

 

Woodcut Novels:

 

Balthus. Mitsou, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1984.  ISBN 0-8109-1320-8.

            "I read the above book on the train ride to work yesterday. It's called Mitsou; (40 Images by Balthus), originally published in 1920 with a five-page introductory essay in French by Rilke. I don't have any of my Rilke books in Japan but I first fell for him with Letters to a Young Poet before I explored his poetry and other essays. In my mind this is a phenomenal recommendation for this book.

                The book came into my hands by means of the 1984 reprint published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY which translated the Rilke essay into English for the first time.

                A quote from the intro, 'Is it a mistake to burden you with these reflections when my real purpose is to introduce you to the story with which my young friend Balthus is about to regale you? True, he will do so by drawing, without speaking to you very much, but his images will more than slake your curiosity.'

                The book is a simple story told in 40 wordless woodcuts about the experience of the author, Balthus, and his cat. Rilke suggests Balthus may have been about ten at the time of the events depicted, but there is no indication how old the author may have been at the time he executed the story.

                The art does not seem to recall Masereel or Ward or any of the other woodcut masters that you may have read about in The Comics Journal #208. The artist has his own voice and I particularly enjoyed his attempt to express a variety of emotion, in spite of the fact that the style is rough, thick-lined, and allowing little light into many of the pages.

                What I'm particularly interested in, with regards to this book, is the interplay of comics and non-comics. Rilke sees this as an opportunity to bring his own message. I'd suspect that it's one contrary to what Balthus was trying to express. And instead, it would appear that while the essay informs the story and the story informs the essay, these are really two different and essentially separate approaches to the same topic. A very curious thing to me." -- David Wybenga

 

Bocharakova, Helena. Childhood, 1931.

    "...only woman who did a woodcut novel prior to the artists' books today." ‑- David Beronä

 

Currie, Ken. "Story From Glasgow," Contemporary British Art in Print, 1989.

            97 linocuts.

 

Drooker, Eric. Flood! New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 1993.

 

*Drooker, Eric. Street Posters and Ballads: A Selection of Poems, Songs and Graphics, New York: Seven Stories Press, 1998.

 

*Drooker, Eric. Blood Song: A Silent Ballad, New York: Harcourt Brace, 2002.

            Introduction by Joe Sacco.

 

Faye, Jules Remedios. The Mechanical Dreamer.

 

Gluck, Felix. When We Are Together Again.

 

Gothein, Werner. Die Seiltamzerin Und Ihr Clown.

 

Gropper, William. Alay‑Oop, 1930.

    "This has a dream sequence rich with symbolism." -‑ David Beronä

 

Harper, Cliff. The Unknown Deserter.

 

Holzman, David. "Wild Heart," Raw 2:1, New York: Penguin Books, 1989, reprinted in a single volume.

 

Holzman, David. [title?], ZeroZero #10, Fantagraphics Books, 199?

 

Howson, Peter. "A Hero of the People," Contemporary British Art in Print, 1987.

            14 or 16 linocuts.

 

Hyde, Laurence. Southern Cross; A Novel of the Southern Seas, 1951.

            "Wordless book of wood engravings on the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests." -- David Beronä

 

Katz, Babbette. At the Beach.

 

Katz, Babbette. Yarn,Visual Studies Workshop Press, 1992.

 

Klimowski, Andrezej. The Depository: A Dream Book.

 

Krasauskas, Stasys. Amzinai Gyvi (Alive For Ever), 1976.

            36 prints.

 

Kuthan, Georges. Aphrodite's Cup.

            "...a very erotic wordless book." -- David Beronä

 

Lewen, Si. The Parade, New York: H. Bittner, 1957.

            "...The Parade, with its sequel A Journey... are truly phenomenal works which I'm going to spend more time with before I elaborate. But one of the timely things that I didn't want to take any time sharing was an introduction to The Parade by Albert Einstein; 'I find your work The Parade very impressive from a purely artistic standpoint. Furthermore, I find it a real merit to counteract the tendencies towards war through the medium of art. Nothing can equal the psychological effect of real art -- neither factual descriptions nor intellectual discussions.'

                'It has often been said that art should not be used to serve any political or otherwise practical goals. But I could never agree with this point of view. It is true that it is utterly wrong and disgusting if some direction of thought and expression is forced upon the artist from outside. But strong emotional tendencies of the artist himself have often given birth to truly great works of art. One has only to think of Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" and Daumier's immortal drawings directed against the corruption in French politics of his time. Our time needs you and your work.'" -- David Wybenga

            "Probably two of the more emotionally dramatic wordless books I have read." -- David Beronä

 

Lewen, Si. A Journey, 1980.

