Reading Through 2021 91: Fran, by Jim Woodring

Fran, by Jim Woodring

2013

What can you write about Frank? 

I have three Frank books (four with this one) and they all somewhat blend together. They all use simple panels, are wordless, and have remarkable inking. The plots in them are all abstract, so it's not easy to say "Poochytown is the one where Frank does..." Rather, it's another Frank book where stuff happens, with some incredible art.

Woodring throws down the gauntlet with panel one, inking shadow like a 16th century engraver

Fran is anther Frank book with incredible art. More than other Frank books, it has something that resembles a plot or an arc, and that threw me off at first. As is stated on the cover, the book continues and precedes another book, Congress of the Animals, which I unfortunately haven't read (and isn't easy to get ahold of these days).  

Frank can't draw very well

I took a quick look at the synopsis for Congress, and it seems to be different than other Frank books as well, so I guess I need to track down a copy in order to better understand this. I love Woodring's art, but the Frank books are all of a piece together, and it's hard to say one is a must-have over any other, which is one reason I haven't consistently bought them all.

Woodring has such control over his inks that he can make Frank's pupils dilate

Regardless of what the connection between these two books are, Fran is its own book. The character Fran reads as a female Frank, from the name and the ears which recall a woman's hairstyle, but it would be too much to say it's a female. I'm sure I'm putting some heteronormativity on to my classification of them, since Frank isn't necessarily male either. What can be clearly seen in the book is that Frank and Fran have a relationship. They sit in a tree together, they play together, but more troubling, Frank shows some aggressiveness and possissiveness towards Fran.

Frank finds a device that goes into your mind, Fran doesn't care for the device

In past books, Frank has shown all range of emotions, sometimes troubling ones. The cuteness and simplicity of Frank's design makes him a character you instantly empathize with, so any time he does anything remotely problematic, it's so frustrating to watch. It's like watching your toddler behave terribly at the park.

Fran doesn't respect Frank's device

That's some of the magic of reading Frank. You rarely feel like you're reading something that's being written. Rather, it's as if you're watching something happening before you. In this way, it is to traditional comics like a nature documentary is to a traditional movie.

When Frank grabs Fran's arm, it expands with consternation, which terrifies Frank. Fair enough 

Frank alienates Fran, Fran leaves, and Frank, Pupshaw and Pushpaw (Frank's dog-like companions) follow. It's a sort of adventure, but it deteriorates into psychedelic weirdness. Always in Frank, the story occurring before your eyes never makes sense in an explainable way, but it is happening in Frank's world and is understandable on an emotional level. When Fran's arm starts expanding, it's not like that was the logical place for the story to go, but it makes sense in the confines of Frank's world. 

Frank flies a rocket into the underside of his world, a new aspect of Frank's cosmology. That's a beautiful rendering of the impact

Fran definitely is as good as any other Frank story, though it felt slightly less abstract than the Frank stories I've read before. It's still a great deal stranger and more creative than most other books I've read all year, but in terms of Frank books, the focus on a relationship made the book feel relatively down to earth.

Frank can't connect to himself

The book production is impeccable, printed on a heavy, yellow paper with a printed purple hardcover. The ink work is as clear as you could hope for. And the art in the book is absolutely stunning. Every few pages I would pause in awe of how amazing the ink work on display was. It's so good that I take Woodring's art for granted. I've been reading his stuff for 25 years, and have loved it every time, but haven't become a completist because I've pushed new books aside as "another Frank book," while I bought something else that often disappoints. He's a bit like Chris Ware like that for me, in that I'm not usually dying to read a new book, but when I do, I absolutely love it.