Eye of the Beholder: A Collection of Visual Puzzles

by Peter Kuper

Started as the first comic strip ever to run in the New York Times , this silent set of strips chronicles the world, its foibles, its intricacies, its dreams through the eyes of most anything you can imagine. The trick is to figure out whose eyes they are before seeing the final panel...

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

96 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1996

About the author

Peter Kuper is an American alternative comics artist and illustrator, renowned for his politically charged, socially conscious, and often autobiographical work. He co-founded the influential anthology World War 3 Illustrated, and is best known for his long-running reinvention of Spy vs. Spy for Mad magazine from 1997 to 2022. Kuper has produced numerous graphic novels, including award-winning adaptations of Franz Kafka’s Give It Up! and The Metamorphosis, as well as autobiographical works like Stop Forgetting To Remember and Diario de Oaxaca, documenting life, travel, and social struggles. His illustration work has appeared on covers and in publications such as Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Kuper’s style often merges comics and illustration techniques, with both wordless narratives and text-driven storytelling, reflecting his belief that the two disciplines are inseparable. He has traveled extensively across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, often documenting these experiences in sketchbook journals. Kuper has taught courses on comics and illustration at the Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, and Harvard University’s first class on graphic novels. He has received numerous awards, including recognition from the Society of Newspaper Designers, the Society of Illustrators, and Eisner and NCS awards for his work. His comics combine sharp political commentary, personal observation, and inventive visual storytelling, establishing him as a prominent figure in contemporary alternative comics and illustration.

Reviews

[Felipe Arango Betancourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

El tercer ojo, ese ojo que la tradición hindú ubica en el centro de la frente y con el que podemos ver lo invisible, lo esencial. Ese ojo que nos amplia la percepción y que nos da una visión ampliada de la vida: la visión de lo trascendente.




No sé si lo que escribo sobra y es atribuirle palabras a lo que no lo amerita, pero en estas viñetas silentes, en estas tiras cómicas en cuatro cuadros, vemos un panorama completo: lo antagónico, la paradoja y la ironía, el revés de una situación. 
Unas tiras causan risa, otras ponen a meditar y con otras simplemente no pasa nada, solo suceden, y ya es todo: suceder.

[Olavia Kite · Rating 2 out of 5]

A veces da risa, a veces hace pensar, a veces no pasa nada.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good concept and execution; really "makes you think". However, don't (as I did) sit down and read the whole thing all in one go, 'cause it starts to feel gimmicky after a while.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember the book as much as his appearance on the 2008 UND Writer's Conference. He was so very interesting and introduced me to graphic novels. Very memorable.

[María Angélica Ramírez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ilustraciones inteligentes que incluso hacen reflexionar por un momento y también reír de lo reales que pueden ser.

[Guillaume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Petit livre cynique qui porte un regard critique sur la société (américaine, et occidentale en général je dirais). Parti pour être originellement un petit livre sans prétention que l'on lit pour rigoler, il finit par nous faire nous poser un bon nombre de questions, ou du moins dresser un constat caustique du monde actuel. C'est assez fort.