 

Masereel, Frans. Mein Studenbuch, 1916, reprinted as Passionate Journey, New York: Penguin, 1988.

            165 woodcuts. " ...everyone's best buy is going to be Masereel's Passionate Journey. I'm sure you can still buy it new and it comes up used at all the usual places as well. And after that you're going to want to pick up Flood! by Drooker which is heavily inspired by Masereel's work." -- David Wybenga

 

Masereel, Frans. Jeunesse (Youth).

 

Masereel, Frans. Das Werk (The Work).

 

Masereel, Frans. The Idea.

 

Masereel, Frans. Story Without Words.

 

Masereel, Frans. The Sun.

 

Moreau, Clément. Frühe Arbeten: 5 Grafikfolgen.

            "Includes Deine Schwester (Your Sister), 1927 with 7 linocuts; Erwerbslose Jugend (Unemployed Youth), 1928 with 6 linocuts; and Fürsorgeerziehung der Fürsorgezögling Joseph Schmidt: ein Bilderbuch (Reform school education of Joseph Schmidt), 1929 with 19 linocuts." - - David Wybenga

 

Mousli, Lillian. Die Augen der Angst (Eyes of Angst: A Story in Images), Jochen Enterprises, 1999.

            This is acrylic painting, but it seemed to fit best in this section. See Beronä's review in Comics Journal #220.

 

Musco, Lydia Jenkins. Sugar Hill House.

            25 linoleum cuts.

 

*Nuckel, Otto. Destiny, New York: Farrar & Rinehart, 1930.

            187 leadcuts.

 

Patri, Giacomo. White Collar, 1940.

 

Reid, James. Life of Christ in Woodcuts.

 

Stern, Christopher and Jules Fayeis. Calling Down the Birds, 1991, reprinted Seattle: Grey Spider Press, 1994.

 

Szutz, Istvan Szegedi. My War.

 

Turzak, Charles. Abraham Lincoln: Biography in Woodcuts.

 

Ward, Lynd. Wild Pilgrimage, Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, 1932.

 

Ward, Lynd. Madman's Drum, Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1930.

 

Ward, Lynd. God's Man, Jonathan Cape, 1929.

 

Ward, Lynd. Prelude to a Million Years.

 

Ward, Lynd. Song Without Words, New York: Random House, 1936.

 

Ward, Lynd. Vertigo.

 

Ward, Lynd. Storyteller Without Words, New York: Abrams, 1974.

            "... from the voice of economy, I would suggest that people not try to buy the six Lynd Ward woodcut novels one at a time. Instead, go directly for the book Storyteller Without Words. This collects all six and contains

copious notes from Ward and lots of extra illustrations." -- David Wybenga

 

Wiszniewski, Adrian. "For Max" Contemporary British Art in Print, 1987.

            25 color linocuts.

 

+++

 

Picture and Children's Books:

 

There are many wordless children's books. Included in this section are ones closely related to cartooning.

 

*Banyai, Istvan.  Re‑Zoom, New York: Puffin, 1998.

 

*Banyai, Istvan. Rem: Rapid Eye Movement, New York: Viking, 1997.

 

*Banyai, Istvan. Zoom, New York: Puffin, 1998.

 

Billout, Guy. Number 24, New York: Harlin Quist, 1973.

Billout, Guy. Journey: Travel Diary of a Daydreamer, Creative Editions, 1994.

            "The nearly wordless picture book follows a boy on a train ride that ‑‑ judging from the surreal scenes viewed from his train window ‑‑ transcends the laws of time and space. Dinosaurs cavort over a rail bridge, and wolves crawl under a moat as if it were a blanket in the sleek illustrations, which are captioned by spidery text that reinforces the book's dreamlike quality." ‑‑ The Horn Book, Inc

 

Blake, Quentin. Clown, New York: Henry Holt, 1996.

 

Briggs, Raymond. The Snowman, London: Hamish Hamilton, 1978.

 

Crowther, Kitty. Va Faire Un Tour, France: Pastel / L'ecole des loisirs.

 

Feelings, Tom. The Middle Passage: White Ships / Black Cargo. New York: Dial Books, 1995.

 

Sharo, Margery and illustrated by Roy McKie. Melisande, Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1960.         Children's wordless cartoon book.

 

Ungerer, Tomi. Snail, Where Are You? New York: Harper & Row, 1962.

 

Ward, Lynd. The Silver Pony, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1973.

 

*Weisner, David. Sector 7. New York: Clarion, 1999.

            Sequential art that uses panels.  Very attractive book.

 

Weitzman, Jacqueline Preiss and Robin Preiss Glasser (ill.). You Can't Take a Balloon into the National Gallery, Dial Books.

            Not seen and may not be relevant.

