It’s been a while since I’ve posted some comments about what I’ve been reading so I thought now would be a good time to do so. The truth is I haven’t had the time to read as much as I would like to but I’m hoping to change that. This summer I met Matt Kindt and I was so impressed by him that I picked up all his books. I regret to say I haven’t finished reading them all but I have spent lots of time thumbing through and admiring the art. Today I just finished reading “3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man” aside from it being a somber read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One of the first things you notice about Matt’s books is they are all unique. He takes every opportunity, whether it’s the die cut cover, the inner pages, etc. to tell a good story. As a graphic designer I really appreciate that. It’s more than just your average hardcover design. Another thing I think he does really well is paneling and layout design. He does a very good job of interweaving story elements and juxtaposing story lines in what Scott McCloud would call Aspect to Aspect pacing. Another story device he uses is a visual footnote. With a tiny asterix in a text balloon he indicates an additional set of panels at the bottom of the page which tell another hidden story. I think these additions are brilliant and add great depth to the overall narrative.

Another subtle device he uses that I enjoy is word play. I love the double meaning of the word “story.” It’s used both to describe the main character’s height and to define chapters in the book. Each chapter is divided into “stories” 1, 2 and 3 which also represent his current height as being 1, 2, or 3 stories tall. I love those types of clever parallels that come from careful word play. It shows how thoughtful the creator was in developing his story.

I could go on but it’s time to wrap up my little review. Great work Matt, I look forward to reading more.