Dead End

by Thomas Ott

Collects two wordless stories with twist endings, including a mysterious suitcase which brings about a cycle of death, and an assassin's consequence for trailing a magician.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Short Stories, Graphic Novels Comics, Bande Dessinée, Fiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

"Thomas Ott was born in Zürich in 1966. He received training as a graphic artist at the School of Design in Zürich and has been a free-lance comics artist and illustrator since 1987. From 1998-2001 Ott attended film studies at the University of Art and Design (HGK), Zürich. He currently lives and works in Zürich and Paris. Ott is also the lead singer of The Playboys." -Fantagraphics Books

Reviews

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short graphic novel, entirely made of pictures, consist of two horror stories.
In the first one, The Millionaires, two men find a suitcase full of money on the scene of a car crash. They take it, not knowing it will be the start of a horrible curse.



In the second one, Washing Day, a man becomes fascinated with a little person and his peculiar relationship with rabbits.



I was drawn to this comic because of the absence of dialogue: the idea of a "silent" horror intrigued me, and it actually delivered what it promised. I loved the art style, the black and white drawings almost scratched on the surface of the paper, extremely dramatic and suited for the genre. The weird camera angles also contributed to the high impact, as for the wide frames. A stunning work! Beautiful.The stories themselves were, unfortunately, not as original: at least for me (a big horror fan) the first story sounded a little cliché. The second one, however, was more enjoyable.

[Paula Mota · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

Nesta graphic novel silenciosa Thomas Ott recupera a mística do film noir, em que a predominância do tom escuro nestas ilustrações a preto e branco cria um ambiente soturno ideal para o suspense que caracteriza estas duas histórias. Se “The Millionaires”, a típica história de ganância, ganha mais pelo desenho expressivo do que pelo argumento, “Washing Day” é prodigioso nas suas meras 15 páginas devido a um final surpreendente e mirabolante.

The Millionaires – 3,5*
Washing Day – 4,5*

[Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two graphic shorts, one tedious, the other brilliant. I was not impressed with the first story about a suitcase full of money and its evil effect on those who come in contact with it. The movie Heavy Metal did this trope much better a long, long time ago.

The second short, "Washing Day," about a private investigator sent to shadow a dwarf magician, is much better. Reminiscent of the best moments of Cinema Panopticum, one of my favorite graphic novel reads of late. Had this story been paired with another of a similar ilk, something more playful and surreal than the first tale in the volume, this review would likely have been five stars.

When Ott's hot, he's hot. When Ott's not hot, he's not.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Goodreads description seems apt, that it is a mix of O'Henry and Kafka and Twilight Zone. The first story, "Millionaire," is a kind of set piece about what happens when you have a briefcase with a lot of money in it, something that happens to several people, actually! Not a remarkable or surprising story in any respect, but the art still makes it worth it. Scratchboard, pen and ink, grim. The second story, "Washing Day," is creepier and more surprising as a tale. Superb work, though muted, not flashy in any way. Dark and eerie. Awesome.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story in this was a fun read, one that you could easily being made into a short film noire. If you spend a few minutes just looking at the artwork on the cover of the second story it really starts to dawn on you just how clever OTT is. It seems like he starts out with a black canvas and scratches out a story with literally contrast alone.

[mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead End includes two silent short stories: The Millionairs & Washing Day. Both are very short for a silent graphic novel, but you can still easily understand the story. Silent graphic novels usually need more illustrations to present the story, so I think this graphic novel is another astonishing achievement from the Swiss illustrator Thomas Ott.

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contains two stories. Liked the first one best even though it's rather similar to the overall plot of 'The Number' (in terms of the evil cycle repeating).

[জাহিদ হোসেন · Rating 4 out of 5]

সাইলেন্ট মুভির মতো এ কমিকটাও সাইলেন্ট। মানে কোন ডায়লগ নেই। তবে স্টোরি বুঝতে সমস্যা হয় না।...ভালো জিনিস। চেখে দেখতে পারেন।

[~:The N:~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an OK read for me. The first story has the similar vibe like 'The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8'.