 

Willhoite, Michael. The Entertainer: A Story in Pictures, Boston: Alyson Publications, 1992.

            Line art story of a boy who is discovered juggling in the park, becomes a famous entertainer, and eventually goes back to juggling in the park. The passage of time is conveyed by vignettes of a tree and its leaves.

 

+++

 

Cartoons:

 

*Alcoholics Anonymous. Best Cartoons from the Grapevine. New York: Cornwall Press, 1970.

            Includes reprints of Victor E. a wordless strip running from at least 1963-1969 in the magazine.

 

Billout, Guy. [various cartoons], Atlantic Monthly, 1990s-

            Billout does a wordless full page panel cartoon of a physically-impossible event about every other month. A partial listing can be found at the Comics Research Bibliography by John Bullough & Rhode ‑- http://www.rpi.edu/~bulloj/comxbib.html

 

*Billout, Guy. Points to Ponder column cartoons, Reader's Digest, September 1999-

            Billout does a small panel cartoon of a physically-impossible event every month. He may have been doing them before September 1999. A partial listing can be found at the Comics Research Bibliography by John Bullough & Rhode ‑- http://www.rpi.edu/~bulloj/comxbib.html

 

Bond, Simon. Stroked Through The Covers, London: Methuen, 198?

 

Bond, Simon. Unspeakable Acts, New York: Clarkson Potter, 1981.

 

Bond, Simon. 101 Uses for a Dead Cat, New York: Clarkson Potter, 1981.

 

Bond, Simon. 101 More Uses for a Dead Cat, New York: Clarkson Potter, 198?

 

Bond, Simon. Bizarre Sights & Odd Visions, New York: Crown, 1983.

 

Bond, Simon. Teddy, London: Methuen, 1985.

 

Bond, Simon. Tough Teddies and Other Bears, New York: Clarkson Potter, 1985.

 

Bond, Simon. Uniformity, London: Methuen, 1986.

 

Bond, Simon. Totally U.S., Salem House, 1988.

 

Bond, Simon. Odd Dogs: 101 Scenes of Canine Life, New York: Perennial, 1989.

 

Bond, Simon. Battered Lawyers and Other Good Ideas, Toronto: HarperCollins, 1990.

 

Brockbank, Russell. "Exhibition of Modern Art -- Closed," Punch, 1953.

            Reprinted in Punch 150th Anniversary Exhibition catalogue, 1991.

 

*Caldwell, John. Running A Muck, Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 1978.

                Includes about a dozen wordless cartoons.

 

*Cole, William and Douglas McKee. French Cartoons, New York: Dell, 1954.

                A collection of gag cartoons, about half wordless, that includes silent ones by Gad, Chaval, Francois, Trez, Moallic, Dropy, Ru, Mose, Douay, Guy Valls, Escaro, Coq, Barberousee, Tetsu, and Robert Pionnier.

 

Cole, William and Douglas McKee. More French Cartoons, New York: Dell, 1955.

            A collection of gag cartoons, about half wordless, that includes silent ones by Bosc, Corzé, Ru, LaPlace, Hervé, Tetsu, Henry, Morez, Chaval, Sempé, Mose, Michel Douay, Jacq, Mofrey, Léon, François, Philibert-Charrin, Ami, An, Dropy, Chag, and Anri.

 

Cole, William and Douglas McKee. Touche! The Funniest Cartoons from France, New York: Dell, 1961.

            A collection of gag cartoons, about half wordless, that includes silent ones by Sim, Jacques, Trez, Faizant, Bosc, Hervé, Sempé, Tetsu, Henry, Mose, Michel Douay, Ru, Gad, LaPlace, and Hallart.

 

*Coverly, Dave. Speed Bump, Creators Syndicate, July 13, 2000.

            This daily panel comic is not usually silent. This example is of a dog scaring a cat that was hiding under a bed.

 

Day, Chon. Brother Sebastian Carries On, New York: Pocket, 1961.

 

Day, Chon. Brother Sebastian At Large, New York: Pocket, 1962.

 

Effel, Jean. The Little Angel.

            "Hugely popular French cartoonist (popular in France and Germany anyway), famous for a series of cartoons about 'the creation of the world' which is a sort of continuous story. The little angel is a collection of charming 6-panel onepagers, almost all without words." -- Andy Konky Kru

 

Flora, Paul. Trauerflora, Switzerland, 1958.

 

En‑Esser‑Tjes, The Netherlands, nd (ca. late 1950s)

            A collection of gag cartoons by various European artists, mostly pantomime, that are apparently reprinted from a publication titled Tussen de Rails. 

 

Jaffee, Al. Tall Tales, 1958-1965.

