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First published in 1975, The Cage was a graphic novel before there was a name for the medium. Cryptic and disturbing, it spurns narrative for atmosphere, guiding us through a labyrinthine series of crumbling facades, disarrayed rooms and desolate landscapes, as time stutters backward and forward. Within the cage's barbed-wire confines, we observe humanity only through its traces: a filmic sequence of discarded objects -Ã,? headphones, inky stains, dishevelled bedsheets -Ã,?Ã,? scored by a deafening cacophony of breaths, cries and unsettling silence. This new edition, which includes an introduction by comics master Seth, brings Martin Vaughn-James's nightmarish vision to a new generation of readers. Ã,?'I donÃ,?t use the word "masterpiece" lightly. I think The Cage is a masterpiece of comic art.Ã,? Ã,?- Seth 'Vaughn-James remains a significant figure incomics history because his work was singular, literate, experimental, and often unsurpassably good.' - The Walrus 'It is a masterpiece, demonstrating a level of skill and insight very few have even aspired to in the nearly 40 years since its initial publication ... this work is strongly recommended for every true fan of the graphic arts.' - Publishers Weekly (starred review)… (more)
User reviews
This is the part of the review where I usually sum up the plot in a few quick sentences. I'm not going to do that this time because even after
The best I can really do is to describe what I think it is and you can judge from there whether you want to give it a shot. From a narrative point of view it seems to be a view of one particular place in space viewed from various points in time. The book careens back and forth from present to future to past... or is it past to future to present... or... well, see paragraph two. Nobody knows what it's about so it's certainly not obvious even what order things happen in.
From a visual perspective the drawings are at times detailed and at others incisively minimalist. The artist conveys a poignant series of emotions centering on isolation and meandering widely. Any one page of this book could hang in an art gallery and lead to much thoughtful discussion as to what exactly is being depicted.
To sum up, should you buy this book? That depends. If you are a person who is in need of a strong narrative flow and clear procession from A to B to C then this is not the book for you. If, however, you are one who is intrigued by the idea of a book that you will read but not understand, and in fact read five times and understand in five different ways, then you need this on your shelf. This book is a large red-glowing question mark and if you're OK with that then this is worth a look.
PS: Remember, the voting buttons are there for you to indicate whether you think what I had to say was useful in making a decision. They're not asking you if my review makes you want to buy anything. So please vote appropriately and if you choose to vote my review unhelpful please leave me a brief comment so I can improve future reviews. Thanks!"