What do you think?
Rate this book
The Blot
Out, out damn blot, but it won’t come out -- it just keeps growing. That’s something of the premise behind The Blot by Tom Neely, one of the most bizarre and original graphic novels I’ve read this year. In a crisp, clean, yet utterly surreal drawing style, Neely depicts the odd adventures of an Average Joe whose face is periodically ravaged by a giant ink blot. The man tries to escape the blot, control the blot, even meets a woman who helps him understand the blot. [...] What starts out as semi-humorous and absurdist gains depth and poignancy -- a luminous quality, a quality of something pulled whole out of the subconscious, permeates the latter portions of The Blot. -Bookslut.com
180 pages, paperback
First published January 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Tom Neely
61 books24 followersTom Neely is an American illustrator and comic book artist based in Los Angeles.
Best known among his works are the indie comic book Henry & Glenn Forever, the graphic novel The Blot, winner of an Ignatz Award, and the series The HUMANS, which he created with Keenan Marshall Keller for Image comics.
Neely has also a long career as illustrator for magazines, literary journals, album covers and festival posters.
Best known among his works are the indie comic book Henry & Glenn Forever, the graphic novel The Blot, winner of an Ignatz Award, and the series The HUMANS, which he created with Keenan Marshall Keller for Image comics.
Neely has also a long career as illustrator for magazines, literary journals, album covers and festival posters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 31, 2020
Rob Clough insightfully reviews The Blot, whch came out in 2007, here:
http://highlowcomics.blogspot.ca/2013...
and also John Hankiewicz’s (wonderful) Asthma, with which this work seems to be in conversation. I connect it also with Cole Closser’s Black Rat and Little Tommy, also horror, and work like that. All of this work can be frightening, both use very few words, and both are associated with or what some people call “poetry comics," which means the images function like poetry—both lyric, surreal—and also make use of spare written language one might call poetic. Both also use as central figures characters and worlds that might have emanated from Golden Age comics, but are now twisted, bathed in darkness and fear. Fascinating as a commentary on comics history, what comics do, and the present moment in world history, maybe.
The only words in this one are words to frame each section, Tuesday, Fugue, Rapt, Gift, and so on. What follows in each section could be seen as commentary, sometimes surreally, on the title of that section, though it could be the words are freefloating, not connected at all, which is to say it is a kind of commentary on the nature of meaning, of language’s capacity or failure to “capture” or “reflect” reality.
Here’s an image from the work, but I had a hard time finding a lot of examples from it:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...
The basic idea is that a guy, looking much like a character from any Golden Age comics, faces being overtaken by an inkblot, which threatens to take over his life. In one story the inkblot becomes a wolf. Sometimes he fights it off. Sometimes it seems like it could be a symbol for depression, as “black dog” has been over time. Or madness, generally. I choose to say it is about mental illness, so there. Neely wouldn’t say no, I am guessing. With (largely) silent comics, we can decide what the images mean. We can allegorize them ourselves. I also might say that the silent films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, and maybe also Laurel and Hardy, all deal with sad sack figures, weighed down by tragedy and after tragedy. The focus is on slapstick comedy as a kind of frame. In The Blot, the slapstick twists into horror.
At one point, in Fugue, the guy's face/visage is taken over by the blot; he wears a bowler with a hole in it pulled down over his face. He gets a cup of coffee, but doesn’t know how to drink it through the hole. This sounds like Chaplin or Keaton, right? A woman sits down, gives him a straw and, putting her hand over his, says, “Everything is going to be alright.” Then they look out the window, where strange, cartoony nightmare figures proliferate, and she says, “We have to go now.” When they go outside, surrounded by these creatures, she tells him to fly, which he does, with her. So there’s allegories of mental illness and relationships and horror generally. I think it is amazing, unforgettable, stuff.
http://highlowcomics.blogspot.ca/2013...
and also John Hankiewicz’s (wonderful) Asthma, with which this work seems to be in conversation. I connect it also with Cole Closser’s Black Rat and Little Tommy, also horror, and work like that. All of this work can be frightening, both use very few words, and both are associated with or what some people call “poetry comics," which means the images function like poetry—both lyric, surreal—and also make use of spare written language one might call poetic. Both also use as central figures characters and worlds that might have emanated from Golden Age comics, but are now twisted, bathed in darkness and fear. Fascinating as a commentary on comics history, what comics do, and the present moment in world history, maybe.