            "...a long, thin pantomime panel..." -- R.C. Harvey

 

Kliban, B. The Biggest Tongue In Tunisia and Other Drawings. New York: Penguin, 1986

 

Kliban, B. Cat, New York: Workman Publishing, 1975.

 

Kliban, B. Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head & Other Drawings, New York: Workman Publishing, 1976.

 

Kliban, B. Tiny Footprints and Other Drawings, New York: Workman Publishing, 1978.

 

Kliban, B. Whack Your Porcupine And Other Drawings, New York: Workman Publishing, 1977.

 

*Leunig, Michael. The Penguin Leunig, New York: Penguin, 1983.

             1974 1st ed. Australian gag cartoons.  Many wordless.  Introduction by Barry Humphries.

 

Mahood, Kenneth. Da War Ich Sprachlos, Germany, 1961.

            A collection of pantomime gag cartoons.

 

Meulen, Ever. DE ZAAK T.T.T. Lyon, France: Carton, nd (ca. 1985).

            Mostly wordless cartoons.

 

Mordillo, Guillermo. The Collected Cartoons of Mordillo.

 

Mordillo, Guillermo. Cartoons Opus I.

 

Mordillo, Guillermo. Crazy Crazy.

            "Many albums/books of beautifully drawn and coloured strip-cartoons from the early 1970s onwards." -- Andy Konky Kru

 

*Rubin, Leigh. Rubes, Creator's Syndicate, November 6, 2000.

 

Sakren, George. It All Depends, George Matthew Adams Service, 1952.

            Syndicated comic panel.

 

Sempé.

            "His cartoon-collections contain many superb silent comics." -- Andy Konky Kru

 

*Serre. Humour Noir & Hommes En Blanc, Grenoble: Editions Jacques Glenat, 1975.

            Cartoons on medicine.

 

*Serre. Musiques, Grenoble: Editions Jacques Glenat, 1993.

            Cartoons on music.

 

*Seth.  "Kalo gag cartoon from Cartoon Laughs, Fall 1948," in It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken, Drawn & Quarterly, 1996.

            Seth invented a Kalo, New Yorker cartoonist, and drew some of his cartoons, one of which was a silent Boy Scout gag.

 

*Thelwell, Norman.  Thelwell's Book of Leisure. New York: E.P. Dutton. 1969.

            Includes some wordless gag cartoons.

 

*Twohy, Mike.  That's Life, Washington Post Writer's Group, June 11, 2000;  July 23, 2000; August 13, 2000;  September 10, 2000; October 19, 2000, October 29, 2000..

 

+++

 

Mini Comics:

 

 

Abel, Jessica. Trazo de Tina, 2000, reprinted in Comics Journal #220, February 2000.

            "I just finished a new comic based on my life here in Mexico (it's also an homage to French comics artist Blutch, but if you don't know who he is, it won't affect your ability to read and enjoy this comic). It's a 16‑page 1/2 legal‑sized, and is called Trazo de Tina [Trace of Tina]. It is also completely wordless, so if your English is bad, this is the comic for you!" - - Jessica Abel

 

Bunce, Alan. ZZZ #1, 2000.

            "Slapstick pantomime dream adventure for all ages. It features an innovative storyboard format and a lot of fancy cross-hatching. The first issue features a self-contained story about a little guy with a weird mustache who has an Arabian nightmare." - - Previews X:1, January 2000.

 

*Chapman, Robyn.  "Quietus" and "Bathe," Theater of the Meek, Ice World Press, 2000.

            Two stories from Xeric award winner, 1st on a circus clown unlucky in love, second on a bather's erotic dream.  Order from ICE World Press, HC31, Box 5223A, Wasilla, AK, 99654; http://www.iceworldpress.com for $2.95.

 

*Cook, Greg. Hearsay, 2000.

            Includes sound effects.  Order from Cook, 79 Riggs St., Gloucester, MA 01930 or www.highwaterbooks.com.

 

Corman, Leela. Valentine, Boston: Glitter Cannon, 1999.

 

Crane, Jordan. "Once Upon A Bug's Life," Vodvil 15, TheComicStore.com http://www.thecomicstore.com/merchant/vodvil15.htm

 

Crane, Jordan. "Too Far Gone," Vodvil 18, TheComicStore.com http://www.thecomicstore.com/merchant/vodvil18.htm

 

Crane, Jordan. "A Tiny Tale of Woe," Vodvil 22, TheComicStore.com http://www.thecomicstore.com/merchant/vodvil22.htm

            Reprinted in Highwater Books advertisement in Comics Journal #218 (December 1999): 23-24.

 

Dijkhuis, Reinder. Pin Drop.

