It Disappears

Rating:
Summary: philosophical innovative graphic novel
Review: IT DISAPPEARS by Nate Powell, Soft Skull Press, 71 Bond St., Brooklyn, NY 11217; www.softskull.com; [e-mail]. 2004. 78 pp. $9.99 trade paper, ISBN 1-932360-37-9. graphic novel.
Powell's graphic, comic-book-like, panels of varying degrees of white and black convey the uncertain, shifting, grounds of existence. When the white predominates, there's an almost mystic feeling of tranquility. When the black predominates, there's a noir-like atmosphere. Most of the panels are in the middle ground of the proportion of the two colors. A man out camping alone in the wilderness when a snowstorm starts up meets a dog-like creature with a philosophical outlook. Identity, one's place in the universe, and modern society are among the topics the two take up as they search for shelter and other characters move in and out of the story. Powell's unpredictable illustrations and reflective dialogue present different angles on the perennial existential questions.