Memories, history, family… these are all the things that I thought of when I first opened the graphic novel The Arrival by Shaun Tan. The details in the artwork evoke these feelings. The artistry of the publication and title pages makes me think of an old family scrapbook. Let’s start with the actual pages: on the publication and title pages the artwork never ends. Unlike the pages in the rest of the book (except for the chapter pages) on these pages there is no border or edge it covers the entire page. The artist went to great lengths to make the pages appear to be yellowed, weathered, and frequently used. They look as if they had been bound in the pages of an old book.
The black and white image on the center of the title page appears to be a photograph taped to the page. It’s of a man with his back to the ‘camera’. By not sharing the man’s face on the cover page, Tan manages to make the book a part of everyone’s history. The man could be anyone, from any family, with any background. It makes the story instantly relatable. It’s the story of many people’s families… of mine, yours, your neighbors, etc. The detail in this part of the page is amazing. Tan even shows the tape in such a way that it appears weathered and old. The dedication, too, adds to the feelings of anonymity: “For my parents”. While we do know who the author is, the dedication to parents without names makes it also feel like it could be anyone’s family.
Tan introduces a history in just the publication and cover pages. The reader can tell the focus of the book by the title alone, but in keeping with the effect of the image it also helps this book represent everyone’s story. The title is: The Arrival, not The Arrival to __ or The Departure from ___. No specific location is mentioned. In keeping with this idea of immigration, the publication page includes an immigration inspection card with publication information on it. An inspection card is something that a family member might keep. What appears to be scraps of stamps, too, are included in the publication page with the scrap of another page that includes more publication information.
Shaun Tan’s artistry helps every reader relate and remember their families and histories.