            "Pin Drop is a small collection of wordless comics. At 28 interior pages, it collects five of my wordless stories into a cheap, accessible volume." -- Reinder Dijkhuis

                Ordering info: $2 or the equivalent in trade. Reinder Dijkhuis; Bloemstraat 30 a; NL‑9712 LE; Groningen; The Netherlands. http://www.noord.bart.nl/~samizdat/rovers.htm

 

Feuchtenberger, Anke. Blind Schleich Song, http://www.feuchtenbergerowa.de/gal.htm.

 

Haspiel, Dean. Pinata. 1999.

            Submission for Comix 2000, distributed separately by Haspiel at ICAF '99.

 

Hornschemeier, Paul. "What is Art?," Sequential #5, 2000.

            3 page, opaque science fiction story, reminiscent of Moebius. Atypical tabloid format includes other artists and a Clowes interview. Ordering info: $2.95 to Sequential, PO Box 3442, Columbus, OH 43210.

 

Kemtis, Theodore  and Terrence Ficklin. Creative Harmony, Theory Production, 1999.

             "A new concept in comics! These are Christmas greeting cards, each containing a complete comic book! [One card] is a sweet wordless tale in color of children and snowmen. Seven page story."- - Tim Stroup and Cold Cut Distribution

 

**Konky Kru, Andy (editor). Shtumm #1 and Shtumm #2, 2002?

            Shtumm #1 and Shtumm #2 each cost 2 Dollars, 2 Euro or 1.20 Pounds in cash. Postage and packing are free. Shtumm 3 will probably have more pages. Order from: Andy, PO Box 8892, London SW15, England; e‑mail andy_konkykru@yahoo.com. Online at http://bugpowder.com/dachshund/shtumm1.html.

 

Konky Kru, Andy (editor). Zeitraum #2, Dachshund, 1998.

            "32 page, size A4 comics anthology, containing works by Maaike Haartjes, Erik Kriek, Andreas Alt/Joel Naber, David Morris, Barbara Stock/Reinder Dijkhuis, Fil, Marcel Ruijters, Yasmin Abdulhack and the editor. (Zeitraum is pronounced 'tsight‑rowm', not 'zeet...' and means time‑room or 'space of time;' Nr.1 is similar but with text, in German). Issue 3 will be wordless too, and more voluminous." -- Andy Konky Kru

                Ordering info: Andy ‑ Dachshund Books ‑ PO Box 8892 ‑ London SW 15 ‑ England

‑ <andy.konkykru@btinternet.com> or http://bugpowder.com/andy/konkykru; $3

 

Konky Kru, Andy. Mumpitz, Dachshund, 1999.

            "24 page, size A6, mini‑comic with several short, funny stories, between 1 and 4 pages long, in a loose drawing style, sketchier than the 'Konky Kru' series." -- Andy KonkyKru.

                Ordering info: Andy ‑ Dachshunds Book ‑ PO Box 8892 ‑ London SW 15 ‑ England

‑ <andy.konkykru@btinternet.com> or http://bugpowder.com/andy/konkykru; $1

 

Konky Kru, Andy. Konky Kru Picture Strips, Dachshund, 1995.

                "28 page, size A5 comic with 24 one‑pagers featuring a group of funny little men, in a style that's half minimalism, half cartoony realism. The faces have no features except noses (hence the name, Conk‑crew) and there is hardly any background drawn. What is drawn, like hands and feet, is in correct perspective and not minimalist at all." -- Andy Konky Kru

                Ordering info: Andy ‑ Dachshund Books ‑ PO Box 8892 ‑ London SW 15 ‑ England

‑ <andy.konkykru@btinternet.com> or http://bugpowder.com/andy/konkykru; $3

 

Laska Comix. "Golem," Tentakel, Krake.

            "Laska Comix [is] a two‑people team." -- Jochen Garcke

 

*Laska Comix. Kaktus #1-#2, self-published, 1999-2000.

            "A border case... On each page there is a heading above the comic page and there is one 'activity' page.  Kaktus 1 got nominated for the Max‑und‑Moritz‑Award for Best German‑language Comic ‑ locally produced" -- Jochen Garcke

 

Lavrencic, Matej. 1.1.2000.

            "The second mini comic by a young and talented Slovenian author. Some words included in the form of onomatopoeias and signs (krul, school, bus...). Order at: matej.lavrencic@s5.net." -- Igor Prassel

 

Lundkvist, Gunnar. "Apres-Midi," Les aventures de Klas Katt #6, Quebec: Mille Putois.

            "...the silkscreened mini comics series from the fine publisher Mille Putois, 564 Maple, St-Lambert, Qc. Canada J4P 2S7. A 32 panel/page story by one of the most original Swedish authors of the 1990's. The adventures of Klas Katt are hilarious, black-humouristic and sometimes sad." -- Igor Prassel

 

Malkasian, C.  Pater Contrarius, Robot Publishing, 1999.

