White Collar

by Giacomo Patri

An awe inspiring and thought provoking book!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Art, Sequential Art, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels Manga

127 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1940

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A silent wood-cut "graphic novel" by Giacomo Patri tells the life-story of a white collar class man and his family going through good times and then mostly bad times.

[Moira Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indringend en krachtig werk deze silent graphic novel, een echte klassieker in zijn genre!

Extra pluspunt is de uitgebreide introductie geschreven door zijn zoon en stiefzoon, de originele introductie uit 1940 en een nawoord.

Voor een inkijkje: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHQUp02AKYv/

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably one of the great graphic novels of our time. It is probably the most important story ever told. It is probably of great historical importance. It is probably all these things, but it isn't for me.

It is a well done, wordless story of a man being pushed out of the white collar world by the Great Depression, and how he and his family suffers as he works to make a living. Life is unfair. Workers are not treated well. Greed is everywhere. The 1%s have it all. Hmm, sounds familiar.

So, while the story is well done, and well illustrated, and sad, it didn't engage me, other than to make me feel sorry for him, and for everyone who struggled, and still struggles.

Read it for the historical value. Read it because you want to see this graphic novel written before graphic novels became popular. Read it to see how the protagonist suffers.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have rarely read a novel told simply in pictures before (well, since putting down picture books at the age of around three, that is!). I found this an interesting story, but whilst the art style was nice and consistent, and I very much liked the use of black and white throughout, I feel it would have been far more dramatic with the addition of text. The storyline as it stands is a little predictable, but it is still an important book about the human condition.

[Jeff Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“White Collar” is the sole wordless novel by Italian-American artist, Giacomo Patri. Rather than woodcuts, he uses linoleum cuts! Most images are in black ink but the more fantastic elements are in a coppery-red ink.

The story is essentially the story of the struggles of an artist during the Great Depression. We see the artist unable to pay bills, unable to pay for an abortion for his wife, an eviction from their house, etc. In the end, he joins a workers’ union and goes on a march.

I found this story interesting because it breaks down the wall between blue and white collar workers. Both are subject to unfair labor practices by their overlords.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd rather not go into the politics of this book: oh, so you're poor and evicted? – well then, just join a post-Depression Million Man March and pretend that will help get everything better; partly because, as I suggest, they can be facile, and partly because they're not the be-all and end-all of the book. Yes, it is a tale born out of socialism but it's a social commentary at work, and it's a very good one. Our hero is trying to make his path through life, which is visualised here, among many different ways, as walking up a ramp encircling a globe – like if Saturn's rings were a spiral staircase. However, they're patchy, broken, cracking under his feet. As he tries and tries to keep his family in food and a home, he finds his artworks and creative life redundant; even in business he cannot succeed with his mindset. Of course, all the pawnbrokers are having a whale of a time – although it's about now I must call the book out for having a horrid image of usurers with rampantly ugly, Jewish faces – is this an immigrant's tale from the 1940s USA, or the 2016 UK Labour Party manifesto?

That aside, the linocuts here are stunning, and the graphic design work makes this a perfectly understandable work of art, in keeping with the social tradition. Wonderful imagery, perfectly befitting a wordless novel, is matched by a simple eye for character, and simple placement of captions in the form of diegetic lettering (book titles, letterheads and more) like those ancient cartoons. You do kind of want to point out the fallacious ending, and that anti-Semitism cannot be ignored, but on the whole this is a book that certainly, and rightfully, stakes its claim as a lost graphic novel classic. I'm very happy Dover have reprinted it for the likes of us to still be reading it.

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe too blunt, but definitely gut churning.

[Ayah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC of White Collar from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange with an honest review .

As a person who got the opportunity to lead the discussion on Blue Collar Jobs in my 2nd year of college, I was very thrilled when I read the title of this graphic novel.

This book begins and ends with written paragraphs that explain what the book of White Collar is about. In between, you get to enjoy the amazing graphics that are used to show the story.

The illustrations truly emphasized the statement that says; " a picture is worth a thousand words" .

Not only did I enjoy reading White Collars, but I also ended up learning a valuable historic lesson.

I give it 4.5/5 stars.

[Armel Dagorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. I've always loved the dark style of woodcuts, so this graphic novel in linocuts was right up my alley. It feels quite modern, this one-picture-a-page, wordless (or nearly) story, so it's fascinating to know that it was made in the late thirties. The subject matter of white collar workers stuck in jobs seen from the outside as good, but who in fact struggle to make ends meet, is probably as relevant now, in the age of zero hour contract, of the freelancing of the economy, as ever.

To sum up, quite a quick read, but one that you might (especially folks with a special interest in design, and graphic novels/comics, and the history of the latter) come back to often.

[Alexia Polasky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wordless, this classic graphic novel portrays an epoch by expressing a social message through art. In this case, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words—or more. Thank you Netgalley! Full review.

Muda, esta novela retrata una época y, al mismo tiempo, expresa un mensaje social a través del arte. En este caso es verdad que "una imagen dice más que mil palabras" (o incluso más). Reseña completa.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'White Collar' by Giacomo Patri is a wordless story told in 128 linocuts. They tell the story of a worker who struggles and what happens to him. In a way, this book represents and early independent graphic novel.

