99 WAYS TO TELL A STORY: EXERCISES IN STYLE by Matt Madden
Original release date: October 25th, 2005
99 Ways To Tell A Story: Exercises In Style
Matt Madden
(Jonathan Cape/Random House)
208 pages
Inspired by Raymond Queneau’s 1947 publication Exercises In Style, which told one story in a variety of different text styles (in haiku, as a telegram, etc), Madden here applies a similar process to the comics medium with fascinating results. Beginning with a simple one-page comic detailing a (rather mundane) household incident, Madden proceeds to retell the story using myriad different approaches – aping specific cartoonists (George Herriman, Jack Kirby) and formats (superhero comic, daily newspaper strip), employing different art styles (minimalist, silhouette), changing the perspective (using isometric projection, having a single horizon), and even telling the story in the form of a map or a page of advertisements. While not engrossing when read from start to finish, as a text illustrating the different possibilities available within even the simplest narrative, 99 Ways To Tell A Story is definitely thought-provoking.
Owen Heitmann