            "An old priest first loses his Good Book, then his faith in this brief, wordless story. Mini‑comic sized "lunch‑time" tale." -- Cold Cut Comics Distribution

 

*Naz.  Ce qui fait tourner la terre,  France: La Chose, 2000.

            "Naz is a young cartoonist publishing with La Chose, who were in the Fanzine area at Angouleme... He has a nice cartoony approach that is sort of reminiscent of Fingerman and Dorkin, crossed with Frederick Peeters. Ce Qui Fait Tourner la Terre, is a longish wordless book about the civil war in Mexico. Problem is that it's a little too narratively complex to be wordless ‑‑ there are unclear motivations in a lot of places, and the wordlessness is a major factor there." -- Bart Beaty

 

*Purvis, Leland. "Tacit," in Vox #1, Pack Rabbit Press, 2000.

            The first story, "Tacit," is my favorite. Wordlessly, it starts with an attractive conceit -- finding oneself underwater in one's house -- that serves as a brilliant metaphor for that period of time between dreaming and waking. It also captures the pain and shock of awakening graphically and the hurt of imagination in conflict with reality. -- Johanna Draper Carlson

 

Ralph, Brian. Cave-in #1-3.

            "He's also done several little minis for Cave-In (preliminary runs on the final Highwater product?), varying from books 2 inches by 1 inch to 3 by 4 inches...Brian's work looks like it was done as etchings/scratchboard/cool line art/prints. I'm not sure how he does it, but I love it. He does a lot of silent stories (Cave-In is all silent, and his story in Non #3). He's one of my favorite comics creators I 'discovered' in the last year." -- Jared Smith

                Ordering info: Cave-In #1, 2, 3. (also $3 each, post paid): Brian Ralph, PO Box 2328, Providence, RI 02906, U.S.A., fireballcomics@yahoo.com

 

Rifas, Leonard.  Quoz #1, 1969.

 

Shelton, Dave. [An untitled, wordless comic with a picture of a piece of film on the cover.]

            "The Untitled Wordless Comic (32 pages, 10cm x 10cm) -- I happen to think this is the least successful of the bunch [of Shelton's minicomics], although its delicate artwork is still worth the effort; it shows a photographer out at night taking photographs through someone's window of some (presumably secret) liaison. There's a neat twist at the end - perhaps too neat; it doesn't quite satisfy. I think, due to the detail of the background and the more realistically rendered style, that this is an early piece (there's no date, so I'm not sure). Still, it's worth it for the almost Chester Brown-esque art." -- Roger Langridge

                Ordering info: Dave Shelton, 147 Cherry Hinton Road, Cambridge, CB1 7BX, UK, wavex@lineone.net

 

Sifuentes Perez, Jayme. Amadeus. 1999.

                "...of interest was a self-published collection of wordless one-page strips by a guy from Torreon, Coahuila (up north) named Jayme Sifuentes, called Amadeus. He's a newspaper editorial cartoonist and sneaks in

these little one-pagers whenever he can. These are very simple but charming daydream strips full of cute formalism (boy draws a crescent moon and plays with it--a smile, a frown, horns--before taping it to his window

and going to sleep), along the lines of Quino, Andy Konky Kru's stuff, a more child-like version of Ahumada (who I wrote about earlier), and maybe bit of Crockett Johnson." -- Matt Madden

                Ordering info: Jayme Sifuentes Perez; Girasol 32-A Col. Villa California; 27089 Torreon, Coahuila

MEXICO; chilitocomic@starmedia.com; US$1 plus postage.

 

Thomsen, Karl (ed.). Sunburn #11: Beyond Words: A Wordless Anthology, 1999.

            International sampling. See Beronä's review in Comics Journal #220.

            "Now if you want a complete listing of the artists that appear in it? David Beronå, Matjaz Berconcelj, Maria Bjorklund, Tim Danko, Reinder Dijkhuis, Wostok & Grabowski, Zlatko Krstevski, Kieran Mangan, Nicolas Marichal, Carrie McNinch, Sasha Mihajlowich, Katja Moilanen, Robert Pasternak, Brendan Philip, Tom Roberts, Rovel, Mark Saunders, Jim Siergey, Glenn Smith, Barbara Stok, Richard Suicide, Nathan Thrailkill, Sami Vaha‑aho, Brad Yung, and Aleksandar Zograf. Whew. Forgive the spelling mistakes and missing accents." -- Karl Thomsen

                Ordering info at http://www.escape.ca/~mosfog/. Send $5 to PO Box 2061, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 3R4, Canada, Planet Earth

 

*Thomsen, Karl (ed.). Sunburn #15: Beyond Words 2, 2001.

