Graphic Witness [second edition] #[nn]
"The Passion of a Man" is a powerful, wordless narrative from Lynd Ward, whose masterful artwork—pencils, inks, and composition—drives this stark tale of labor, alienation, and quiet rebellion. Set against the stark contrast of industrial decay and rural isolation, the story follows a man’s journey from longing to disillusionment, culminating in a moment of desperate defiance. The striking cover, a collaborative effort by Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward, Laurence Hyde, Giacomo Patri, and Erich Glas, captures the work’s somber intensity.
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Oppressed by the industrial city, the Protagonist dreams of the countryside. Once there, though, he witnesses a lynching. He works for a farmer, makes advances to the farmer's shocked wife, and is chased away. A second farmer, deep in the forest, takes him in. After a long time of work and learning he dreams of leading the workers in rebellion. Returning to the city he finds it largely idle and the workers desperate. When police attack peacefully gathered workers he kills one of the police, but is killed himself in turn.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).