A review by bdesmond
The Frank Book by Jim Woodring
5.0
Well that was weird. I don't really even want to rate this it was so out there. I don't want it at zero stars though, more like a 'not rated' type of deal. Putting a label of enjoyment on this one just seems.. wrong.
Anyway, I don't know what to say about this book. Firstly I'll note that I found it (like many, many other worthwhile things) because of Duncan Trussell's podcast (which, by the way, anyone who hasn't yet should check out). He has Jim Woodring on as a guest and the conversation intrigued me, and Duncan's praise of the Frank Book did as well.
The Frank Book is a trip of sorts. Within which you will visit The Unifactor, the world in which Frank and his many acquaintances (Manhog, Whim, Pupshaw and Pushpaw, etc) reside. And what a world it is. Or isn't. In Woodring's own words, within the Unifactor 'there is no pattern, no law; only the incessant conversational cross-currents of nature and abstraction'. I couldn't have said it better myself. There is no dialogue in the Frank comics. You could refer to it as a 'silent comic' I guess, much like a silent movie. Though the term 'silent comic' seems a little redundant. In any case, no dialogue is needed for the story to play out. Now, that's not to say you'll understand it. The Frank Book almost feels like a book of little parables, completely open to interpretation by the reader. I did have a few favorites, I'll list those below because I like the names. But mostly I was struck by the pure feeling of the bizarre, and Woodring's art matches that feeling spectacularly. Check it out.
Frank in the river
Frank in the house of the dead
Frank's real pa
Frank in the wilderness
Frank and the truth about plentitude
Authorized Only*
Pushpaw
Ask the Sea
Frank and the toy without pity
Gentlemanhog
Frank obeys the rule of five*
Frank and the mystery of the instrument*
His father was a great machine
Anyway, I don't know what to say about this book. Firstly I'll note that I found it (like many, many other worthwhile things) because of Duncan Trussell's podcast (which, by the way, anyone who hasn't yet should check out). He has Jim Woodring on as a guest and the conversation intrigued me, and Duncan's praise of the Frank Book did as well.
The Frank Book is a trip of sorts. Within which you will visit The Unifactor, the world in which Frank and his many acquaintances (Manhog, Whim, Pupshaw and Pushpaw, etc) reside. And what a world it is. Or isn't. In Woodring's own words, within the Unifactor 'there is no pattern, no law; only the incessant conversational cross-currents of nature and abstraction'. I couldn't have said it better myself. There is no dialogue in the Frank comics. You could refer to it as a 'silent comic' I guess, much like a silent movie. Though the term 'silent comic' seems a little redundant. In any case, no dialogue is needed for the story to play out. Now, that's not to say you'll understand it. The Frank Book almost feels like a book of little parables, completely open to interpretation by the reader. I did have a few favorites, I'll list those below because I like the names. But mostly I was struck by the pure feeling of the bizarre, and Woodring's art matches that feeling spectacularly. Check it out.
Frank in the river
Frank in the house of the dead
Frank's real pa
Frank in the wilderness
Frank and the truth about plentitude
Authorized Only*
Pushpaw
Ask the Sea
Frank and the toy without pity
Gentlemanhog
Frank obeys the rule of five*
Frank and the mystery of the instrument*
His father was a great machine