What does it mean to be invisible?
To live a life where you barely exist?
And how can you be true to yourself?
Herman, the main character in Herman by Trade, is someone you walk past everyday without noticing. An introverted street cleaner, he is assumed to be unambitious and dull. His life is so routine, his coworkers are truly uninterested in his evening or weekend plans—“You didn’t have to ask,” one cruelly remarks to the other.
Except Herman is not the person the world thinks he is. Like many introverts, he is actually quite observant, curious and creative. In contrast to the repetitive soul-crushing tasks he performs at work, Herman’s free time is spent engaged in the many activities that interest him.
Herman also has an ability he hasn’t shared with anyone: he can transform his appearance at will.
One evening, Herman changes and attends a showing of ‘Gare’, a film with a dedicated following of hard-core fans. At the post-show discussion, the director announces her next film will be filming along the city’s waterfront and issues an open casting call. The next day, as Herman and his colleagues start work, the city begins auditioning for the new film. Watching people audition, Herman sees mainly rejection, but occasionally joy as the director find someone talented enough for her film.
Eventually, Herman decides to audition and perform. But this creates a new challenge. How can he pursue his creativity when it is in direct conflict with his job?
Herman by Trade draws you into this conflict very quickly. In fact, conflict and contrasts are a large part of this work. The anonymous wish to be recognized for their talents. The recognized find themselves ultimately alone and lonely. The director and her entourage travel by private boat, yet within sight of the street cleaners who pick up after them. Characters pretend to be something other than they are, but like a magic trick, remain visibly inauthentic.
The art of Herman by Trade reveals as much as the written story. Chris.W. Kim uses fine linework through most of the book, effectively representing the anonymity that almost all the characters feel. Despite creating individual faces and talents for the people waiting to audition, each character still blends into the next. In one sequence of ever diminishing panels, Kim ably demonstrates how a group of hopefuls simply becomes an unending line of the nameless and unrenowned.
Herman’s creative awakening occurs in fits and starts. Kim uses a thicker line to outline Herman’s shape and features at the moment the character begins to think of performing. Later, as his self-confidence builds, Herman is drawn almost entirely in thicker lines. His stiff gait and posture become more fluid, more dynamic and much more joyful.
Unfortunately, the ending of Herman by Trade is rather confusing and leaves you with a number of questions. It’s neither a triumph nor a tragedy, but a rather flat unfinished conclusion.
This is Kim’s first graphic novel, and it’s an excellent one. The story grabs hold of you and hangs on even after you’ve finished. Herman is a vulnerable hero with aspirations that everyone can relate to. After all, who doesn’t want to be the hero of their own story?
Herman By Trade
Chris W. Kim (writer & artist)
Self Made Hero (released 2017)
Herman By Trade
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