                Ordering info at http://www.escape.ca/~mosfog/. Send $5 to PO Box 2061, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 3R4, Canada, Planet Earth

 

Toëpfferware #3, Switzerland: Intressengruppe Comic Schweiz, edition of 500.

            "A little box with 16 wordless mini‑comics by mostly Swiss cartoonists.  My favourite was the horrible 'Mr. Fish' (8 panels/pages) by Tom Tirabosco." -- Andy Konky Kru

 

Ulf K. "Nacht und Tag," Der Mondgucker, Edition Panel.

 

Ulf K.  "Die Geschichten des Hieronymus B.," self-published, reprinted in the

Canadian anthology Spoutnik 1.

 

Ulf K and Orlando. Ein Weg Zum Mond / My Way.

            "I picked up this attractively packaged flip book from the Bries table count myself fortunate. The Ulf K story (Ein Weg Zum Mond) is silent and has some of the narrative rhythm of a classic fairy story. If anything, the Orlando story is even more likeable.It's basically a short, simple love poem presented with some appealingly fanciful imagery. I was reminded of one of the minor Liverpool poets of the early sixties, Adrian Henry, perhaps? Limited edition of 200." -- Desmond Brice

 

*Ulf K.  Tango with Death: Picture-stories by Ulf K, Antwerpen, Belgium: Bries, 2001.

            Collection with some silent stories.

 

Warnock, Brett. Stream of Unconscousness, Primal Groove Press, 1994.

                "Stream of... was the very first thing i ever published. It was drawn mostly during slow times while tending bar in Eugene, at a wonderfully cheesy (chablis on tap, anyone?) seafood restaurant. My company was called Primal Groove Press at the time.

                It was also the last time I drew comics as well, being that I got so phobic about my own stuff working with so many talented newcomers. (Hart, Kochalka, et al.)

                Published as a mini in 1994. Still available, through Top Shelf Productions, for one measley dollar." -- Brett Warnock

 

Wolfgang, Kurt. "Hooray for Dad," Noe-Fie #7, Autumn 1998.

            "Extremely cynical story about a family man getting it in the neck. 24 pages of misery. Funny though." -- Andy Konky Kru

                Contact info: noefiepub@aol.com; http://members.aol.com/NOEFIEPUB/index.htm

 

Wolfgang, Kurt. "Rock-paper-scissors" Noe-Fie #8, Noe-Fie Monomedia, 1999.

 

Wolfgang, Kurt. Spooky Tales Of Terror #1.

 

+++

 

Secondary Bibliography:

 

Adams, Noah. "Prohias Obit." National Public Radio's All Things Considered (February 26, 1998).

 

Ainslie, Patricia. The Wood Engravings of Laurence Hyde. Calgary, Alberta: Glenbow Museum, 1986.

 

Arellano, Ruben. "An interview with the Mad one" [Sergio Aragones]. Journal of MADness, (Winter 1998). online at http://Sergiography.dhs.org/interview.html.

 

*Arnold, Andrew D. "Mute Stories Speak a Universal Language: TIME.comix examines Jim Woodring's 'Frank'". Time.com (February 22, 2001): http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,100332,00.html

 

Associated Press. "Antonio Prohias" [obituary]. Washington Post (February 26, 1998).

 

Avermaete, Roger. Frans Masereel. New York: Fonds Mercator / Rizzoli, 1976.

 

Beaty, Bart. "Euro‑Comics for Beginners: Nary a Word: Thomas Ott." Comics Journal (203; April 1998): 31‑34.

 

Beaty, Bart. "Euro‑Comics for Beginners: Fire Up the Micro‑Press: Stakhano." Comics Journal (198; August 1997): 35‑38.

 

Beaty, Bart. "Books of the Year - Embarrassment of Riches: Comix 2000." Comics Journal (220; February 2000): 23-24.

 

Beaty, Bart. "Euro‑Comics for Beginners: European Comics of 1999."  Comics Journal (220; February 2000): 69-72.

 

Beronä, David. "Picture Stories: Eric Drooker and the Tradition of the Woodcut Novels." Inks 2 (1; Feb 1995): 20‑23.

 

Beronä, David. "Silent Narratives: The Woodcut Novels of Lynd Ward." AB Bookman's Weekly 96 (2; July 10, 1995): 105‑121.

 

Beronä, David. "A Pathfinder in Pictures: The Woodcut Novels of Lynd Ward." Antiquarian Book Monthly 23 (10; Nov 1996): 20‑23.

 

Beronä, David. "Chronicles in Black and White: The Woodcut Novels of Masereel and Ward." Biblio 1 (2; Sep/Oct 1996): 38‑41.