The only words in this one are words to frame each section, Tuesday, Fugue, Rapt, Gift, and so on. What follows in each section could be seen as commentary, sometimes surreally, on the title of that section, though it could be the words are freefloating, not connected at all, which is to say it is a kind of commentary on the nature of meaning, of language’s capacity or failure to “capture” or “reflect” reality.
Here’s an image from the work, but I had a hard time finding a lot of examples from it:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...
The basic idea is that a guy, looking much like a character from any Golden Age comics, faces being overtaken by an inkblot, which threatens to take over his life. In one story the inkblot becomes a wolf. Sometimes he fights it off. Sometimes it seems like it could be a symbol for depression, as “black dog” has been over time. Or madness, generally. I choose to say it is about mental illness, so there. Neely wouldn’t say no, I am guessing. With (largely) silent comics, we can decide what the images mean. We can allegorize them ourselves. I also might say that the silent films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, and maybe also Laurel and Hardy, all deal with sad sack figures, weighed down by tragedy and after tragedy. The focus is on slapstick comedy as a kind of frame. In The Blot, the slapstick twists into horror.
At one point, in Fugue, the guy's face/visage is taken over by the blot; he wears a bowler with a hole in it pulled down over his face. He gets a cup of coffee, but doesn’t know how to drink it through the hole. This sounds like Chaplin or Keaton, right? A woman sits down, gives him a straw and, putting her hand over his, says, “Everything is going to be alright.” Then they look out the window, where strange, cartoony nightmare figures proliferate, and she says, “We have to go now.” When they go outside, surrounded by these creatures, she tells him to fly, which he does, with her. So there’s allegories of mental illness and relationships and horror generally. I think it is amazing, unforgettable, stuff.
December 13, 2007
A surreal, minimalist graphic story, told with a bare minimum of words. The act of going from panel to panel is enjoyable, much like the quiet comics of Jason. The story is weird and unpredictable (a man is pursued by an ink blot). Unlike many graphic novels, The Blot is worth owning and rereading.
June 28, 2017
The story is more felt than told, yet the whole thing is very clear, precise and develops with its own inevitable logic. For me this book is like an essence of what I value in comics.
June 3, 2021
Masterpiece with several sources of strength. First is the aesthetic and the fast beats inspired by gorgeous classic American animation (yes, animation). Neely’s panels have more movement in them than any other comic I’ve read, partly down to the stick figures with arms as long as legs. Then he slaps that naive style against horror and nudity. Then he manages to make the blot moving without being totally clear in the allegory. Is it depression? No, it also makes people recoil. Leprosy? No, it makes a doppelganger who he must kill. It inspires kindness from a woman and allows him to fly. Edward’s scissors then. It blooms and withers. Is it sin? No, it decreases after sex and murder. Is it rage? No, it’s something cooler than that. It is domesticable. It unites lovers. It leaves when she leaves. Magritte Mouse.
July 5, 2012
A challenging, mostly dialogue-less story. Challenging, in that the creator is juxtaposing several ideas at once in a gripping conflict of character, story and art. In many ways, it's a tale of cartoons at war with their own creation, as "The Blot" seeps out of a cartoonish 1930s-esque to nearly consume the whole world and our hero. But in the end our hero is forced to confront his own failures and weaknesses.
June 1, 2015
A horror comics which can only be told in comics.
Rob Clough's review of the work is well written. http://classic.tcj.com/alternative/rh...
Rob Clough's review of the work is well written. http://classic.tcj.com/alternative/rh...
November 1, 2009
Just a great book. If you're a fan of like Jim Woodring or like E.C. Segar style art you'll love this book. It's more of a vibe than a story, but that's why it's great.
December 26, 2012
Something about this book both freaks me out and saddens me every time I read it. That's a good thing.
June 13, 2024
The Blot is the debut graphic novel from Tom Neely, and is a nebulous yet dark little comic. Neely leans heavily on the traditions of classic strips and old-school animation in the vein of the Fletcher brothers, Floyd Gottfredson and Ub Iwerks, with a dash of Al Columbia to boot. The narratives are slight, but steeped in some horrific imagery and some subtle humor. Following the manner of an unrelenting dream, where one nightmare leads to the next, The Blot doesn't follow a cohesive or linear narrative. Rather every several pages introduces a new subset of characters in equally distressing but uniquely crafted situations with no regard for narrative continuity. It's a fast moving comic though the underlying meaning behind the scenes is not spelled out for the reader, as if Neely dares the reader to try scratch out their own meaning behind the creepy visage. It's a fun time for lovers of horror comics, and one that I feel I can return to for a reliable jolt of dread.
September 10, 2017
Distinct.
