I found that I really enjoyed Heartbreak Soup as I read further into it, and I think part of the reason for this is what I perceive as the maturation of Gilbert Hernandez’s style, particularly his use of word-free panels to emphasize a particular mood or series of events. While the very beginning of the book is characterized by text-dense and character-dense action, the end contains more character development and deeper nuances of feeling, and I think some of this is accomplished through these wordless transitions.
The most obvious example is cited in Charles Hatfield’s text, namely the finale of Duck Feet, a one-page overview of Palomar’s citizenry getting on with life after the plague of the Bruja (page 267), but that is not the first significant use of wordless panels. On pages 206-207, we have 18 panels of wordless action, detailing Jesus’s sad memories of his incident with Laura and his violent odyssey through prison.
These are the most significant examples, but there are others sprinkled throughout the book where you can see the author playing with this technique. Part 2 of The Laughing Sun has a very interesting moment (127.4), where Beto displays the brotherhood of the five men (and the complete exhaustion of Jesus) with a silent moment in the car, and On Isidro’s Beach has several wordless moments where Lupe encounters a couple and a frightening stranger behind some dunes (131.6 and 132.1 – 132.5). In Bullnecks and Bracelets, Israel’s flight to the fabled Bahia (286.3-286.9) is mainly wordless, and the very end (287.6) sees a subtle silent smile on Israel’s part after a phone call.
Too much of this wordless action could be overkill, but I think Gilbert Hernandez strikes a nice balance with it, and I found these scenes were among the ones that stuck in my head after I put down Heartbreak Soup.
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Gilbert's style as the novel progresses is defintely note worthy. I like how you pointed out that there were certain aspects that stuck with you after you put the text down. I agree with you. For me the two stories were "The Way Things're Going" and "for the Love of Carmen." I thought these were really interesting and provided a nice break from the previous stories in the novel. These two are told entirely from one person's point of view. Not only do they offer this break from the traditonal bubbles of conversation or thought, of Heraclio and Vincente's roommate, but they also provide a deeply personal look into each's lives and innermost feelings.
When I put the book down I found these images to stick with me the most. It was as if I could hear the characters nararting their lives. I also thought it was a very deeply personal experience between reader and character. Just as those who live in Palomar share intimate experiences and relationships, I felt that through these two stories I was developing my own intimate relationship with the characters.
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