 

Beronä, David A. "Spotlight on Woodcut Novels: Pictorial Narratives: The Woodcut Novels of Lynd Ward." Comics Journal (208; November 1998): 104-108.

 

Beronä, David A. "Breaking Taboos: Sexuality in the Work of Will Eisner and the Early Wordless Novels." International Journal of Comic Art 1 (1; Spring/Summer 1999): 90‑103.

 

Beronä, David A. "Discratches: Combustion: A Story Without Words by Chris Lanier." Comics Journal (219; January 2000): 24.

 

Beronä, David A. "Books of the Year - Underground Hit: Cave-in." Comics Journal (220; February 2000): 21-22.

 

Beronä, David A. "The Top 5 Lists!" Comics Journal (220; February 2000): 30.

 

Beronä, David A. and Chris Lanier. "Spotlight on Woodcut Novels: A Season of Silent Novels."

Comics Journal (208; November 1998): 95-103.

 

*Beronä, David A. " Pictures Speak in Comics without Words: Pictorial Principles in the Work of Milt Gross, Hendrik Dorgathen, Eric Drooker, and Peter Kuper" in The Language of Comics: Word and Image ed. by Robin Varnum and Christina T. Gibbons, Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2002.

 

*Beronä, David A. "Blackbid not speaking in the dead of night" [SSHHHH! by Jason review], Comics Journal (251; March 2003): 52.

 

*Beronä, David A. "A silent man's unfinished declaration" [Lynd Ward's Last Unfinished Wordless Novel review], Comics Journal (251; March 2003): 48.

 

Bibliognost (May 1976).

            The entire issue is devoted to Lynd Ward with an interview by Gil Williams and articles on Ward by McNeer, Harter, Cosgrave, Hart, Jacobs, Jones, Lindsley, McCurdy and Williams.

 

*Bieri, Sean. "Frames of  mind: A mammoth, mute anthology opens a new  epoch [Comix 2000]." Chicago Metro Times (May 17, 2000).  Online at http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=2462

 

Blackbeard, Bill. "Milt Gross," Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 1982.

 

Cohen, Martin. "The Novel in Woodcuts: A Handbook." Journal of Modern Literature 6 (2; April 1977).

 

*Gordon, Ian. "Laying the foundation: Early cartoonist F. M. Howarth developed some of the idioms that later cartoonist relied on." Hogan's Alley (9; Summer 2001): 124-131.

Grice, Bonnie. "Remembering Cartoonist of 'Spy vs. Spy'" [Antonio Prohias]. National Public Radio's Anthem (February 28, 1998).

 

Groensteen, Thierry. "Histoire de la Bande Dessinée Muette I ‑ II." 9e Art (2; January 1997): 60-75 and (3; January 1998): 92-105.

 

*Harvey, R.C. "Otto and the King and Gus: Otto Soglow's Travelin' Gus." Hogan's Alley (9; Summer 2001): 110-123.

 

Kreiner, Rich. "Perfectly Dreamy: ZZZ." Comics Journal (223; May): 29.

 

*Kunzle, David. "The Voices of Silence: Willette, Steinlen and the Introduction of the Silent Strip in the  Chat Noir , with a German Coda" in The Language of Comics: Word and Image ed. by Robin Varnum and Christina T. Gibbons, Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2002.

 

Lanier, Chris. "Spotlight on Woodcut Novels: Frans Masereel: A Thousand Words." Comics Journal (208; November 1998): 109-117.

 

Lehmann-Haupt, Hellmut. "The Picture-Novel Arrrives in America." Publisher's Weekly (February 1, 1930).

 

Lindsley, Joseph H. "On Lynd Ward." Bibliognost (May 1976).

 

Logan, David. "In the mind of Peter Kuper." Rain Taxi 6 (2; Summer 2001): 44.

 

*Molotiu, Andrei. "Masashi Tanaka's Gon Series." The Comics Journal (242, April 2002): 71-74.

 

Packalén, Leif. "Comics in the Development of Africa." International Journal of Comic Art (1:1; Spring/Summer 1999): 104-121.

 

*Radford, Bill. "Comics Fan: Marvel ‑‑ It goes (a month) without saying." Colorado Springs Gazette (December 9, 2001).

 

Rath, Jay. "Silents, Please! The Unspeakable Greatness of Carl Anderson's 'Henry.'" Nemo #26, (Sept. 1987): 42‑52.

 

Ward, Lynd. "The Illustrator and the Book," in Graphic Forms: The Arts as Related to the Book, Boston: Harvard University Press, 1949.

 

Willett, Perry. The Silent Shout: Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward, and the Novel in Woodcuts.

Bloomington: Indiana University Libraries, 1997.

 

Williams, Gil. [Lynd Ward interview]. Bibliognost (May 1976).

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