"The Arrival" by: Shaun Tan - (Week 1)


"The Arrival" by Shaun Tan is a beautifully orchestrated comic that is able to have an in depth story whilst having no dialogue. Simply by showing facial expression, having the pages themselves change color and the use of backstories help the reader get a complete understanding of the story.  The story starts of with either the husband or older brother going off to a new country he doesn't know the language of. Being an immigrant or even simply visiting a new country can be intimidating. Especially when you don't know the language spoken there. Throughout the story, the man goes around this foreign place encountering natives as his journey progresses. Each person he comes across has a dark backstory about their lives. We know we are witnessing backstories because of the paper of the comic turns a different color and the overall mood changes. By simply having these small details within the comic, it brings this simple comic to a whole new level of genius artwork.

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