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Alay-Oop
William Gropper was one of the great American cartoonists and illustrators of the twentieth century. A student of George Bellows and Robert Henri, he was a prolific newspaper cartoonist, a WPA muralist, a Guggenheim recipient, and committed political activist—the first visual artist called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, after which he was blacklisted (though he got revenge with his pen).
He was also a master of visual storytelling, best seen in his only full-length narrative work, Alay-Oop. First published in 1930, just as Gropper was coming to the height of his powers, this lost classic of the graphic novel presents an unusual love triangle: two circus acrobats and the honey-tongued schemer who comes between them. In page after page of charming, wordless art, Gropper takes us from the big top to bustling New York streets, from a cramped tenement apartment to the shifting landscape of a dream, as his characters struggle with the conflicting demands of career, family, and romance. A timeless and surprisingly modern yarn—with backflips aplenty.
He was also a master of visual storytelling, best seen in his only full-length narrative work, Alay-Oop. First published in 1930, just as Gropper was coming to the height of his powers, this lost classic of the graphic novel presents an unusual love triangle: two circus acrobats and the honey-tongued schemer who comes between them. In page after page of charming, wordless art, Gropper takes us from the big top to bustling New York streets, from a cramped tenement apartment to the shifting landscape of a dream, as his characters struggle with the conflicting demands of career, family, and romance. A timeless and surprisingly modern yarn—with backflips aplenty.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1930
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 18, 2019
William Gropper "loved the circus and Vaudeville...he sized up circus performers and wrestlers as more honest and earnest than congressmen and mayors...He was very much interested in American Culture, especially anything taking place on a stage or in front of an audience." However, Gropper is mainly remembered as a political cartoonist. "Alay-Opp" is his "first and only graphic novel...whose format [was] of one wordless image per page...[a] wordless narrative..."
Love changes everything, especially in the case of a female acrobat. She and a "handsome and brawny" fellow acrobat execute a high aerial act which dazzles the audience. Watching from the wings is a rotund singer seemingly fixated on the female acrobat. When the singer performs, accompanied by a full orchestra, the audience is enthralled. After the show, the trio exit the venue and go out for dinner. The lady acrobat and the singer are completely enamored with each other. The dynamics of the trio is bound to change.
"Alay-Opp" by William Gropper is a beautifully rendered graphic novel that arguably did not receive timely accolades. Published at the start of The Great Depression, sales were flat. Reprinted in 2019 by New York Review Comics, hopefully this fantastic work will gain much deserved recognition.
Love changes everything, especially in the case of a female acrobat. She and a "handsome and brawny" fellow acrobat execute a high aerial act which dazzles the audience. Watching from the wings is a rotund singer seemingly fixated on the female acrobat. When the singer performs, accompanied by a full orchestra, the audience is enthralled. After the show, the trio exit the venue and go out for dinner. The lady acrobat and the singer are completely enamored with each other. The dynamics of the trio is bound to change.
"Alay-Opp" by William Gropper is a beautifully rendered graphic novel that arguably did not receive timely accolades. Published at the start of The Great Depression, sales were flat. Reprinted in 2019 by New York Review Comics, hopefully this fantastic work will gain much deserved recognition.
February 10, 2020
We are always looking for lost films, lost books, lost art, and here we go, a forgotten depression-era wordless graphic novel about a circus--and love--by a guy who was largely a political cartoonist, yet another unique contribution to the NYRB series everyone should read.
July 21, 2019
A tidy little story about love and jealousy told without any words, remarkable for having been produced in 1930.
This is a nice library find, but may an extravagant purchase at $25. Virtually every even-numbered page is blank, so it looks twice as thick as it really is. It takes longer to read the introduction than the story proper.
This is a nice library find, but may an extravagant purchase at $25. Virtually every even-numbered page is blank, so it looks twice as thick as it really is. It takes longer to read the introduction than the story proper.
October 24, 2023
This wordless graphic novel tells, in fine line art, a personal saga of trapeze acrobatics, dreams, and growth. Thanks to New York Review Comics for republishing and Emory 's Woodruff Library for the loan.
January 21, 2020
Wordless novel from 1930. Interesting for nostalgia but ultimately not much there. Even if you take your time with it, you'll spend twice as long reading the 4 page introduction as you will going through the remaining 100 or so pages (half of which are blank).
A style of book popular around the time of the end of the silent film era, it also pretty much died with the introduction of talkies. A nice diversion but nothing to get too excited about.
A style of book popular around the time of the end of the silent film era, it also pretty much died with the introduction of talkies. A nice diversion but nothing to get too excited about.
