I wanted to like this book more than I did. Scott McCloud is undoubtedly and rightly one of the biggest names in comics academia. Understanding Comics was a foundational book for me as comics author and I recommend it to others regularly. Unfortunately The Sculptor has less heart, less wit and less originality than McCloud's non-fiction works.

The story follows a failed sculptor, David Smith, who strikes up a Faustian deal with Death: unlimited creative power but only 200 more days to live and to use it. Immediately thereafter he is visited by an angel, in actuality a quirky actress named Meg, who chose David for the center role in a massive street art project based on his hang-dog expression. In essence, this is yet another story about a whiny straight white male outsider whose life is redeemed by a manic pixie dream girl. Meg is literally bi-polar and appears regularly with wings.

I have an additional complaint that I would have been willing to overlook if the book overall had been stronger. McCloud is solidly competent artist- his pages are always clear and readable. However, the rendering and design of David Smith's supposedly remarkable sculptures is incredibly disappointing. Smith's body of work as it is portrayed by McCloud is juvenile and uninteresting. I was left completely unsurprised that Smith's art career had stalled and very skeptical that he could ever regain it- even with supernatural aid.