W-O-W. This graphic novel left me speechless, not only upon completion, but throughout the entire ride. Literally bowing down to Woodring as we speak, this was an incredible GR find (thank you to whoever recommended this on the feed, unfortunately I cannot remember). Talk about a Graphic Novel!
The Portable Frank is a collection of Jim Woodring's wordless comics that follows a cat(?)-like creature and his companions' adventures through a twisting dreamscape. The art was so fluid and expressive that I flew right through it. I'm definitely going to go back and take my time absorbing the art now that I understand the premise of each short story (which can be confusing, and I'm sure was made to be). That confusion, however, does not take away from the overall stories and I think its one of factors that make Frank, Frank. Because its surreal, each story is pretty unpredictable, which is half of the fun. Just the strangeness and the originality of the figures, architecture, and personalities of the characters makes this one one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. Woodring's unique combination of classic ink comic style (reminiscent of 1920's cartoons) and Dali-esque detail can truly define him, in my opinion, as a visionary artist.
To anyone who loves graphic novels, or even those who have never read one - READ THIS !!!!