Graphic Reads

S.A. Harkham's graphic novel Poor Sailor is a moving and evocative work. This is a work in true graphic form, with minimal dialogue and spare green, black, and white images. Each page contains a single panel taking up most of the 5"x5" space. The book itself is tiny and beautifully bound.

Poor Sailor is inspired by the classic work 'At Sea' by Guy de Maupassant, and tells the story of Thom, who lives happily with his wife Rachel in a thatched cottage. Their peaceful pastoral life is forever altered when Thom's brother Jacob returns from his latest sea-voyage and invites Thom to sail with him again, "like old times." Rachel, learning of this news, says no and reminds him of their little house, and their life together. But the seeds of adventure are planted in Thom, and he leaves Rachel sleeping in their bed one night and heads off to the sea with his brother. After many adventures, injuries, and tragedy, Thom returns back to his thatched cottage only to find his love buried outside the front door in a simple grave. Though the story is short and simple, it has the power to evoke strong emotions from the reader. The love and unity between Thom and Rachel is so sweet and powerful, and his decision to leave so painful, that the reader can't help but feel for the doomed lovers. Though Harkham shows them in simple everyday activities - building their house, having a quiet dinner, holding each other in bed - it is clear from the start that their bond is unusually strong. When Jacob arrives to pull his brother back to sea, the fragmentation of Thom and Rachel's marriage is heartbreaking. This is an excellent example of a book that, though seemingly simple, is powerful and forces the reader to question what is going on behind each panel. How strong is their union? Why does Rachel die, and how? What is Thom's motivation to finish building their little hut? Readers interested in the ways in which graphic artists communicate complex emotional scenes through single-panel art would do well to explore this wonderful little book.