Word and Image in the Work of Brian Fies

Brian Fies visited our class last week and spoke about his graphic novels he wrote and illustrated.  He spoke specifically about his use of Word and Image in his work.  The one quote that really stuck with me was when he said, "I never want one or the other to be doing all the work.  I want [word and image] to share the load."  Brian back this up by saying that he is not a very good illustrator or write, so for him especially he can't lean on one or the other because it won't be there to support his big ideas he is trying to get across.  To me this makes perfect sense because you will have a stronger idea represented if both the illustration and the writing is working together to create a cohesive whole.  Two forms of media working together have to be more effective than one.  I mean, its like Mom always said, "Two media are better than one!" Isn't that how the quote goes?

I think that Brians work in comics especially thrives on the successful relation between word and image since this is the basis for all his work.  Images themselves are strong alone, and words themselves can be strong, but together they are able to accomplish so much if used properly.