Jim Woodring's 'Il congresso degli animali' – A Surreal Masterpiece

Jim Woodring (Los Angeles, 1952) is a cult figure in contemporary comics, especially in the US, though less known in Italy. His graphic novel 'Il congresso degli animali' (originally 2011, Italian edition 2017 by Coconino Press/Fandango) is a wordless, dreamlike journey through a bizarre, curvilinear world. Woodring's signature style features anthropomorphic characters like the cat Frank, polymorphic creatures, and lush, hallucinatory landscapes blending Eastern architecture. Critics praise him: Scott McCloud calls him 'probably the most important comics author of his generation'; Neil Gaiman says Frank 'will reorganize your consciousness'; Daniel Clowes deems the book 'a work of true genius'. Woodring began drawing as a child, experiencing 'apparitions'. After overcoming alcoholism in 1979, he worked as a storyboarder and self-published his 'autojournal' Jim. Fantagraphics picked him up in 1986. His art, often black-and-white but sometimes vividly colored, evokes a mix of Ub Iwerks and Hieronymus Bosch, creating a psychedelic, mesmerizing experience.