The book starts with a couple introductions. The first is for this edition and is written by the artist's son and stepson. This one gives biographical and historical context to the work that follows. The second introduction is by painter Rockwell Kent and was written in 1940. The afterword is by illustrator Peter Kuper. The work is in between.

The illustrations are made by affixing linoleum to wood, then cutting the design you want printed out. Then you ink and print. The original linoleum blocks have long deteriorated, but these prints are reproductions and are quite good. The story is linear, but sometimes hard to follow. Without dialogue or descriptive plates, I was left to guess what was happening. The work is in support of the progressive labor movement. It's of interest for the art and the time it was printed in.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[briz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An angry, sad portrayal of one man's economic collapse during the Great Depression, told silently through a series of dramatic, chiaroscurissimi linocuts.

So I got this only because of the linocuts: wow! Over a hundred linocuts! A comix of linocuts! Wow, what a pain in the butt! Wow, what dedication! And, indeed, they are very very good. I liked them a lot. Very dramatic lighting, and a wonderful early 20th century modernist style.

I had no idea about the story before borrowing this book, and it's also an interesting historical slide. Giacomo Patri was an Italian-born San Franciscan illustrator who got very into the labor movement in the 1930s. This book is a passionate screed against the perils of capitalism. Wordlessly, we follow a middle-class illustrator (?) who loses his job at an advertising agency and proceeds to suffer various slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. His humiliations and increasing horror are awful, and it reminded me a lot of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

[Ed Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary piece of work on so many levels. Patri's dedication in creating it, the power of the story told without words, and the arresting art on every page. If graphic novels have a family tree, this beautiful work is an early ancestor deserving of great respect. Not to be missed!

[Jera Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful stuff. Patri's message is still relevant to our time. His art captures the dire place many found themselves after the Great Depression and is quite expressive. I really enjoyed this piece and will have to take a look at more of his art.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating wordless novel made entirely out of linocut prints with a strong socialist bent. This might be the most sophisticated of the wordless novels I've read so far, because the linocut images are so sophisticated and expressionistic, and the story feels whole.

[Bob McCauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, impacting, and dark story of the depression told without text. Compelling and beautiful woodcuts tell the story of a family's downfall and rise. More would spoil the tale.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Iamreddave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art book

[Ty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the time the book says it all, but in White Collar that was not the case. This graphic novel was 162 pages of pictures. Forcing the reader to assume what the book means. This novel was written by Giacomo Patri in 1938. It takes place during the Great Depression and has some connection with the Burgeoning Labor movement. The whole entire novel is done in linocuts which is a very laborious and (based on my past experiences) dangerous.
The art in the novel is all black or orange and white. Any pictures that are in orange are all thoughts or feelings based on what the main character is feeling. The art tells a story but the story that I see might not be what someone else would interpret it as. Not having words in the book was frustrating. The mood of the novel was dark and gloomy.
White Collar begins in 1929. The same year that the Great Depression started. The main character is a man that has a job as an advertising illustrator and has a wife and kids. He walks through the streets and sees all the people protesting and in need of a job. At the time, he was employed and could take care of his family. Soon after this the advertising company he worked for shut down and he was forced to look for a new job. Which was close to impossible at the time. Eventually, his wife gets pregnant and very sick. He does not have the money to pay for treatment, so he goes to his insurance company to get money from them. He continues to look for job and is not successful. Bills and responsibilities keep building up and he does not have many choices left.

The main character was an advertising illustrator at the beginning of the novel with a family and everything seemed to be going okay. He loses his job and things become a lot more challenging for him and his family. Eventually him and his family are forced to move out of their house and find a new place to live. He was very discouraged and upset because he is running out of money to take care of his family. Throughout the novel, he continued to get turned down. His only option by the end of White Collar was to be determined and find a way to care for his family.
White Collar did not have a big impact on me. It was sad to see how much of a struggle it was to find and keep a job during the Great Depression. Everyone in the novel did not have any facial expressions. They were always mad or blurred out. I think it would have added to the novel to put in facial expressions because it would have made it easier to read.
Although White Collar was difficult to understand, I did not dread reading it. If anyone has an interest in the Great Depression then this would be a great book to read to see different situations people were in during that time period and what they did to get themselves out of those situations.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. The historical implications are well done and would lend itself to very deep discussions about white collar workers and America's work for history. This is another great read for those who enjoy nonfiction or American history.

[André · Rating 3 out of 5]

PRO-LABOR LINOLEUM ART

"White Collar" is a 1938 wordless novel about the Great Depression (1929+), told entirely through the linocuts* of italian-born artist and social activist Giacomo Patri, who emigrated to the United States in 1916. Both Patri and his protagonist were mental workers with white shirts and pretty ties, and yet threatened by unemployment, exploitation and poverty just like the blue collar workers. They started reading pro-labor books and agitated among proletarized "heads", just like the "hands". Patri's book took me approx. 20 minutes to complete (without the introductory text). If you like Lynd Ward, you'll like this too, it's got some design ideas worth stealing. It's a 4 star book at $10, but a 3 star book at $24+.

* woodcut variant on linoleum sheet; "linoleum art"

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great graphic novel. Silent and without real text. A beautiful example of sequential art and of art created towards social reform. Simple, yet striking. Truly shows what visual art can convey without worry for words.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly straight-forward. The design of the art is nice, but it's in single images/screens as opposed to panels, which I'm obviously not used to.