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A boy wanders through a snowy wasteland in Dogs and Water, a dreamy
little fable by the Xeric Awarded Anders Nilsen. Running away from
something (we're never told what), a young man (whose name we're never
told) walks through a vast expanse. If that sounds a little vague, it
is, but the less we know about the details the more surreal and
resonant the boy's story becomes. The vagueness with which the story
is told imparts every scene and action with a haunting importance, and
without it we might not slow down enough to appreciate the meanings
and ideas that went into this work.
The boy sets off with nothing but a backpack and a stuffed bear, (it
was apparently the bears idea to take the journey) and their only
destination is adventure. The bear serves as something for the boy to
talk and narrate to, and they occasionally get into arguments,
although the bear himself never talks. This allows the boy to discuss
his trek in a philosophical and almost mystical way. "Doesn't the
whole idea of a journey become sort of meaningless if there's not a
sense of destination?" This technique is used a bit in the first half
of the book, but in the latter half the ideas are presented more with
actions than words.
The sparse, thin lines float on the page without panel borders, and
it looks as though the images are emerging from a fog. The
backgrounds, which are mostly empty horizons, run into each other,
creating the effect of enormous expanse and desolation. The art is as
vague as the storytelling, but done with the same intentions of
creating symbols rather than reality. Simple yet sketchy, the art
looks a bit crude but certain flourishes reveal the extent of Nilsen's
ability. There are a few elaborate set pieces, and they are both
unexpected and wonderfully drawn. The actual storytelling is very
quiet, and appropriately wanders through the story. When the
violence/action occurs, its seems removed and distant, even
frightening and surreal, which is truer to life than the stylish,
fetishized violence seen in most other comic books.
Although it is not directly dealt with, the presence of a war is felt
in the story. The boys interactions with the few humans he meets are
influenced by this war, and the climactic occurrence rises from the
war. The war is an ideal way for Nilsen to further his ruminations on
the nature of life and death, and the boy must make an important
decision at the end of the book. Dogs and Water portrays war not as
series of epic battles nor as genocidal devastation, but as something
inescapable that gives our lives meaning through struggle and
conflict. Nilsen also deals with the idea of war as the great
adventure and how our conflicts provide the ultimate tussle with
death.
The entire piece has a very dreamy, unreal quality to it. The
nameless, wandering character is as much a staple of dreams as it is
of existential literature, and he does have some revelations, at the
hands of a pack of dogs and a wounded man. There are many questions
posed, and fewer answers given, but they are there to be found if you
dig deep enough. Dogs and Water is an ultimately rewarding reading
experience -- well worth your time and money.
-- Jef Harmatz
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Dogs and Water