Black Is the Color

by

6" × 9", 72 pages

English language

Published Dec. 20, 2013 by Fantagraphics.

ISBN:
978-1-60699-717-8
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5 stars (1 review)

In this graphic novella, a wicked mermaid lures a sailor to his doom.

Black is the Color begins with a 17th-century sailor abandoned at sea by his shipmates, and as it progresses he endures, and eventually succumbs to, both his lingering death sentence and the advances of a cruel and amorous mermaid. The narrative also explores the experiences of the loved ones he leaves behind, on his ship and at home on land, as well as of the mermaids who jadedly witness his destruction. At the heart of the story lie the dubious value of maintaining dignity to the detriment of intimacy, and the erotic potential of the worst-case scenario. Julia Gfrörer's delicate drawing style perfectly complements the period era of Black is the Color, bringing the lyricism and romanticism of Gfrörer's prose to the fore. Black is the Color is a book as seductive as the sirens it depicts.

1 edition

reviewed Black Is the Color by Julia Gfrörer

Dark gothic comic about life adrift, loneliness, and being there

5 stars

When supplies run low sailors Warren and Xavier are set adrift and left to die by their captain and crew who hope to increase their chances of survival. Xavier soon dies, leaving Warren alone in the small boat. He is visited by the mermaid Eulalia, providing company and solace.

It's been years since I read Gfrörer's Laid Waste, another comic contemplating life, love, misery, and death. Black is the Color is similar in style: Black and white linework that supports the rawness of the story, straightforward dialogue, dark humor, and human presence in bleak circumstances.

Subjects

  • Comics & graphic novels, general

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