Author Matt Madden credits Raymond Queneau's
Exercises in Style as the inspiration for this collection of ninety-nine variations on the same story in one-page comic strip form. Madden presents an initial comic he calls "Template" that depicts a man working at his desk, then walking downstairs to look in the refrigerator. He then presents redrawings of this story that emphasize particular points of view, themes, artistic styles or styles of specific artists, and so on.
Some of my favorite "versions" of the story:
"Voyeur" presents each panel from a perspective outside one of the windows.
"Reframing" tells the story entirely with hands and punctuation marks.
"What Happens When the Ice Truck Comes to Hogan's Alley" pays tribute to Richard Outcault.
"A Lifetime to Get to the Refrigerator" ages the main character as he progresses through the panels.
"Actor's Studio II" has the story's character exaggerate the relevant emotion in each panel.
The story variations are interesting and clever. This book can be read for entertainment or as a stimulus for developing a less constrained writing style. It's also fun to pass around the office.