Comics / Comics News

The Great Flood In Strips

By The Editor
April 7, 2007 - 09:12

Even the U.S. Government can appreciate the classic political artwork  of frequent New Yorker cover artist Eric Drooker.  The Library of  Congress has just purchased the original artwork of Drooker’s  political masterwork, Flood! to rest in their public prints and  photos collection. These pages have found a permanent home alongside  graphic novel pioneer Lynd Ward’s 1930s originals, and the work of  comics legend, Will Eisner.

“At first I was amazed that the U.S. Government would invest in a  set of images so overtly critical of itself,” says Drooker, “but  the Library of Congress represents a progressive wing of the  government. Over the years, various collectors have tried to purchase  original art from the book, but I never wanted to break up the cycle  of engravings. I think it’s fantastic that now, scholars of future  generations will be able to examine the original work in its  entirety.”

To celebrate, Dark Horse Comics is proud to announce a new edition of  this powerful graphic novel, with an additional chapter. An American  Book Award winner and an Editor’s Choice of The New York Times,  Flood! is a modern novel written in the timeless language of  pictures, with an expressionist, film noir edge. Flood! explores all  the joys and sadness of big city life, while prophetically gazing  into the not-so-distant future.

In The New York Times Book Review, Pulitzer Prize winner Art  Spiegelman (Maus) best described Flood! as “a complex, dream-charged  vision of alienation in the wet, mean streets of New York City, where  primal natural urges are suppressed in the lonely isolation of  crowds. It’s a picture of a soulless civilization headed toward the  apocalypse. It’s a poetic and lyrical novel—told virtually without  words.”

He goes on to praise Drooker’s artistic storytelling. "Since images  are usually open to broader interpretation than prose, each drawing  in the sequence must work not only as a self–centered composition  but also as a kind of hieroglyphic picture-writing. The page acts as  a curtain to be raised, each page offering up new visual surprises.  Mr. Drooker has discovered the magic of pulling light and life out of  an inky sea of darkness."

Drooker adds “Since Flood! was first published, the ‘graphic  novel’ has emerged as a serious literary form. A number of  sequential artists have created powerful dramas in words and  pictures. My aim was slightly different: I was dispensing with the  words—allowing the pictures alone to tell the story. The challenge  to me, as a visual artist, was to explore how far I could communicate  without resorting to words, to create a more powerful, universal  tale.”

This special edition of Flood!: A Novel in Pictures features a bonus  chapter, “After the Flood,” which includes thirty-two pages of new  graphics, preliminary art, and an in-depth interview with the author.  This definitive edition of Flood! is a unique record of our  country’s turbulent past—and corporate present—and a must-read  for students of graphic storytelling. This third edition also  features a new cover by Drooker and a complete re-design. Flood!: A  Novel in Pictures, was followed by Drooker’s acclaimed book, Blood  Song: A Silent Ballad.

Flood!: A Novel in Pictures features art and story by Eric Drooker.  This third edition arrives on sale April 25, carrying a retail price  of $14.95.

For more information on the artist and his other works, please visit  www.drooker.com.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12