The Swimmer with a Rope in His Teeth
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A Shadow Fable
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Jeanne E. Shaffer
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“…simply the starkest, strongest book to appear from a comics creator in the past few years. This is the experiment of a great comic creator at the peak of his form. Reading elegantly like a piece of undiscovered, yet modern mythology…this is a book that will not only satisfy general readers - but could have an impact on young students in grade school, high school and colleges. Cruse, with Shaffer, has created a work that should stand next to MAUS, in it's use of comic sensibilities in conveying a vital, universal message.”
-PopImage.com

Adapted and Illustrated by Howard Cruse

A treacherous river separates two lands. On one side is the “Land of Good and Happiness” whose citizens know how to live life happily. On the other side is the “Land of Evil and Woe,” where a benighted people wallow in ignorance, unaware that they might greatly benefit from the enlightened civilization on the other side. One day a courageous swimmer from the Land of the Good embarks upon a dangerous journey to stretch a rope across the river to give the people on the other side a way out of their moral chaos and misery. What happens to the swimmer and how the recipients of the rope respond to his noble gesture make for a moving story.

A good parable means many different things to different people. Is the swimmer a Christ figure or an embodiment of suffering heroes from mythology like Prometheus, Hercules, or Parsifal? However interpreted, Jeanne Shaffer’s striking tale of timeless themes will sound a responsive chord in people from all backgrounds. Like figures on a Greek vase, Howard Cruse’s classically rendered figures in black lend poignancy and heroic grace to this challenging satire.

Jeanne E. Shaffer (Montgomery, AL) is an award-winning writer, composer, musician, former actress, and host of a weekly public radio program called Eine Kleine Frauenmusik. Her compositions, including musicals, chamber music, song cycles, a ballet, and orchestral works, have been recorded and performed by international soloists. She taught for thirty-five years, the last thirteen as Head of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama.

Howard Cruse (New York, NY) is an award-winning illustrator. His critically acclaimed graphic novel, Stuck Rubber Baby, won literary awards in Germany and France. He has also published five book-length compilations of his comics from such periodicals as Playboy, The Village Voice, Artforum International, and Heavy Metal. He is the creator of Wendel, a comic strip featured in The Advocate throughout most of the 1980s. For more on Howard Cruse, visit www.howardcruse.com.

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PAGES: 70 pp COMMENTS: Illustrations throughout
ISBN: 1-59102-181-2 BINDING: Paperback
PRICE: $14 SIZE: 6 x 9
CATEGORY: Young Readers