Building Stories - Oak Park Newspaper by Chris Ware

This is a big piece for me both literally(18 x 25") and psychologically. I have desired a good Chris Ware piece for years and I have passed on over 100 of these over the years waiting for the right one. This is it! Others prefer Jimmy Corrigan, earlier art or other projects like Rusty Brown but for me it was going to be a Building Stories piece (possibly Rusty). I probably look for different things in a Ware than others do so perhaps not "the one" for everyone but let me tell you what I see in it.

For me the most important thing that Ware does is his layouts of panels and then the general design of the pages. I like the small clusters of panels opening up into bigger and then smaller panels and the way these flow and the way he creates timing with his choices. Chris also incorporates other elements into the design like the cell phone, the building in the top right and other visuals to create a page that is beautifully crafted to look at from a distance even without being able to see the content. The next thing I like is Chris's clean and meticulous line work. His typography and use of captions, word balloons, texts and scripts alone are worthy of admiration. It is all so precise and consistent one might even use the word clinical to describe his art. Everything is perfect and here comes the paradox in his work. Perfect art in the perfect world of cartoons but with a reality that is naked and brutal. Ware reveals the insecurities and doubts that plague everyone as they face the challenges of daily life. On this piece, I like the story being told and the small slice of life we get to see. I found his unflattering look at a mundane sexual encounter and the honest approach to nudity particularly well done(as opposed to the oversexualized images we normally see in all forms of media). There is so much to like in this piece and I am looking forward to getting to know it better after it is framed and on my wall.