The Sculptor
First Second
Written and Illustrated by Scott McCloud
Apr 03, 2015 Web Exclusive
Too often, experts on an artistic medium write book after book on their chosen form of expression, but don’t have the creative chops to back up their pedagoguery. Screenplay “gurus” who have never written a movie; acting teachers who haven’t been on stage in decades; music historians who have never attempted a composition. If there’s one expert who proves he can both talk the talk and walk the walk, though, it’s Scott McCloud. For decades, McCloud has been studying, analyzing, and breaking down comic books in such various and revolutionary works as Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics. And though he has been writing, editing, and drawing comics since the mid-1980s, it has been years since he’s released an original series or graphic novel.
The Sculptor is McCloud’s triumphant return to the medium, a nearly 500-page tome that proves, beyond any doubt, that McCloud is one of the best and most talented individuals working in the comic book industry today. David Smith is the titular sculptor, a former rising star in the art world whose fame, success, and artistic drive have all faded-that is, until he’s presented with a deal. Death itself confronts David and makes him the offer; David can sculpt anything he wants, out of any material, with his bare hands. In exchange, he’s going to die in 200 days. David makes the deal and soon finds his artistic output increased tenfold. However, as his life ticks away, David’s success remains stagnant. While he struggles to make his mark, David also falls in love, a romance complicated by his ever-nearing and inevitable demise.
It’s next to impossible to decide what’s best about The Sculptor—McCloud’s wholly engrossing story, or his absolutely gorgeous art. Anyone who has ever lived in, visited, or even seen New York on TV will readily appreciate just how breathtakingly, accurately, and stunningly McCloud captures the city. His eye for detail is exquisite, contributing to as fully realized a world as his complex, believable, flawlessly written characters. David, with his fears, his dreams, his love, is as real a person as you or I, and 200 days just isn’t enough time with him. Five hundred pages fly by like five under master-storyteller Scott McCloud. Make no mistake about it—The Sculptor will be on all the Top 10 Comic Books of 2015 lists come the end of the year. (us.macmillan.com/thesculptor/scottmccloud)
Author rating: 8.5/10
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