February 2, 2022
Story: ***
This wordless voyage in 5.5" x 8" is a shockingly fast read because the left page is always blank (1 exception).
Identifying each of the three main characters while charting their progress through many years gives a full story with zest and successful drama the first time through.
The second is notably better when you know what will happen and know what to look for -> but I don't think I'll ever come back for a third.
Art: ***
The strictly black brushwork is bold and boisterous and carries a sort of stark weight but his standards are far to wanton for my sensibilities. It looks to me that he just settles for his first draft every time because some seem scrap heap. His heavy expression is central and necessary but sometimes it looks like he didn't even care.
This wordless voyage in 5.5" x 8" is a shockingly fast read because the left page is always blank (1 exception).
Identifying each of the three main characters while charting their progress through many years gives a full story with zest and successful drama the first time through.
The second is notably better when you know what will happen and know what to look for -> but I don't think I'll ever come back for a third.
Art: ***
The strictly black brushwork is bold and boisterous and carries a sort of stark weight but his standards are far to wanton for my sensibilities. It looks to me that he just settles for his first draft every time because some seem scrap heap. His heavy expression is central and necessary but sometimes it looks like he didn't even care.
July 18, 2025
a wordless graphic novel yes “when in the throes of love the characters are heart shaped” SO CUTE
January 4, 2020
I've seen Gropper's political cartoons before, but never had the chance to read Alay-Oop, his wordless graphic novel about a love triangle first published in 1930. The 2018 hardcover edition from NYRC includes an informative intro from James Sturm (co-founder of The Center for Cartoon Studies and creator of Off Season, one of my favorite recent graphic novels) and a long blurb from Art Spiegelman on the back cover.
The story is simple: The woman is a trapeze artists and has an act, Alay-Oop, with a fellow trapeze artist. A portly singer is infatuated with her and proposes with promises of money, fame and an easy life. She abandons her art, becomes a mother of two, and is frequently visited by her former colleague. It seems that her husband was unable to fulfill any of his promises. The trapeze artist proposes that they reform Alay-Oop, this time with the two children. The husband gets jealous of the trapeze artist and throws a fit. She leaves him and returns to her life in Alay-Oop with a few improvements and without either man.
What is immediately apparent is Gropper's mastery of simple lines that communicate a wealth of emotional and factual information. He's able to show just how infatuated someone is with someone else with just the way he draws them standing, just how in love someone is with the way they brace their upper body, and just how penniless they are with a simple show of the empty purse and a sad face... He also has a whimsical and masterfully surreal way of showing inner thoughts and dreams. The street scenes with crowds and buildings are brimming with energy.
Overall, the book is a gem and every wordless page a revelation on masterful drawing. The story is universal and unique. Recommended for those who like trapeze, acrobatics and twins.
The story is simple: The woman is a trapeze artists and has an act, Alay-Oop, with a fellow trapeze artist. A portly singer is infatuated with her and proposes with promises of money, fame and an easy life. She abandons her art, becomes a mother of two, and is frequently visited by her former colleague. It seems that her husband was unable to fulfill any of his promises. The trapeze artist proposes that they reform Alay-Oop, this time with the two children. The husband gets jealous of the trapeze artist and throws a fit. She leaves him and returns to her life in Alay-Oop with a few improvements and without either man.
What is immediately apparent is Gropper's mastery of simple lines that communicate a wealth of emotional and factual information. He's able to show just how infatuated someone is with someone else with just the way he draws them standing, just how in love someone is with the way they brace their upper body, and just how penniless they are with a simple show of the empty purse and a sad face... He also has a whimsical and masterfully surreal way of showing inner thoughts and dreams. The street scenes with crowds and buildings are brimming with energy.
Overall, the book is a gem and every wordless page a revelation on masterful drawing. The story is universal and unique. Recommended for those who like trapeze, acrobatics and twins.
April 16, 2023
This was so cute! I picked it up in a clearance section for not even $2 and got through it in about 20 minutes. I’d never heard of this cartoonist before today, but the images were so charming I had to take it home. Come to find out, the wordless graphic novel I took home is a 90 year old piece from a famous political cartoonist!
Although this is considered separate from his political art, I think it leans in more than we give credit for. A woman is caught between two men who need her for their lives to be successful in some way—but all she really needs is herself. It was also so nice to see a female athlete look STRONG! He didn’t lean in to the beauty standard of the decade (slim, flat silhouette). I really enjoyed this cartoon, and I’m so grateful that someone re-published it in 2018!
