Review by Graham Johnstone
A 26 year run on Mad’s Spy Versus Spy, is only one strand of Peter Kuper’s award-winning work. Other strands include political comix (World War 3), travel journals (Oaxaca Diary), and fictionalised memoir, all of which he weaves together in Ruins.
Set in Kuper’s Mexican home-from-home Oaxaca, Ruins centres on fictional New Yorkers George and Samantha – an entomologist, and an academic. A sabbatical in the Mexican haven offers a chance to pursue individual creative goals, and consider their future together. It opens in arresting fashion, with Sam dreaming of giving premature birth to… a book, so introducing her competing ambitions. George is hesitant about beginning to paint, and more so about becoming a parent. Arrival in Oaxaca (pronounced, we’re helpfully told, ‘Wah-ha-ka’), proves no miracle cure, and new friends lead the couple down separate paths.
It’s a slim premise for the resulting large book, but Kuper uses that premise to explore the past and present of Mexico. The couple visit historic sites, and Sam’s book in progress explores pre and post colonial history, as well as her own formative experiences in the country, while the couple and their new friends are caught up in the country’s current politics, centred on a teachers’ strike and the government’s extreme response. A wordless parallel narrative has a Monarch Butterfly making the same flight, soaring over drive-by-shootings, and would-be migrants stopped at the US border, so offering further perspectives on Mexico.
Kuper is an assured and engaging storyteller. His variety of previous work enables him to shift mode and tone, from personal story to political history, between comic and poetic interludes, and through the relationship ups and downs. A rich supporting cast includes housemaid Angelina, painter Francisco, has-been photo-journalist Alejandro, and an unnamed stray dog. Each is both convincing in themself, and woven effectively through the main characters’ arcs. Occasionally, story elements jar, such as the story of Sam’s old boyfriend being paused for a quarter inch worth of these un-numbered pages, then reintroduced to be summarily ended. Overall though, Kuper has a deft touch, knowing when to omit or defer details, simultaneously avoiding melodrama and excessive commentary, so letting readers have their own reactions. Perhaps this neutral reporting derives from Kuper’s comics journalism, but it undercuts the inherent drama.
Visually, Kuper is versatile. He’s best known for his scratchboard drawing with white lines cut into black, channelling German Expressionist woodcuts, but here he favours a softer cartoon style. Like the cover image, his blue/grey palette for Manhattan, highlights the summery colours of Mexico.
Throughout, Kuper creates distinctive characters, convincing settings, and appealing page designs. Neat visual devices, supply a variety of expressive effects. For example, when a frightened Angelina crosses herself (pictured), a ‘word balloon’ with dots forming a cross shape, both emphasises this act, and leavens it with gentle humour. In contrast, George spots Sam amidst a demonstration turning violent, across a shallow panel spread across two pages – emphasising distance and drama. A sequence imagining the butterfly’s internal navigation is a highlight, as is the colour shaken ‘out of register’ during an earthquake. A stunning image, wisely saved for the end, is a four page fold-out of a natural wonder. Bespoke word balloons for each character, are less spectacular, but equally impressive, and further add to a strong book.
With Ruins Kuper delivers a joyful read, and masterclass in the medium. His neutral tone tends to minimise emotion and drama, but readers can add their own.
