Gods' Man

Lynd Ward’s Gods’ Man (1929) is a landmark in graphic storytelling, published by Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith as a single wordless novel in woodcuts. A masterwork of the early comic form, it follows an artist’s Faustian pact through 139 hauntingly expressive images, establishing Ward as a pioneer of the visual narrative. Its silent, cinematic approach influenced generations of artists and remains a touchstone of the medium’s artistic potential.