The Arrival (updated)
Shaun Tan is a brilliant illustrator and storyteller. He is able to have such an absolute command of the medium (picture books/ comics) that makes his works easily understandable for a wide range of readers, be it young or old. Tan utilizes a surreal element in The Arrival that makes it clear to the viewer that the world he is entering is very much different from his own. This is a very effective way of portraying the harshness of moving to another country with different languages, different culture, and different people. I don't think this kind of a message would be as easy to understand if he hadn't taken the surreal approach, because everyone and everything would still look so similar. The two contrasting worlds wouldn't look different enough to have as much of an impact without words to help it along. This aspect of The Arrival I feel was integral to the work standing on its own as a wordless narrative. I initially read The Arrival a couple years back in my illust