“There’s a place that exists on the outskirts of your visual field, between your peripheral range and that which is unseen…It’s always there and disappears only upon blinking.  You cannot see it, and yet you can approximate what occupies it.”

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to review a graphic novel by Nir Levie called Outskirts of Vision. I was drawn to this title as I have not had much experience with the graphic novel medium. I have always been fascinated by the use of text and picture to tell a story and I was excited to explore that in long form.

Outskirts of Vision is a story embedded within the themes of architecture, urban planning, sustainability, cooperation and competition. The story reads like a love child of the movies Inception, and the Matrix. It also uses elements of metafiction to great effect. SPOILER ALERT (Highlight to see the hidden text) Essentially the story explores a team of architects/ researchers who  use dream recording technology to explore the individual subconscious. This project is carried out in order to uncover insight into building the perfect city. END SPOILER

Reading Outskirts of Vision was like pulling away layers of an onion. It was rich, complex , and very thought provoking. The story was rife with philosophical hooks, addressing planned vs unplanned growth, isolation, conflict and physical space. I could not help but consider pressing urban issues facing the world, such as deviant (unchecked) globalization, waste and anomie.  As I mentioned earlier the story made excellent use of metafiction. The author plays with the fourth wall in order to punctuate the plot. At several points previous panels read in the story,  become an object of the story itself blurring the line between participant and observer of the plot itself (for the reader). It was very surreal and very poignant considering how timely and pertinent the subject matter of the story is.

The art of Outskirts was very quirky and unlike anything I have enjoyed before. The author’s creative and versatile use of such a simple pallet (whites, blacks greys and red) was very impressive especially over 200+ pages. If you’re looking for something unexpected and stimulating look no further. In a world where space is increasingly more important yet so limited, seeing what it means to be human in the context and mediation of that is a very reflective opportunity.

Memorable quotes

“Our design is too dense and binding”

“Alright, so what? What are we so afraid of?  That’s the beautiful thing about cities.  Cities are alive. They evolve. They take on a life of their own…strict planning inhibits that.”

Story: Nir Levie: Art: Nir Levie
Story: 9 Art:8 Overall 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Nir Levie provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review