October 19, 2023
Weird.
Good, but weird.
Good, but weird.
March 22, 2012
The blot is out to get him! It’s appearing in the newspaper, the alleyway, in another’s eyes and mouth, and as a cloud right in front of our protagonist. It’s a force…an unrelenting force. It will find him. And it will take him over. There’s no escaping it.
Until, one day, he meets a woman.
Tom Neely’s graphic novel, The Blot, has a very old-school-comic feel. It’s nearly entirely wordless, and the illustrations are black and white, simple, and yet carefully planned, as if when reading, it’s like looking over the frames of a film. Not to mention, there’s some really wonderful sequences, here. The first of which comes when He meets Her in the coffee shop, and she helps him drink his drink. Then, the two of them are perused and swallowed up by the masses of blank faces, with her giving him the strength to fly away …only for him to reach down deep and find her before it’s too late, and take her with him, away. The second follows immediately afterwards, as She shows Him that his blot is something magical, and destructive, and that’s beautiful. It culminates to some disrobing, undressing nakedness, her words, “Trust me”, and she then sucks the blot out of him, which is then passed back and forth and shared between themselves.
Ultimately, this is a story of life before love, being in love, and losing the one you love (and all of the anguish that comes with it). It reminds me of the day when one of my college professors opened up to us about a break-up she was going through at the time. She said that he told her that he “wasted these years with her”. But she didn’t see it the same way; she saw the good in it, and enjoyed their time together. She’ll use what she learned about relationships and herself, and will be a better person for whoever will be lucky enough to be in her company next (my words). So, in that way, it could never be a ‘waste’.
Until, one day, he meets a woman.
Tom Neely’s graphic novel, The Blot, has a very old-school-comic feel. It’s nearly entirely wordless, and the illustrations are black and white, simple, and yet carefully planned, as if when reading, it’s like looking over the frames of a film. Not to mention, there’s some really wonderful sequences, here. The first of which comes when He meets Her in the coffee shop, and she helps him drink his drink. Then, the two of them are perused and swallowed up by the masses of blank faces, with her giving him the strength to fly away …only for him to reach down deep and find her before it’s too late, and take her with him, away. The second follows immediately afterwards, as She shows Him that his blot is something magical, and destructive, and that’s beautiful. It culminates to some disrobing, undressing nakedness, her words, “Trust me”, and she then sucks the blot out of him, which is then passed back and forth and shared between themselves.
Ultimately, this is a story of life before love, being in love, and losing the one you love (and all of the anguish that comes with it). It reminds me of the day when one of my college professors opened up to us about a break-up she was going through at the time. She said that he told her that he “wasted these years with her”. But she didn’t see it the same way; she saw the good in it, and enjoyed their time together. She’ll use what she learned about relationships and herself, and will be a better person for whoever will be lucky enough to be in her company next (my words). So, in that way, it could never be a ‘waste’.
July 19, 2008
Obviously I have a somewhat biased opinion of this book. Tom is a good friend of mine from back in the art school days. This is his first graphic novel, which he produced and distributed all on his own. It is an absolutely amazing book which has gotten some rave reviews (from less biased sources) and has even won an award (Ignatz)! Check out his site for more info on how to buy the book.
October 13, 2007
I wish I could summarize the plot. I wish I could even be sure of the plot. I suspect I missed big portions of Meaning, but from where I am, it's a creepy, surreal, quasi-horror story of a man who sees a giant inkblot overtaking everything and threatening to destroy all that is important--and some that isn't--to the man.
November 28, 2013
Una auténtica genialidad de cómic. Prácticamente sin texto, todo imágenes, cómic puro y duro, presenta una historia de amor pero de una manera totalmente extraña: todo se explica a través del "borrón" de tinta en torno al que gira la vida del personaje. Una metáfora de las fases del amor hecha cómic.
January 17, 2008
This is a gorgeous, gorgeous book and I have no idea what's going on in it. Some kind of allegory, I guess? I hope it's not an "I'm an indie cartoonist and I have trouble with relationships" allegory. Fantastic artwork, though.
January 2, 2009
Good graphic story, well-drawn and pretty clever symbolism for love coming into and out of one's life.
October 29, 2011
Quite sure I didn't get most of it, but a fascinating "read" (no words) and wonderfully drawn. If I get 2% of it every time I read it, I;ll just have to fread it 50 times.
June 23, 2013
It was a rather obtuse story, but I did enjoy the art, particularly the rubber hose style.
September 11, 2016
3.5. Really creepy but compelling.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews