by Franz Kafka and Peter Kuper
SIGNED | Crown Publishers | 2003
This graphic novel version of the classic horror novella by Franz Kafka is a must for collectors. Peter Kuper, of Spy vs Spy and Mad Magazine fame, has a unique, bold art style that brings Kafka’s story into bold reality.
Rendered primarily in black and white, with bright red accents, we see the story of Gregor Samsa unfold page by page. And like many illustrators before him, Kuper depicts the insect as a cockroach, though he departs by giving it a human-esque face, reminding us that there is a man locked inside the insect and showcasing Kafka’s existential absurdism.
This particular edition is signed by the author via a hand-drawn illustration of Gregor, rendered in sharpie, on the first free endpage.