[Edwin Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that inspired and begun my career in the scratchboard medium.(Thanks Joey C.) Thomas Ott is a master at his craft and in creating moody, eerie stories.

'Dead End' has a cinematic approach in panel construction. A worldless book that screams inside your head.

[Twan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another brief read here by Ott, that will last longer if you study his gorgeous artwork. Two short tales , yet again with twists and turns in them, the first concerning a breifcase full of money while the second follows a hitman trying to assainate a dwarf magician. Good-o.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two stories. Cool art. Strange twist endings. Very short. The first one is stronger; the second is a bit of a stretch. Worth the 1 minute and 45 seconds it will take to read.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

consist of 2 stories: [1:] the millionaire & [2:] washing day.

[Javier Jiménez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This two stories ("Dead end" and "Washing day") are also in Breakdown

[Homosapiens · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes one feel at a Dead End!!! Goddamn Thomas Ott!!!!

[Tara Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the artwork again, but I enjoyed these stories less than the previous ones.

[محمود راضي · Rating 3 out of 5]

إعادة صياغة لأفكار سابقة في أعمال سابقة لتوماس أوت عن الحلقات المفرغة، لكنها أيضًا لا تزال ممتعة برسومها وأجوائها

[Reyel2107 · Rating 5 out of 5]

a real dead end !!!!!

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two great bite-sized bits of horror noire. Ott has such a master control of his style that it makes me want to cry. I really need to read more of his comics.

[Akar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite weird and surreal. If you like John Arne Sæterøy's work then you will love this too.

[Matt Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief but compelling and strikingly rendered. A quick window into its own noir world.

[Halina Hetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Збірка німих графічних оповідань, деякі з яких слідують за типовими для Отта горор-тропами, а деякі приємно здивували своєю креативністю та плот-твістами. Арт - топ.

[RSC_Collecting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn! I love Thomas Ott. The art is stunning. Every time I read something from him, I'm astounded by the art style. I can never fully grasp how a scratchboard can be used to make work like this. Three dimensional scenes, shadows, details that only exist in a medium like scratchboard. It's insane. The stories were great too. Like usual, this book is a silent comic. Letting the visuals take full control in storytelling. This one is split into two separate stories that both involve money and murder. The first one is about a guy and his briefcase full of cash. How he got that cash? He had to kill for it of course. He takes a rest at a hotel where he quickly raises suspicion and has the same thing happen to him. Karma. The second story is of a hitman who also gets the karma he deserves. Overall this book was fantastic. I'm glad to add it to my Thomas Ott collection. Highly recommend!

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece in wordless storytelling. You can feel the art literally pop off the page, capturing the manic expression of fear that drives us all when facing the unknown.

The art style is incredible—a "black noir" aesthetic that screams horror yet suggests rigid control. The cleverness of the writing shines through, especially in the scene where the man in the dry cleaner literally "cleans out" his rival.

But the core of the book is a fatal paradox: the characters' desperate attempt to find control is exactly what causes them to lose it—and ultimately, what kills them. It raises an interesting question: if trying to control everything destroys us, does surrendering control actually create it?

5/5 stars. Easily a new favorite.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two Twilight Zone style silent thrillers with gritty moods and dark twists. One is about a cursed bag of money that causes a string of crimes and death where no one is able to walk away with it scot free. The other is about an assassin targeting a clever magician and being played like a fool in his murderous pursuit.

Cool and interesting, a bit more complex and plot driven than the other works of Thomas Ott I’ve read so far.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story is better than the second, at least as a story. The second has a surreal, Dali-esque quality that is enjoyable on those terms, but it bears no resemblance to the description provided in the book details here.

[Danny Avila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Ott is the greatest.

[Jakub Brudny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nowożeńcy to świetna opowieść, nieco lovecraftowska, a rysunki Otta jak zwykle czynią z prostej historii coś emocjonującego.

[Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

✭✭✭½

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

El horror noir de Thomas Ott en sus historias negras, de desenlaces inevitables y personajes tan sombríos como condenados. Una maravilla.