Speechless

by Peter Kuper

Speechless: Tales From The System is a coffee-table art book of one of the most significant activist artists of our generation. Spanning three decades, Speechless covers the career of artist Peter Kuper from his co-founding days of World War 3, to Rolling Stone's "Comic Artist of the Year, to major magazine cover illustrator and beyond. This hardcover collection includes dozens of unpublished illustrations and wordless comics, rendered in Kuper's unique stencil-style, the same style that helped to revamp the look and feel of the world renowned Spy vs. Spy. Speechless will also include essays and anecdotes on his experiences as a comic art expert in a landmark obscenity trial; a step-by-step discussion of the process of illustrating covers for magazines; commentary on creating the very first comic strip to appear in the hallowed New York Times; and tales of harrowing travels spanning the globe.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

112 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 2001

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

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good retrospective for those who enjoy the artist's work, myself being one of them. Peter Kuper is an artist who cannot help but use his craft to discuss social and humanitarian topics, but it never feels preachy, perhaps this is due to his off-beat artistic style. This book is an overview of his career from his beginnings to the year 2000. There are several strips, covers, and recommendations of his work for people who want to read more of his material.

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really nice retrospective on the career of Peter Kuper, my most recently discovered and appreciated contemporary graphic novelist. I think it's cool how this gives a sample of all the different things graphic novel artists do to pay the bills. Magazine covers, fiction, nonfiction, oh my! Tipped me off to another title of his I really want to read (Comics Trips), and was a really nice compliment to his fictionalized-autobio book, Stop Forgetting to Remember.