Although this is considered separate from his political art, I think it leans in more than we give credit for. A woman is caught between two men who need her for their lives to be successful in some way—but all she really needs is herself. It was also so nice to see a female athlete look STRONG! He didn’t lean in to the beauty standard of the decade (slim, flat silhouette). I really enjoyed this cartoon, and I’m so grateful that someone re-published it in 2018!
August 7, 2019
As Alay-Oop is a wordless graphic novel. As a picture is worth a thousand words, no words are needed, as every “cartoon” vividly tells the story. Very much of its times and yet very modern as its heroine is the only character with a truly internal life and the only character to truly take control over her life. I’m glad to have spotted this NY Review of comics edition that sells for less than $20. A few moments of pleasure easily repeated and enjoyed from time to time to help brighten one’s day. I loved it.
November 20, 2019
In structure and format it’s similar to other textless proto-“graphic novels” like the work of Lynd Ward. The artwork isn’t as visually striking or appealing, but it’s still distinctive in its own way, and the storytelling is much easier to follow, with the exception of a slightly confusing dream sequence. It’s an EXTREMELY fast read—so fast that I’ll probably read it through a couple more times just to see if there was anything I missed.
January 21, 2022
A short story with no words, highlighting the working person's experience during the start of the Great Depression, particularly that of a woman (and later single mother) and her complicated relationships outside of her workplace. The simple line drawings convey so much, and I love how Gropper creates shadows and light in the acrobatic scenes in the theater. The texture created by his technique is (oddly) aesthetically pleasing.
May 29, 2023
a good weird cul de sac in american graphic novel history - a wordless love triangle (is it a love triangle if it's just two guys in love with the same woman. isn't that a two-sided triangle?) between two acrobats and an opera singer. sort of in the same aesthetic register as Sunrise by Murnau or maybe like a silent film comedy, from roughly the same historical place and time. also it's like a 10 minute read and you can say hey i read a whole book today despite having two children
November 20, 2020
Lovely cartooning. Gropper makes full use of his brush and ink with loads of varying textures and line weight. Particularly a fan of the dream sequence chapter. Anyway, if you like seeing the growth of comics/graphic novels as a medium, this is definitely a worthwhile read.
February 17, 2023
Amazing, lively artwork - the story is fairly minimal, but effective within its realm. Gropper tells of three adults and their intertwining relations, arcing love, betrayal, friendship. Timeless stuff, simply told, beautifully drawn
April 6, 2025
My first read through, I really enjoyed the illustrations - so pure, so evocative. But then Art Spielgelman's essay said re-readings are rewarded, so I went through it again, and appreciated the story much more. I'd been sadly unaware of Gropper before this, so, thanks to NYRC for making me aware!
June 29, 2019
From 1930, a novel told entirely in pictures about the fates of three colleagues—a singer and two acrobats—over the course of several years.
September 9, 2019
A nearly wordless graphic novel, created decades before the term "graphic novel" was invented.
October 23, 2019
4/5
an almost completely wordless little novel, but i enjoyed it & didn’t find anything lacking.
an almost completely wordless little novel, but i enjoyed it & didn’t find anything lacking.
December 4, 2019
3.5 - his spare, clever linework in parts drew me in.
January 28, 2020
There are silent movies that still manage to touch and inspire, and there are those, which experts call "important"... This proto-graphic-novel has its charm, but it didn't reach me.
April 23, 2020
Reading Alay-Oop feels like finding a form of art from a closely adjacent universe in which graphic novels descend from a completely different school of narratology. It's fascinating.
February 4, 2022
Pas un mot. Roman graphique qui parle en images. Beau, simple, touchant
May 28, 2025
Pioneering graphic novel that charms in spite of some gritty subject matter.
July 22, 2025
a fun little story from (according to the instroduction) one of the forgotten fathers of comic books.
a very quick read that is still great. sometimes less is more!
a very quick read that is still great. sometimes less is more!
October 15, 2025
The art is better than it's contemporaries, but the story still lacks coherence.
July 4, 2019
God bless the New York Review of Comics, and I don't say that lightly as an atheist. They have only been reprinting classic, lost comics for a few years and in that time have built an imprint to revival Fantagraphics and Drawn & Quarterly. They've introduced me to both foreign and domestic artists I had not been aware of, such as William Gropper, who was radicalized when his aunt died in the infamous Triangle Factory Fire in NYC. Mostly known for his paintings and political cartoons, ALAY-OOP is a wordless social realist tale which is told in bold line and deceptively simple design. He makes me want to get loose and draw.
September 8, 2008
awesome! Totally worth ILLing from the Smithsonian!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews