"Set to Sea" by Drew Weing

The back of this graphic novel describes it as a “ballad told in visual rhyme.”  While correct, it could also be described as haiku – with short, specifically chosen images and spare words conveying tremendous meaning.  The tale itself is symbolism and metaphor.  A would-be poet struggles to write flowery verse about life on the sea – from a tavern.  Failing, miserable and drunk, he is shanghaied into service with a rough and ready crew.  As the years pass, he experiences the life he struggled to write about, seeing a wealth of realities he never imagined.  This gives birth to a satisfying and appropriate conclusion – one might even call it ironic.  Drawings that remind you of the “Popeye” cartoons are nonetheless detailed and specific, hiding gentle humor throughout (for instance, the tavern where the story begins is “The Angry Kitten”).  The artistic style, combined with the black and white line drawings, make it easy for the reader to harken back to the time period, very roughly set in the period of tall sailing ships.  A brief read, I was able to get through the book in less than 10 minutes.  Like Shaun Tan’s book, “The Arrival,” however, it is one of those stories you should slow down for.  This is poetry, and it is important not to rush through it but to take each image and word for their full meaning.  A neat little book, it is easy to see why it has “buzz” going into awards season.