Library of Congress adds Drooker

Even the U.S. Government can appreciate the classic political artwork of frequent New Yorker cover artist Eric Drooker. The Library of Congress has just purchased the original artwork of Drooker’s political masterwork, Flood! to rest in their public prints and photos collection. These pages have found a permanent home alongside graphic novel pioneer Lynd Ward’s 1930s originals, and the work of comics legend, Will Eisner.

“At first I was amazed that the U.S. Government would invest in a set of images so overtly critical of itself,” says Drooker, “but the Library of Congress represents a progressive wing of the government. Over the years, various collectors have tried to purchase original art from the book, but I never wanted to break up the cycle of engravings. I think it’s fantastic that now, scholars of future generations will be able to examine the original work in its entirety.”

To celebrate, Dark Horse Comics is proud to announce a new edition of this powerful graphic novel, with an additional chapter. An American Book Award winner and an Editor’s Choice of The New York Times, Flood! is a modern novel written in the timeless language of pictures, with an expressionist, film noir edge. Flood! explores all the joys and sadness of big city life, while prophetically gazing into the not-so-distant future.

In The New York Times Book Review, Pulitzer Prize winner Art Spiegelman (Maus) best described Flood! as “a complex, dream-charged vision of alienation in the wet, mean streets of New York City, where primal natural urges are suppressed in the lonely isolation of crowds. It’s a picture of a soulless civilization headed toward the apocalypse. It’s a poetic and lyrical novel—told virtually without words.”

He goes on to praise Drooker’s artistic storytelling. “Since images are usually open to broader interpretation than prose, each drawing in the sequence must work not only as a self–centered composition but also as a kind of hieroglyphic picture-writing. The page acts as a curtain to be raised, each page offering up new visual surprises. Mr. Drooker has discovered the magic of pulling light and life out of an inky sea of darkness.”

Drooker adds “Since Flood! was first published, the ‘graphic novel’ has emerged as a serious literary form. A number of sequential artists have created powerful dramas in words and pictures. My aim was slightly different: I was dispensing with the words—allowing the pictures alone to tell the story. The challenge to me, as a visual artist, was to explore how far I could communicate without resorting to words, to create a more powerful, universal tale.”
This special edition of Flood!: A Novel in Pictures features a bonus chapter, “After the Flood,” which includes thirty-two pages of new graphics, preliminary art, and an in-depth interview with the author. This definitive edition of Flood! is a unique record of our country’s turbulent past—and corporate present—and a must-read for students of graphic storytelling. This third edition also features a new cover by Drooker and a complete re-design. Flood!: A Novel in Pictures, was followed by Drooker’s acclaimed book, Blood Song: A Silent Ballad.

Flood!: A Novel in Pictures features art and story by Eric Drooker. This third edition arrives on sale April 25, carrying a retail price of $14.95.

For more information on the artist and his other works, please visit www.drooker.com.