I couldn't put this graphic novel down. I've read both Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics (both are non-fiction), and I enjoyed both. The Sculptor is the first work of fiction I have read by McCloud (I know that he did a comic series called Zot!, but I had never seen it before and will definitely need to check it out now).
I have to admit that the subject matter of this graphic novel was not initially appealing to me, so I passed on getting this book when it first came out. Later, I saw a 5-star review by Wil Wheaton on Goodreads. After that, I read the description again on the inside of the dust jacket and decided to buy it - this is easily the largest graphic novel I've purchased, and is the only one I've purchased in hardcover outside of the Akira manga series by Katsuhiro Otomo. Thank you to Mr. Wheaton for posting that review, since it definitely influenced my decision to read this story. Granted, the review was only two sentences, but it was effective.
Once I started reading it, I didn't want to stop. I was drawn into the story, and the interactions of different characters. This is a an exploration of an all-encompassing desire that is very realistic. Life is not fair. Things are not always as they seem. Things do not go as planned. People act in irrational ways. You make more mistakes trying to make things right before things finally improve - if they improve at all. There are also many "Oh crap!" moments in this story, and it is like watching a train wreck - you just can't stop reading (I almost read this in a single evening).
For me, this story was somewhat reminiscent of the TV show Party of Five (a group of friends used to ask "how many bad things can happen to this poor family?") - you just couldn't NOT watch! It also reminded me of a story formula that was written by Lester Dent (the original author of Doc Savage Pulp Magazines in the 1930's and 1940's). In this formula, he described what should be done in each quarter of the story he was writing (and he used this for every pulp story he sold), and one of the items which was used in each quarter was something along the lines of "heap more misfortune on the shoulders of the hero". This story kind of felt like that. There were also several scenes in this story made me relive very powerful moments in TV shows I've watched over the years that an emotional effect on me (if you are familiar with Babylon 5 and St Elsewhere, you will know what I'm talking about).
The Sculptor is a major piece of storytelling, and I'm looking forward to Mr. McCloud's future efforts.
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