Chris Ware is the absolute best thing in comics for a plethora of reasons, one of which is the fact that he has absorbed the entire history of great newspaper comics. Many, many have tried to match the ingenuity of George Herriman’s intricate layout games. At times, Ware bests them. Case in point:
art: Chris Ware book: Acme Novelty Library publisher: Fantagraphics Books © F. Chris Ware
The typography is perfect, the graphic design with the complementary colors and balanced inverted triangles is stunning, and the pipes function as more than just a clever conceit. The design here is like a well-constructed rhyme: it’s impossible to tell which line came first. All elements have to function in unison.
