I loved the variety of artistic styles in Asterios Polyp. Many of the pages are divided by shape, style, or color. One example is the page where Asterios Polyp introduces himself to Hana. His side of the page is blue, with a lot of empty space, and his body is very blocky and broken apart. Hana’s side is pink, sketchy, and contains shading. The severe difference between the two characters makes it seem like they’re in two different rooms, or worlds even.
This other illustration is brilliant, because it shows Hana asking, “What makes you think you’re always right?” The emotional division between the two is very clear in the differing colors and styles. This is one aspect of David Mazzucchelli’s art that I find very expressive, and really enjoyed.
I completely agree. Throughout the book, David Mazzucchelli constructs the story of Asterios’ life through different visual mechanisms. From page to page, Mazzucchelli reconfigures the story-telling format, transitioning from splash panels with images that bleed to standard panels with and without gutter spaces that separate them, in a way that truly captivates the reader. Mazzucchelli also plays with the vertical space to metaphorically represent the stages of Asterios’ life. In addition to alternating the visual layout of each page, Mazzucchelli thoughtfully uses a color schematic that attracts the attention of the reader not only to the wonderful images being displayed, but also to the character progression Asterios and Hanna undergo. I was really impressed and entertained with Mazzucchelli’s unique and dynamic storytelling style.
Also agree. I especially liked how the two styles melded together around the time when they first met, in one of the pages we looked at in class. Mazzucchelli’s use of shape was also really cool, like when he drew baby Ignazio and baby Asterios in yin and yang form. I thought it was interesting that this yin and yang shape was echoed when Asterios and Hana were lying together. This repetition seemed to indicate that Hana perhaps filled the void that Asterios felt from the brother he never got to meet.